The Mistress of Spices is an offbeat movie which depicts the value of different spices in life. Spices are shown as valuable jewels which can change a person�s life.
The lead character Tilo (Aishwarya Rai), an immigrant from India, is a shopkeeper, an unusually strong clairvoyant, and a chosen Mistress of Spices. The Spices she gives to her customers help them to satisfy their certain needs and desires, such as �sandalwood to dispel painful memories; black cumin seed to protect against evil eye.�
As a young girl, Tilo was initiated as one of several young Mistresses of Spices by the First Mother (Zohra Sehgal), who warns the girls about certain rules they must follow, or face dire consequences. They are instructed never to leave their respective stores all around the world, physically touch the skin of the people they meet, or use the great and incomprehensible strength and power of the Spices to their own ends.
Tilo ends up in the San Jose Area in a store called �Spice Bazaar�. Tilo�s customers include Haroun, a cab driver (Nitin Ganatra), a grandfather (Anupam Kher) dealing with an American-born granddaughter Geeta (Padma Lakshmi), Kwesi, a man trying to impress his girlfriend (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) and Jagjit, a teenager trying to fit in at school (Sonny Gill Dulay).
Her life takes a turn one day, when a handsome man on a motorcycle (Dylan McDermott) crashes outside her store. Tilo tends to his injuries while trying to ignore their strong mutual romantic attraction to each other. Her life changes when he touches her and they begin to fall truly, madly in love.
But the Spices are suddenly angry and jealous, and things soon start to go sour in her relationships with her other customers. Haroun gets in an accident, Geeta�s family situation does not improve, Jagjit falls in with the wrong crowd at school, and Kwesi�s girlfriend breaks up with him. Doug comes to meet her that night and sadly tells her that his Native American-born mother had died.
Tilo recognizes that the source of these misfortunes is her breaking of the rules. The First Mother comes to her in a vision and scolds her for choosing Doug over the Spices. She vows that she will return to India, and posts a notice about a closing sale. She goes all out to help her customers one last time and tells the Spices that she will spend just one night with Doug, and then she will give herself utterly to them. She closes the store and goes off with Doug for the night. After a sweet night of romantic, passionate love-making, she leaves him a note that she must leave and cannot return, but that she will always truly, madly and deeply love him forever. Then she goes back to the store and sets the Spices on fire, with her at the center of the flames, as a sign of eternal servitude and slavery to the mystical Spices.
Doug comes searching for her, and finds the store devastated. But Tilo has not been burned after all; she is still there, alive and barely conscious. There is no sign of a fire, but there has been an earthquake. We see a vision of the First Mother sitting at the beach, telling her that because she demonstrated her willingness to give up everything for the Spices, now she can have everything she desires and the Spices will never desert her again. Doug agrees to help her rebuild the store, and she happily reunites with him as they walk along the beach holding hands; their blossoming romantic relationship as strong and pure as ever.
Not much dishes are shown in the movie but Aishwarya talks about the different dishes and explains the uses of different spices in the dishes to her customers. Imarti with some other dessert is shown in the movie whereas she talks about Nariyal ka Korma, Baingan ka Bharta and few more.
As per Tilo, Nariyal ka Korma is symbolized as the dish which softens the heart and make people fall in love. We have tried to present the same dish this time in Talking Food on Movies.
Method
As a young girl, Tilo was initiated as one of several young Mistresses of Spices by the First Mother (Zohra Sehgal), who warns the girls about certain rules they must follow, or face dire consequences. They are instructed never to leave their respective stores all around the world, physically touch the skin of the people they meet, or use the great and incomprehensible strength and power of the Spices to their own ends.
Tilo ends up in the San Jose Area in a store called �Spice Bazaar�. Tilo�s customers include Haroun, a cab driver (Nitin Ganatra), a grandfather (Anupam Kher) dealing with an American-born granddaughter Geeta (Padma Lakshmi), Kwesi, a man trying to impress his girlfriend (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) and Jagjit, a teenager trying to fit in at school (Sonny Gill Dulay).
Her life takes a turn one day, when a handsome man on a motorcycle (Dylan McDermott) crashes outside her store. Tilo tends to his injuries while trying to ignore their strong mutual romantic attraction to each other. Her life changes when he touches her and they begin to fall truly, madly in love.
But the Spices are suddenly angry and jealous, and things soon start to go sour in her relationships with her other customers. Haroun gets in an accident, Geeta�s family situation does not improve, Jagjit falls in with the wrong crowd at school, and Kwesi�s girlfriend breaks up with him. Doug comes to meet her that night and sadly tells her that his Native American-born mother had died.
Tilo recognizes that the source of these misfortunes is her breaking of the rules. The First Mother comes to her in a vision and scolds her for choosing Doug over the Spices. She vows that she will return to India, and posts a notice about a closing sale. She goes all out to help her customers one last time and tells the Spices that she will spend just one night with Doug, and then she will give herself utterly to them. She closes the store and goes off with Doug for the night. After a sweet night of romantic, passionate love-making, she leaves him a note that she must leave and cannot return, but that she will always truly, madly and deeply love him forever. Then she goes back to the store and sets the Spices on fire, with her at the center of the flames, as a sign of eternal servitude and slavery to the mystical Spices.
Doug comes searching for her, and finds the store devastated. But Tilo has not been burned after all; she is still there, alive and barely conscious. There is no sign of a fire, but there has been an earthquake. We see a vision of the First Mother sitting at the beach, telling her that because she demonstrated her willingness to give up everything for the Spices, now she can have everything she desires and the Spices will never desert her again. Doug agrees to help her rebuild the store, and she happily reunites with him as they walk along the beach holding hands; their blossoming romantic relationship as strong and pure as ever.
Not much dishes are shown in the movie but Aishwarya talks about the different dishes and explains the uses of different spices in the dishes to her customers. Imarti with some other dessert is shown in the movie whereas she talks about Nariyal ka Korma, Baingan ka Bharta and few more.
As per Tilo, Nariyal ka Korma is symbolized as the dish which softens the heart and make people fall in love. We have tried to present the same dish this time in Talking Food on Movies.
Nariyal ka Korma (Serves: 4)
This easy to make Creamy Coconut Vegetarian Korma makes a great Meatless meal. Serve it with a side of rice or quinoa for a quick and delicious dinner. Ingredients For The Veggies: 2 Medium Potatoes, cut ito small, bite-sized pieces 4 cups Mixed Chopped Vegetables (Cauliflower, Carrots, Beans, Bell Peppers, Corn, and Peas) For The Vegetarian Korma Sauce: 1 tbsp� � � � � � � � � � � � � � Oil 1 Large Onion,� � � � � � � �chopped 1 - 2�� piece Ginger,� � � � �peeled and chopped 4 Garlic Cloves,� � � � � � � smashed with the back of a knife 1 5.5 ounce� � � � � � � � � �Tomato Paste Can 1 tbsp each� � � � � � � � � � Curry Powder and Garam Masala 1 1/2 tsp� � � � � � � � � � � �each Cumin, Coriander, Turmeric, Cardamom 1-2 tsp� � � � � � � � � � � � � Salt 1/2 tsp� � � � � � � � � � � � � each Ground Cloves, Fennel, Fenugreek and Chili Flakes 400ml� � � � � � � � � � � � � �can of Coconut Milk 1/2 cup� � � � � � � � � � � � �Ground Cashews 1/2 cup� � � � � � � � � � � � �Fresh Coconut Paste 2 tbsp� � � � � � � � � � � � � �Lemon Juice 1/2 cup� � � � � � � � � � � � �Yogurt 1 tbsp� � � � � � � � � � � � � �Brown Sugar Top with any or all Cashews, Cilantro, Lemon, and RaisinsMethod
- Add the potatoes to a medium-sized pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Let the potatoes boil for 5 minutes then add the rest of the veggies to the pot. Let them boil for another 5 minutes then drain the pot and set it aside.
- While the veggies are cooking, start preparing the vegetarian korma sauce. Heat the oil in a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 2 minutes more.
- Remove the pot from the heat and add the tomato paste and all of the spices. Stir well, then return the pot to the heat. When the spices are fragrant and the tomato paste caramelized, after about 1 minute, add the coconut milk, ground cashews, coconut paste, lemon juice and 1� cups of water. Let the pot boil for 5 minutes to soften the cashews.
- Working in batches, blend the curry until it is smooth then add it back to the pot. Stir through the yogurt and brown sugar and add more salt, if needed. Stir the veggies into the curry and serve immediately topped with any or all of the toppings.
