New Family in Leratong

Here it is- an account of the highlight of my trip. I tried to make it as brief as I could without leaving out anything. 

Initial Road Bump

When I signed up for a week of community service, the attitude I had was very different to what it was when I actually started working there. I signed up for a project with some slightly selfish motives. I chose a construction project- one that would allow me to get some hands on experience on site. Besides actually wanting to use my knowledge of architecture in an act of service, I also figured that this opportunity would look great in my portfolio and would be a nice step for future career plans. 

When I arrived in South Africa, the news of my chosen project being cancelled completely annoyed me. My first thoughts were probably on the lines of, 'This trip is a complete waste now!' and I put myself in fault-finding mode. I frantically inquired about other similar construction projects and while I waited to be transferred, I joined a group of five from the island of Vanuatu in the South Pacific and moved out of the city to the little town of Soshanguve for a project at the Leratong Early Learning Centre. 

It was only on the way there that I forced myself to alter my mindset. Waiting to be transferred would probably mean losing another day of work (I had already missed out on one day because I arrived late) and the very definition of community service meant doing whatever was needed without any self demands.

New Home and New Family

Day 1 at work took away all my initial irritation. We stayed at the home of the school principal- the most hospitable woman in South Africa, who we called 'Mama' for the rest of the week. It is rare to find someone who'd give up her own bed for two of us while she slept on the floor. 

I had come prepared to somehow 'manage' in terms of food because South Africa is a predominantly meat eating nation. You cannot possibly understand my relief when Mama said that she was a vegetarian and I got to thoroughly enjoy the vegetarian version of traditional South African food for that week.

The kindergarten school is situated in a lower middle class residential area with a small staff of 8 teachers, 2 cooks and 2 caretakers for 100+ kids. I got an exciting tour of all the little details in the classrooms, kitchen and playground by the very enthusiastic teachers. We got things ready for the little bunch of toddlers who arrived shortly after (school holidays meant that we'd only meet about 20 of them).

I guess all things work out perfectly in the end. Mama had some ideas for an extension to the building and wanted me to draw it out for her. With no AutoCAD or even a laptop, no draughting board, set squares or a t-scale, it was back to architectural stone age. A table was set up for me outside and once in a while a little head would peep over the table.

A Bunch of Fabulous Kids!

The following days at Leratong were nothing short of amazing. The kids were the cutest, brightest bunch I've met. We told them stories and taught them many songs, some that had them on their feet with plenty of actions. It was especially rewarding that they learnt so fast. 

One Random Day in Ethiopia

I've been looking forward to this big trip for ages- The World Congress on Youth and Community Service that was to be held in Pretoria, South Africa. I had even signed up for one week of community service that would precede the congress. I thoroughly researched the few things I could do in the weekend between the two, so that I could fit in as much sight seeing as I could in my short trip.

The hullabaloo I had with my visa forced me to take away all that excitement until the day I left Sri Lanka when I picked up my visa. One short stop over in Bangalore, frantic packing and I was off on a long long journey- 3 flights and 20 hours in total (so I thought) and I would finally reach Johannesburg. 

A 5 hours wait in the crummy Mumbai airport became 2 hours longer with a delay that effected the rest of my trip. Thankfully I found comfy chairs in The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf the last bit of my wait and I made that hot chocolate and muffin last till boarding time.

I hoped the pilot would make up for lost time, but sadly he didn't and after a couple of hours of waiting in Addis Ababa airport with many angry, impatient passengers and frantic, disorganised ground staff struggling to accommodate all of them, I landed up in the Yordanos Grande Hotel in the middle of the city. Grateful for clothes in my hand luggage and even more for the jacket (the wet season temperatures lingered around 12 degrees, but that morning seemed a lot colder), I quickly made plans for a quick walk around. 

The city is unlike any other city I've been too. I mean, it seemed more like a lonely suburb than the middle of a capital city. Large plots of barren land separated the built up area and there was none of the city noises that I was used to. The unnecessarily wide roads had barely a few cars driving on them. I was probably the only tourist out that day, and the many odd stares I got only made me feel even more like one.

The closest thing to see was Meskel Square about 15 minutes walking distance away. It was a large open area embanked by terraced seating where the annual Meskel festival, May Day parades and concerts, etc take place. A few restaurants and a war memorial surrounded the square. The exhibition grounds were hosting something, which brought a lot of people there. I was dying to take pictures, but in a place known for pickpockets and when all eyes seemed to be on me, it didn't seem like a good idea to flaunt an expensive camera. The place seemed a bit hostile to tourists, but maybe it was just the emptiness of the place that gave me that impression.

The overcast rainy sky meant that it would start to get dark around 5 in the evening and most of the shops had closed already. I walked across the road to St. Stephens church. The main building was unfortunately closed, but I managed to peep through the windows without seeming too nosey. It started to drizzle, so my walk had to be cut short. I didn't want to be stuck in the rain in the dark.

I thought I would get to try some interesting Ethiopian food. The buffet spread didn't have anything particularly different for vegetarians. So much carbohydrates on my plate though- bread, potatoes, pasta and rice! 

Dinner and the last of the reassuring Viber calls with my Mum before a hot shower and a good nights sleep ended my random little Ethiopian adventure (I even got the stamp in my passport!)

Kehel Muwa

This new country has made me quite adventurous when it comes to new cooking.

I've seen plenty of unusual vegetables in India, but have never even wanted to try cooking them. But somehow the vegetable aisle in Sri Lankan supermarkets has tempted me enough to experiment.

The first week I made dhal with Snake Gourd, the following week made a curry with Thai Eggplant and yesterday stopped at the stores on my way home and picked up some Kehel Muwa- Banana Flower. Definitely the most interesting of the lot. I've never eaten it, let alone cooked with it. But I'd seen a recipe on a friend's blog- Love Food Eat and was convinced that I couldn't possible go wrong if I followed that.

Read the recipe HERE. The recipe was quite straightforward (and her pictures are really good!), but I had to alter it because of lack of ingredients.

My changes:

Had to omit the urad dhal unfortunately. I think it would have really added a lot to flavour and texture if I had it. I substituted dried chili for fresh ones. Quite a difference in taste too. I also added some turmeric and a bit of garam masala. Needed a bit more flavour. Contrary to what she said, this banana flower was not bitter. So, I omitted the jaggery too.

Some more pointers about cooking with it: 

1. Make sure you remove all the tough outer petals. It is not tender at all.

2. The flower loses it's colour really fast and becomes a weird grey, so cut and put into water really fast.

3. It can be a bit sticky and fibrous. So wash well in cold water.

4. I didn't like the little stringy bits, so I boiled it for a bit longer and cooked it more. Probably killed the freshness, but I think it kind of depends on the flower and on preference.

It turned out a lot nicer than I expected. Was tasty and went well with the red rice and potato and coconut gravy for lunch. Leftovers with bread was also tasty.

Next on my list of experiments is Jackfruit. :)

Vesak

The Buddhists celebrate Poya days every full moon day. They are usually public holidays and the Buddhists go and worship in the temples. But once in a while, there is a special Poya and a lot more is done in celebration.

Vesak is one of those special Poya days. It celebrates Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death. The city started it's decorations a few days before Vesak. Lanterns were strung up on many roads, buildings and houses. Blue, yellow, orange and red stripped Buddhist flags lined the streets too. Unlike many of the countries that celebrate Vesak, Sri Lankans enjoy a two day celebration. We were away in Nuwara Eliya on the first day and struggled to get back because the people from the little towns we passed through were all in the streets.

Some of the highlights of the festival is Dansals. Originally, the practice of Dansal was for families to cook food and distribute to the poor. Over time it has evolved to people putting up stalls are offering free snacks, drinks and sometimes full meals to passers by. During the days leading up to Vesak, money is collected from the homes and then used to prepare the eatables and set up the stall. Now days, everyone walks down the streets and there are queues long enough to hold up traffic.

Cottages, Mud Slides and Cinnamon Tea

Within just a week of being in Sri Lanka and after only four days of work, I already had a trip planned. 

The cousins and I set off early Friday morning by bus to Nuwara Eliya, a quaint little town up in hills. After having to wait two hours for the bus and after six long hours on the bus, we were about 1800m above MSL and 10 degrees cooler.

We got off the bus as close as we could to our accommodation, but still ended up walking about 2km uphill to the Green Forest Hotel. We really couldn't have asked for a better location. We were right at the top of the road, on the edge where the tea plantations met the Piduruthalagala forest reserve. 

Our hotel design, like most of Nuwara Eliya, is representative of British colonial architecture. I especially loved the wooden floorboards and staircases. On the landing just outside our room was a little 18th century chippendale table and chairs by the large French windows overlooking the tea plantations. Perfect breakfast setting.

We walked into town soon after, mostly driven by pangs of hunger and had quite a grand lunch of iddiyapams and jack-fruit curry at Sri Ambals. The curry, sambhar and chutneys came in steel pails. Definitely enough to satisfy. 

The afternoon and evening came with a lot more walking. Gregory lake is a beautifully serene lake nestled in the middle of the hills, forests and tea estates. The well kept gardens and walkways, the picnic benches by the food stalls and the bridges and docks (and a gate) provided plenty of crazy photo settings. 

We had read about this place that makes all things strawberry- Adma Agro. We walked over two kilometers around the lake while the sun was setting and the clouds around us brought the visibility to a minimum to get there. But the strawberry pancakes we had with chocolate sauce and fresh whipped cream was totally worth it. 

Hello Humidity.

I had the most amazing one year break after I finished my internship last May. Last month I sent out job applications only to places by the sea. I was quite eager to knock off 'Live by the sea' from my bucket list. 

After confirming a job in Colombo, and booking my tickets for one week later, I frantically planned out my last few days in Bangalore. How on earth do you pack for a year!?

Well, I'm here now and all set for a fun year ahead. 

Decided to post all my Sri Lankan ramblings on a new blog. Read here- 

Hello Humidity.

(Link on top of the side bar for future reference)

SATB and a Beat-Boxer

I've grown up in a family of singers. We had enough singers and a pretty much equal distribution of vocal parts to form a family choir. In fact, for one wedding all the music was sung by our choir. 

Even the four of us at home love singing quartets. Despite fighting over parts and arguing over what arrangement sounds better, my parents and brother are my favourite people to sing with.

Of late, I've started loving groups that sing a cappella (voices and no instruments). And this isn't just the usual 4 part harmony, but a superb addition of beat-boxing and vocal percussion which often sounds like a full blown orchestral backup. 

Here are some of my recent favourites:

PENTATONIX:

The group of 5 won The Sing Off in 2011 and have since released 2 albums and a number of singles. They stepped out of their a cappella zone recently and added a cello and violin in one of their covers.

My favourite by far is their version of 'Carol of the Bells' It was in my head the entire December.

I am not a fan of the genres; electronic dance or house, but this mashup of two popular songs by Swedish House Mafia is pretty awesome. 

PERPETUUM JAZZILE:

I would move to Slovenia just to join this choir. Their energy shows just how much they are enjoying themselves. They have such innovative arrangements and some really talented soloists. Their conductor is brilliant (no question where they choir gets their energy from). I think they should do 'Bohemian Rhapsody' next.

Their most famous song is their cover of Toto's 'Africa'. I listened to it with my eyes closed to realise how realistic they sound. 

This cover of Rihanna and Lady Gaga's 'Telephone' is my favourite. I've tried to count how many parts there are, but in vain. What a performance!

Just recently, they released their first music video. A mashup of some of the greatest hits of ABBA.
P.S These people even dress really well!

ECLIPSE:

This group has been singing together for over a decade. So many great covers. I just wish these groups would start composing their own stuff.

In this one they sang along with Jake Coco.

WALK OFF THE EARTH:

This group rose in popularity when their cover of Gotye's 'Somebody That I Used to Know' with their 5 members playing one guitar created a storm on YouTube. I love all their crazy videos and catchy covers, though only a few are a capella. They are quite a fun bunch. 

THE RESCUES:

These indie group is not really an a cappella group, but they have perfect harmony in all their music. Here's one song that is a cappella. Such perfection.

The Ocean, the Sand and a Lighthouse

Something to listen to while you read-

As part of my short visit to Sri Lanka, we (Andre, Cheryl, Erandhie and I) drove across the country to the beautiful Passikudah bay. Staying on an island was quite exciting. Just 6 hours in the car, and we reached the other coast. 

The East coast wasn't exactly the ideal tourist destination during the time of political unrest in the country, but since the end of that, the East coast is getting it's due attention. I'm quite glad I got to visit now, as apposed to a few years down the line when the bay will be lined with resorts and every sq foot of the white sands will be covered with beach towels, and sun burnt holiday makers. 

A coral reef acted as the boundary for the bay, which was a few miles across. The reef acted as a barricade, causing the ocean waves to break far away from the beach. This in turn made the bay absolutely calm. In fact, so calm that the sands were barely displaced and we were able to wade out about 50m into the water. We swam up to the boat in the picture and not realising that our feet could still touch the bottom when we reached it.

The sun was strong, and thankfully my sunblock was able to fight against it. We stayed at the beach for most of the morning. With barely any other people there, it was almost like our own private beach. I've always preferred mountains and lakes to the seaside, but this beach would be a high contender to any fresh water landscape. 

In the afternoon, the sand is hot enough to burn holes through your feet, so we decided to drive down alongside the Kalkudah beach, a much larger bay just south of Passikudah. This beach was quite desolate too and the land around it equally empty-perfect plots for beach houses. :)

We came back to Passikudah and walked up to the northernmost part of the bay to watch the sky and water change colours as night set in. 

Bread Baking at Lavonne

My Mum is probably the best bread baker in Bangalore, and yet all my life I've never learnt from her. We eat homemade bread every breakfast. Many Friday afternoons, she bakes cinnamon rolls, coconut rolls, vegetable stuffed buns and plaits, and pizzas and foccacia. The list goes on. But, after watching and eating all this, I still had my first bread making class from someone else. 

Lavonne Institute of Baking Science invited food bloggers for a special workshop on bread making. It ended up just being Swapna, my Mum and I for the class. Chef Avin, along with some help from his students taught us a variety of things. 

We started off with the soft breads-Rolls, Zoph and Foccacia. The Zoph has an interesting history. In ancient Switzerland, the widowed wives used to cut off their plaited hair to place beside their deceased husband. Later the plaited bread (zoph) was kept instead of cutting off their hair. 

We were given the required ingredients and after mixing together began the tiresome kneading process. No bread machine or Kenwood Chef to do that for us. It seemed like ages and slightly discouraging having the chef inspect every few minutes and saying, 'No, not soft enough!' Great workout for those upper arms. After what seemed like years, the dough reached it's perfect state of elasticity and was ready to shape. We rolled out one batch into 30g balls and then rolled out into 15cm lengths before twisting together to form little knots. The zoph and rolls were finished off with an egg wash and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. Plenty of olive oil was mixed into the foccacia dough and then was generously topped with sun dried tomato paste, fried onions, garlic and herbs and some black olives.

They were all left to rise before being sent away to bake in the oven. Soon the smells of baking bread wafted into the room. And not long after, we got to sample fresh and extremely soft bread (the kneading paid off).

Pasta with Peas and Potatoes

Since I've been at home, lunch is my department. The summer heat has been quite annoying. It brings with it lethargy and irritability. Definitely not the weather to be cooking hot rice and dhal (unless of course the kitchen was air conditioned). 

Pasta is usually a dinner thing at home, but today it would be on the lunch menu. 

I'm going to modify this recipe a bit from what I actually made that day. I have this problem of often making less sauce than required for the pasta we need. And this time too, I did just that. So it ended up being a bit on the dry side.

Finely chop up a medium sized onion and a few cloves of garlic and add to hot oil. Fry till onions are translucent. Then add 2 tbsps of rosemary (fresh is best). Potatoes and rosemary make an excellent flavour combination. Also add 1tsp each of dried oregano and sage, 2 tsps of salt and 1/4 tsp of ground pepper. 

Chop up 3 medium potatoes into roughly 1" cubes. I usually leave the skins on for more flavour and added bite, so make sure you scrub them really well so that you don't get any mud into the pasta. Add a tiny bit of water and then cover the pan to let the potatoes cook. Stir every few minutes. (If you have less time than I did, boil the potatoes first) When the potatoes are half done, add 1 cup of frozen peas. 

Once it's all cooked and fried well together, add 200 ml of cream, 200 ml of milk. (creme fraiche would have been ideal) Mix well, till it forms a smooth sauce. If you want it a bit more runny, add some of the brine from a bottle of olives (will give it some extra saltiness too). 

Last of all, mix together with boiled pasta and a very generous grating of Parmesan cheese. 

NOTE: 
1. If the cream you have is really runny, add 300 ml of cream and only 100ml of milk.
2. If there was pesto in the fridge, I would have added some, so if you have, add 1 tbsp. 
3. Add olive oil to the pasta immediately after draining the water out.