Have you tried "Nila Choru"

One of the things I love to do is to keep gazing at the sight of a full moon, shining with resplendence against the background of a night sky. It's not with the intention of morphing into a werewolf or anything, but somehow this breathtaking sight invokes an image of a giant silver medallion suspended from the heavens to rest amongst the stars. Let me assure you that I'm not one of those lunatics who are affected by the lunar cycles (like Bal Thackeray). Rather the sight of a full moon brings back a flood of childhood memories - of happier and innocent times. One such memory takes me back to the time I was a kid vacationing at my grandparents' in the small western ghat town of Bodinayyakanur.

During my stay in Bodi, on most nights our dinner usually consisted of "Nila Choru" which literally translated means "Moonlight rice". The meal would be partaken on the terrace, where my brother and myself along with a whole lot of our cousins would be seated in a circle bathed in the warm glow of the moonlit night. At the centre my grand-aunt would be seated with a mud pot which held the entire contents of the dinner. The fare was simple, usually a mixture of rice and daal.

My grand-aunt would dip her hand into the pot, take out a handful of the mixture and roll it into balls which she would pass to each one of us in turn. All this while she would keep us entertained with a constant stream of stories and jokes. Gorging into that ball of rice was sheer unmatched bliss.

Reminiscing those times, I am convinced that the "Nila Choru" cannot be matched by any gourmet cuisine served in any of the posh upscale restaurants. So if any of you want to experience true culinary utopia I suggest you have the "Nila Choru" with your family and friends. I can assure you that this meal will not only fill your stomach but also your heart.