The eye is always caught by light, but shadows have more to say.~ Gregory Maguire
All the flavors of Indian cooking are the result of permutations and combinations of various spices in various proportions. Most spice blends are made up of individual spices, dry roasted and powdered and stored for easy use when the actual cooking is done.
In the super hot Chennai sun, especially in the peak summer months of Agni Nakshatram, very often the dry roasting can be avoided – fuel energy saving as the solar power takes on. In lieu of dry roasting, spices can be placed in the sun and tossed a few timesto ensure they are super dry, before they are powdered.
In Chicago, we often have fake summer weather in winter . The sun is super bright that it tricks you into believing it’s super warm, but the temperature is freezing cold. On one such day a couple of weeks ago, I remembered my Madras days and played about my camera and harsh light and shadows, before I prepared Bisibele Bath podi. (powder). I had to dry roast it though. Not too thrilled with the shots, but … you don’t always win
Bisibele is a one dish meal of rice, lentils, spices and vegetables cooked together. A great recipe from Chef Venkatesh Bhat below and in link in bio.
https://youtu.be/Ae-eV4UtXkA
I use this regularly for both the actual dish and in other fried rice type dishes and vegetable stir fries. Try it out !
Rooted in Rasam 