Aebleskiver Pan (Appe Kaili)

Aebleskiver Pan is a pan with versatile use and is an owner's pride. The pan is of Danish origin used to make mini eatables which closely resemble circular spongy cakes like Popovers.

In Indian cuisine, the pan is popularly used to make Appe (in Konkani), Paniyaram (in Tamil) and Paddu (in Kannada). I appreciate this skillet because it can be used to make Appe, Pakoras (the low fat version), Dumplings (fried ones), Koftas (for Kofta curry). The biggest advantage of this skillet is the amount of oil it takes to cook any food item. If you are diet conscious, you could also use a squirt of Pam Cooking Spray which is a boon for oil control in cooking. The ergonomic design of the structure supports quick cooking with less fat. The spatula of the pan resembles a knitting needle with an arrow added for convenience.

Curing is a crucial step involved in preserving the pan and adding longevity if one is using an iron one. Its relatively heavier but iron rich food supplements for the taste and texture. Coat few spoons of oil on all the exposed areas of the pan over night and leave aside. My Ma has been doing this for many years now. I use a non-stick version so just greasing oil on the indentations is good enough.

Traditional Measuring Cup (Tandla Maane)

My Mom is very attached to her kitchen contraptions, containers, utensils and various knick-knacks as she believes there is a story behind each of them. Not to forget the tiny details on how she went about procuring each of the item. I on the other hand ransack our kitchen in India on every given opportunity to locate the traditional ones which in my opinion will dwindle soon from the horizon in some years.

One such measuring cup which I spotted was a traditional one which is known in GSB Konkani as Tandlaa Maane (maane used to measure rice). As much as Mom has the newer standard measuring cups adorning the kitchen shelves, she goes back to her oldie copper battered and wearied down Maane as it was gifted my old and ailing grand mom to my mom many many years back. Mom gifted me one during my last trip to India as I lamented for not having a similar one in my kitchen. Fearing the oxidation of copper cups, I settled for a steel one. Incidentally, my grandmom's home still has the traditional measuring cups which are Padee and Maane. One Maane equals 1 and 1/2 cup of standard cup measurement. I am surprised as the measurement is precise.

Kitchen Pride: Traditional Vegetable Chopper and Grater/ Aadoli or Addoli

If there is one thing I miss in my kitchen time and again its this timeless piece of beautiful contraption - Aadoli or Addoli as called in Konkani ~ the traditional kitchen chopper and grater. This contraption is widely used in Southern regions of India and is easily available in local markets for $5-$10 in India. One can custom make it if one knows a good mason or carpenter. I spotted many in local markets from tiny palm sized to huge two-seater kinds. Today, convenience has preceded necessity so much so that you can tweak your contraption as per your needs, specification and requirements.

This is the picture of the Vegetable Chopper & Grater which my mom uses to this date. The blade which is the concentric black metal attached to the wooden plank is extremely sharp so kids and tiny tots were not allowed to hoover and jump around in the kitchen when Mom, Aunts and Grand moms were busy chopping with the kitchen gossip and numerous buzz-creating stories. The end of the blade has a round blade with a zig-zag finish. This serves as the grater and is abundantly used to grate coconuts and draw pearly white fresh grated coconut. One needs to sit on the wooden plank to chop and grate vegetables, coconut et al.

The blade plonked to this one in the picture is around 30-40 years old. Our old wooden plank perished long time back, so we got a new wooden plank done and attached the old blade which is still razor sharp and spic-and-span to a fault. No wonder, even after decades, my mother refuses to part with the blade and insisted for a new wooden plank to be made to suit this blade. Unfortuantely, international laws do not permit these contraptions to be carried out of the country hence I cannot get this chopper to US. Some contraptions as they say are timeless, and this one has stood the test of various cultures, generations, machinery revolution and yet is loved by many ladies who take great pride in their cosy woody chopper.

Traditional Konkani Grinding Stone (Daantey/ Zaatey/ Zaatuh)

Traditional Grinding/ Milling Stone or Daantey as its termed amongst Konkanis. This one which my mother uses even to this date is almost 50 years old. This is a traditional Grinding/ Milling Stone used and found in many a Konkani houses. Some of them use Blenders and Mixers nowadays out of sheer convenience. This stone is called Zaatuh in Marathi, Zaatey in Goan Konkani and Daantey in GSB Konkani. As much as I love these traditional contraptions, I cannot carry them with me back here in US. We use this contraption to make Idli Rava, Whole Urad Daal grinding and numerous other grinding/ milling purpose. The best part about using traditional mills is that you can control the granularity of your milled grains, pulses and lentils. They are more custom made and can be coarse or fine as per choice. Even to this date, Mom prefers the Idli Rava ground on this stone.

This Grinding Stone was gifted to my mom by my Grandmom. It is one of our prized possessions and probably the most ancient vintage Konkani contraptions we have in our household. This rocky, smooth stone grinder is very heavy and easily weighs between 10-12 pounds.

Pestle and Mortar

Something which I hold dear and precious in my kitchen is my Pestle and Mortar which Mom shopped for me from Malleswaram Market, Bangalore. I love the aura of spices which begin wafting in the kitchen once they are freshly ground. I prefer making masala's from scratch more often than not rather than buying them ready-made. This one is made from Marble and is easy to clean.


We get another version in India called Sil-Batta. It is a rectangular brick thick piece of stone, albeit more flatter version which serves as the base and has a rectangular block type, palm size block which serves as the crusher. You would find a marked difference between the taste of spices crushed in these traditional contraptions vis-a-vis modern mechanical ones.

Traditional String Hoppers Contraption (Shevyaa Dantey)

Meet this prized lad of our kitchen - my Mom's Shevyaa Daantey. This is the contraption used to make Rice String Hoppers, amongst Konkan regions in India. Rice paste which ground and steamed is converted into tiny balls good enough to fit the cylindrical chamber. Plonking 1-2 at a time, the steering is gently twisted. Beautiful, pearl white delicate hoppers drip off from the tiny perforations at the bottom of the suspended cylindrical element of this contraption.

This one in the picture is many many decades old and Mom loves this little cute lad. This contraption has fed us many a tasty lunches and breakfast with Shevayee. The metal has got many a dents and has lost his sheen, but thankfully after doctoring him a little, he is fine again now.