Good things happen in pairs.

Applies to any sphere of life. But I'm not about to talk about 'any sphere of life' here. I'm talking about FOOD ! Tamil, South Indian food with a flavour of Tirunelveli/Palghat in it.

Few things in life provide more delight to me than a Keerai poricha kozhambu (or Molagootal for our Palaghat brethern) and a Pulivenda saar. Hmmmm ! The smell of the roasted cumin seeds and rich grated coconut in the Poricha Kozhambu tingles the olfactory epithelium ! And what to say of the dark red, viscous PVS with mashed tomatoes floating on the top in a thin film of oil ! A slice of heaven. Anticipation of the meal provides almost as much pleasure to the palate as does the actual act of eating the combination of the porucha kozhambu and pvs with mashed rice, dhal and a hint of ghee.

Just when one starts to think that porucha kozhambu and pvs is the ultimate, along comes the combination of sambar and roasted potato/onion curry. The secret of rendering the potato/onion roast curry just so is known only to a select few. The science is eclectic. The colour of the end product is everything. Golden brown amorphous balls of potato and their underbellies with that touch of black suggesting crispiness. That requires the exact amount of oil and the exact quantity of heat. No wonder this science is known only to a few !
Now, on to the sambar. Sambar, by itself, is a gift to the gastric juices. Add pieces of drumsticks each three inches long or slices of long white radishes to the sambar, it becomes a dish which defies description. Fresh coriander to the sambar adds that extra something - the X factor. The smell of the sambar lingers in the palm of the hand long after the meal is over. Who needs pizza !!

I could go on and on. But this piece will never be complete without mention of the God sent combination of Vetta kozhumbu and Chenai Erisheri. I don't believe I have the words to describe it. I could say awesome. But it would fall short by several notches. So let me not even try ;)
God is in the details, they say. Similarly the essence of Erisheri lies in small details.A chenai erisheri with finely ground shredded coconut is not the same as a Chenai erisheri with coarsely ground shredded coconut. Does it make any difference at all, you might ask me. Ah, well, its like asking a wine connoisseur if there is any difference between toddy and vintage port. It amazes me that potatoes, chenai, coconut and pepper can come together with such devastating effect !