Variar Bakery- A Walk Down Memory Lane

Take a stroll on the 12^th main road in Rajajinagar of Bangalore and a waft of sweet baked scent will drag you to the legendary bakery of OG Variar & Sons located in an inconspicuous corner near ESI Hospital. Govinda Variar, a native of Kerala is the founder of this place who used to bake at night with rented ovens and sell them during the day in Guttahalli. Eventually he opened a bakery in Rajajinagar in 1955 and the popularity kept growing. They also have a branch near Dhobi Ghat on Chord Road. The aroma in fact defines the traffic junction, that’s the only thing that makes waiting for the signal to turn green bearable.

Nothing in the world matches the yumminess of their Dil Pasand laden with all the tutti-frutti and coconut or the perfect puffiness of their Veg Puff with the right amount and kind of vegetable stuffing. The ever loyal customer base of these bakers par excellence will agree with me. Their range of biscuits and fresh breads are a must try. Fortunately they do not use any preservatives or colouring substances. A team of the most cordial men clad in white will attend to you one by one, mind you there maybe serpentine queues while their signature items like milk biscuits, ‘benne’ biscuits and ‘khara’ biscuits fly off the shelves when they are still warm from the oven.

Transactions for the ladies are easier here; we have a separate ‘Ladies Counter ‘to attend to our orders. I remember Appa asking me to stand at that particular counter so that we could get our order faster. There was a time when people used to buy these items from the bakery in modest amounts. These were small luxuries of life which were brought home only on special occasions, if brother or I wrote our exams well or our cousins were visiting home. Today I saw some pistoriophiles at the counter buying biscuits and cakes in kilo grams!

 One of the most exceptional things about this place is its originality. No matter which day of the year you go their biscuits, breads and cakes taste remarkably the same.  Therefore binging on them might not be good for health as Govinda Variar himself opined once but trying them is definitely a must! Today I literally walked down the memory lane and got a lot of their goodies home.

-R.

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A Piece Of Cake

“Chocolate flavor will do?” I asked.

No response.

“Okay, Vanilla is it this time? I asked again.

He walked away giving a nod, well seemed like it. 

This was at the neighborhood grocery stores a week ago. Three days later I baked this cake for him, it took me a good two hours. I generously decorated it with tutti frutti, jellies and grated chocolate after the icing, all the time thinking of him. He loves cakes, that apart there is a certain sweetness about him. I had to remember to keep that proportion. I wanted it to be more than edible. While I placed this one in the refrigerator and let it set, I sent him a picture of it with all the excitement in this world.

No reply.

He came home at night, after dinner opened the refrigerator and had a share of it without much noise. He must have got the picture so I thought. I looked at him eat and couldn’t stop myself from curiously asking him “How is it?” He slowly turned and looked at me, like a lion disturbed during his meal after the kill. It wasn’t anger, it wasn’t annoyance. It was more like a grand statement. “If I am eating it means it is okay, do you get it? “ he said, and that was his longest line for me for the day.

“OKAY you mean? Well okay!” I said startled.

Thankfully it was decent enough for a home- made stuff, and that too just my second one. The next day when he was back home he opened the refrigerator again “Is it over?” he asked looking at the almost empty bowl. Nobody replied because the rest of folks at home were over and done with it. “Che!” he frowned and sat down. I smiled. He smiled too.

You know there are always a certain category of people in your life with whom no matter how hard either of you try there cannot be or rather there is no need of long conversations to put across a point. You ask something more, be sure to get a punch on your face. There is no demanding, no complaining, no inquiring, no pestering, no praising with intentions and no fishing for compliments. It is not in their element. Yet you feel blessed when they are around, just like how I feel with this younger brother of mine. No matter what I do, no matter what I want, no matter what I feel and no matter what I make he does not judge. And when he is forced to, he makes sure I either feel very awesome or very awful about it depending on the circumstance. Straight without doubt. More than everything else, no matter what I cook or bake, I am happy that there is one person who will surely eat.

Dealing with such a brother, it's a piece of cake!

-R.

Churmuri

Most of you would have read this blog Churmuri- Swalpa sihi, swalpa spicy at some point or the other. The tagline of the blog more than the name always made me smile. Yesterday on the way back home after an evening walk tempted by the smell, sound and sight of this eye more than mouth watering thing I crossed the road and ordered for one. I couldn't help it, my childhood summer snack was calling and how could I refuse. Sometimes I do have a sweet tooth for not so sweet things.


"Swalpa khara jasti" I heard a guy saying to the churmuri fellow. "Nangu kooda" I added. We exchanged smiles. Well weird situations in which you connect with random people on the road. I don't know how those hands get the balance between swalpa (little) and jasti (more) but they do blend every minute ingredient and flavour with perfection. And what an amazing talent that is! Looking at his hand move all I could think was that he definitely earns more than I do. Some of them have their secret recipes too, even if you get them and try to make you shall never be any close.
 

‘Khara' means spicy, equivalent to the ‘Teeka’ of Puchkas. Be it any corner of this country we Indians are gifted with super power taste buds for such things aren’t we? Churmuri is so like us. So much spice but very much nice. If you are planning to have it make sure that it is made of coconut oil and has a lot of onions, tomatoes, carrots, raw mangoes and of course groundnuts ;-) 

While was done with mine, the random guy advises: 

“Arey! How can you go without trying the Southekai masala, this fellow is known for it!” 

So try I had to, and I did. 

-R

Mango Bites

Image courtesy-Sweetsweetmangos

Hmm...yummy sight!With the start of summer my mother starts showing her obsession with this edible gold.Today she dragged me out of the house despite the rains, guess why? Only because she had run out of mangoes to eat and well we had to go get them even if the sky fell down.Believe me when I say she can eat the tangiest of the lot!Every night after dinner she is seen relishing on the 'Goratu' [mango seed] like she has never seen a mango before, this is her favorite part of eating the fruit.Her mango eating policy is 'A mango should not be cut or peeled, bite the skin with your teeth, nibble the pulp, let the juice flow down your throat and lick the seed clean with your tongue!'.

I wish I had inherited those taste buds, not that I do not like eating them that way.My favorite is the raw 'Tothapuri'.Give me some salt, some chilly powder and some coconut oil along with it and I will be grateful to you for life!The small wild ones which I used to collect with my Grandma during childhood are also irresistible.I do not know what they are called though.All I know is that the 'Sasive', a special dish my Havyaka folks make with it always does taste awesome.

If there is anything that brings some relief to almost all of us during this season it is the king of fruits.Can you imagine one summer without a mango, impossible right?:-)Ever wondered what makes the fruit so special?Here are some interesting facts:

• Mango is the most popular fruit of the world.
• Mango is the National Fruit of India.
• India is the largest exporter of mangoes.
• Mangoes are more than fruits.Every part of the mango tree is of some or the other use.They are considered sacred and have a high medicinal value.
• Dussheri, Mulgoa, Sindhoora, Rasberi, Jehangir, Alphonso,Neelum, Badami, Mallika, Amrapali, Himsagar, Langda, Safeda...a hundred like these are the varieties found here in India.The names are weirdly classy, aren't they?

I could go on but I have a mango waiting for me;-)To know more visit:

• Freshmangoes
• National Fruit of India
• Mango-Wikipedia

If an apple a day keeps a doctor away,a mango a day keeps sunshine with hay.Make use of it.Let me know which one is your favorite by the way:-)

Good night world.

PS: This is my 150th post on A Canary's Diary:-) 

-R.

Nale Raje Goli Baje

If you are thinking of asking me what made me make this batter wait till you reach the end of this delicious post.Today my mother taught me how to make Goli Baje,a special dish of our native place South Canara.It is a popular evening snack found in every other house over there.I have some silly but fond associations with this mouth watering stuff.*'Nale raje, goli baje' is a colloquial rhyme which me and my brother tell to till this day before a holiday.Also every time it rains, it is understood at home that this shall be our demand.

What is nice about the dish is that one does not require exemplary culinary skills to make it.Believe me when I say it is as easy as eating it.These golden orange globules are crispy,crunchy and fluffy.In no time they melt in the mouth, one can actually lose count while eating them.Here is the recipe of how my mother makes it:

THE REQUIREMENTS:

• Maida/all purpose flour- a cup.
• Kadle hittu/besan/gram flour-a tea spoon.
• Sour curds-half a cup.
• Finely chopped green chillies-a tea spoon or as hot as you want it to be;-)
• Ginger-a tea spoon.
• Curry leaves-a few.
• Cumin seeds-a few.
• Asafoetidia-a pinch for digestion.
• Coconut pieces-a few, if you want them.
• Sugar-a sprinkle or as sweet as you want it to be;-)
• Salt-as essential.
• Oil-ahem...very essential!
• Time-a little.
• Appetite-a lot if you are successful in making them!

THE SIMPLE METHOD:

Step 1: Smile, be confident.

Step 2: Take a mixing bowl .Mix all the above ingredients except the oil:p.The batter should not be too thick or thin.Keep the consistency like that of an idli batter and make sure there are no lumps.

Step 3: Keep the batter aside for an hour or so and listen to your favorite music or read a book.

Step 4: Get back to the kitchen, heat the oil in a frying pan for now is the time for some power packed action.Use a spoon or use your hands to make these balls.Drop them in the oil carefully.I must say that initially it is hard to give them a spherical shape, amorphous forms do not affect its great taste though.Deep fry till they turn golden brown.

Step 5: Look at what you made with some self admiration and serve it to your courageous folks with pride.

THINGS TO NOTE:

• I somehow find the taste better if this batter is kept for fermentation for a longer duration.
• If you are a little hardworking, coconut chutney is THE combination with it.

Here is what I made this evening!

Slurp!Good night.

PS: *Nale raje-Tomorrow is a holiday:-)

-R.