Cookery special

All fine with Mira, said the dr. after looking at her tests reports. Her cold improved visibly after the tests were taken - waste of blood, money and time. Been coming to work late as a result, boss purposely looked at his watch when I came in the other day.
Lazed at home yesterday. The maid's specials yesterday included Karimeen (pearlspot fish, a kerala delicacy) moilee for lunch, and for tea kuzhalappam and Ethakka appam (ripe banana coated with maida or American flour as we call it and deep fried in oil, the maida batter can have a pinch of turmeric, a few cumin seeds, sugar and beaten egg [optional]. The banana can be cut into a few thin strips) .
The making of kuzhal-appam
Kuzhal means pipe and the snack is aptly named as it looks like a cylindrical pipe. She first made a dough using fried rice powder, grated coconut, grated button onions, cumin seeds, salt and sesame seeds. I helped her make balls from it and press it in to a disk (for that, she cut open a small plastic bag, oiled it, placed the dough-ball inside, and pressed it using a steel tiffin box). The flattened peices are then rolled into a cylindrical shape using your finger (grandma used to use the stem of the papaya plant's leaf to roll it) and then deep fried in oil. Yummy! I will post the pictures I have taken later.
This is an alternate way of making it that I found on the net.
http://www.hindu.com/mp/2004/12/27/stories/2004122700720300.htm