Geetha Venkataraman shares her mother Visalakshi Venkataraman’s Pongal recipe, reminiscing about the many memories associated with the rice harvest festival.
This recipe celebrates the delicate flavour of the silverbelly fish—locally known as Karapodi—cooked in a fragrant Kayi masala blend. Rooted in the coastal kitchens of Tamil Nadu, this dish highlights the comfort of home-style cooking.
Seasoned by the Sea is a coastal community cookbook published by Uyir Pathipagam (2025). Bommi’s family is widely known as crab-sellers in the Thazhankuppam region of Tamil Nadu. Her crab dish, involving simple ingredients and techniques, highlights the flavours of fresh crab.
Grandmothers are exceptional at everything, except passing on their heirloom recipes in a way 20-something-year-olds understand, Samyuktha, a contributor for 'Memories On A Plate’, shares. Featured here is her Paati’s Morkozhambu, a Tamil household delicacy, rich with coconut, lentils, and spices. Illustration by Samyuktha Kvs.