Karuppu Kavuni Aapam

By now most of us know the history of Karuppu Kavuni – the fragrant black rice that was brought from Burma to Tamil Nadu by the Chettiar community. The first time I learnt about Karuppu Kavuni was a few months after we moved to Tirunelveli in 2018. It looked so exotic and I decided to…

Karuppu Kavuni Sakkarai Pongal Recipe

Deepa Reddy of Paticheri fame, a few years back, featured in and shared with us the beautiful short film Thirunel by Bigshortfilms. From that documentary, I gathered that the word Kavuni is adopted from the Burmese word Kao Hynin, which means Sticky Rice. Karuppu, in Tamil, means black. I love how the language of our food…

Karunkuruvai Idiyappam Recipe

In Tirunelveli, we share more than just a border with Kerala — we share a love for breakfast dishes like idiyappam, appam, and puttu. Most restaurants here in Southern Tamil Nadu serve Idiyappam for Dinner only. At Vaanavil Farm Stay, Noushadya has been offering it for both breakfast as well as dinner to our guests….

Palmyra Sprouts Flour : A rare and unique Karpagatharu offering

Palmyra Sprouts Flour / பனங்கிழங்கு மாவு / ஒடியல் மாவு is a forgotten produce native to Tamil Nadu. It is grown from the seeds of the fruits of the magnificent Palmyra trees / பனை மரம். Palmyra trees are referred to as Karpagatharu (கற்பகதரு) in Sangam literature for the tremendous number of useful products the tree has…

Vazhaipoo paruppu usili | Banana flower with crumbled lentils

The first few months after moving to Vikramasingapuram were one of the most difficult times in our life. We were new to the town, had no company and also quit our jobs. We didn’t know what to do or where to begin. The farm is located next to a forest so wild animals damaged almost…

Tirunelveli Thalaga kuzhambu

Thaalaga kuzhambu is a mixed vegetable curry in a coconut-sesame paste. I got introduced to this flavour bomb of a curry after marriage. Sudhakar’s family go bonkers every time this kuzhambu is made at home. Before I talk about this kuzhambu, I should definitely say a few words about my mother-in-law. She is a Multani,…