Bless Your Heart

I am reading Paula Deen's new book, "Savannah Style" and falling in love with everything Southern. The porches, the breezy afternoons, the dull hum of the ceiling fans and a nap on an old wooden or wicker  rocker. There's something genuine about Paula that draws me to her cooking and books, even though I hardly ever (another way to say never) make her recipes.

This is the season of lemonades and freshly grown cucumbers. With too many failed tomato plants, we decided to bring home the patio tomato plants in pots. I am probably the only one in the Northern hemisphere who complains about difficulties in growing tomato plants. I know many who distribute tomatoes to friends and neighbors because they had over-production.

 
The salad I am making all the time these days is none other than our very own kosumalli, a popular South Indian salad. The recipe is pretty simple. Here is my version and you should be able to get plenty of variations on this recipe.

Method

1. Mix diced Carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, finely chopped green chillies and salt.
2. Heat a tsp of oil. When hot, add mustard seeds and wait until it pops.
3. Add asefoetida powder, and a pinch of red chilli powder to the oil. Add it to the salad.
4. Add juice of half a lime and mix well and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

*** In case you did not get the title, it's simply a Southern expression, that can be used to mean a lot of things.