Crumpled Chillies

  The Pearls That Needed Patience Sago pearls, when tempered with chillies and curry leaves and topped with crushed peanuts, are the kind of pearls I would never be able to resist. If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably spent time trying to unlock the secret to making the perfect sabudana khichdi — soft, bouncy, non-sticky, and not too oily. It sounds simple, but it’s not easy. My mother used to make this khichdi almost every Ekadashi. She would toss the soaked pearls gently in the kadhai, reminding me each time how delicate they were and how much patience they needed. I watched her carefully. Even then I knew sabudana was not something to be taken lightly. But knowing and doing are two different things. After I moved countries, I tried making it on my own. I was cautious. I followed the soaking times. I paid close attention. But somehow the texture never came together. The pearls stuck, clumped, and turned gooey. I kept trying but after a while, I gave up. It was one of...

  If there was one vegetable I not just ate but devoured as a kid, without any fuss, it was Bhindo . If it was packed in my school tiffin every day of the week, I would not complain and if it was still served on the weekends, I would be the happiest kid you ever met! I kid you not, I love Bhindo ! And yes, we Gujaratis call it Bhindo not Bhindi ! For those unfamiliar, Bhindo is the Gujarati name for okra or lady’s fingers. This was the kind of love that didn’t fade with time. But things changed after I moved. After moving countries, I have had my fair share of love-hate experiences with the okra sold at the markets here. Let’s just say that the local variety doesn’t cut it for me. It looked the part, but it never cooked the way it was supposed to. No snap, no spice-hugging texture, no joy. My mother taught me how to look for કુંણો - તાજો ભીંડો — fresh, just-picked bhindo , not the tired kind that bends without snapping. The kind that broke cleanly and held its shape in the pan. ...

Guavas are in season and I end up buying them in bulk. I tell myself I’ll eat them in time, while they’re still firm and just on the edge of ripening. The kind you slice and sprinkle with salt and red chilli powder. That first bite is crunchy, sharp, a little fiery, and always hits the spot. But guavas ripen quickly. One day they’re perfect, and the next they’re too soft for the salt and chilli. That’s when I run to my mom. She know the only way to make sure the fruit is not wasted is to turn it into a sabzi with a tangy, spicy, slightly sweet sauce to hold it together. It goes well with rotli or thepla. I am asked to wash and chop up the ripe guavas and set them aside. In a pan, as the oil heats, cumin seeds are sprinkled in with some hing. The goes in the ginger garlic pastes. After a minute the guavas are mixed in, followed by red chilli powder, turmeric, coriander-cumin powder, salt, and a little sugar or jaggery. Everything is gently tossed together and then covered for about f...

Winters in Bombay are almost a myth but what signals the season are the vegetable markets bustling with winter goodies — green garlic, yams, sweet potatoes, and my favourite, amlas, or Indian gooseberries. My mother would buy kilos of fresh amla and I would shriek with joy as we sat down to clean and sort the winter produce. I wasn’t interested in the cloth bags she brought from home, packed with vegetables. I was only after the amlas, rushing to bite into their sharp sourness. She would nudge me right away and say, wash them before you eat. So I gathered all the amlas into a container and washed them under the sink tap. I was taught only once how to handle amlas for preserving and I knew the steps perfectly. After each amla was washed carefully, I would let them dry on the windowsill. Then I grabbed a kitchen napkin and thoroughly wiped each amla dry. When they were all dried, I needed my mother again to find me an old glass jar. She would reach into the depths of the kitchen cabinets...

Mathri makes me nostalgic! It is a delicacy I have loved eating eversince I was a child. I remember how excited I would get as a child, on hearing that some distant relative or friend was visting a particular place of religious importance (because to me it meant them bringing back 'prasad' (Mathri) from that place)... :) :) Recently, I expressed my desire to eat these super sweet indian cookies, and my sis in law was more than happy to make some for me at home!! Voila, I present to you a delicacy that makes me feel all happy and warm and reminds me of my childhood days... Mathri Mathri is just an Indian version of a cookie. Only it is not baked rather fried in ghee. Ingredients: Refined Flour - 500 gms Sesame Seeds - a handfull Milk - 2 tsp Ghee - to fry Sugar - 2 cups Water -2 Cups Method: In a vessel, get all the refined flour and add sesame seeds to it. Bind it into a very hard dough using very minimal milk. Now form small round flat ...