He understands and cherishes the value of dining together with family, thanks to childhood experiences of having grown up in a joint family. Now that he is a busy politician, K. Sudhakaran, the Congress MP from Kannur Legislative Assembly, misses those golden days of togetherness he used to enjoy at the dining table years ago. In fact, he hardly gets any time to eat with his family these days. His day begins with a heavy workout session at the home gym. More often than not, by the time he finishes it, the veranda turns into a crowded place with people who have gathered to see their beloved leader. Usually he drinks a glass of almond juice before going to the gym. For him, it is the quality of the food that matters, so the emphasis is on health and not on how much he eats. But the one thing that he strictly pursues is his love for homemade food. For breakfast, he often takes bread with omelette, usually made out of two or three egg whites. Else, the preference is either _idli_ or _puttu_. For lunch, he prefers fish curry, generally made with small fishes like white sardine made with coconut paste. Rasam is one of the favourites to be featured on his food chart and so is buttermilk. Fried crabs or Indian mackerel are common in the menu. K. Sudhakaran’s wife, Smitha teacher, shares a crab roast recipe with us Heat oil in a pan and add thinly sliced big onions and green chillies Add crushed ginger and garlic followed by finely chopped tomatoes and stir well Add chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt to this and mix well to make a masala paste Once the aroma of the masala emanates, add cleaned pieces of crab to the already prepared thick gravy Keep stirring until it's cooked well. Tasty and spicy crab roast is ready Even though he is not a big fan of sweet dishes, K. Sudhakaran has a soft corner for _parippu_ pradhaman prepared in thick coconut milk. Pradhaman is a sure item on special occasions in the family menu. But most of the time, Sudhakaran would be unable to join the family in the dining room and his lunch time may prolong up to 3.00 pm in the afternoon. He may not be able to have his food on time, but he makes sure that he eats what his better half prepares for him every time, without fail. Now, that’s sweet, isn’t it?
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