essential for a malayalee kitchen

When I started the kitchen in my house,i was at a loss as to what formed essentials in a good malayalee kitchen.After much discussion with my mother i zeroed down to some basics.The cheenchatty(kadai) is a must have,as is the earthen pot(chatty).The flat ladle(chattuvam) and the tavi(scooped ladle's) are other essentials.But the real must have is the knife.The kerala pichati is so essential to us as is the finger shield.The average Syrian christian malayalee doesn't use the cutting board.For us all cutting is done with the pichati and the finger shield on out fingers.The finger is the cutting board.Strange as it may seem,the knife and the finger shield are two things i import from kerala on a regular basis.While i have mastered the butting board over the years,the true slicing of onions and tomatoes or the fine slicing of mango for home made pickle can only be achieved with these two kitchen essentials.

earthen pots for most things mean the real difference between a tasty meal and a not so special one.Its almost the difference between the old fashioned cheese making and the more modern processed varieties.The fact that masalas don't mix with metal and instead bring out the freshness of the earth is a taste unique and fantastic.And its not difficult and can be adapted to any modern kitchen.These are my kitchen essentials,very little stuff but very important to kitchen life