During my weekend routine of visiting the market ,I spotted raw mangoes and my joy could not be controlled. Arrival of mangoes is synonymous with arrival of summer season. Dont they?
Summer season always makes me go nostalgic .Apart from the usual words like , oh it is scorching badly, please stay indoors and take adequate liquids ,there are also a handful of activities that I get myself involved with.
Ask me what they are? Here you go!!!
Come summer ,I get as much of mangoes as possible and try out every other recipe that involves mango! Pickle, jam, pappad,panna, juiceYou name it and I have it in my list! Our family has hardcore mango lovers and we always eye to try different varieties of mangoes ranging from Imam pasandh, rumani, malkova, neelam, Malliga,Banganapalli to name a few!Not to forget the baby mangoes!I visit the mylapore market for atleast 3 to 4 times during this season to hand pick the baby mangoes and convert it into pickle.. This pickle has a shelf life for a year and I never miss to stock more (Greedy me).
Summer is also synonymous with home made fryums !I have grown seeing my mom and maternal grandmother make it so diligently! My only work then was to taste the dough as much I could!I have gained that shred of quality from my mom and I also try my best to stock home made fryums during this season!
Sago fryum of different flavours(mixed with vegetable puree) are made and sun dried,apart from the usual chakli fryum!!!Making it involves lots of preparatory works like stocking the essentials ,making the dough, going to the terrace to make the fryums in circles on the cloth .It also involves occasional visits to the terrace and guarding the fryums from the crows!A perfect fryum is made after sun drying it for 2 days and carefully separating and stocking it in an airtight container!
Make hay while the sun shines says the adage!A bulk quantity of tomatoes and potatoes are purchased during ths season..Potatoes are converted into fryums..Tomatoes are used into making a zillion varieties of pickles/jams..Sometimes we end up sun drying the vegetables, wait till the water content is lost and store it in air tight container for close to a 6 months!
The next is the watermelons!!!A thirst quencher!!!This juicy and pulpy fruit is just a respite to the otherwise sultry days!!!
We normally make buttermilk in big pots and have it as much as possible as this is very good to body and satiates the heat. Tender coconut water is also an excellent supplement of water!
The next comes the ice apple! Wow is just an understatement. .The fleshy fruits just slides in my throat. The skin of the fruit is also rubbed on the body as it is believed to act as a cooling agent!!
Last but not the least is the previous day cooked rice soaked in water and taken out the next day and converted into liquid form by adding buttermilk and salt..This goes very well with green chili and shallots!
With the summer already in its full form,I am all set to experience the above.What about you?
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