Imaginary, culinary, sensory or cultural journeys… We portray the landscape, the character, the context… it’s up to you to dream and imagine what happens next…

Usha is Arjun’s mother. She lives at the end of a small path that runs between banana trees, coconut trees and rice fields in the village of Mothakkara.

Usha always wears beautiful dresses or saree in bright colours. With her long black and shiny hair, Usha has a lot of charm.

Elle a un regard très doux et elle est très souriante. Elle veille seule sur son fils avec beaucoup d’amour et de respect. Usha a aussi une fille et une petite fille, toutes aussi charmantes qu’elle.

From her home, Usha can admire the Banasura Hill Mountains beyond the rice fields and across the Kabani River every day. The scenery, in a variation of soft greens all around, is breathtakingly beautiful.

In the evenings, when she has finished her working day, Usha likes to cook. One evening, some time ago, she prepared some delicious pappadams.

These fine patties, made from chickpea or lentil flour, taste like spices from the garden. You can use these crispy little pancakes to accompany your meal. Arjun then hastened to the post office the next morning to send a few discs of dough to their French friends who now have fun blowing them up in coconut oil. They now enjoy tasting them, suddenly having the sensation of finding themselves in Mothakkara, surrounded by their friends Usha and Arjun. As a bonus, Usha has kindly agreed to entrust us with the recipe of his delicious pappadams.

The recipe for Usha’s pappadams:

300 g chickpea or lentil flour, 140 ml water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon spices of your choice -cumin, curry, chilli or other-.

Mix flour and spices and then gradually add water. Knead and then spread the dough very, very finely. Cut out small discs of pasta. Plunge them one by one into the hot coconut oil. Remove and drain.

Taste by closing your eyes for a short while. Let Usha take you to its mountains and rice fields in the heart of the Wayanad.

Par Nathalie

Translated with http://www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)