I believe the world economy is designed to disadvantage singles. You might wonder why? Well, when you're single, you often pay a premium for a single apartment or buy things for yourself. All these definitely frustrate me to some extend. However, WHY DO GROCERY STORES WANT ME TO BUY VEGETABLES IN BULK?
When my colleague sees my never ending lunches with beans and go, 'You really like beans, huh? Three days in a row.', I silently scream in my mind, 'NO ANITA! THE SUPERMARKET WANTS ME TO CONSUME AS MUCH AS A FAMILY OF 4. I WISH I COULD STOP.'
Perhaps I'm exaggerating a bit, but it's true that many times, vegetables and certain kitchen staples are only available in bulk. In my case, it was the pearl onions. Last week, I decided to make sambar with pearl onions for the first time to accompany the soft, spongy idli's I prepare. I couldn't believe I had been missing out on idli-sambar with pearl onions. It was a game changer. Fast forward to today, as I started packing for my move to a new place, I noticed the pearl onions were still fresh with looming doom's day. I was determined to make something out of them. After a lot of meticulous research and reading through every recipe online..... ummm okay fine. I found it with a single Google search, I stumbled upon Ulli Theeyal. Surprisingly, even though I am from Southern India, I had never heard of it and decided to give it a try.
I read through the entire recipe, but as usual, I threw it out the window (figuratively. No littering. I promise) and added ingredients as I wished. Even my overconfidence was questioning my choices, considering I had never tasted the dish. I created a fiery and spicy gravy as I overestimated the number of chilies required. But fear not, my overconfidence has provided me with plenty of opportunities to learn how to fix my culinary mistakes. I quickly made a paste with cashews, tamarind, and sugar, and added it to the boiling gravy with its spicy fumes. The gravy no longer felt like it was choking my throat when I inhaled its aroma like Remy from Ratatouille. As Auguste Gusteau famously said, 'Anyone can cook.' And so did I, though he forgot to mention if the food will be edible.
Gathering some courage, I took the first bite, and it was a refreshing. The roasted coconut added depth to the flavor. Theeyal reference the roasted coconut in the dish. Typically, I end my dinner with one serving and grab a piece of fruit. But today, I couldn't resist having more; it felt like it had filled my soul.
PS : A moment of silence for the vegetables that rot away in silence, never getting to be admired as they watch their lives end with no purpose on the counter, in the containers, in the refrigerator. Wait, am I still talking about the vegetables or the people who don't get to reach their full potential?