SpiceLines

Hoisting an umbrella against the blistering noon sun, Captain Jose steers this
kettuvallam through floating islands of water hyacinth on Lake Vembanad.

The breeze picks up as we swing out of the hot, water hyacinth-clogged dock in Kumarakom. The chef hands each of us a green coconut, hacked open, sprouting a straw. After sweltering in the noonday sun, the cool, sweet water is like a tonic. The boat chugs slowly into the open waters of Lake Vembanad.

Katie, Chris and I are on Kettuvallam No. VIII, one of the huge flotilla of houseboats that ply the maze of lakes and canals that make up the backwaters of Kerala. In all, there are said to be 900 kilometers of intricately connected waterways: five lakes, of which Vembanad is the largest, 35 rivers, 44 canals and countless inlets and outlets that curve off the main thoroughfare. The whole wetland system, much of it fresh water, is narrowly separated from the coastline of the Arabian Sea by low-lying barrier islands and man-made embankments.

Power outage on July 4th? Make fireworks with vodka, lime and jalapeno.

In India they called it a Risky Venture. After last night, I’d call it a Great Recovery.

Sometime between the corn and the fireworks, a wild wind suddenly blew through the trees, tossing their leafy tops like whitecaps on the sea. Moments later fat rain drops, the first in a parched while, splotched the deck. The lights flickered and died.

Also the air conditioning.

For this creamy pudding, thin Indian vermicelli is slowly cooked in milk,
becoming light and almost insubstantial. Its mild flavor, perfumed with
cardamom and cumin, makes it a soothing end to a spicy meal.

This is adapted from Chef Bineesh Joseph’s recipe for samya payasam, a traditional dessert made of very thin Indian vermicelli, sauteed in ghee, then slow simmered in milk and sugar. As it cooks, the vermicelli drinks up the liquid, and becomes ethereally light, almost dissolving as soon as it touches your tongue. Cashews and raisins enrich the pudding, while ground toasted cardamom and cumin seed lend a pungent aroma.

Let me add that, on the houseboat, after a spicy chicken curry, Katie, Chris and I loved it.

A basin of marigolds, plumeria blossoms, rose petals and curry leaves greets
visitors to the spa at the Taj Malabar in Cochin.

7:28 AM: It’s fresh and cool outside. The bright red orb of the rising sun flickers through the leaves of the palm trees. A white egret streaks down the canal that runs along the worn brick path. As I leave the villa, I can smell wood smoke in the air. An unknown bird issues a pure, haunting call.

A few minutes later I am sitting in a small room in the Ayurvedic Center at the Taj Garden Retreat. It feels old fashioned, more medical than posh. The creamy stucco walls are unadorned and in one corner, there is a dark cabinet filled with mysterious bottles of oil. A ceiling fan whirls overhead.

I am wearing nothing except a paper loincloth.

This homemade Thai curry paste gets its fresh green color from kaffir lime leaves,
cilantro stems and Serrano peppers--but shrimp paste turns it a dusky brown.

I love summer. Long, lazy days make me feel like fooling around in the kitchen, even when the atmosphere is tropical. And there are all those wonderful fresh chiles and herbs in the garden or at the market, just begging to be eaten.

Oddly enough, I was thinking about this when a recent Import Foods video, Curry Paste Made From Scratch, landed in my in box. Chantana, an attractive young chef in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, demonstrates the proper pounding technique using the company’s granite mortar and pestle as she makes a brick red paste involving a whole head of garlic, kaffir lime leaves and 15 dried red chiles. Her dangly pearl bracelet and the elegant way she holds the bowl make the process look like a breeze.

Fresh curry paste, pounded in a mortar and pestle, is the base for this Thai green
curry. All the ingredients are simmered in rich coconut milk, which softens the
pungent flavors of shrimp paste and galangal, and the heat of the chiles.

What can you do with homemade green curry paste?

It is the basis, naturally, of a raft of traditional Thai curries made with luscious coconut milk, which rounds out the pungent flavors of galangal and shrimp paste, and tempers the heat of the chiles. The other ingredients vary—though eggplant plays a starring role.