It is common in the US and Canada for artists to hone
their craft by going to different locales, which inspire them in different
ways. They also find the exercise more interesting and inspiring, and hence when
they find locations in other countries, the trip becomes a holiday too. Suzanne Northcott, an artist from Canada,
recently conducted one such art workshop for a motley group of art learners at
the Aashyana Lakhanpal, Goa.
The group largely spent most of their time painting and
doing yoga at the beautifully set Yoga Pavillion but when their schedule
permitted and their curiosity got the better of them, they toured the culturally
rich and social hobnobbing spots of the city where people from across the world
took on the gay and languorous vibe of the city.
The experiences they enjoyed were many; they particularly
enjoyed the performance of a RUSSIAN
SINGER, who crooned beautiful
renditions of Mozart, Bizet etc. on the very first evening of their stay at
Aashyana Lakhanpal. The WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON
BAZAAR at Anjuna Beach, which originally
started as a flea market during the hippie era and has continued to this date
on a larger scale. Shopping was a key attraction here. This was followed by a
trip to the SATURDAY NIGHT MARKET at
Arpora, which is similar to the
Wednesday market but differs by having a large international food court with live
music and dancing, making the night a lot of fun.
Located in the industrial area called Pilerne is the new MUSEUM OF GOA
created by a Goan artist – this visit gave them a peek into the colorful history
of Goa. One morning they took a BOAT
TRIP on the Mondavi River where they caught glimpses of the city and its
vegetation and concluded the day with a spectacular sunset. No trip to Goa is
complete without a viewing of OLD GOA. So
one morning they took a day trip to the SPICE
PLANTATION and on the way back they witnessed the architectural beauty of
old Goa and the BASILICA OF BOM JESUS where
to date lie the mortal remains of Saint Francis Xavier.
A COOKING WORKSHOP was organised for them
with Meera Chinai, who in a couple of hours gave them the basics of Indian
cuisine, more specifically the Indian DAL.
She shared with them the importance of TADKA (known as tempering in English)
and also demonstrated how tadka was done in India. Since they were so intrigued
Meera also taught them how to cook the simple and popular south Indian snack
UPMA, the ingredients of which are easily found in all western countries and
the method is quite simple. They found it easy to use and thoroughly relished
the snack after tasting it.
LET’S MAKE SOME UPMA!!
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup of semolina
1 tbsp cooking oil
½ tsp channa dal
½ tsp udad dal
½ tsp of mustard seeds
1 onion finely chopped
2 green chillies
4-5 curry leaves
1 glass of water
5-6 stalks of coriander/cilantro
1 lime cut into long wedges
THE BURPY TO-DO:
- Roast the semolina in a pan on a medium flame
until crunchy – this should take about 10 minutes. Once done take it off the
fire into a plate to cool.
- Add the oil to the same pan and once heated add
the mustard seed and when they sputter add the udad and channa dals and stir
them until they are slightly brown.
- Toss in the onions, green chillies and curry
leaves and stir till the onions soften.
- Add the roasted semolina to the pan and stir
well for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste.
- Add a glass full of water to the pan (watch out
for it sputtering) and stir quickly to avoid formation of lumps.
- Cover the mixture for about 15 minutes on a low
flame – the water will dry up and once the consistency becomes paste-like your
Upma is ready
- Take it off the fire and serve in a bowl –
garnish it with fresh coriander/cilantro and wedges of lime
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