Blog #13: Fresh out of Water

 

I woke up this morning, missing traveling in an aching way. When travel is a part of your work, you don’t consider it a “luxury”. It simply becomes your norm. Not to say that that takes away from the magic of stepping foot on new soil or tasting your first bite of a new culture…just to say that, it’s a part of life, not the one week of life that you work for all year. Sometimes, the first thoughts when I wake up are memories of faraway lands and images of other worlds. This morning, I was thinking of Kerala, India and one of the freshest meals I’ve ever eaten, straight out of the backwaters. 

My father is from Thiruvananthapuram (try saying that, three times, fast!), Kerala and although I had visited there 4 times, it wasn’t until the 5th time that we all decided to take a house boat tour through the backwaters. The name “backwaters” doesn't really give you the full picture of the stunning beauty of this maze of rivers and lagoons, lined with palm trees, colorful homes and quaint villages. It’s truly like something out of a storybook.

The houseboats are designed for absolute comfort and lounging with a long, covered open deck in front, bedrooms for snoozing (but I’m sorry, who would want to miss those views?), a kitchen with a chef and a friendly captain who predominantly speaks Malayalam. It’s a quiet and lazy afternoon that takes you back in time, when fishing and farming was a way of life for many.

One of the things that stands out the most in my memory of this day is the lunch that was prepared for us. As we lounged about on day beds, meandering through the intertwining, lazy rivers, we started to get a little thirsty.

My Dad is always in his element when traveling, and my sister had some friends joining us for the day so, he asked if there was any beer on board for us to enjoy. The captain responded with, “No, Sir, but I can pull over and you can get some at the store”….wow, I thought! What service! This little distraction took no more than 10 minutes and before we knew it, we were all enjoying a cold one. I had been fighting a cold the whole trip so that was my first alcoholic beverage in weeks. It seemed like the appropriate time and place to indulge. After wetting our palates with some Indian beer, our appetites started to kick in. 

As we sailed along the Keralan backwaters, we passed several fishermen (and fisherwomen!) hard at work in their light, slightly tattered, Indian cottons, with big smiles on their faces. I find it ironic that while, as Americans, we are always searching for more and bigger and better, when traveling, the seemingly simplest of lives garner the greatest of happiness. There is a lesson to be learned in this. However, I digress. The lunch! As we passed these men and woman, knee deep in backwaters, one lady in particular caught our attention. She stood out amongst the rest because she was proudly displaying her latest catch, a large, bundled group of fresh prawns!

My dad didn’t miss a beat and said to the captain, “There! Over there! Let’s pull over!”, and sure enough, the captain happily did as he was asked. The next thing you know, the prawns had been purchased and the chef was getting ready to prepare a Kerala Prawn Masala. 

Before going further into describing this memorable dish, I’d like to share a story about my grandmother and I. When I was visiting her house in Kerala in my early 20’s, she walked me through her grove of trees in the front, describing to me what each and every one, was. Now, it’s no surprise to any of you that many spices come from India. Well, this was such a beautiful and poignant moment for me because as we walked through and she pointed out what each tree was, she broke a leaf off of that tree, broke the leaf in half and said, “A pepper tree. Smell.”, and the leaf smelled just like pepper. She did the same with cinnamon, clove and cardamom. It was such a powerful yet sweet moment, a grandmother sharing our mother country's natural gifts with her granddaughter and I’ll never forget it. 

I wanted to share that story because, as the land that grows all of these spices, and has a fertile coastline, teeming with fish, you can only imagine what this prawn dish might've tasted like. While I don’t know exactly which spices our chef used, I can assure you that they came from Kerala, and the prawns were smothered in this spicy masala and quickly fried on a high heat, blackening them just a bit, but keeping the moisture of the masala in. The large prawns were perfect to handle the heat of this bold and spicy masala, served with plain, steamed Jasmine rice to balance all of the flavors. There is something really beautiful and nurturing about eating the foods of the land you are in. It’s how it should be. It's better for your body as well. Real food. Fresh food. There’s nothing better. If anyone is interested in a recipe for this Kerala Prawn Masala, just post it in the comments below, and I’ll be sure to add it in my next blog. 

As the sun started to set, my tongue slightly on fire, I took the last sip of my beer and laid back on the day bad to take it all in. Life was beautiful. One day I will return, I thought, and maybe I will use the spices from my grandmas (Mamma’s) grove to make my own Kerala Prawn Masala. Until then, I will keep the memory close, and allow the smells, tastes and feelings of that day to linger on my palate and in the air….