Thiruvananthapuram’s own traditional fried snacks

Spicy With a touch of crunch ‘Vada master’ at Venkadesa Bhavan in west fort has got down to his speciality: karavada, or spicy dal fritters. At Balaji Cafe at Vazhappally Junction, karavada is a hot favourite in the mornings and evenings. “We havwe always served karavada.

 

At Potty’s Resturant at Thampanoor, the spicy snacks is even listed in its online delivery menu. Restaurant’s location close to the bustling transit point of Thampanoor, many travelers from outside the district often drop in to try out the ‘exotic’ snack. “Some have a go at karavada for the novelty factor. Sometimes, I explain to such customers what the snack is about. I jokingly tell them it’s parippu vada’s big brother,” says Suresh with a laugh.

Agar agar plucked from the sea

Did you know where the agar-agar in your favourite dessert comes from? The answer lies in Rameswaram, where we join women divers on their quest for seaweed

 collecting seaweed. Used for making agar-agar, the marikolundhuvariety is sought after, and the women of Rameswaram go to great lengths to collect a sackful, which will probably end up in a bowl of payasam hundreds of kilometres away. Agar-agar or kadal paasi, as it is known in Tamil, is ironically not part of the local cuisine. “I rarely use it; it’s too expensive,” says Devi, removing her gloves. “But when I do get a packet, I make halwa with coconut milk as the base. It’s delicious.”  A kilogram of dried seaweed fetches them ₹50. “We give it to the dealer in Chinnapalam,”

Tender coconut pudding with agar-agar (OPOS technique)

Ingredients

7 grams Agar-agar strands

1 cup Tender coconut water

1/2 cup Condensed milk

1 cup Thick milk

1/4 cup Fresh cream

1/2 cup Tender coconut flesh

Method

In a two-litre cooker, layer soaked and drained agar-agar strands, tender coconut water and close. Cook on high for two whistles for three minutes. Release pressure, and open. Add the condensed milk, milk, fresh cream, tender coconut flesh and mix. Pour into a mould and allow to set in room temperature. Serve chilled.

Recipe and photo: Tazin Faiz, co-author of e-book Non-Veg Delicacies: OPOS Cookbook

Charitable hospital offers dialysis for ₹600

In first phase, a 6-bed facility starts operations at Sulaiha Hassan Dialysis Centre

Murthuzaviya Charitable Hospital, popularly called “the 15 rupees hospital” in the north Chennai neighbourhood of Kodungaiyur, on Saturday launched a dialysis centre for the poor. In the first phase, a six-bed facility for dialysis has started operations in the Sulaiha Hassan Dialysis Centre on the premises of the charitable hospital.

Launching the facility, former Madras High Court Justice K.N. Basha said the dialysis centre would offer services to poor patients who cannot afford huge sums of money for dialysis. “Kidney failure is one of the deadliest conditions. We have to motivate people who donate money for such charitable facilities,” he said.

Presiding over the inaugural event, former Madras High Court Justice G.M. Akber Ali said: “Healthcare is a basic need of the people. But millions of people continue to be denied tertiary healthcare. People who donate money for providing affordable healthcare have to be commended for their initiative.”

Chief Medical Officer S.S.M. Khadri said the launch of the centre was a red-letter day for the charitable hospital.

Murthuzaviya Charitable Hospital president G.S.M.P. Khadri said the centre would offer dialysis services for ₹600. “The new dialysis centre will have six machines. Renal failure is becoming very common in the neighbourhood. Use of painkillers is one of the causes,” Dr. Khadri said.

He said the hospital now charges ₹15 from out-patients. Multispecialty services are offered at ₹50.

Free Gita Classes

ISKCON Chennai, will conduct Bhagavad Gita classes at Ashok Nagar and Abhiramapuram, on August 3 and 7. For details call 9791161439 (Ashok nagar) and 9840034498 (Abhiramapuram).

Dance forms like salsa and ballet as hooping routine

Eshna Kutty’s luggage is a large round cloth bag. It’s filled with hoops of psychedelic hues — neon pink and orange, fluorescent yellow, bright green — in different sizes. “I can spin around 10 hoops at the same time, if they are of the same size,” says the hula hooper from Delhi, in town to host workshops this weekend at Surf Turf (Kovalam and Mahabalipuram). She spins a few around her neck and torso and does a dance step with the grace of a ballerina. Interestingly, it was “a case of two left feet” that got her into hooping.

“When I was 16, I saw a video of a lady hooping on YouTube. Intrigued, I practised waist hooping for a year. I didn’t know you could do more with it,” says Eshna. After stumbling across a few more videos, she realised that this is a completely new art field. “It comes under flow art, which also comprises others forms like juggling and poetry.” She enrolled herself in dance classes: hip hop, a bit of contemporary, free style, locking, salsa. “I learnt ballet because I had this sudden urge to join a circus school in France,” she laughs.

All these dance forms are now incorporated into her hooping routine. Aesthetically, she says, it’s a lot harder to incorporate hip hop moves into hooping. At Covelong, Eshna is currrently getting acquainted with the surf board and the sea. Hooping while stand-up paddling may just be part of her upcoming plan.

The 23-year-old self-taught hooper travels around the country conducting workshops. “Spinning hoops around the waist is most challenging. But that’s what I start my classes with. And when students get frustrated, I change things and teach them hand hooping, which is a lot easier,” she laughs. People assume that they need to rotate their trunk to keep the hoop airborne, but it’s actually just back and forth movement. Not only does it help improve hand-eye coordination, hooping also tones muscles and if you use weighted hula hoops you can burn fat, she adds.

It took Eshna a couple of weeks to get the rhythm right. But she’s happy that some of her students pick it up in 10 minutes. “I also like the fact that a lot of guys attend my class. Hooping is for everyone.” She thoughtfully adds, “It’s interactive. Sometimes the hoop feels like a naughty dog who is not listening to you.” For workshop details, call 9958923235.