Welcome to Appu's Kussiya (pronounced as kouss-eeyer)
Cooking is Appu's way of sharing his passion (ok, who wants to get passionate with Appu, 'eh?) b'coz food is what Appu uses to maintain his figure. Appu hopes to make this a regular feature if it attracts like minded people. Plus, writing about food will surely help Appu get around his writer's block problem.
Appu's Kussiya Covenant:
#1) Unlike that fellow Ramsey who has a mouth filthier than the Dehiwala Canal, Appu will not use bad words around food. How to taste if you have to wash your mouth out so often?
#2) Like Ramsey, Appu favours recipies that are easy to make, unpretentious and use local ingredients to the extent possible.
#3) Appu is always open to suggestions on how to make something taste better. So tell ah?
#4) Appu's food is never intended to prolong life on earth, but Appu always wants to have a good time whilst we are here. So don't ask if Appu use red rice flour. Ok?
#5) Wherever possible, Appu will try and put some context into how he came across that recipie. So there is a story, that Appu finds interesting, even if some yakkos out there don't!
That said...,
Appu will start by showing y'all to make an easy and culturally appropriate welcome drink or cocktail for your parties.
Now most of you know have heard of a cocktail called a Screwdriver.
2 Orange Juice, 1 Vodka and a pinch of salt, yes?
Well back in the seventies when Mrs B ensured that very little imported booze was available (unless you scored an invite to Rosmead Place), and Vodka was the strange name of Vittachi Uncle's nephew's dog, a screwdriver was just a pointed tool in the bottom drawer of the kitchen cupboard. Appu, for one, didn't know better.
Dieter's dog aside, Appu used to wonder why his Amma used to drink so much Mango Juice at those parties when he was a young kolla. One day young Appu secretly went into the pantry and took a sip off his Amma's glass and discovered a whole new World.
Yes, his Amma was pouring a bit of Distilleries Corporation's finest distilled coconut juice into her Mango Nectar and that was so much more dignified than walking around the party dressed in her Batik Kaftan with a glass of Arrack and Soda in her hand. The Mango Juice made her look and feel a domestic goddess whilst the Arrack and Soda would have made her look like a Perlyn Hotel waitress (appu thinking: aiyoo... mage amma) .
Ok, ok, enough. Appu won't go where his Thaathi feared to tread.
Back to the recipie for what Appu calls:
ALAVANGUA
In a decent scotch glass,
- a thin slice of lime in the bottom of the glass
- a few ice cubes to hold it down
- 2 fingers DCSL (yes, Harry's Old Juice is better than Tissanayagam's IDL Old)
- 2 fingers Mango Nectar
- top with lots of extra ice
- No tiny umbrellas please (that would be pretentious - ref. Kussiya covenant #2)
Once you make it, its good to let it sit for a couple of minutes and watch the ice melt and dilute the nectar, and let the three flavours slowly mingle like guests at a posh party. Plus by not gulping it down, you don't look like a greedy goose or die of diabetes in a hurry.
When you're ready, and you will know when, serve and watch your guests sip this heavenly concoction in a civilised manner and say things like: "poor buggers can't even afford bread and pol sambol these days."
If y'all like this, then please come back to Appu's Kussiya. You know you can always ask for more...
Stumble It!