Showing posts with label Food Special 2022. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food Special 2022. Show all posts
WHITE NIGHT: Maria Do Sameiro Barroso
I was sad. I was listening to Sibelius's 'Sad Waltz'. On a white tablecloth, crystals were, and white lilies were glittering. Something like asparagus, white wine, grapes and apples came to my mind. The scent of gardenias was flooding my blood with white flowers.
I had dressed in white. And you smiled at me in the cold and coloured light of a diamond. Everything was so white! Like your absence. White and soft, a white lily.
White and terrible were also the gardenias, the angels, the long table cloths, the crystals when I listened to Sibelius and the moon filled the empty glasses of a white night.
Maria do Sameiro Barroso
(Portugal)
Dr. Maria Do Sameiro Barroso is a Medical Doctor, a multilingual poet, a Germanist, translator, essayist and researcher in the areas of Portuguese and German Literature, Translation Studies and History of Medicine, with over forty books of poetry published in several languages and countries. Her poems are translated into more than twenty languages. She is frequently invited to prestigious anthologies and literary events from across the world and has been awarded prestigious literary distinctions and prizes.
MEAT BALLS
Boudhayan Mukherjee
The pressure cooker
hisses... once... twice
... thrice... and I can
smell the spicy meat balls inside
my taste buds open
like petals of a flower
kittens play below my feet
one... two... three...
I can feel warmth on my feet
their sane purrings
they'll grow up into ladies and gents
as flowers open fully
my kid son stares amazed
at the pressure cooker killing meat
a crack between his ruddy lips
I can smell the world , spicy...
saliva flows...
I love this world for my glands
still secrete
I am in love with kittens
spicy meat, my kid son
silence unveils
deep happiness.***
Boudhayan Mukherjee, a bilingual poet, author and translator started as student editor and literary secretary of Visva Bharati university. He has been published extensively in journals and newspapers since the mid seventies. His first book of verse "Black Milk" (1990) is followed by five anthologies, a collection of short-stories and books of translations. He has represented Sahitya Akademi at various poetry readings and taught Creative Writing in English at IGNOU. A founder-member and literary coordinator of Srijan, one of the most renowned literary platforms of Kolkata.
The Rejuvenating Springtime Picnics: Sangeeta Sharma
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| Sangeeta Sharma |
I
don’t know why, but the meals we have on picnics always taste so much nicer
than the ones we have indoors- Enid
Blyton.
Since yore, picnics have always been a lure
for human beings. One of the greatest joys of a lazy summer is munching
sandwiches and drinking hot coffee or a lemonade beside an enchanting beach or
on a sprawling green patch of a lush garden. Of late, clicking a selfie at the
earmarked selfie corner is catching up fast too.
As spring arrives, the pleasant weather goads
you to plan a location and pack up the choicest food in your picnic bags and to
go vroooomm for a long drive to a beach, a lake or a park setting.
Climbing up the slopes of Chinguacousy park or
watching the cherry blossoms bloom in the spring at the Centennial Park or the
Trinity Bellwoods Park in late April to early May in a 200–300
temperature helps you heal, unwind, destress and is the perfect getaway to
forget the spiritually vacant overstimulation of our daily lives.
With great relish, I recall chomping Indian
delicacies, when we siblings were escorted to the Seminary Hills Garden of
Nagpur, India, by our parents during the 80s. Mom used to fill flasks with hot
water and picnic boxes with poha, onion bhajias and bread butter-the
aroma of which used to waft in the surroundings when it was served on paper
plates with green chutney and tomato ketchup. We used to throw dozens of milk,
sugar, tea and coffee sachets in the picnic bag to have hot milky, sweetened
coffee, once there. The water-sprayed green, velvety, inviting grass of the
hills and the morning crisp breeze instantly soothed our senses. And we kids
played Ringa Ringa Roses, Hide and Seek and frolicked all-round the
place.
The fun and flavours of stuffed karelas, brinjals
with puris in the first-class cabins of the superfast passenger
trains (and later AC compartments) is something that will never fade from my
memory. During summer vacations of my childhood, my father being in Railways,
the whole first-class compartment used to be ours when we travelled to New
Delhi, our native place. It was divine pleasure to be with the entire family.
For lighter meal, during hot afternoons, mom used to peel boiled potatoes and
chopped onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, green chillies and add thick
cool curd to this medley of veggies and then sprinkled salt and red
chilli powder to it. This assortment, along with overnight puris, as
lunch in the train, used to taste like heaven for we kids.
During school-days, when we were teenagers
with hearty appetite, the aroma of egg-curry or mashed fried potatoes with
home-made soft chapatis and mango pickle that wafted from the school tiffins or
the mouth-watering khasta kachoris, or gobhi and paneer pakoras
vended at the landmark street joints of New Delhi, have etched their mark on our
memories.
During my prime, sites like The Champ de
Mars park behind the Eiffel Tower, Paris, France or Superkilen public
park of Copenhagen, Denmark, provided the same rejuvenation and I rocked in
the company of my precious family.
Droughts of hot coffee and luscious mayonnaise
laden lettuce, bell pepper and cucumber tortilla bites intoxicated us with satiety
and gaiety.
It was sheer bliss.
Same way the spring season walks through the trails are as exciting and
invigorating as outdoor picnics. Strolling through North American trails it’s
no surprise sighting beautiful American Robins, dark-eyed juncos, three-toed
woodpecker, American Redstart or American Goldfinch across the trail and to
hear their mumbled cuck or tuk or trill or po-ta-to chip. They perch on trees
so admirably as if wanting to be photographed. Spring season revives this
natural flora and fauna and reinvigorates the dormant plants after the colder
winter months. They begin to grow again; new seedlings start sprouting and
beautiful colourful birds throng your backyards.
Same are picnics. These outdoor
drives, locations and short stays revive and reinvigorate people who have
become more like mercenary automatons working relentlessly forgetting the
essential truth of human life.
I'm really
big on day dates. If you go for a stroll, have a picnic or lunch with a glass
of wine - it doesn't get better than that. Meghan Markle
Credit: https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/picnic-quotes
DHOKA: A DISH FROM MY NANIJI`S CHAUKA (KITCHEN)
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| Namita Rai |
Doctor Sahib was a frequent visitor to my maternal grandmother or Naniji’s house ‘Beori Kothi’, situated in Golabaazaar, which is a few hours run from Gorakhpur city in eastern U.P.
Naniji was a lively personality, loved to interact with people and entertain guests.
One morning in winters, Doctor sahib dropped in and headed straight to Naniji's pucca brick chauka (kitchen), where she spent most part of her day. She made tea for him of home-made jaggery and asked the ladies of the house to bring a special snack. Naniji was a vegetarian but Doctor sahib was a non-vegetarian.
That morning, a steamed and spicy snack, dark green in colour and round in shape was served. Doctor sahib who was fond of food couldn't resist a bite.
He looked at Naniji and said, "It’s good that now you have started eating meat as this piece of Kaleji (liver) is not only out of this world, but also has high nutritional value".
Naniji could not hold back her laughter. She laughed until tears rolled out of her ageing eyes and chuckled, “Oh, Doctor sahib, you have been deceived by this dish so early in the morning. What will happen to you for the rest of the day now? Be careful how u go!"
Since then, Naniji started calling that Snack ‘Dhoka’ (or the Deceiver).
As the person eating it was deceived into believing the dish to be meat. The person eating could not make out by its appearance, taste, smell and texture that whether it was a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian dish. Since then, the snack was named Dhoka in Beori Kothi
Dhoka made its way into the modern kitchen when food lovers started watching their health, weight and calories.
Moreover, after Covid-19, this easily available super food was acknowledged as an immunity booster.
I, too arranged a gathering of my childhood friends who were all health conscious and calorie watchers and made Dhoka for them, and served it as a starter with a tadka of curry leaves and mustard seeds in desi ghee. It was accompanied with coriander chutney and jaggery tea.
Even when my close friends left for their houses the taste of this Dish lingered in their mind titillating their taste buds. It was much appreciated for its amusing history and the funny, mysterious and unique name it earned in my Naniji's Beori Kothi.
INGREDIENTS OF DHOKA
• 1/2kg Bathua (Chenopodium) assortment
• 2 Amlas (Indian gooseberry)
• Besan (split chickpeas lentils) enough to bind it and make a bit tight dough.
• 2 teaspoon salt
• Paste of 5 green chillies according to taste
• 1 and ½ garlic
• 1 and ½ inch ginger
• 2 and ½ tea spoon Garam masala (hot spice powder)
• 1 teaspoon red chilli powder.
• Two level tea spoon mango powder
RECIPE OF DHOKA
Wash the bathua leaves and amla nicely then boil them in water until they become soft. Squeeze them and let some water drain. Grind them both in a fine thick paste.
Then take 250gm gram split chickpea lentils or chana dal (which has to be soaked in water over night). They are used to bind the grinded Bathua and amla. Now grind coarsely the chana dal and mix it with Bathua and amla. Now, mix the ingredients salt, paste of green chilli, ginger and garlic. Put the red chilli powder and the hot spice mixture. Lastly mix two level spoon mango powder. Then make long rolls and place them on steamer or steam it for at least 20 minutes and then check its tenderness. If it is cooked properly by steam then lift it out to cool. Once it is cooled, cut round pieces in slices. It can be served as it is or as a side dish or a starter or an evening snack. For children and youngsters, it can be fried in desi ghee with a tadka of spluttered mustard seeds or curry leaves.
Now in modern times people are garnishing it with grated coconut and green fresh coriander leaves. With tadka of spluttered mustard seeds and red dried chilli as well as few fresh curry leaves. Now, Dhoka is ready to be served with tamarind jaggery chutney or coriander chutney.
• Shape - round
• Colour - Dark green
• Taste - Like liver (Kaleji), slightly salty, spicy, astringent taste.
• Smell – Earthy smell.
• Nutritional value –
Dhoka has high source of iron.
During pandemic, it served as an immunity booster.
It is low in calories so it helps in weight loss.
Great help in skin care and hair health.
Rich in calcium, potassium, magnesium, vitamins A, C and B6.
Helpful in Diabetes,
Protects the liver
A great help for eyes.
Dhoka an easily available food is unacknowledged, but in taste is as delicious as Kaleji.
I am sure once you have a chance to taste it, you are bound to be deceived into believing it to be some type of meat.
Now whenever Doctor Sahib came to Kothi, the ladies of the house would say, “Dhoka has come” and break into peals of laughter
From Naniji's chauka to modern kitchen, this traditional and trendy snack, Dhoka is bound to make waves.
***
BIO: Namita is a teacher by profession. She is also a writer and a poetess. She has written articles, memoirs, poems for journals and magazines and press reports for newspapers.
An Incredible Story of Grapes: Nivedita Dinkar
The grapes photographed here are from my terrace garden and they are wonderfully tasty and purplish in colour.
The Grape vine is of four years young and made my terrace garden ornamental and green. It has attracted squirrels, ants, honey bees, bulbuls, sunbird, munia, koels. My experience with my Grapevine is really phenomenal.
I have prepared Jelly out of my fresh grapes which are mixed, that means slightly unripe mixed with ripe ones. They have come out extraordinarily brilliant in taste. It gives a psychological satisfaction too because these grapes are straight coming out from my garden.
Qualification: M. Phil Sociology, PGDBM Marketing, MA English Literature
Profession: Sociologist
Passion: Writer| Poet | Photographer| Landscaping
Books Published:
1. Itra Tumhari Shirt kaa, рдЗрдд्рд░ рддुрдо्рд╣ाрд░ी рд╢рд░्рдЯ рдХा Hindi Anthology, World Book Fair, 2019
2. Eight (8) Hindi and Two (2) English group Poetry Collections.
3. Poems published in Amar Ujala, Aadhunik Saahitya, Shodh Disha, Sarthak, Atoot Bandhan, Kathanak, Woman's Era, Asian Signature, Raedomania, Kavya, Turn Slow and many other reputed Hindi and English publications and blogs.
Achievements:
1. Assessment of Parking Facility at Daruk, Vrindavan for Uttar Pradesh Pro-Poor Tourism Development Project for India, World Bank Projects.
2. Screening of Rehabilitation of Banke Bihari Temple Area, Vrindavan for Uttar Pradesh Pro-Poor Tourism Development Project for India, World Bank Projects.
3. Instrumental in making 340 Toilets at Kachhpura Village Uttar Pradesh Pro-Poor Tourism Development Project for India, World Bank Projects
4. University Topper MPhil, Sociology, Dr BR Ambedkar University, Agra.
5. Selected as Mic Artiste by Neelesh Misra, Storyteller.
6. Swayam siddha Srijan Samman, Being Women ‘Falak 2017’, Kavi Kumbh Parivar
7. Best Poet Award, 2015, Aagaman Literary and Cultural Group.
8. Live Telecast of Kavya Path in Lok Sabha TV
9. Programmes broadcasted in AIR
10. Cultural Events Organised/executed at National level of more than Fifty’s.
11. Winner of Zonal level Badminton Championship.
Email: nivedita@wateronline.co.in
Colours of Food in Bahrain
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| Nivedita Roy |
Nivedita Roy
A small island country in the Middle East, Kingdom of Bahrain upholds itself as a symbol of peace and brotherhood in the region. It has been exemplary in maintaining religious freedom and respecting multicultural influences in its fabric. The expatriates constitute a large percentage of the population. This also influences the food choice of the local community here.
The variety of flavours and kinds of cuisine available in restaurants and food joints shows how the culinary flavours have evolved over the years in this beautiful country. The popular cuisines range from different parts of Europe and America to Asian and Middle East itself. Round the year food festivals are held highlighting different cuisines from different countries.
COOKING, AMMA AND ME
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| Padmaja Iyengar-Paddy |
I remember my late Amma (mother) saying for the longest time that she hated cooking – something I hate too! The only difference is/was that while my indifference and dislike for cooking often reflects in the food I dish out, my Amma’s cooking was always flawless. Anything she made always had a special and delectable flavour that bore her distinct stamp! She was a master at recycling leftovers and invariably came up with some interesting, never-before-tasted, delicious outcomes! For a large middle-class family like ours, such economic measures were imperative, and my mother was conscious of this all the time!
In my native language Tamil, there’s a word Kai Manam that literally means hand aroma but figuratively refers to a person with exceptional cooking skills! And I can shout from rooftops that my late Amma was blessed with supreme Kai Manam!
Her innovative recycling efforts were always so lip-smacking like left over Phulkas or Rotis or Paranthas of the previous night innovated as breakfast the next morning, by being broken into very small pieces and stir fried with finely cut onions and chillis, Milagai Podi (Roasted and coarsely-powdered red chilies (Lal Mirch), split black lentils (Urad Dal) and asafetida (Hing), often served with the popular South Indian breakfast foods Idli and Dosai along with Sambar). My mother would call this uniquely tasty concoction Roti Upma!!! Likewise, since the city we lived in was very hot and humid during summer, my mother would soak the left-over cooked rice of the previous night and serve it the next morning as Sadam-Neer (which literally means Rice-Water) by adding a generous quantity of butter milk to cooled mashed rice with a sprinkling of salt and pieces of Vadumaangaai (Baby Mangoes. When the mango season starts, very small green raw mangoes are plucked before they grow large and are pickled with salt and chili powder. This pickle which has a limited shelf life, is popular in Tamilnadu).
My childhood home was an independent house with a large terrace. Come summer, and Amma would prepare the cool Thair Saadam (Curd rice) in a large vessel and we children would be bundled to the huge terrace where we would be seated on mats and Amma would place by turns in our palm a small ball of curd rice with a few spoons of Sambar or Vetthakuzambu or mango/lemon pickle already cut into small pieces. I felt that I always overate such meals, so lovingly fed to us by my Amma, regaling us with all sorts of stories of which she seemed to have an enormous stock (some of which cooked by her - given her fertile creativity for story telling!). I remember that there were some stories that she told us in instalments to keep the interest going and the food quickly reaching our stomach!)
My elder sister, 15 years my senior, while studying medicine at the Nagpur Medical College, always participated in the elaborate snacks and sweet preparations at home for Diwali (The Festival of Lights celebrated throughout India in late October or early November). In fact, she would insist that the preparations should not commence without her presence and active participation. Till date, apart from being an excellent doctor, she is also a highly knowledgeable cook! My other sisters and I often turn to her to clarify cooking doubts.
I still fondly remember that large varieties and quantities of sweets and snacks were prepared for the Diwali festival and arranged on large stain steel plates that were covered with crochet or embroidered towels crafted by Amma and sent to neighbours through the then little me! In my heydays, buying sweets or snack items from shops, was unthinkable for my late Amma! Even the ingredients for every day cooking were personally and carefully hand-picked by her including vegetables. Also, sharing food or snack items was a common practice between neighbours then! The camaraderie was such those days that when parents had to suddenly leave on an urgent outstation visit, their school-college going children would be generously taken care of by the neighbours with food, snacks and in every other way! Neighbours lived like joint families in my time, caring and sharing!
When our popular e-zine Setu announced this Food Special issue, I went on several trips down the memory lane, recalling the times I spent with my late Amma, observing her cooking methods and the care with which she prepared food – each item an awesome delicacy dripping with her affection and concern for her family! With advancing age, she’d complain that she was tired of cooking, but then, would never miss an opportunity to treat us with her special dishes and would generously guide us and those who sought her guidance on cooking and would share her unique recipes.
I believe that every adult has some lasting memories of spending parts of childhood in the kitchen watching mother cook food, soaking in the delicious aroma that emanated from her cooking that was embellished with her love, care and concern for her family! Truly, such memories are treasures that never leave us and have left some or the other lasting impact on us! Amma, I miss you a lot!
***********
FOOD DEFINES INDIA
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| Padmaja Iyengar-Paddy |
India is a country of diverse cultures and therefore, multiple cuisines. Each Indian State has its own distinct foods, flavours and aroma. Needless to add that we Indians are big time foodies, ready to taste a variety of foods. The Parantha, Phoolka, Bhatura, Daal and the Chhole varieties of the North or the varieties of Mishiti Doi (sweet yoghurt) and the fish delicacies of the East or the rice varieties of the South like Idli, Dosa, Puttu, Puliyodarai, Pesarttu, Bisibelebhaat, Sambar, Rasam, etc., or the non-spicy yet very tasty food varieties of the West like Puran Poli, Bhaakri, Thali Peeth, Sabudanyachi Khichdi, Pitla, Chiwda, Bhaakar Vadi, Dhokla etc. – India truly defines the word multi-cuisine!
A traveller moving across India, willing to experiment with food, will never go hungry, nor be denied the opportunity of tasting different kinds of local food. Sit in a train from Chennai to New Delhi or vice versa. As the train traverses through the different States of India, vendors at different railway station where the train halts, offer a vast variety of local food and snacks. It’s often difficult to resist the hot Vadas, the steaming Idlis or the sizzling Dosas served with spicy Sambar and Chutney by the vendors at the Vijayawada station, or the Masala Chai and the Poori-Bhaaji at the Nagpur station or the man who gets into the moving train at Nagpur to sell Chana Jor Garam in paper pouches and gets off at the next station! At the intermittent stations through which the train traverses, passengers balancing a cup of tea or coffee and some local snacks in their hands and getting into the moving train are a common sight!
During road trips through the hinterland of India, one often sees both sides of the road lined with sundry shops selling tea, coffee, and different varieties of snacks and foods. Boards mentioning “Kumbakonam Degree Coffee” all across Tamilnadu during road trips, or the Dhabas and foods stalls that are both tempting and riveting because of the aroma that emanates from them, are unmissable! Bus drivers and conductors often halt their bus during the journey to have tea, lunch or dinner on the roadside or simply for a loo break – a win-win for the passengers too who get down to stretch their legs, visit loo or enjoy some tea, coffee, cold drinks, snacks or local food.
Atithi Devo Bhava (Guest is God) is a theme that plays out throughout a road trip as local vendors welcome and attempt to entice the passengers to try their beverages and food stuffs. At many of these stalls, one will find a TV on and newspapers strategically placed. A cricket crazy nation that India is, one can see passengers, bus drivers and conductors catching up with a cricket match during a road trip either on the TV set available in the bus or at the Dhabas and hotels during intermittent halts. May be, the effect of being constantly in a moving train, bus or car and also, having nothing much to do, hunger pangs are frequently felt throughout the journey and the thought of food often crosses the mind. And as if they are mind readers, the vendors dotting the railway stations and the roads, never fail in drawing the passengers to their beverages, snacks and food. The concerns of hygiene and stomach infections and currently Covid, may keep a few passengers away from the stalls, but the steaming tea and coffee never fail to tempt even the most careful travellers!
The vast variety of street food available in India, caters to different taste buds and needs, and is often inviting and irresistible! I am sure, most of us have tasted street food and beverages sometime or the other, at least once. Later, some get hooked to them! Seeing the demand and the changing attitudes towards food, the street vendors too have evolved over time and follow hygiene standards, offer mineral water, and use disposable teacups and food plates.
With more support from the government and local bodies, the street food vendors could be trained and sensitised to offer hygienic foods and beverages. Street foods, being in constant demand, offer vast business opportunities for the vendors. Therefore, concerted efforts are required from the local government agencies to tap the vast tourism potential of street food.
Let
me conclude with a short poem “The True Blue Tambrahm” on some South Indian
food items, from my poetry collection “P-EN-CHANTS” (2015):
Whether a nerd or a geek,
Or a pahuncha hua academic freak,
Whether at a nadir or at his peak,
These are the things he'd always seek:
Vetthakuzhambu, Sambar
and Rasam,
Thair Saadam, Paruppusuli and Appalam,
For these maketh the true blue Tambrahm,
Whether in India, UK, Europe or Uncle Sam!
(The Tamilian Brahmins (Iyers & Iyengars), a sect from South India, are widely referred to as Tambrahms. pahuncha hua - are satirical Hindi words meaning: the ultimate. The words appearing in italics in the second stanza, are some of the well-known everyday Tambrahm food items)
************
Tamil: Culture and Cuisine
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| Brindha Vinodh |
On a feather-soft green banana leaf,
jasmine-smooth white rice,
staple food
of the native region,
topped with a dollop of
ghee,
aromatic sambar from farm-fresh vegetables and smashed
yellow lentil for the dancing pink tongue,
tomato-pepper-cumin rasam
to digest and balance the heaviness of an elaborate meal,
there’s an art of eating it-
building a small
pond with the grains of those white rice
with hand and filling it with the watery consistency of rasam
which amateur eaters on a banana leaf might find difficult-
famous now
in the name of mulligatawny soup,
spicy potato and a mild, mixed vegetable
curry garnished with coconut-the juxtaposition
of anger and peace,
an exquisite blend of the skinny cluster beans and pulse
called parupu usili
and a pumpkin stew and two pachadis- sweet and salty-
with yogurt as the base,
curd, sweet payasam and a hot red pickle,
mirroring the shimmering heat of the topography-
the culmination of all flavors of life
and the essence of togetherness,
the splintering sound of crispy applams,
akin in appearance to tacos,
and toothsome medhu vadais(try restricting to one and you
will fail),
a typical Tamil N─Бdu wedding menu,
invitingly teasing to the taste buds-
food here is an amalgamation of emotions,
a belief that generations propogate like the
rhizomes of a banana plant signifying lineage…
it’s not over yet-
steaming bubbles of a hot filter coffee,
full-moon idly
for all ages-
from babies to adults
from the diabetic to the daily commuters
from the rich to the poor-
a great leveler,
like ‘sickness’, to quote G.B. Shaw, but these idlies
are ideal for the sick
and the natives never get sick of eating them,
fenugreek-flavored brown-boat dosas, soft or
crispy, your choice,
green-chilly, coriander and curry-leaf
mixed
cotton-textured bondas
with spiced, sesame-seasoned podi and chutneys
accompany anecdotes and conversations…
with variations infused in restaurants,
fusion foods
and
cuisines connect cultures
these days,
bridging the past and the present.
***
Glossary:
Sambar rasam pachadis payasam- liquid or diluted in texture or consistency
parupu usili applams medhu vadais idly dosas bondas podi- solid in texture or consistency
parupu usili applams medhu vadais idly dosas bondas podi- solid in texture or consistency
Author bio: Brindha Vinodh is a poet, writer, blogger
and a former copyeditor. She has contributed to several anthologies and been
published on several international magazines, e-zines and journals. She has
recently released her debut poetry book titled “Autumn in America & other
poems” through Setu publications, Pittsburgh, Usa.
SARHON DA SAAG TE MAKKI DI ROTI
 |
| Amita Paul |
Amita Paul
The Smells, the Colours, the Textures, the Histories
The Narrative, the Links to the Past and the Present
Of my Sarhon (notice, Sarhon, not Sarson) da (notice, da not ka) Saag
Or Maize- floured Mustard Greens Curry Stew, Mess, or Paste from Punjab
(notice me trying to define it for an international readership
(notice me trying to give and idea of it to those who may never have heard of it - and failing but failing spectacularly!)
Today, I want to tell you about it.
In my village in the Malwa region of Punjab
Sarhon da Saag always was and still is
Cooked from late November to mid February
The Winter Months in our part of the world
When the wheat is growing alongside the mustard
And imparting a sweeter flavour by some tangible osmosis
To the usually acerbic (literally, sour and bitter) mustard leaves
My grandmother always asked us to pluck the mustard leaves and stalks growing closest to the wheat fields
And to pick the earliest, youngest, most tender mustard leaves
With the greenest, sweetest, juiciest stems, called gandalaan
(Gandalaan da Saag is the sweetest, you must know - never discard the stems!)
And that too from the native mustard called Desi Sarhon
Never the hybrid or foreign Raili Sarhon
The Yellow Mustard, or Sarson, mind you, with its milder more sweet flavour
Not the Black Mustard, or Rai with its more bitter flavour, used for curries, chutneys and pickles
Or the Red Mustard called Banarsi Rai, whose tiny seeds are reserved normally only for pickling needs.
Those precautions taken, then we cannot forget to pick some Bathua Saag,
Which is Chenopopodium Album or White Goosefoot
(Also called Lamb’s Quarters or Melde in English)
And which grows naturally as a weed in the Desi or Native Wheat Crop fields
So we are doing the weeding of the wheat fields while also picking essential herbs or greens for our Mustard Greens Stew
Or Sarhon da Saag.
This is the season for spinach and fenugreek to grow in our vegetable plots
As also for the fattest and shiniest of green chilies
Onion and Garlic, while the monsoon Ginger has been harvested and put out to dry
In the mild and friendly winter sunshine
So we must gather these essentials too, for our Very Important Dish - let’s call it VID!
Now on a wood fire or supplemented with cow dung cakes
In the clay stove or chulha in the cooking area
Of an open backyard up will go
A sturdy red baked mud pot half filled with water
With the whole family busy cleaning and washing and chopping the greens
The proportions laid out by the main cook
Who could be mother or grandmother or aunt or some other elder
One part of mustard greens to half part of spinach
Quarter part of white goosefoot and one tenth part of fenugreek
Quarter part of white onion one tenth parts of garlic, ginger and green chilies
Thickly chopped and added in as and when prepared
And a little salt added for seasoning, that’s all
Some might add one tenth parts of shredded cauliflower
Or finely chopped cabbage and even a small shredded turnip
But these are by the way and dependent on availability
And matters of individual taste or family tradition.
Well, you let this mixture bubble and then simmer away for a good hour or more
Covering it with a lid after a boil or two
Taking care not to lose even a drop of the water wherein all the flavours are
And wait till the leaves grow tender
And the seasonings too have turned into a mush,
Then take it off the fire for the next step of the recipe.
Much gossip goes on in between, besides genuine exchange of news
Among the cooks and helpers
Adding mysteriously to the flavour of the final dish.
Meanwhile someone is pounding a mixture of fresh chillies and ginger with a purpose
While the main cook measures out the maize flour for the Saag paste
As also for the Makki di Roti or Maize Bread with which the Saag is to be eaten
And the previous Desi Ghee or Home- made Clarified butter for the cooking and tempering
For which last step more onions and garlic too must be chopped
And some fresh cream or top of the milk or Malai too must be kept ready.
Now to separate the boiled leaves and seasonings from the green and flavoursome water of the stew
In which they have been cooking in the mud pot
You must press with a ghotna or a wooden masher and squeeze to get all the water out
Then put the squishy solids in a Kundi or stone grinding pot
And begin to grind them with the ghotna or a sota
Both wooden mashing or grinding sticks
And as you mash and grind your greens
You must add small quantities of maize flour and the stew soup or green water
Turn by turn, and mix them with the boiled leaf greens, herbs and condiments
Till it all forms a thin watery paste
Taking care not to let the maize flour form even a single tiny lump
And adding tiny spoonfuls of the coarsely ground ginger- chilli mixture at every turn
So that the paste does not turn bland.
In the end, you just add the last of the water to the paste
As you put it back in the mud pot and give it all a final stir
Then let the thin gruelly paste simmer away for a good quarter of an hour
So that the maize flower and the raw chilli garlic mixture gets thoroughly cooked
You must stir it of course, so that lumps don’t form
But beware of the sputtering bubbles that form and burst out of the dish
For they can scald you badly
And MOST IMPORTANT of all
Don’t forget to add a generous ladleful of homemade ghee to the boiling mixture
To perform the wonderful alchemy that ghee always does
In Indian cooking.
As the VID simmers and sputters on the wood fire in the clay oven
We must now get together the handful of chopped onions and garlic
and the leftover mixture of ginger and chillies roughly pounded together
And more ghee for the final tempering
And add these to a kadhaai or large Indian wok
And saut├й the seasonings before adding the cooked greens to them
Checking for taste and adding salt or red chilli powder if needed
And finally, just before taking the VID off the fire
Add the homemade cream or top-of- the - milk
And give it all a good stir.
Our Sarhon the Saag is finally ready, but we must cover it and keep it aside.
For now is the time to make the Makki di Roti or Maize Tortilla or Indian Cornbread to eat the Saag with
Starting with a loose dough made in warm water
And rolling out thick tortillas to be cooked on a thick iron griddle
And to keep ready the white unsalted homemade butter
Or in its absence more ghee
To butter the hot bread with.
Some helpers must now make ready the other essential accompaniments of the VID
Curd and buttermilk, and sliced carrots and radish
Whole red or white onions mildly smashed with a ghotna or wooden pounding stick
And peeled but not sliced, ready to be pulled apart by the diners
Each of whom would get one full thus smashed onion on his plate
Alongwith one or two buttered Maize Tortillas piled on top with the Saag
Again topped with a scoop of white butter or fresh cream
And the carrot and radish salad
And some freshly made Amla or Indian Gooseberry pickle
With gooseberries fried in mustard oil with salt, turmeric powder and coriander powder
And if asked for, some mango pickle as well.
A walnut- sized lump of jaggery would also be placed in the thali or brass serving plate of each diner
The curd in a small bowl for each diner is left unseasoned
But the buttermilk is usually salted spiced up further with black salt, coarsely ground black pepper, as well as freshly roasted and ground cumminseed powder.
These are great accomplishments with which to wash down the Saag- Roti.
The sweet jaggery can be eaten at any point during the meal but is usually left till last
To be eaten with the final morsel of Makki di Roti
Or Maizeflour Tortilla
And some fresh unsalted butter or cream or warm fluid ghee
- That’s enough dessert after such a full meal.
Now tell me, is that not a meal fit for a king or a queen ?
Far away from home, if homesick for this VID, one has to make do
For restaurants serve only a travesty of it
And many serve the Saag with wheat chapatis
Or with Missi Roti, which is made of a mixture
Of gram flour and wheat flour, seasoned with salt and caraway seeds.
In England in the nineteen seventies one could find tins of Sohna or Verka Mustard Saag
Exported by the Government of Punjab and sold by Indian stores
And in the United States and Canada in the nineteen- nineties
I found it still available as such, but with the added benefit
Of Mexican Corn, Maize or Wheat Tortillas.
I always tried to make fresh tempering of onion, garlic, ginger and green chillies to go with it
And to add the curd, buttermilk, carrot, radish
Onion, green chilly and pickle accompaniments for good measure
And always shed a metaphoric tear or two induced by nostalgia
For my village, my grandmother, and the clay oven in our open backyard.
My guests to such a VID meal were always delighted
For though they knew it was not authentic
They appreciated the thought and effort behind it
And while the non sub continental ones had nothing to compare it with
The guests from India and Pakistan, especially those from Punjab
Were just so sentimental about this signature meal from rural Punjab
That their emotions made up for the lack of authenticity in the meal served to them.
Such is the magic of our age old culinary treat
Sarhon da Saag te Makki di Roti
2. POEMS AS FOOD
(A Self Renga)
The sudden burst
Of chilli on your tongue
Satirical Senryu
The headiness
Of Rice Wine Sake
Japanese Haiku
Biting and chewing
The sweet bread of a Sonnet
So satisfying
The Rose Petal Kheer
Of a delicate Ghazal
Unforgettable
The bold Biryani
Of an Irregular Ode
A full meal
The rustic potage
Of an Ecologue
Pastoral Idyll
The Greek Retsina
Of Epic Heroic Poetry
Most influential
The Honeyed Wine
Of Horace’s Lyrics
Latin Poetry
The Korean Kimchi
Of a thought-provoking Sijo
Very inspiring
The Malaysian Satay
Of a rounded Pantoum
Tasty and nourishing
The Burmese Khao Suey
Of a graded Than Bauk
With echoing rhymes
The French Chocolate
Of a charming Rondeau
A real treat
The Italian Ravioli
Of a sensuous Sestina
Worth the effort
The Scottish Haggis
Of a Highland Ballad
Or Border Song
The Irish Stew
Of the Ae Freislighe form
Brief or long
The English Breakfast
Of an Aubade with benefits
Very tempting
After Dinner Mints
Of a Sweet Serenade
Fragrant Dreams
The Funeral Meats
Or Wake of an Elegy
So appropriate.
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