Lots of Spices at Pongal

When Pongal rolled around, the man and I were separately invited to a number of feasts held by the various grassroots committees and migrant groups. So we went separately, and also together to a few Pongal events. 

The choices of vegetarian food at these buffets were wonderful. For various reasons, I didn't take photos of the food. I simply paid attention to the conversation and kept the phone away. There were meat dishes at some of these lunches and dinners, but I tend to prefer the vegetarian items. 

I'd take a bite of the traditional ven pongal, but not the whole thing. CANNOT LAH. It's rice and dal, and ghee. Sometimes with coconut, cashew nuts and black pepper. It's spiced and savoury, but it's not my thing. Luckily only small portions were allocated to me, so it wasn't too embarrassing that I couldn't finish a whole bowl.

I didn't know how I'd still have cravings for Indian spices, and I ended up at the too-convenient Nalan for a few more lunches. I somehow don't turn up there for dinner. Only lunches, and this week, some friends joined me too, at the last minute since they wanted food, and we all happened to be in town near one another, and near Capitol Piazza.

The South Indian thali set is usually too much for me. What I prefer is to order an uttapam, then add on another dish. Opted for mushroom masala that day, and today, I had bhindi masala. I love okra only when it's done in masala or with sambal. Heh. Today's mix went well with my usual onion and tomato uttapam. Absolutely satisfying.