Unusual pictures

Dal curry recipe

Ingredients for 4 people:

- 1cup coral lentils, or Masur dal

- 2cups water and half

- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

- 1 chopped tomato
- 1 chopped onion

A few words about attars

An attar is a very viscous perfumed oil, which is sold in tiny bottles, of which one generally puts a drop behind the ear.

The rhythm of the backwaters

To sail on a boat at the slow pace of the backwaters. Here is the promise of any stay in Kerala around Alleppey and Kottayam.
The ferry ride from Kottayam to Alleppey at sunset is a must. The moment where coconut trees begin to stand out on the pink sky, such as silhouettes, is simply magical.

Garam Massala recipe

Ingredients :
- 1 handful cinnamon sticks broken into pieces
- 1/2 handful cloves 
- 1/2 handful anise seeds de graines d'anis
- 5 to 8 green cardamon pods
- 1 tablespoon black pepper


Mill the spices. It's ready !

Christmas in Palahally

"Call Father George if you go to Mysore", a friend of mine had told me before I left to India. "He is in charge of an orphanage in the area, he will celebrate Christmas for sure."
Arrived in Mysore on December 23d, I called Father George, hoping he would propose me something great for Christmas.
The Christmas I spent in the village of Palahally far exceeds what I hoped for. It is probably, in many respects, one of the most unlikely I will ever live.

The Nilakoddai flower market

Today I am at Nilakoddai Market, around Madurai, which is much larger than Kodai Road Market.
Here are being sold all kind of flowers and herbs : jasmine, tuberose, marigold, davana and its apricot smell, marjoram and its slightly peppery aromatic note, holy basil (whose smell is more herbaceous than the Grand Vert or the methylchavicol ones), etc.
Jasmine buds are sorted according to their size. Of course, the price will depend on it.