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Malabar Spinach Blossoms
The Malabar spinach blossom is a small, delicate flower that appears in clusters, typically ranging from white to light purple. Each flower features five petal-like sepals, creating a lovely visual contrast against the lush green foliage. The blossoms possess a mild, slightly earthy flavor that adds subtle freshness to dishes, making them ideal for garnishing or incorporating into recipes.
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Flavorful Pickling Secrets
Oil adds richness and a smoother mouthfeel to pickles, enhancing the eating experience and balancing the tanginess from vinegar or citrus. It also ensures even distribution of spices, allowing every bite to carry consistent flavor rather than isolated pockets of spice.
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Preserve and Flavor with Salt
Salt draws out moisture through a process called osmosis. When you add salt to vegetables, it creates a difference in concentration between the salt inside the vegetable and the salty outside. Inside the vegetable, there's more water than outside. So, water moves out from the vegetable to balance things out, which means the vegetables lose moisture.
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Salted Fish – Time honored delicacy
Heavy rains can disrupt drying, causing spoilage. Fishermen often overcome this challenge by using tarps or shelters to protect the fish from rain, ensuring the drying process continues smoothly. This resilience helps maintain the cultural heritage and economic importance of salted fish in any cuisine. Insufficient drying can lead to moisture retention, creating an environment conducive to the growth of bacteria and mold, which can spoil the fish quickly.
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Black Velvet Tamarind
Beneath this intriguing exterior lies the fruit, which captivates with its rich brownish-orange color and a delightfully fuzzy texture, perfectly embodying its name. The flavor profile of velvet tamarind is an exciting mix of acidic, tart, and an enticing sour-sweet taste that tingles the taste buds. During my school days, velvet tamarind was a beloved treat sold in the canteen, greatly cherished by my schoolmates. We would playfully stick out our tongues to show the vivid orange hue left behind after indulging in this fruit.
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Enchanting Cardamoms
When crushed or ground, the seeds release a powerful burst of aromatic compounds that elevate the overall taste of dishes, making green cardamom stand out amongst spices. Its versatility in adding a unique and complex flavor to both sweet and savory dishes.
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Global Spice – Cardamoms
While India serves as the primary birthplace of cardamom, it journeyed to countries like Guatemala, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania due to trade and cultivation practices. This aromatic spice’s reach extended even to Indonesia, where the “Java cardamom” variety exists. Although distinct from green cardamom, Java cardamom maintains a mild sweetness with floral and citrus notes, enriching Indonesian cuisine.
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The Crunch of Fryums
In many South Indian households, serving fryums with rice dishes is a traditional practice that has been passed down through generations. Fryums add a crunchy and crispy texture to the meal, providing contrast to the soft and fluffy texture of rice. The seasoning and spices used in fryums also add flavour to the meal.
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Jackfruits of Panruti
As the jackfruit ripens, it transforms into a soft, sweet treat with tropical flavors reminiscent of pineapple, mango, and banana. Ripe jackfruit is used in various desserts like cakes, puddings, and ice cream. Tamil culinary traditions include dishes like Jackfruit Payasam, a creamy dessert with ripe jackfruit, coconut milk, and jaggery, and Elai Adai, a sweet delicacy of rice flour, coconut, jaggery, chopped jackfruit, all steamed in a banana leaf.
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Traditional Mouth Freshener
This practice is deeply rooted in Indian culture as a way to mark the end of a meal and provide a refreshing end to the dining experience.
