Watching from Colombo,Srilanka. This is the exact menu ,we too make. Can i add one more dish to the list? Mango sambol. Grated raw mango,onions, green chillies deseeded,salt,SUGAR, little vinegar. Sweet dish is also a must. Great job ,Rajiv. I am a 73 year old retired teacher. Origins are from Jaffna.
This sounds lovely. I was just saying to my partner I’m off to buy a tray of mangoes when I saw this! Another to add to my cooking list today. Thank you.
I am about your age and grew up watching old Tamil films featuring Padmini and Savithri. I also remember my Mum telling me the same funny story about how Padmini measured and cut the drumsticks out. Your video is like a warm hug from an old friend.
This week, as a matter of coincidence, Alison Roman released a video of herself grocery shopping. No shade on Alison, who is a wonderful cooking teacher, but this grocery excursion was 1000% more fascinating. I wish more people with non Western heritage would take us grocery shopping with them and explain their purchases to us. So fascinating and educational! I loved your tradition of Friday Night Dinner. My Jewish family has this too, and at our house it’s the one night of the week we eat meat.
Watching from Scotland. That was so interesting, watching you shop, cook and sing too! My mouth was watering. Quite a number years ago, when I was living in Adelaide, South Australia, I met a beautiful young woman from Sri Lanka. We made friends while walking our dogs. One day she invited me to pop in to her house for a bite of lunch. When I arrived, she had prepared a banquet similar to what you just did. So many dishes to try. It was amazing. I was quite overwhelmed. Being Scottish, we do love our curries, but this was very different and delicious. You brought back some lovely memories today. ❤
I love to see people speak in their native language. They become totally different people. Mannerisms, gestures, tone, all of it changes. I know that I also become very different when I speak in Spanish and surrounded by Spanish speakers. Going to the mercado is also a favorite thing to do. It's like feeling at home ❤
Thank you for this! I am a vegetarian. This will be lovely to try. Increasing our plant based meals is so important. The conditions of terrible suffering in the factory farms is horrific. People need to start understanding that when they buy supermarket meat, they are supporting and responsible for severe animal cruelty. Thank you for providing a meal idea that will help people move towards more compassionate living!
@@thamieklybodonmi how do you live with yourself knowing that you support animal cruelty.? ..perhaps you need to get over yourself and stop being so selfish.
I’m so in love with Rajiv! Not in a creepy way lol just a pure way like I’m in love with Kermit the frog or Mozart. Thank you 🙏🏻 for making life better for us!
Rajiv is a great person all the time but I like him even better when he’s with Laura. You and your best friend should bring out the best in each other.
As a Sri Lankan myself this was so nice. Btw I chop okra into finger length pieces and put it in the air fryer for 15 mins. Comes out amazing esp if you don't like slimy okra. Makes a great topping for a curry as well.
Rajiv, Seeing you in my neighborhood grocery store made me intensely anxious. I could have been there and ran into you!! Why didn't that happen? I made payathangai curry yesterday with , likely, from same lot of it you bought! Enjoy Toronto and holidays. Oh, wouldn't it be great to meet you!!! You have inspired me so much, and I am thankful.
I am from kerala.. This looks exactly like the grocery stores over here..Being a huge fan of yours, I feel so happy to see you talk about food that is similar to what I have at home.. really made my day.. thank you
BEST video ever!!!!!! ❤❤❤❤🥰🥰🥰🥰 Thank you sooooo much for bringing us along with you shopping and cooking and wishfully tasting this wonderful comfy cozy meal!! I'm so excited to shop and try some of these things! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! 🙏🏽😊
I am in Singapore and we have the small red onions. We have a lot of imports from all over the world due to old trade routes. I made your dhal, your roti, your curry chicken, your oatmeal, and they are the best! Every meal is so warm and lasting. I feel like I have not eaten in such a satisfying manner for the longest time yet your recipes are so healthy. I barely add any oil and I have minimum dishes to wash. To everyone out there, try Rajiv’s recipes if you haven’t done so.
What a great episode. The disapproving vegan shopper, the street dancing, the coconut hammering! :) Thx for introducing us to delicious looking Tamil food! What a feast!
So much fun!!😊 Rajiv...you can also cook the pumpkin by cutting it in half, putting it upside down into a lasagna pan filled 1/3 with water, and baking in the oven at 350 degrees.This will steam the pumpkin, acorn squash, etc., without having to babysit what's on the stove. Hope your meal was fantastic 🌲
I love that you are explaining the kinds of rice and seasonings to get from your country. I would love to learn how to make roti curry. I love how pride you are of the part of India your from. Keep up good work
There is an actual tamarind tree near my house in Miami. It’s about 40-50 feet tall so forget about being able to get to the fruit even though it is not on private property… I love eating raw tamarind. We have many Asian markets in Miami and they are fun to visit and explore. Thank you Rajiv for another look at Tamil food.
I'm so upset you brought Ambal to UA-cam before I could. It's my home away from home and a Canadian cultural treasure. The only day they close in the year is on Maaveerar Naal. Proud Tamils who left Sri Lanka. ❤
Beautiful meal - textural and rich. *Best in the New Year for you, Rajiv. Appreciate all your tender craft, dexterous and subtle intelligence, delightedness, and inspiration to share. Quality.
Hello! I am so delighted seeing you celebrate the very long green beans. They are truly the best among all type of green beans. When I was living in California, I bought this as easily in San Francisco than around the Russian River area of Sonoma, between Guerneville and Sebastopol Merry Christmas. Jean-Louis
Love you! Thank you for sharing your Tamil culture with us!!!!! This is my #1 favorite video from all the videos you’ve made so far on your channel. I’m going to try & make some of these recipes - do you ever use ginger?
4:50 an alternative to canned coconut milk/ whole coconut, you can use coconut milk powder(maggi brand is okay) and mix it with water. and 13:15 i'd recommend red rice, its got a very earthy taste which pairs well with fresh made sambols and vegetable curries. not really traditional but an omelette with some garlic adds protein and a soft texture. thank you rajiv for sharing this!
Rajiv, I live in the GTA, and usually shop in Scarborough for Indian groceries. Next week, I'm rushing to Ambal Trading for my grocery shopping. Thank you for introducing Torontonians to this hidden gem at 591 Parliament Street - downtown. Yay. Your videos make me so happy. Love you - 70 yr old foodie of Indo-Canadian. Your papadam frying technique is flawless.
Another variation of okra/vendakkai is to put the baked or fried okra in beaten thick plain yogurt, add some salt, pepper and some kala namak (black Indian salt- beware the pungent smell) We call it a vendakkai pachadi / okra raitha
So great! I am a recently certified Ayurvedic chef and recognize all your ingredients. Not sure if Rajiv reads these comments but please have a meal at Divya’s Kitchen in lower Manhattan. Sumptuous, healthy, clean, delicious food! You will bask in the flavors.
Thank you so much for your video. And I love so much the music at the end. Please if you could make a video about tamil music and/or your favourite music. 😍
I am so grateful to you Rajiv, your videos always manage to bring such warm feelings and we learn so much! I will be looking for the chili’s, I just may get lucky 🤞😊
Man as a South Indian/Tamil who is born and brought up in the West Coast, wanna appreciate how much your representation in this space means. I'm glad you're showcasing our culture from the perspective of the ppl like us who grew up in the West. I share so much with you and could relate more with you than all the general mainstream ways Indians or South Asians are represented in the American media. Many ppl did not understand why I wasnt able to speak Hindi or other Indian languages, and it was tiring to explain again and again that my family was from the South of India and we are culturally different.
Vegetarian? It looks accidentally vegan but more importantly it looks delicious! Happy holidays to you and Laura. ❤🎄I would love a video tour of pioneer village with the both of you.
Thank you for this amazing video, that is fun and joyful. Neem is anti-fungal and anti bacterial. I will make a visit to this store and think of you again.
Bravo! What a spread of deliciousness : ) After watching *all* of your videos, I have in mind to take a trip to Sri Lanka. I love these videos of you cooking and introducing ingredients and methods that are not typically Western. You are a joy and I am glad to share this planet with you : )
Always love your cooking videos! The extensive explanation about all the different products makes this one very special. And in Amsterdam (The Netherlands) I can find all of them. 😊 Would love to see more like this!🙏 🌷
Absolutely loved watching this, my daughter and I went to Sri Lanka.. The food oh my goodness delicious is a understatement and the people are the most kindest 😊
Adore your exit from the Sri Lanken market, so good❣🥰 This was so fun and interesting.. wish I could share a such meal with you.. fabulous and officially inspired and happy. Blessed Holidays 🕊
Everything looks amazing, Rajiv! Your friendship with Laura is so heartwarming to behold. Did you bring your Staffordshire friend to visit Laura’s? They would have been perfect table decorations 😊
What a delight. It was so fun to see the table set with all the food. I sure would have loved to see you two sitting down to eat together! I always love the cooking shows where they do that 😊
What a grand repast. The last clip of a family sitting the traditionalnway, cross legged on the floor and eating a hearty South Indian lunch served on a fresh plantain leaf .....was the nicest way to end this video. Just a suggestion ....instead of using a steel saucepan to fry your pappadams and dried salted chillies try a round bottomed cast iron " cheena chatti". Jaggery is made by extracting juice from sugar cane, filtering and boiling the juice,and then cooling and solidifying it into blocks...which is what you found in the plastic bottle on the store shelf of the Tamil store.
The little interaction in the beggining with the lady leaving the store was so cute
She was actually quite dignified and interesting looking.
The lady in the beginning wanted to be invited to the vegetarian dinner 😂❤
Me and her both! 🤣🤣🤣
so do I!
Loved her, and I would have said the same! I also would have invited her! The more, the merrier! 🙂
Watching from Colombo,Srilanka. This is the exact menu ,we too make. Can i add one more dish to the list? Mango sambol. Grated raw mango,onions, green chillies deseeded,salt,SUGAR, little vinegar. Sweet dish is also a must. Great job ,Rajiv. I am a 73 year old retired teacher. Origins are from Jaffna.
Oh, wow! Mango sambol sounds delicious!
This sounds lovely. I was just saying to my partner I’m off to buy a tray of mangoes when I saw this! Another to add to my cooking list today. Thank you.
What kind of onions? Red?
OMG! I'm so jealous of Laura! She's Blessed with you as a friend...a fun one!!!
So much fun to shop with Rajiv! Love when you speak Tamil. I hope you can fill your suitcase with some groceries when you return to NYC.
I am about your age and grew up watching old Tamil films featuring Padmini and Savithri. I also remember my Mum telling me the same funny story about how Padmini measured and cut the drumsticks out. Your video is like a warm hug from an old friend.
The world is a better place with people like you. Thank you and Happy Holidays 🤗
This week, as a matter of coincidence, Alison Roman released a video of herself grocery shopping. No shade on Alison, who is a wonderful cooking teacher, but this grocery excursion was 1000% more fascinating. I wish more people with non Western heritage would take us grocery shopping with them and explain their purchases to us. So fascinating and educational! I loved your tradition of Friday Night Dinner. My Jewish family has this too, and at our house it’s the one night of the week we eat meat.
Watching from Scotland. That was so interesting, watching you shop, cook and sing too! My mouth was watering. Quite a number years ago, when I was living in Adelaide, South Australia, I met a beautiful young woman from Sri Lanka. We made friends while walking our dogs. One day she invited me to pop in to her house for a bite of lunch. When I arrived, she had prepared a banquet similar to what you just did. So many dishes to try. It was amazing. I was quite overwhelmed. Being Scottish, we do love our curries, but this was very different and delicious. You brought back some lovely memories today. ❤
Oh, to be Laura 😊❤
Everyone is jealous of Laura!!😂❤
The things that you appreciate make me so happy. Thank you.
I love to see people speak in their native language. They become totally different people. Mannerisms, gestures, tone, all of it changes.
I know that I also become very different when I speak in Spanish and surrounded by Spanish speakers. Going to the mercado is also a favorite thing to do. It's like feeling at home ❤
I love stores like these...it just feels better, and frankly these stores are so much more fulfilling.
Thank you for this! I am a vegetarian. This will be lovely to try.
Increasing our plant based meals is so important.
The conditions of terrible suffering in the factory farms is horrific.
People need to start understanding that when they buy supermarket meat, they are supporting and responsible for severe animal cruelty.
Thank you for providing a meal idea that will help people move towards
more compassionate living!
Get over yourself and leave people eat in peace.
@@thamieklybodonmi how do you live with yourself knowing that you support animal cruelty.? ..perhaps you need to get over yourself and stop being so selfish.
What a manifesto. It's completely unnecessary.
I’m so in love with Rajiv! Not in a creepy way lol just a pure way like I’m in love with Kermit the frog or Mozart. Thank you 🙏🏻 for making life better for us!
Rajiv is a great person all the time but I like him even better when he’s with Laura. You and your best friend should bring out the best in each other.
As a Sri Lankan myself this was so nice. Btw I chop okra into finger length pieces and put it in the air fryer for 15 mins. Comes out amazing esp if you don't like slimy okra. Makes a great topping for a curry as well.
Rajiv dancing as he exits the food store...A MUST SEE!!!!
can we get more of that!
Rajiv,
Seeing you in my neighborhood grocery store made me intensely anxious. I could have been there and ran into you!!
Why didn't that happen? I made payathangai curry yesterday with , likely, from same lot of it you bought! Enjoy Toronto and holidays. Oh, wouldn't it be great to meet you!!! You have inspired me so much, and I am thankful.
I am from kerala.. This looks exactly like the grocery stores over here..Being a huge fan of yours, I feel so happy to see you talk about food that is similar to what I have at home.. really made my day.. thank you
Ur videos r amazing, and why l admire you, because u didn't forget ur roots. 🎉 well Done 👏
❤ These videos make me happy! Thank you!❤
BEST video ever!!!!!! ❤❤❤❤🥰🥰🥰🥰 Thank you sooooo much for bringing us along with you shopping and cooking and wishfully tasting this wonderful comfy cozy meal!! I'm so excited to shop and try some of these things! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! 🙏🏽😊
I am in Singapore and we have the small red onions. We have a lot of imports from all over the world due to old trade routes. I made your dhal, your roti, your curry chicken, your oatmeal, and they are the best!
Every meal is so warm and lasting. I feel like I have not eaten in such a satisfying manner for the longest time yet your recipes are so healthy. I barely add any oil and I have minimum dishes to wash.
To everyone out there, try Rajiv’s recipes if you haven’t done so.
Not sure why this showed up in my algorithm but I like it!
What a great episode. The disapproving vegan shopper, the street dancing, the coconut hammering! :) Thx for introducing us to delicious looking Tamil food! What a feast!
Those tamil words sound awfully cute when you say them Rajiv! “Nalla Thenga” ❤
Such a joy watching/learning
So much fun!!😊 Rajiv...you can also cook the pumpkin by cutting it in half, putting it upside down into a lasagna pan filled 1/3 with water, and baking in the oven at 350 degrees.This will steam the pumpkin, acorn squash, etc., without having to babysit what's on the stove. Hope your meal was fantastic 🌲
Rajiv, my mouth is watering. I wish I could be there enjoying all of your dishes. I’m vegan and I absolutely LOVE Indian food.
I grew up in Wellesley and Parliament and Ambal was/is the only Tamil grocery in that area. This was nostalgic :)
That was so fun! Thanks for telling us the differences between what you’ll find in an Indian store vs a Sri Lankan store. Good stuff.
What a great video ❤ from my dear Rajiv 😊 thank you so much! You made my day 😂
I love that you are explaining the kinds of rice and seasonings to get from your country. I would love to learn how to make roti curry. I love how pride you are of the part of India your from. Keep up good work
His roots are actually Ceylon/Sri Lanka, not India.
18:00 Well sookie sookie , now! That little hustle and slide tells me that you made out like a bandit with these groceries, Rajiv. 😂
OMG, I enjoyed every single of watching this. As many have said, we would all love to be Laura right now. Great video and so interesting to me.
My invite must have got lost! It all looks terrific. Thank you for your wonderful videos.
Very interesting Rajiv....
Learning so much....
👏☺️
Thank you for explaining everything 🙏🏻 ❤️
There is an actual tamarind tree near my house in Miami. It’s about 40-50 feet tall so forget about being able to get to the fruit even though it is not on private property… I love eating raw tamarind.
We have many Asian markets in Miami and they are fun to visit and explore.
Thank you Rajiv for another look at Tamil food.
I'm so upset you brought Ambal to UA-cam before I could. It's my home away from home and a Canadian cultural treasure.
The only day they close in the year is on Maaveerar Naal.
Proud Tamils who left Sri Lanka.
❤
Thank you so much for taking us along to that fabulous grocery store. So interesting. Your food looks like such wonderful comfort food.
10 out of 10 intro Bud!! 😂😀👍👍
Beautiful meal - textural and rich. *Best in the New Year for you, Rajiv. Appreciate all your tender craft, dexterous and subtle intelligence, delightedness, and inspiration to share. Quality.
Neem Trees are known as pharmaceutical trees.
So many attributes for our health!
Thank you for sharing!
Nothing but smiles when I watch.😃
I’ve been vegan for nine years and have never made curries like these! 😍 thank you so much for sharing Rajiv!
Hello! I am so delighted seeing you celebrate the very long green beans. They are truly the best among all type of green beans. When I was living in California, I bought this as easily in San Francisco than around the Russian River area of Sonoma, between Guerneville and Sebastopol Merry Christmas. Jean-Louis
Love you! Thank you for sharing your Tamil culture with us!!!!!
This is my #1 favorite video from all the videos you’ve made so far on your channel.
I’m going to try & make some of these recipes - do you ever use ginger?
4:50 an alternative to canned coconut milk/ whole coconut, you can use coconut milk powder(maggi brand is okay) and mix it with water. and 13:15 i'd recommend red rice, its got a very earthy taste which pairs well with fresh made sambols and vegetable curries. not really traditional but an omelette with some garlic adds protein and a soft texture. thank you rajiv for sharing this!
BEAUTIFUL SOUL RAJIV ❤❤
Rajiv, I live in the GTA, and usually shop in Scarborough for Indian groceries. Next week, I'm rushing to Ambal Trading for my grocery shopping. Thank you for introducing Torontonians to this hidden gem at 591 Parliament Street - downtown. Yay. Your videos make me so happy. Love you - 70 yr old foodie of Indo-Canadian. Your papadam frying technique is flawless.
Oh your cooking videos are my FAVORITE🥰❣️🥰❣️🥰
What a wonderful way of sharing your feast, thanks.
I have never seen a store like this before. Thank you so much for sharing your country's great food and tradition.❤
Another variation of okra/vendakkai is to put the baked or fried okra in beaten thick plain yogurt, add some salt, pepper and some kala namak (black Indian salt- beware the pungent smell)
We call it a vendakkai pachadi / okra raitha
So great! I am a recently certified Ayurvedic chef and recognize all your ingredients. Not sure if Rajiv reads these comments but please have a meal at Divya’s Kitchen in lower Manhattan. Sumptuous, healthy, clean, delicious food! You will bask in the flavors.
Thank you so much for your video. And I love so much the music at the end. Please if you could make a video about tamil music and/or your favourite music. 😍
Rajiv, It's so nice to know that you are in Toronto! Thank you for sharing your shopping and cooking day!
Such a treat to see you cook a wonderful meal. Thoroughly enjoyed watching ❤
Rajiv's Sri Lankan boy joy shopping at Ambai Trading is blissfully palpable.
I am so grateful to you Rajiv, your videos always manage to bring such warm feelings and we learn so much! I will be looking for the chili’s, I just may get lucky 🤞😊
Man as a South Indian/Tamil who is born and brought up in the West Coast, wanna appreciate how much your representation in this space means. I'm glad you're showcasing our culture from the perspective of the ppl like us who grew up in the West. I share so much with you and could relate more with you than all the general mainstream ways Indians or South Asians are represented in the American media. Many ppl did not understand why I wasnt able to speak Hindi or other Indian languages, and it was tiring to explain again and again that my family was from the South of India and we are culturally different.
There are heaps of SI in the west coast
Watching and drooling in Toronto. I noticed a couple extra chairs at the table…just saying 🤤
Vegetarian? It looks accidentally vegan but more importantly it looks delicious! Happy holidays to you and Laura. ❤🎄I would love a video tour of pioneer village with the both of you.
That looks like a great grocery store!
Hard to believe prices are better in Canada.
❤ from 🇨🇦
Rajiv - you bring me joy. Thank you for sharing.
There’s nothing like home cooking🥰 thanks for sharing
Thank you for this amazing video, that is fun and joyful. Neem is anti-fungal and anti bacterial. I will make a visit to this store and think of you again.
Bravo! What a spread of deliciousness : ) After watching *all* of your videos, I have in mind to take a trip to Sri Lanka. I love these videos of you cooking and introducing ingredients and methods that are not typically Western. You are a joy and I am glad to share this planet with you : )
Always love your cooking videos! The extensive explanation about all the different products makes this one very special. And in Amsterdam (The Netherlands) I can find all of them. 😊 Would love to see more like this!🙏 🌷
My family is from Kerala and all those veggies are a staple in our house…so yummy
Absolutely loved watching this, my daughter and I went to Sri Lanka.. The food oh my goodness delicious is a understatement and the people are the most kindest 😊
Wow-just lovely❤ Thanks for taking us shopping!
Namaskaram 🙏🏻I love your association and have you going on video after video while doing my custom handmade wigs. Thank you very much 🎉💌
Hi Rajiv, you can find some of the fresh veg in Manhattan Chinatown or even HMart (bitter melon). Thanks for the fun video!
Beautiful! I learned so much.
Adore your exit from the Sri Lanken market, so good❣🥰 This was so fun and interesting.. wish I could share a such meal with you.. fabulous and officially inspired and happy. Blessed Holidays 🕊
Rathu Lunu, Murunga, Karawila, Bandakka, Maa Karal, Wambatu...
You can always go to Staten Island and Queens for Sri Lankan groceries.
Any leftovers? So interesting Rajiv. You always provide such pleasing experiences. Happy holidays to you and Laura. Toronto the Good!!!
The Sri Lankan Dahl has to be my favourite, with rice and spinach! I enjoy an eggplant Sambal too. My children love milk toffee as well and Love cake.
I really appreciate all the info and you walking through the store explaining everything. So helpful!
Everything looks amazing, Rajiv! Your friendship with Laura is so heartwarming to behold. Did you bring your Staffordshire friend to visit Laura’s? They would have been perfect table decorations 😊
Tamil vegetarian food is the best! Love it!
I can smell the fragrance. What a wonderful day.
I bet that apartment smelled amazing! Thank-you for sharing. You have re-inspired my cooking lately.
Thank you so much for these videos on making Sri Lankan food. Amazing cuisine
everything looks scrumptious. thank you for showing us!
I love UA-cam shopping,saves ME a fortune. I love those shops,we have them in my UK city.
I didn’t want the video to end!! Looks delicious!
That was cool to see, looks great too. I want Laura’s salt & pepper shakers btw.
Rajiv it was so lovely seeing you navigate the store and cook! I wish I could hang out and enjoy Sri Lankan dinner with you!!!!!
Awe, I wanted to see you eat the meal! This was so much fun! Love you! Merry Christmas sweetie! Have a wonderful holiday!
So lovely to share love in the way of a great meal. Merry Christmas
The quality of those veggies and lentils are so far superior to what they offer us in Colorado! 😮
Loved the video- thx!!!
Murungakkai is drumstick/moringa, pavakkai is bitter gourd, vendikkai is lady’s finger or okra.
What a delight. It was so fun to see the table set with all the food. I sure would have loved to see you two sitting down to eat together! I always love the cooking shows where they do that 😊
Murungakka = Drumstick
Paavakka = Bitter gourd
Vendakka = Ladies finger / okra
What a grand repast.
The last clip of a family sitting the traditionalnway, cross legged on the floor and eating a hearty South Indian lunch served on a fresh plantain leaf .....was the nicest way to end this video.
Just a suggestion ....instead of using a steel saucepan to fry your pappadams and dried salted chillies try a round bottomed cast iron " cheena chatti".
Jaggery is made by extracting juice from sugar cane, filtering and boiling the juice,and then cooling and solidifying it into blocks...which is what you found in the plastic bottle on the store shelf of the Tamil store.
Love watching you shop and cook. What a feast. I have a friend from Malaysia whose late mum used to make feasts which remind me of yours ❤
Adorable. Real Canadian in all aspects 😅. Integrated in western culture, keeping roots, living in USA😊