I wished to have a clay pot for cooking pulisherry, pulikuzhambu and moorkuzhambu( All these are south Indian curries which uses tamarind or buttermilk).My husband eats non- vegetarian dishes at restaurants and parties but he cooks fish at home.He was also saying that we have to buy a clay pot for cooking fish curry. The taste of curry cooked in clay pot is far better than the same food cooked in stainless steel pots ands pans.
My mania for cooking with clay pot started before I became a fulltime homemaker.Earlier, during my childhood days I used to spend my vacation with my grandparents, there I have seen my aunt using clay pot for cooking.Apart from cooking non vegetarian dishes she used to roast horse gram, peanuts and other lentils in clay pots.In my grandparents home I have seen numerous uses for clay pot.A lady who sells clay pot used to visit my grandma's house asking if she needs any clay pots. My grandmother was a regular customer of her.The clay items that my grandmother buys from her include a storage jar for water, (its called kodam in Tamil and Malayalam) with a small lid to cover it, few pots and a shallow pot for frying. My grand parents owned cows, so my grandma used to buy big clay vessels to store water in it so that the cows can drink from it.During summer, my grandmother stores water in the kodam.We used to play a lot with other kids in the neighbourhood and come running into the kitchen to drink the water from the kodam.The water will be cool cool and I will not stop with one glass of water, the water will be so cool that you like to drink more and more.Those were the days when refrigerator has not entered into the kitchen of most households in our place.Thank God I got a chance to enjoy the water stored in kodam.I don't know how many children of these days had the chance of drinking this water.The broken clay pots were dumped below the trunk of a jackfruit tree.I don't know the purpose of it.
Also, I have seen big jars made of clay in which my grandmother stores rice.My grand parents had pigeons, the water and the food grains for these pigeons were kept in shallow clay pots.It was used as a bird feeder.These are the uses of clay pots that I remember, there may be other uses also.
My mother didn't posses any kitchen utensils made of clay.In my home, egg is the only non vegetarian food being cooked nowadays.Even before, when my mother used to cook non vegetarian dishes, my mother had separate pots and pans but not clay pots.I was insisting her to buy a clay pot. Before my marriage, I used to watch chef Dhamodharan's show in Jaya TV( A Tamil TV channel).In this show the chef uses clay pots to cook, I admire the way he cooks in the clay pots.Just to see the chef cooking with the clay pots I used to watch this show.I should have noted down the recipes also.But then, I was not into cooking as I was working.I cook only when my mother has gone for some relatives marriage or other functions.I also cook when I wish to prepare some recipes that are new or interesting or easy.
Till now my mother doesn't have any clay pots.I have to gift her one.After my marriage, I saw my mother -in -law cooking in clay pot. she used to cook greens like drumstick leaves curry, pulikuzhambu, in clay pot.I said her that I love food cooked in clay pot.Like my grandparents my in-laws also used clay pots for various purpose but before our marriage my husband told to remove all the clay pots from the house, so I didn't see any thing made of clay except for two pot.
I visited my in-laws place during the month of April.In their place during this month they had a local festival for a deity called Marriamman.I visited the temple for praying.Before I would reach the temple, on both sides of the road and in the near by ground I saw a lot of stalls most of them were for children and many were selling fashion accessories.For my surprise, I saw few stalls selling clay pots.I decided to buy one clay pot after I finish my prayers.After our prayer was over I told my husband, that I wish to go around the stalls.There were a lot of things that I wished to buy but my husband told that I cannot carry everything back home as we have to limit our baggage for 30kgs.Finally ended in buying a clay pot, few posters and peacock feathers.My sister-in-law came to temple while we have done with the shopping.I showed her the things I bought, she got me another shallow clay pot and a beater made of wood for churning butter milk.One of my wish got fulfilled.Here is my clay pot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Finally, I managed to bring one clay pot to my home safely here without breaking it.My husband and I had a fight to cook in the clay pot. Since he wants the clay pot to cook fish and I want to cook vegetarian dish in it.
I won, my poor husband was so generous that he left it for me to decide.I cooked parappu curry( a gravy made of red gram lentils) in the clay pot first, as that was one of my favourite and easy dish to prepare.
My mania for cooking with clay pot started before I became a fulltime homemaker.Earlier, during my childhood days I used to spend my vacation with my grandparents, there I have seen my aunt using clay pot for cooking.Apart from cooking non vegetarian dishes she used to roast horse gram, peanuts and other lentils in clay pots.In my grandparents home I have seen numerous uses for clay pot.A lady who sells clay pot used to visit my grandma's house asking if she needs any clay pots. My grandmother was a regular customer of her.The clay items that my grandmother buys from her include a storage jar for water, (its called kodam in Tamil and Malayalam) with a small lid to cover it, few pots and a shallow pot for frying. My grand parents owned cows, so my grandma used to buy big clay vessels to store water in it so that the cows can drink from it.During summer, my grandmother stores water in the kodam.We used to play a lot with other kids in the neighbourhood and come running into the kitchen to drink the water from the kodam.The water will be cool cool and I will not stop with one glass of water, the water will be so cool that you like to drink more and more.Those were the days when refrigerator has not entered into the kitchen of most households in our place.Thank God I got a chance to enjoy the water stored in kodam.I don't know how many children of these days had the chance of drinking this water.The broken clay pots were dumped below the trunk of a jackfruit tree.I don't know the purpose of it.
Also, I have seen big jars made of clay in which my grandmother stores rice.My grand parents had pigeons, the water and the food grains for these pigeons were kept in shallow clay pots.It was used as a bird feeder.These are the uses of clay pots that I remember, there may be other uses also.
My mother didn't posses any kitchen utensils made of clay.In my home, egg is the only non vegetarian food being cooked nowadays.Even before, when my mother used to cook non vegetarian dishes, my mother had separate pots and pans but not clay pots.I was insisting her to buy a clay pot. Before my marriage, I used to watch chef Dhamodharan's show in Jaya TV( A Tamil TV channel).In this show the chef uses clay pots to cook, I admire the way he cooks in the clay pots.Just to see the chef cooking with the clay pots I used to watch this show.I should have noted down the recipes also.But then, I was not into cooking as I was working.I cook only when my mother has gone for some relatives marriage or other functions.I also cook when I wish to prepare some recipes that are new or interesting or easy.
Till now my mother doesn't have any clay pots.I have to gift her one.After my marriage, I saw my mother -in -law cooking in clay pot. she used to cook greens like drumstick leaves curry, pulikuzhambu, in clay pot.I said her that I love food cooked in clay pot.Like my grandparents my in-laws also used clay pots for various purpose but before our marriage my husband told to remove all the clay pots from the house, so I didn't see any thing made of clay except for two pot.
I visited my in-laws place during the month of April.In their place during this month they had a local festival for a deity called Marriamman.I visited the temple for praying.Before I would reach the temple, on both sides of the road and in the near by ground I saw a lot of stalls most of them were for children and many were selling fashion accessories.For my surprise, I saw few stalls selling clay pots.I decided to buy one clay pot after I finish my prayers.After our prayer was over I told my husband, that I wish to go around the stalls.There were a lot of things that I wished to buy but my husband told that I cannot carry everything back home as we have to limit our baggage for 30kgs.Finally ended in buying a clay pot, few posters and peacock feathers.My sister-in-law came to temple while we have done with the shopping.I showed her the things I bought, she got me another shallow clay pot and a beater made of wood for churning butter milk.One of my wish got fulfilled.Here is my clay pot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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| One of my clay pot |
Finally, I managed to bring one clay pot to my home safely here without breaking it.My husband and I had a fight to cook in the clay pot. Since he wants the clay pot to cook fish and I want to cook vegetarian dish in it.
I won, my poor husband was so generous that he left it for me to decide.I cooked parappu curry( a gravy made of red gram lentils) in the clay pot first, as that was one of my favourite and easy dish to prepare.
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| Red gram lentil cooked in clay pot |
Later, I cooked mambazha pulisherry ( a mango curry) and moorkozhambu( a butter milk curry) in the clay pot.Still I am using the clay pot for vegetarian dishes.Next time when I visit India I will bring another pot for my husband, so that he can cook fish curry in the clay pot.
