Ironically, it was just about tea time, when Nanjundan approached. We were looking into the big windows of the production floor at the Benchmark Tea Factory and Museum near Ooty, Tamil Nadu. His smile revealed a large gap where a bottom tooth should have been. A beard of silver stubble hinted at his age. Tea …
If we tell you it was a hot day when we visited Auroville your mind will check a box and move on. If we tell you it was the kind of hot where beads of moisture pop up on your skin and soon turn into little streams that dampen your clothes and have you mopping …
This dal is infused with favourite flavours of South India – fennel, ginger and coconut – and was inspired by a fresh-from-the-fields spinach dal we enjoyed as part of a lunch time thali at Solitude Cafe in Auroville. Our Moong Dal with Spinach, Fennel and Ginger will satisfy any craving for classic South Indian flavours. …
Our Cassava and Spinach Subzi recipe is inspired by the subzi we enjoyed so much in our thali lunch at Solitude Farm Cafe in Auroville. Subzi is a Tamil word referring to a dry curry. Spicing is still present but these recipes omit the fluids that make the usual curry or spicy gravy Indian dishes …
We enjoyed a ragi dosa with spinach and cheese at Solitude Farm’s cafe in Auroville. While tearing the soft melt-in-your-mouth masterpiece and delivering it to our mouths, we marvelled over the nourishment that this six acre parcel of mother earth delivers. Sarah, the cafe’s cook, is an intuitive one. She thrills at the produce that …
We developed this recipe for Date Laddu with Cardamom and Sesame to replicate the delicately balanced dried fruit laddu we purchased in Auroville and proceeded to snack on for days after. Auroville has its own food processing plant called the Kottakarai Organic Food Processing Unit (KOFPU) that has been fully operational since 1997. The KOFPU …
One thing that was reinforced on our visit to Auroville was the powerful flavours of fresh local food. Anandi of Satchiananda Cafe and Krishna of Solitude Farm are both quite famous for their smoothies. We enjoyed a reviving green and minty smoothie during our visit, which worked wonders to beat the heat and restore our …
Imagine a vast plain of dry, fissured red earth baking like clay under the hot sun. It collapses and erodes under the weight of each South Indian monsoon. Scruffs of grass are the only growth it bears after decades of deforestation. Visiting the city of Auroville now, you’d never guess that this was the condition …
Auroville. We were fascinated that there is a place (and people) on this blue earth existing for the sole reason of promoting human unity. We made a brief visit to Auroville in 2014 before returning in 2016 for a better understanding of this unique place. In order to make the connections we value, we needed …
Huge gratitude and credit to our friends Sumeet Nair and Anita Goubert for sharing this flavourful recipe with us. You can find a plethora of inspiring recipes from Sumeet with his latest project Yummefy. It’s so fun to have such a creative and food-loving friend. Sumeet’s work is artful and professional and most importantly – …