Chinese Invasion

In last few posts I have been writing about the changes that took place in food culture from 1950’s to 1970’s. In the next decade there was wave for Chinese food. Today we see a Chinese Gadi and a chinky eyed Nepali cook at every corner even in small towns of India, but in 1980’s Chinese food was a novelty. I used to travel about 230 kms from Kolhapur to Pune to enjoy Chines food at Chung Fa on the East Street. If I was in Mumbai (it was Bombay that time), I would not miss a chance to visit Flora in Worli to enjoy Chinese delicacies. As days progressed even small restaurants started adding Chinese dishes in their menu and each one had their own way to prepare the Chinese food. I was in a five start hotel in Patna in mid eighty’s and was tempted to order Chinese dishes those were on their menu. When the food was served I was wondering is it Chinese or some regional Bihari cuisine with dash of vinegar and soya sauce. Anyway the Chinese cuisine finally flowed down the streets and by end of that decade everyone was serving Chinese food. In early 80’s it was kind of a prestige to order Chinese food, may be to show that one is different. Unfortunately other cousins of Chinese cuisine like Thai or Indonesian did not have that acceptance in the Indian market. 

Stir Fry Vegetables - Nutritious and Delicious

The most acceptable non-Indian cuisine in India is certainly Chinese cuisine. This is the one that’s not only available at every nook and corner but some of us like to try out in our kitchen. Chinese food has sneaked in our kitchen like suspicious quality Chinese goods. I have two stories about Chinese foods that I read many years back. In one folk tale, a son was asked by his mother, who for some strange reasons was in the hell, to get her some food. She was not happy with the food that was available in the hell (Chinese hell?). Quite understandable! The poor chap used to cook delicacies for her and carry it to hell for her. The guards on duty would stop the son on pretext of checking the food (security was important even in the hell). The tasty food then would be consumed by the guards (they are same even today) and the poor mother would still go hungry. The son thought of an idea and cooked something that looked repulsive but was great in taste. And that is what we have today. Chinese food tastes good but it’s not attractive to look at. Second story that I read was how and why humans started cooking the food. Long long ago there was a fire in a jungle in China. Trees were burnt and animals got roasted. After the fire was doused some persons went around seeing the damage. Someone saw a roasted pig and pocked his finger in the pig. Superficially the roasted pig was not hot but within it was. As the pocked finger (bad habit) felt the heat, the person withdrew his finger and to cool it down put it in his mouth. He was surprised at the taste of roasted pig. It is said, that was the turning point and human beings started cooking the food. 

There is no better example than the Indian version of Chinese food to understand how food gets regionalized. Chinese Bhel in India is the pinnacle. I can’t think of any country in the world that is so imaginative like India to bend a cuisine as Indians have done it to Chinese. Even in USA there are eateries that specialize in Indian Chinese cuisine and are doing a great business. The Chinese food that I had in China on couple of occasions was so different than the one that I have in India or elsewhere in the Indian subcontinent. McD, KFC, Pizza Hut and many others may have gone for product adaptation in India but Indians have done product standardization for Indian Chinese cuisine. 

Prominent styles of Chinese cuisines outside China are Singaporean, Indonesian and Malaysian. However all these are generic Chinese for a common man. Only connoisseurs can differentiate. For others it’s all Chinese. It similar to what North Indians call a south Indian. For most North Indians anyone from South is Madrasi. They can’t differentiate between Tamilian, Andhraite, Kannadigas and Keralites. All these are Madrasis. Cuisine from almost all countries have their own influence on Chinese cuisine, be it Peruvian Chinese cuisine (known as Chifa) or Pakistani Chinese cuisine. By end of the day what appeals to the pallet is important and that brings me back to my point. Cook anything, in any style as long as it satisfies you, it’s great. Which cuisine you have followed does not really matter. What you cook is your speciality and that matters. 

Chinese cooking is faster. It is generally on a high flame. The trick is how you chop the vegetables or chicken or meat. Normally food is cut diagonally. This offers a larger surface area to the heat and also absorbs more of spices. More time is spent on cutting vegetables than the time spent on cooking. For busy individuals who like Chinese cuisine and want try out cooking at home, the best part is availability of cut vegetables in the market for Chinese preparations. Today almost every super market offers a pack of assorted cut vegetables for Chinese cuisine. You don’t have to buy different vegetables in small quantities or even one each of coloured capsicums, just buy a pack of cut vegetables; you will get the mix of green, yellow and red capsicum along with French beans, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, spring onions etc. The best part is you get separate cut vegetable packs for fried rice or for curries or soups. All cut to size in a shape that is needed. So it becomes an extremely smart way to cook Chinese meals. You just have buy few bottles of sauces and these generally have long shelf life and remain good. So on way back from work buy a pack of cut vegetables for stir fry vegetables and buy a bottle each of All in One sauce, dark soya sauce and white vinegar. You are ready to cook delicious Stir Fry Vegetable, your style. Here is the simple recipe but little tricky. The crispiness is important in stir fry vegetable and that depends upon freshness of vegetables, available surface area and moisture contents of vegetable. Some gut feeling and trial & error is needed, but the final product is really good. 

Cut vegetables. Red, yellow, orange, green capsicum, purple cabbage etc,

The recipe is simple and fast. Stir fry is to be done on high flame. Most important aspect of this preparation is the sequence in which you fry the vegetables and the frying time for each one of these vegetables. Place a nonstick yoke or a casserole or a skillet on high flame. Add one tablespoon refined oil for every two hundred grams of vegetables. First one to jump in the frying pan will be French beans (wish my boss was French beans). Let them have their privacy for a minute. Keep stirring. Now carrots will join them for a minute, don’t stop stirring. This is followed by cauliflower and broccoli. Stirring continues. Let another minute pass by. Now it’s the turn of Cabbage, green and/or purple. Stir for half a minute and add all varieties of capsicum that you have. If you have just green, that is also okay. Fry for a minute. Now add one tablespoon each of soya sauce, All in One sauce and half tablespoon of white vinegar. Sprinkle salt as per your taste. Stir again. Add half teaspoon of sugar and mix well. Stir for a minute along and finally add spring onion. Stir for few seconds and you are done. Shift the fried stuff to a bowl else it will get over cooked. If it remains little raw then also it is fine because except French beans all other vegetables can be consumed raw or undercooked. So don’t worry and in any case French beans are well done in the process. You are done. If you want to enjoy this with some gravy then you have work for another five minutes or just a minute if you do multitasking. 

Simple - sequence and time for high flame frying

For sauce you will need half cup of water, one tablespoon of corn flour, one table spoon of sugar, one tablespoon white vinegar, salt to taste and half cup of orange juice. If you are in multitasking mode then while you are frying carrots, place a small pot that can boil about a cup of water on another burner. Add about half a cup of water, bring it to boil. In between be smart enough to mix a tablespoon of corn flour (corn starch) in two tablespoons (or more if needed) water. Keep it aside. Once the water in the pot boils add half a cup of pulpy orange juice (without pulp will also do), let boil. Now add sugar, vinegar and salt. Stir well and add the corn flour paste, stir well again and remove from the flame. Pour this sauce on stir fried vegetables that you have kept in a bowl. Your stir fry vegetable in tangy orange sauce is ready. The quantity of sugar, vinegar and salt will depend on your taste and the sourness of the orange juice that you have. You may have to do some trial and error, but trust me this dish tastes wonderful. 

PS. Those who don’t like oranges can try pineapple juice. Adjust sourness as desired with vinegar. I like this too.

Vataleli Dal

Ever wondered how one could cook without a food processor, cooking gas, nonstick utensils, microwave and other ovens in the past? For that reason even refrigerators were uncommon in India in 1970’s. The question is very similar to the one how could one do the business or run an office without internet in the past. In 70’s of last century the culinary practices vastly improved upon the preceding decade. Nonstick utensils, glassware, ovens were becoming common though expensive in India. The mixer/grinders were getting popular. The conventional Khalbattā (Mortar and Pestle), Sil Battā, were getting in to attic. Sil Battā may be in different shapes or sizes, is used in other Asian countries as well as in South America. It is also important in Andean cuisine. It’s called Batan (Sil) and Un᷉a (Battā). It has a flat stone (the batan, in Marathi it’s Patā). And un᷉a (Battā) is a grinding stone (in Marathi - Varvantā). The Battā is held in both hands and rolled over the food placed on the Sil. The pressure on Battā is determinant for fineness of the grinded food, less pressure will leave the food coarse and more pressure would make it fine. The Sil Battā is used both for wet and dry grinding. Does the taste of food get affected by the way one uses the gadgets or medium to cook? The answer is YES. It does. Try out yourself. Sprinkle on a portion of your dish, may be a soup or salad,  dash of black pepper powder that you purchased from the grocer and now to compare it give a dash of freshly crushed black pepper to the other portion of the same dish. You will notice a remarkable difference. The taste and aroma of freshly crushed is so adorable (of course if you like black pepper) than the powdered one. The Ghee that you make at home has such a wonderful aroma compared to any branded Ghee available in the market. Food cooked on charcoal is much tastier than the food cooked on gas or electric stove. That’s what makes a Tandoori chicken so delicious than the broiled or grilled chicken with same masala. There are n numbers of factors that matter. Let me not make it complicated for you. Use any gadget, any medium that’s easy and available, but just add a dash of your love when you cook. That will make a big difference. A simple Dal (curried lentils) that you make when your spouse is in a good mood has to be different than the Dal you make tolerating indifferent mood of your spouse.  

Soaked and Roasted Savory Chana Dal

Anyways, in India 1970’s was a different decade. Eating out was becoming common. Restaurants were having a good time (they have still better time now). The food served was essentially Indian. But for continental cuisine, thanks to British, other cuisines were relatively unknown. The concept of cooking differently for God (as mentioned in earlier post) got diluted. The specialist cooks Achari or Ayyas were generally from Telgu Brahmin community for ceremonial meals, were on decline. For daily cooking one could engage Pandatva or Maharaj, from MP/UP Brahmin community from Rewa/Pratapgarh districts, were also on decline. ‘Caterers’ was a new breed that was emerging. We used to get Naganna and his brother Rajanna (Telgu Brahmins) to cook at our place on special occasions. On such days we had around 150 to 200 invitees for the lunch. Both the brothers would come to our place on previous evening of the function. Dug up the ground in the back yard and make a large chulas (Stove made from mud and bricks to use firewood for cooking large quantity of food). Then they would worship the chulha, allow it to dry overnight. Next ritual was to wash their spare dhoti (remember what Gandhi used to wear?), hang it on the clothesline to dry overnight. No one would ever touch their dothi as wearing a clean dothi untouched by anyone was the basic requirement for cooking food on such special occasions. These brothers did a great job with variety of dishes. Taste of one of the accompaniments cooked by these brothers still lingers on my tongue. It is a very simple recipe, more so with mixer/grinders available in every household. Think of those days when the cook had to use Sil Batta to prepare this dish for 200 guests. I really admire the physical and mental strength these guys had, to come out with wonderful dishes.

Soaked Chana Dal and other ingredients

To prepare this wonderful high protein dish take half cup of chana (gram) dal, soak it in adequate warm water for about half an hour. Don’t worry about quantity of water, let it be little more, anyway later you are going to drain it. You can keep dal for soaking after you return from office and while you get fresh. Coarsely grind this soaked dal in mixer/grinder. If some dal remains intact, unbroken it doesn't matter. Heat about two tablespoonful of oil of your choice in a yoke  (kadhai) on a high flame, add few mustard seeds. (Mustard seeds are not suitable if you are using Olive oil. Seeds may not burst but oil will get burnt. In such case use cumin seeds). Once the seeds splatter, add 3-4 curry leaves (kadhi patta), a tablespoon of chopped coriander leaves (if you like), add little turmeric (haldi) powder, chili powder as per your taste, and one fourth teaspoon of asafetida (hing) powder, if you like the fragrance,(read it as smell if you don’t like Hing). Reduce the heat. Immediately add the grinded chana dal and stir well. Cover for two to three minutes. Remove the cover, stir well and add salt as per your taste. Keep stirring occasionally till water (I know you have not added water, but Dal was soaked in water) is evaporated and dal becomes relatively dry. Avoid dal getting burnt. You may have to manage the flame in between while dal is done. Squeeze lemon as per your taste. Remove from yoke (kadhai) in large bowl. In about 10 minutes your evening snack is ready. It is certainly better than potato chips or any other fried snacks. Chanādā (short form of chana dal) is a high protein diet, with delicious taste. If anything is left over, store in jar and use it in next two days.

PS: If the Chanādā becomes too dry, as your texting got extended and you missed stirring, just don’t worry. Chanādā tastes great with some curd or yogurt, with a dash of salt to your taste. Very soothing and great taste. Enjoy.

Sabudana Khichadi

The decade of 1960’s has great significance in my life. I went from high school to college and from college to work. What I ate in this decade had a transition as it was the way food was cooked. It was a decade of intense learning on all fronts, political and social included. On political front India was betrayed by China when they started war on Oct 20^th, 1962. The entire country was shaken so was I. Just two years ago we greeted Chinese leaders with slogans like “Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai” (Indians and Chinese are brothers). The attack on India by China was an eye-opener for Indian politicians. There was a great demand for soldiers and government started recruitment under emergency commission in armed forces. Many of my friends joined the Army and few of them became martyrs in our next war with Pakistan in 1965. I was so keen to join Army but being underage I could not do that. The Pakistan war was another lesson for the politicians. Fortunately we had a great person like Lal Bahadur Shastri as a Prime Minister who steered the country well. He had a mysterious death in Tashkent. Then after the dark era of corruption consolidated its roots and flourished. India was passing through bad phase. We had acute shortage of food grains and milk products. Lal Bahadur Shastri advocated skipping just one meal a week to save on food grains. Serving rice in restaurants was restricted; guest control order limiting number of invitees for a social function and limitations on type and number of dishes to be served was promulgated. This order is still in force and has not yet been revoked. It has a similar fate like prohibition order in Maharashtra where there is a requirement of health permit to consume alcoholic beverages. The consumption is restricted but no one bothers and we have perhaps more wine shops than pharmacies in the state.

Lal Bahadur Shastri took up the slogan of “Jai Jawan, Jai Kissan” (Victory to soldiers and farmers). India begged for food and Americans under PL480 agreement supplied substandard wheat to India. The dark red colour wheat was not even suitable for consumption by cattle, but Indians had no choice. The wheat that caused gastric irritation was to be purchased in limited quantities, sanctioned by the government from public distribution system, commonly called as ration shops. With all these limitations, restrictions, inflation, changes in the food habits was obvious.

Best Khichadi ever invented

Another important event at the beginning of this decade was creation of Maharashtra and Gujarat and liberation of Goa. The hereto available Bombay Chowpatty Bhel was now available at Miramar beach in Goa. Thanks to our friends from UP, who helped spread this food culture to Goa. In a short course of time Bhel was easily available on any beach in Goa. Today along with Bhel even drugs are available.

I finished my college and got a job that took me first to Kanpur and then to Lucknow. I had a different exposure to regional food. The UP vendors who had mastered the art of Bhel in Mumbai were expert in Chaat business in this part of the country. In those days in Maharashtra, Panipuri was the only stuff from Chaat menu that was available, Aloo Tikki, Dahi Bhalla etc were conspicuously absent. In UP I had that opportunity to enjoy these Chaat specialities. Chaat later travelled world over and with modifications. Bhel also had close cousins like Sev Batata Puri, Batata Dahi Puri and many other variations. That’s the way food culture changes.

As a bachelor I had to manage my meals. During office hours whatever was available in nearby eateries was acceptable if not welcome. Evenings was little problematic. I had no vehicle with me and then to go out late in the evening was tiresome and expensive. The shortages, increase in prices, living in a different state, non-availability of good and reasonable eateries, all these had an impact on my food habits. An alternate to rice and wheat was essential. Something that can be cooked fast, with least botheration and is tasty was the basic necessity. And this led me to adapt on a regular basis my favourite preparation Sabudana Khichadi.

Ingredients for Sabudana Khichadi

I will share with you how I make this preparation today rather than how it was made about five decades back. It’s extremely simple. All you need is 100 gms Sabudana pearls (Tapioca Sago pearls) of standard size. Don’t take mini or nylon variety. Another ingredient is coarsely grinded powder of roasted groundnuts. You can buy a packet of roasted groundnuts that’s practically available in every grocery store. (For this easy availability thanks to all those who need it as an accompaniment with booze, they are the ones who ensure its availability even in small grocery shops). Place these groundnuts in mixer/grinder. Run the mixer/grinder in flashes till coarse powder is ready. You will need half teaspoonful of Jeera (Cumin Seeds), one or two finely chopped chilies, one teaspoon of lemon juice and two tablespoonful of oil or ghee and salt to your taste. Before you leave for work in the morning wash about 100 gms Sabudana with water. This will remove any dirt that it might have caught in the grocery shop or while repackaging. Soak this in adequate quantity of water. Generally when you pour water over the washed Sabudana, pour only that quantity which will just cover the Sabudana. Excess water will break the Sabuadana pearls and the final product can be soggy. Less quantity of water will leave the pearls hard, which may not get cooked. The trick is right quantity of water. By the time you return from office you will notice that the Sabudana pearls have soaked the water and have become large in size. Move this to a large bowl. Add powdered peanut, lemon juice and salt. Place a Kadhai (Yoke) on gas stove, add oil or ghee. Add Jeera (Cumin seeds), that will splatter once oil is hot. At this stage add chopped chilies, fry for a minute, switch off the gas and pour the contents from bowl in the Kadhai (yoke). Mix well. Transfer the contents to a microwave casserole. Place it in microwave, cover with a micro safe plate and cook on high for not more than three minutes. Let stand for another minute. Remove from the oven and place the Sabudana Khichadi in a plate. Sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves and enjoy. This is an acceptable preparation for fasting Hindus. Many of my friends fast just to eat the Sabudana Khicahdi, ablution from sins is secondary objective. For rich and for those who are allergic to peanuts, cashew nuts is a good substitute. Try out.

Management Student, another blog from the author

Akka's Dhirada

Cooking underwent a change in the decade of 1960’s. The conventional Chula  (चुल्हा) was replaced by kerosene stoves which were already available for long time but were not very popular for safety reasons and in that era kerosene was not subsidized by government as it is today. However when firewood and coal became expensive, Chulhas (चुल्हा) were on decline. Later LPG was preferred for cooking in bigger cities. With Chulhas (चुल्हा) gone the cooking got elevated to platforms and dining tables were finding a place in selected households. The brass utensils went in for recycling and these were getting replaced by shining smart looking stainless steel. Brightly shining steel (stainless steel is called as steel even today) plates reflected the affordability and acceptance of ‘modern’ culture. Aluminium vessels for cooking sneaked in to the households. The kalhaiwala (कल्हाईवाला), the ones who plated brass utensils with tin lost their livelihood. Thanks to the changes that took place. The traditional cutting and chopping gadget, Vili (विळी) in Marathi, got replaced with knives and chopping boards. Inter-regional food found its acceptance with Idli (इडली) and Dosa (डोसा or दोसा)  going places. This was followed by Tandoori and north Indian preparations breaching their traditional boundaries. 

Batter spread for Dhirada (Pancake), note the bubbles

There were few definite advantages of gas stoves. The stove got ignited instantly, it was easy to control the flame, and thus those dishes that needed low heat could be easily prepared on gas stoves. These advantages were of great help and helped cook better and faster. In earlier era the mid-day or evening snacks were mostly precooked because it was difficult to ignite the Chulha (चुल्हा) at odd hours and cook. The gas stoves offered the advantage of anytime cooking. This shifted the snacking habits from precooked to freshly cooked snacks. My after the school snacks that were Churma Laddoo (चुरमा लड्डू) or Roti (रोटी) with pickle or with ghee and sugar was replaced by freshly made Thalipeeth (थालिपीठ) or Dhirada. (धिरडं) It was easy, fast and convenient. There was also additional time available for experimentation, as time spent on igniting Chulha (चुल्हा) was eliminated.

Early sixties was the time when I went to college. Long hours in the college frequented visits to the canteen. In those days schools never had any canteens, but colleges had. During recesses the school children would rush to the fencing and buy boiled jujubes (Ziziphus jujube, बेर, बोरं in Marathi) or raw mango slices (कच्चा आम, कैरी in Marathi) or raw tamarind  (इमली,  चिंचा in Marathi) roasted ground nuts or roasted gram, from fence side vendors. Occasionally the school watchman or some teacher would play a spoilsport and deprive these students from the thrill of buying something that conventionally should not be bought. In colleges these restrictions were absent. The most common snacks in college canteens would be Aloobonda (आलूबोंडा similar to Batata Vada बटाटा वडा), Samosa  (समोसा) and variety of Bhajiyas (भजीया). Tea was the most common beverage and hardly anyone would opt for coffee that was rarely available.

Back home the fried stuff like Aloobonda (आलूबोंडा) , Samosa (समोसा), Bhajiya (भजीया) was not usually prepared, but pohe (पोहे) or sanja (सांजा, similar to Upama  उपमा), Thalipeeth  (थालिपीठ) and Dhirada धिरडं would be made. It was more from convenience point of view rather than health consciousness. There were no motorbikes or cars for youngsters, lots of walking or cycling would result in enough exercise and obviate any need for watching calories. I am going to share with you today a very simple recipe of Dhirada (धिरडं). This is a kind of pancake made from gram flour, Besan (बेसन), offers more of proteins. We generally add small quantity of garlic, green chili and chopped coriander leaves. Let’s proceed with the recipe.

Take in a bowl four heaped tablespoon of Besan (बेसन). Gradually add water to make paste. Add quarter spoon Carom seeds, Ajwain (अजवैन, Owa ओवा  in Marathi). These seeds will prevent stomachache, only the ache that is from overeating. Stomachache of J factor needs different treatment. To this paste add two finely chopped garlic cloves, about a teaspoon of chopped coriander leaves, one finely chopped green chili, you may have more if you want it hot, and salt to your taste. Add water to this mixture till you get consistency of sweet corn soup. Place a nonstick flat frying pan, Tawa (तवा) on gas stove, when it’s hot pour a spoonful of any edible oil of your choice. Spread the oil with the help of spatula that you will need to turn over the pancake. Reduce gas flame. Now with a ladle pour half of the mixture from bowl on Tawa (तवा) and spread with the ladle. You can also hold the fry pan handle and rotate in circular  motions to spread the batter in round shape. You may need some practice for this. Ensure that you find bubbles (as shown in the picture above) once the batter is spread. If you do not get the bubbles in first try, it doesn’t matter. The taste will not change, the look and thickness may be different and that is fine, not to worry. Spread till thickness becomes about 1 mm. You have to guess it, no need to have a measuring scale for this. Increase the flame; try to lift from a side to check if it’s done. If it’s done then it will easily come on the spatula. Turnover and cook over low flame for two minutes. Turnover again and finally place on serving plate. Repeat the procedure with remaining batter (mixture). These two Dhirada (धिरडं) will be enough for your evening snack or add another one or two that will be good enough even for light dinner. Keep a slice of ripe tomato or a glass of water by your side. If you happen chew the chopped chili it’s better to take a sip of water than to shower your favourite curses (galis) गालीया.

Akka's Dhirada, simply delicious

P.S. If you fail in the attempt, no need to worry. You can break the pancake further and scramble it, just like the scrambled eggs, the all favourite Anda Bhurji (अंडा  भुर्जी)  and still enjoy. It’s sure to taste great. Good luck. 

Churma Lajawab

Human beings are the only ones who grow and cook food. All other living species are not as fortunate as human beings. Thus the arguments related to more salt or more chilies in the preparations are limited only to humans, dogs will never fight like dogs over bad cooking. Never heard a dog complaining, this bitch can’t even cook properly. The history may take us back to 250,000 years (the recent scams in India has made it so easy to read large numbers, thanks politicians) to explain how cooking started, but that really doesn't matter. I know the history of cooking from the time I remember and it’s over six decades. That’s good enough.

I have a question. Do we really need to know this history? That was the era when technology was not developed. Modern gadgets were not available, firewood, coal, cow dung cakes was used as fuel. That’s not there today so why should I really bother to know how and what type of food was cooked in the past. Well I agree with all that. The present generation may not be interested in all those historical events. I was least interested know how Mahabharat described Bhim as a chef. Those events did not interest me, but cooking in 1950’s is of interest for me. I had lots of scolding and beating from my parents to mold my food habits. Thank God my parents were not in USA or else they would have been certainly arrested for child abuse. There were no radio programs, remember there was no TV in India in that era, that would bore you with stupid topics like how to make food interesting for your children. I know one thing for sure that if a child is hungry then child will eat. If child is not eating in spite of being hungry then it’s a medical problem and a doctor is needed not a radio or TV program to guide you.  Still if you force someone to eat that should be fine as humans and fish are two species that can eat even if they are not hungry. The difference is humans become obese and die later whereas fish generally die soon due to overeating.

Churma Lajawab

There were two aspects of cooking in decade of 1950; one was to cook the food for offering to the God and then consumption by family members, friends and invitees. This was painful as we won’t get to eat when we are hungry but only when all rituals are over.  Second aspect was cooking for consumption by everyone other than God. Of course God never ate food (except in some mythological stories) but offering on certain occasions was mandatory. And when God has to be offered the food there has to be no tasting done before serving the food. Just imagine how expert the cook has to be to prepare food without tasting, which has to be liked by the God and others. There was also a dress code and strict restrictions when food is being cooked and served. Food was always cooked at ground level, never on platforms or table tops. One had to squat near the chulha (चुल्हा), roll out and bake hundreds of rotis, just imagine how tough it must be. The cooking vessels, serving utensils, plates, bowls, ‘glasses’ were all of brass or copper occasionally of silver, more for serving and eating. The brass and copper utensils were to be periodically coated with a thin layer of tin (Kalhai कल्हाई ) so that the food that is being cooked doesn't react with copper. Such reactions could be poisonous. Periodic check to ensure the coating is in order was must. There were no utensils of glass, aluminium or stainless steel. Iron was used for knives, yokes, kadhai (कढाई), kalchhi (कलछि), and tawa (तवा)  . Beneficiaries would sit on the floor, on a carpet or wooden plank (pat) with folded legs for the meals. Food was usually served in brass plates, bowls coated with tin. If the number of guests was large then brass plates would be replaced by banana leafs or pattal (पत्तल), (patravli पत्रावळी in Marathi) and bowls by dron (द्रोण), a bowl shape container made from specific leaves that were used for making pattal (पत्तल). These were the ‘use n throw’ articles in that era of 1950’s.

There were no mixers, grinders, microwave or similar. So how would the mothers offer shakes and smoothies or warm the food specially mid-day snacks or evening snacks for their children? There were no chips like Lays or corn flour snacks like Kurkure or chocolate coated corn flakes like Kellogg available. There were no 2 minute noodles that generally takes 20 minutes to prepare.  There was no concept of soup being served as evening snack. With all these problems of non-availability of modern day junk, how would a mother provide nutrition to the child? Complex problem with a simple solution. And I am going to share one of this with you.

You return home in the evening, had a hectic day. Want to eat something before you get ready for the dinner. There are few packs of different variety of snacks from Haldiram are lying around, but you are in no mood to eat that. Try out a simple recipe. Take two rotis (रोटी), whole wheat Indian bread (similar to tortillas), from your fridge that you had kept aside to show to your rotiwalibai to question her ‘is this the way rotis are made’? You may take even three rotis depending upon your hunger and size of the roti. Put tawa over the gas on high flame. Place one roti at a time on tawa, roast from both sides till the rotis are crisp. Ensure they don’t get burnt. Keep turning frequently or reduce the flame. Once done crush them in your both the palms, as it is done for parhatas in a restaurant, but more vigourously and put them in mixer jar. If you don’t like crispy stuff then no need even to re-roast the rotis. They can straight go to the mixer. Add about three teaspoons of sugar or more if you like it sweet. I would prefer jaggery (gud), or brown sugar if available. Add teaspoon of Ghee, watch your cholesterol or add refined healthy oil of your choice. Run the mixer till the contents are turn into flex. If its powdered by mistake then also it’s fine. No need to worry. We call this as churma. Remove from the mixer in a bowl, if you like add a pinch of powdered cardamom. If possible make laddoos (round balls) of the powdered stuff. If not just let it remain in the bowl and enjoy a teaspoonful at a time.  You may sip tea or coffee but remember as the churma is sweet your tea or coffee may not taste the same as it would taste other times, still it’s worth sipping. You may get used to sugarless beverage.  Or you may have little pickle by the side to neutralize the taste of laddoo before you sip tea.

Roasted Rotis, crushed with jaggery and Ghee

I had these churma laddoos along with occasional thrashing from my mother as I would want something else to munch and not the laddos made from leftover roti. I was lucky that not many ready to eat snacks were available during my school days, else my mother’s hands would have been paining along with my back.

P.S. There is one more way to have churma laddoos. Find a Rajastani restaurant in the neighbourhood and order from there. You will like it but forget about fats and transfats and calories.

Simplest Salad

Food is an integral part of life, not only for human beings but for all the living beings in the universe. Food is an undisputed component of culture. And like culture it also has subsections. As an Indian one has a uniform food culture that includes food made from rice, wheat and pulses. Similar to cultures it further gets divided into regional food, like from north Indian or south Indian cuisine. Then comes the further subdivision into state wise food like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Andhra, Bengal and so on. And then there is further division as per the regions. As in Maharashtra there is Varhadi (that’s from Vidarbha), Khandeshi, Kolhapuri, Malavani cuisine and on. One major factor in cuisine is what the region grows abundantly is found in the recipes of that region. South Indians predominantly are rice eater, Bangalis are fond of fish, North Indian prefer more of wheat and milk products just to mention a few. The cuisines are essentially regional. This is seen across the world. What we call continental food includes French, Italian, Spanish and many other cuisines from Europe. The South East Asian cuisine will include recipes from Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia whereas Eastern delicacies will figure Japanese, Chinese, Korean food preparations. Chinese has subdivisions like Mandarin, Sichuan, Cantonese, Hong Kong style etc. Russians have different food as the region is covered under snow for almost nine to ten months in a year and they prefer cold cuts while Ethiopians who perennially fight drought settle for raw minced beef, kheema (खीमा) with Injera (similar to Dosa) but made from Teff, which is similar to Nachani (नाचणी in Marathi) or Ragi (रागी in Hindi). Both these grains are millet  Teff is Ethiopian millet while Nachani or Ragi is African finger millet. The natural resources are responsible for type of food one consumes. With globalization this is undergoing a change. Mexican mangos are available in USA and Kiwi fruit is available in India. Eventually American cuisine will include Mango and Indian cuisine will have Kiwi fruit.  Many a times there is overlap or influence of one regional cuisine over the other. Goan food is an example where one finds Portuguese domination over the local cuisine. Indian Chinese is another excellent example how the Chinese cuisine underwent changes to suit Indian palette. And commercially how McD or Dominos adapt to offer products that will satisfy the local customers. So by end of the day the food consumption also changes and that is natural.

Over a period of time the way food is cooked has also undergone tremendous change. I would like to include in this right from the preparation to serving of the food, something that is similar to modern day supply chain management (SCM). I have seen the days of earthen  stove, (Chula चूल्हा in  Hindi), have experienced the pain due to smoke while igniting the Chula with firewood or charcoal. The ever dangerous kerosene stove was the next option. Then came the luxury of LPG sometime in late sixties. That was the period when pressure cookers made entry in Indian market and in my home. Cooking was more comfortable now, I miss few things like roasting brinjals (eggplant) over charcoal or cooking over low fire in earthenware. In early nineties I brought a microwave oven from Dubai, incidentally it’s still in a good shape almost after a quarter of century. I have had my food being served in a 15” diameter thick silver plate  (thali थाली ) and I also enjoyed meals in disposable leaf  plates (pattal पत्तल or Patravli पत्रावळी in Marathi) or on banana leafs. Today one may use Flora Danica, a dinner plate that can cost well over US $ 1500 or even eat in a 'use n throw plate. Does the food change it flavor and taste because of these? Depends, how one looks at it. Superficially there may not be any differences, but there is a difference. Unfortunately the strong spices that are used in cooking mask these differences, but these do exist. These are superficial differences. The deeper differences are manifested in resultant satisfaction. And that’s the frame of mind. If one has egoistic dark background frame then Flora Danica is the option but if one has clear transparent down to earth frame then even food in a pattal will give satisfaction. At times a Vadapav supplied with a roasted Mirchi in a dirty newspaper is tastier that the one that comes hygienically packed in disposable containers. Any way let’s not get into that, but I share this in times to come.

As a child I would hate mathematics, the same way as some of my friends hate cooking. Cursing mathematics, I grew up. I lost nothing by not being good in Maths. Could have I gained something being good in Maths? I don’t know. Well others would have said I am good in Maths. But that was not what I really cared about. But somewhere deep in my heart I got a feeling that I am loser. When others could do well in Maths, then why should I not? One day I questioned myself, what was that that which made me hate the Maths? And then I realized that I had no interest in that subject and that was the precise reason I neglected Maths and convinced myself I cannot do well in this subject and started hating Maths. Life went on, but one day that feeling of being a loser surfaced and I decided to take up the challenge to learn Maths and beyond the age of sixty I learnt the basics, I practiced and mastered the subject. This was not for others but for my inner satisfaction. This happens very often. Someone may not like Physics, another one Philosophy and yet someone else not likes cooking. That is perfectly normal. The crux is interest. If interested then one can go miles but if not then few steps are also impossible.

Many times in the evening I like to munch. There is a huge choice of junk that is available, but then I decide to do something of my own, for myself, selfish – may be. I take one carrot, one cucumber, I don’t like radish so I don’t take it but it’s an additional option, wash the stuff. I might have got it from Wegman’s or Hypercity or even from dirty footpath of Byculla, it’s always a good idea to wash the stuff. I wipe these dry and place them on a chopping board, chop it the way I desire, many a times in an unconventional way. Put this chopped stuff in a large bowl, sprinkle some salt, some crushed black pepper and squeeze little lemon. Toss it for a while and my evening low cal high fiber snack is ready. At times I go Desi, black pepper is replaced by chat masala. Sometimes it’s just salt, red chili powder and a dash of hing, that reminds me of the Kakdi that I used to buy in late sixties for my lunch in Kanpur. Try this out sometime. Till the time the pizza that you ordered for your dinner arrives try out my simple recipe. The potato chips you bought on way home will last longer if you choose my snack. Remember it’s unconventional chopping, and while you chop just think of that stupid comment that you idiot boss passed early in the day. Homemakers can think of workforce that is perennially absent without any notice. That will make your chopping faster and easier. There are no measures or proportions. Add salt, pepper, chili and whatever you like in the quantities that you admire. Go ahead and try it. This is my first lesson in non-gas cooking for anytime healthy bite. And I call this as  CCR,  Carrot, Cucumber, Raddish. I have further subdivision as CCR - A, CCR - I and CCR - D. In CCR - A,  I go Angrezi and it's with freshly crushed black pepper and salt. CCR - I is typically Indian with Chat Masala, and CCR - D is my all time favourite with Desi taste of Hing and Lal Mirch powder. 

So what are you waiting for? Take your copping board, take the stuff out of the fridge, think of your boss and get going. Enjoy your evening. Eat healthy, stay healthy