Ranjini Menon cooking demonstration

Ranjini Menon

When we arrived at The Turmerica, Ranjini Menon cooked us dinner dressed in a stylish new saree. To top that, when we videotaped her making several recipes, she wore the traditional Kerala saree of cream with gold trim. At neither occasion, did she spill a drop on her beautiful outfits. We were in awe from …

South-Indian-Chai-Masala

South Indian Chai Masala

There are as many chai masala recipes as there are chai wallahs in India and, that’s a lot.  Our recipe reflects our favourite South Indian spices. There’s the cleansing note of cardamom followed by the sparks of heat from ginger, cloves, and pepper. Underneath these high notes are the warming tones of cinnamon, nutmeg, and …

Grilled Chili Lime Corn

Grilled Chilli Lime Corn

A street food vendor we met outside Ooty’s Government Botanical Gardens inspired this recipe for Grilled Chilli Lime Corn. She roasted her corn over a charcoal spit. Then she rubbed it with lime, sprinkled it with chilli powder, and handed it over wrapped in the daily news. Our recipe is a little more decadent because …

Creamy Cardamom Tea

Creamy Cardamom Tea

We sipped Creamy Cardamom Tea on a tea factory tour in Ooty and got inspired to create this recipe for you. That tour also influenced the purchases we made in the tea museum’s gift shop. All purchases led to our ability to recreate that Creamy Cardamom Tea again at home. We made our way straight …

Nilgiri Hills vista

Ooty and the Nilgiri Hills

Ooty, also known as Udagamandalam, is high in the Nilgiri (blue) Hills of Northern Tamil Nadu. Every 12 years, a native shrub called kurunji turns the hills blue with its blossoms. That sight inspired the name. It must be quite a sight to see. Sadly, we did not catch this phenomenon during our brief visit. …