Comfort food has been discussed to death over here and in many other forums. To me, comfort food is what I won’t mind eating every single day of my life if I had to. In fact I had a post about two years ago asking the readers to share their pick if they had to chose one single meal for the rest of their lives. Hey, that gives me an idea, since I’ve met many new friends after that post, let’s play that again! 
 So tell me, If you get stuck …

Thanks everyone for playing the What would you pick… game. It was comforting to know that most everyone would go for comfort food, if they had to stick with eating the same meal for the rest of their life.  There were a couple of smart alecs who wanted to take a hot guy along for dessert, I have to let them, after all it is a deserted island…
Talking about my comfort food I realized that I haven’t blogged about one of my favorite dishes of all times! A simple …

What makes a perfect couple? Together they bring out the best in each other…
He is bitter and not so smooth when it comes to looks.. She is smelly and shrinking with age… But put them together, it is a match made in heaven…
You suddenly start liking his bitterness, when it is perfectly paired with her oh so slightly salty crunchiness… Dress them up in some spices and the looks won’t matter anymore either…
Yes, they are truly made for each other… Bitter gourd and dried shrimp!
If you …

It is time for the weekly dose of that authentic Kerala recipe. Pavakka aka bitter gourd aka bitter melon has been my favorite vegetable for as long as I can remember. I know there is a big group of people who absolutely hate this vegetable, it is really an acquired taste. But cooked the right way, most of the bitterness of pavakka can be masked, or it can elevate other flavors in a dish. My all time favorite pavakka dish is theeyal, where tamarind is used to moderate the bitterness. Next …

Today is Vishu, the astronomical New Year of Kerala, marking the start of the harvest season. There are a lot of customs associated with Vishu, which have been covered in detail on different sites, so I’m not going to repeat any of those. Read all about Vishu here and here.
Growing up in an atheist household, my Hindu festivals were mostly about the food. My parents adapted the non-religious aspects of all the festivals. So Vishu was all about the feast, fire works and Kaineettam (the elders in the house passes out money to the …