Passing down the tradition of the elders (of the ‘Arulanantham Tribe’)

• By rajisworld.com
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• 2 May 2020

Well it seems that all we look forward to these days is our next meal, especially if it involves eating or cooking something different. So it seems the perfect time to have a go at making my favourite Lankan (Tamil) delicacy, ‘Pananga Paniyaram’, which is made from the Palmyrah Pulp, which comes from the Palmyrah tree (found only in Jaffna). Now anything made from the Palmyrah pulp can be addictive, which is where Toddy comes from. Let’s just say, this is my Gin and Juice. 

All this time, it was only my Aunties and my mum, that could make this in our family. So it was essential that if we wanted to continue to enjoy this food, we had to learn how to make it ourselves (coz, they ain’t getting any younger). With my dad having brought over several bottles of Palmyrah Pulp, it was a good opportunity for us to try to make it ourselves before it expired. The only other way was to take it to my Aunt’s place, and ask her to make it, which we have been doing in the past.

So first the younger of my two sisters was the first to learn it. She got the chance to spend a few days with that same Aunt, and since she is a good cook herself, she found out how easy it actually was to make it. Her first attempt was pretty good, and as a result, my other sister and myself both demolished all the Paniyarams. Yum! I had also managed to write down the recipe from my Aunt, and kept it in my recipe book, but never wanted to give it a go, without proper guidance. After discussing the recipe with my sister and with advice from my mum, I got all the ingredients together, and the plan was to make it on Thursday, 30th April after work (from home). 

At 5:30pm, I promptly set up the video chat with my sister in Germany, who could see exactly what I was doing in my kitchen, with a close view of the mixing bowl. Thanks to my sister’s instructions and guidance, I was able to do everything in quite a relaxed manner, including the deep frying (which I hate!). The tricky part was the ‘steaming’ of the flour, which is the way my Aunt and my mum described it. As it turned out, it was just whacking it into the microwave for a minute. This is NOT steaming, it’s heating the flour! I am not going to go though the whole process of making it because this is a family favourite that I am not willing to share outside of the family. However, let’s just say, I need to improve in my technique before I make my next batch, which is going to be just before I go and see my other sister (who also loves this food). 

The main point is that the recipe and the method for making Pananga Paniyarams has been successfully passed down from the elders in our family to the next generation, to enjoy this yummy delicacy. I enjoyed the entire batch this time, because this is the only food that I am not willing to share. Yummy, yummy, yummy!

Before I finish this post, I also managed to make something that I actually enjoyed eating, and learnt to make in the Faith Home. It’s not very complicated; the ingredients are cut up sausages, Uncle Ben’s Sweet and Sour, and Mayonnaise. Actually, I ate this dish before I went into the ministry, before a Saturday work session at Brixton. It is really quite yummy, and it is something I will continue to make to remember the good times (meal times) in the Faith Home.