whose food we eat, their song we sing

PARIS, ELISE & FENNEL SALAD

March 2, 2010 · 7 Comments

Paris was splendid, and what made it extra special was our friend Elise. We are back home with a heart full of lovely memories – and every moment of those memories is linked with her.

Elise often travels to India but this was our first visit to her home country and she took on the role of guide and big sister. She made sure that we visited her favourite cafes and cherished spots in Paris, regaling us with events and news that kept the laughter on. Relaxed under her wing we had a fabulously local experience of Paris which we could not have found as tourists. (Click on the arrow in the centre of the photo below to see a slideshow.)

more about "Paris 2010", posted with vodpod

As you can see on her absolutely gorgeous website, Elise Collet Soravito is an artist extraordinaire who paints with her heart and soul. We first met her at Beijing in April 2007 at the Gourmand awards event. Her 1st book ‘Elise Et Ses Delices’ – a cookbook featuring Desserts written in French won her the “Best Cookbook Illustrations in the World”, and on the same stage, our book ‘Cooking at Home with Pedatha’ won the award of “Best Vegetarian Cookbook in the World”. In that heady moment, as we hugged and congratulated each other, we also found a friendship of a lifetime.

Here is a lovely salad with fenuile which is a leafy vegetable of the fennel family that Elise tossed up with absolute ease for us one evening. Having eaten fennel only in its seed form, we were excited at this fresh avatar of fennel – even more alluring!

A simple salad of sliced fennel with a dash of salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice. Toss with fresh chopped parsley and coriander leaves and enjoy immediately.

Spending 5-6 full days with someone should reveal some flaws, a little impatience at least, but Elise remained the perfect host till she waved us bye. To us she was affection personified.

“Thank you for everything Elise: for Anthony’s apartment, for the lovely breakfast laughters, for the eateries in Paris, for the open bus tour, for the cathedral, for your cafe, for that lovely dinner at your place, and for that quaint village we visited – the list is endless. You are such a true and smiling friend, full of zest and warmth, may you always be just like this. Never ever be tempted to change.”

Posted by Jigyasa & Pratibha

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PEDATHA – a tribute by Sandhya

February 20, 2010 · 4 Comments

Today is two years since Pedatha passed away. But her memory is as fresh as a morning rose in the hearts of those who knew her and loved her. We post this tribute by Sandhya, a.k.a Sandy, the better half of Pranav Jain whose favourite birthday gift is a meal from Pedatha’s book. She writes:

“I had wanted to write for Pedatha from a long time and thought that today was the best day to pay my offerings to her soul. May her soul rest in peace and may there be light and peace where she travels…

Who was Pedatha, a question I haven’t stopped wondering about! An angel perhaps, or a guiding star who was destined to crown the lives of Jigyasa and Pratibha, the two women who loved her and recognized her immense qualities. It was in the lap of true, unconditional love between these three that the wonder of “Cooking at Home with Pedatha” was born.

Today, Pedatha is physically not amongst us, but her subtle presence is felt in many a home where in the busy schedules of our daily lives, we turn the pages of her book and stumble upon a suggestion that makes cooking more pleasurable, a hint that adds flavour and aroma to a vegetable, or a miraculous tip to preserve the chutneys and podis for longer periods…and  thus her magic beckons us again and again.

the mortal and the immortal

Often I have felt that it is not just her food that satisfied the palate, but that there was something else that nurtured the soul. Her motherly instinct, her love, her gentle serenity, the manner in which she smiled and called out “Amloo” (darling) – all these not just nurtured us, but healed us at an inner level without our own awareness.

Her content smile, illuminated by her sparkling pearl like teeth, the wisdom in her bright gaze which did not miss much – I remember all these so clearly. I remember vividly the day I met Pedatha – her serene presence brought tears to my eyes and my being resonated with compassion. But more than anything, I remember how reassured I felt around her. I felt as if she was assuring me and many like me – women who are against odds trying to prove their worth and make an identity for themselves, that the clock of Time may take years before it decides to strike, but it will. Her presence filled me with patience and perseverance, but much more, with faith. A faith that does not question the bends and curves in the path, but wills us to do our bit with love. It was perhaps this wise understanding within her that bore fruit in her own life at the age of 83 when the world came to recognize her for who she was – an embodiment of love!

I miss you today, my dearest Pedatha. You are truly a tiara in my life and in the life of those who cook as you teach through that beautiful green book. Your memory is a glow in my heart. You make me proud that I am a woman. You give meaning to my life with your message of love and nurturing. I can easily say that you are someone who truly lived her life by following her heart.”

BY SANDHYA JAIN

Photo courtesy: Duchess Club, Chennai (at the launch of “Cooking at Home with Pedatha)

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Gourmand award for Sukham Ayu

February 18, 2010 · 7 Comments

Time to celebrate.  We have just returned from Paris where the Paris cookbook fair was held along with the Gourmand awards 2009. Our cookbook “Sukham Ayu” has stood second in the category of best health & nutrition cookbook in the world by the Gourmand awards organization. To be second to none other than most popular French chef, Alain Ducasse’s book is very thrilling.
Sukham Ayu in Gourmand yearbook

Gourmand Yearbook 2010

The Gourmand Year book 2010 is as always, a fabulous publication – special and beautifully designed. The foreword by Edouard Cointreau, President of Gourmand, is very important and insightful. He speaks of the power shift from publishers to authors, and how self-publishing is a powerful option.
Sukham Ayu awarded

Gourmand Yearbook & Sukham Ayu

We enjoy reading the views about the winner books – here is what was written about our cookbook Sukham Ayu: “Whose food we eat, their song we sing, Year after year, Jigyasa Giri & Pratibha Jain are creating a marvellous collection of cookbooks.” Wow…that feels good and makes us want to hurry with our forthcoming projects :) .
The Gourmand awards event was held on February 11 at theatre Salle 400, at LE CENT QUATRE in Paris.  It was biting cold and sleeting in Paris. The beautiful theatre where the awards were held was buzzing with publishers and authors from across the globe. 136 countires participated in the awards competition this year!
As always, Edouard Cointreau announced the awards sharing his knowledge about cookbooks in a crisp manner. His passion for cookbooks is reflected in the easy manner in which he knows the subject. There were many categories for the awards and this year saw many entries for Charity Cookbooks.  The best cookbook was awarded to a fabulous Swiss publication titled “God’s Cookbook” by Arcadian Lifestyle Publishing.
India won honours with “The Moti Mahal Cookbook” winning in the category of Best Easy Recipe Cookbook as well as “Sangria – A recipe for love” winning in the category of Best Food Literature in the World. The latter is an Indian publication (Undercover Eutopia) authored by Manuela Requena from Australia. To see the press release by Gourmand, click here.
We are very excited that Sukham Ayu, researched by us at KARE (Kerala ayurvedic rejuvination estb), spearheaded by Dr. Prakash Kalmadi has been recognised thus. Three Cheers!

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A delicious Upma from the blog world

February 5, 2010 · 5 Comments

Indira of Mahanandi – a blogger who has inspired so many people to cook, to blog, and continues to do so with her penchant for perfection. Her passion for what she does is evident in every post at her site. Beautiful pics, clean layout, detailed index and awesome recipes – a visual treat indeed.

A search for an Upma recipe took me once again to her site. The recipe looked simply delicious, rather, simple and delicious. My mother had got me some freshly made bajra flour from Rajasthan last week. A quick call to my daughter who was on her way home got me the sprouts from Nilgiris. She was amused at my excitement and sauted the onions while I did the the rotis. Within no time, the Bajra roti Upma was ready. Manas took a quick picture and here it is. Thank you dearest Indira, you rock!

Here is the link to this recipe; I added some julienned carrots and powdered fennel since both were at the kitchen counter while I was cooking :) .

Posted by Pratibha

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Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2009

December 17, 2009 · 10 Comments

We are happy to announce that our cookbook “Sukham Ayu” has won at the country level (India) at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2009 in two categories: 1) Best Vegetarian Cookbook 2) Best Health & Nutrition cookbook. The “Best in the World” will be announced at the Cookbook Awards Event in Paris on Feb 11, 2010. In 2007 April, we travelled to Beijing for “Cooking at Home with Pedatha” and brought home the award for the “Best Vegetarian Cookbook in the World”.

The Gourmand site states that this year, there are 136 countries participating in the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. These awards help to “reward and honour those who cook with words…and help readers find the best out of the 26,000 food and wine books produced every year.”

Sukham Ayu is based on research done at an Ayurvedic rejuvenation establishment in Mulshi, Pune. The centre is called KARE (Kerala Ayurvedic Rejuvenation establishment and it has been visualized and started by a dedicated and dynamic allopath-turned-Ayurvedic practitioner, Dr Prakash Kalmadi.


Sukham Ayu is a cookbook which features simple, everyday recipes using Ayurvedic principles. Along with short chapters on Ayurveda, the book has been beautifully designed by Envission Communication & Kavitha Shivan. Photographs are by our dear friend Srivatsa Shandilya.

This is the email that came into our inbox on December 4, 2009:
_________________________

CONGRATULATIONS
GOURMAND WORLD COOKBOOK AWARDS 2009

YOU ARE THE WINNER
YOU QUALIFY FOR THE NEXT “GOURMAND BEST IN THE WORLD” COMPETITION

WITH: Sukham Ayu (Cooking at Home with Ayurvedic Insights)
Jigyasa Giri, Pratibha Jain; Researched at Kare; Photos: Srivatsa Shandilya
ISBN 978 8190299312, 144 Pages, 495 R
(Pritya)

In the category: Best Vegetarian Book
In the category: Best Health and Nutrition Book

You can win again in the next step.
The winner in each country will compete against winners in the same category in other countries for The Best in the World. The results will be announced on Thursday February 11, 2010 at theatre Le 104 at the Paris Cookbook Fair.
In December 2009 we are sending the personal notifications. Details of the Paris Cookbook Fair are available on the www.cookbookfair.com site.

Edouard Cointreau, President
Gourmand World Cookbook Awards
Pintor Rosales, 50, 28008 Madrid-Spain
www.cookbookfair.com
_________________________

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Sabita Radhakrishna – My Mother & her Uppumav

November 2, 2009 · 7 Comments

Here is another delightful tribute recipe by Sabita on our blog. This post is also a tribute to her mother, the grand old lady with her young smiles and enthusiasm. Mrs. Leela Chander so much reminds us of our dear Pedatha – the same young smile, the enthusiasm, and the culinary expertise.

MY MOTHER SMT LEELA CHANDER

by Sabita Radhakrishna

My father was a doctor in Bangalore, and Mummy as we call her worked shoulder to shoulder with him to run the Nursing Home with 30 beds. To me my mother is an unsung heroine who worked tirelessly in the background, not looking for praise or limelight. My father made sure she had domestic help, but it was she who masterminded the whole cooking for a large family, for the numerous servants and for the inpatients in my father’s Clinic, women who had babies here, and patients who needed to be supervised after surgery or just plain old people. Mummy made pathiyam sapaad ( chilli free diet) for the lactating mothers who were pampered for ten whole days!!!!, and for the fussy European patients who demanded a western diet.. I still think of  her bread pudding made in the blink of an eye, and the biriyani for 30 people made the conventional way, over wood and hot coal on the lid during those feasts. And now she has handed over the baton to me, and I hope I do her credit!

Copy of One picture is with her first grandson, the other is with her daughter Sabita.[How splendid the mother-daughter pair looks]

Imagine, she was a carefree college kid who would cycle to her college, rode horses when she was young, and as a tomboy even climbed trees! And sported a blunt cut hairstyle!

In her younger days, Mummy  was an excellent seamstress and I still have her old Singer machine on which we learnt to sew. Her embroidery was beautiful and  embroidered sheets and pillow cases were part of my wedding trousseau. She  painted and sketched when she found the time, and it is from her that I have inherited what little writing skills I have. Sometimes I feel sorry that she was trapped in a different era, one of conventionalism and orthodoxy, and if she had been given the encouragement and opportunities that one has today she would have gone places.

Copy (2) of One picture is with her first grandson, the other is with her daughter Sabita.[Mrs Leela Chander - a proud grandmother]

It does not matter really because she has lived a full and meaningful life and whatever she has done or accomplished is worthy of praise though she does not seek it. She has a wide circle of friends who are actually our friends, since most of hers have passed on. Age does not seem to be a barrier or any kind of deterrent to enjoy life,  and we are all so fortunate to have her with us.

My mother has been  living with us for the past 30 years, and is a pillar of strength to my husband, my children and grandchildren. God bless Mothers, what would we do without them?

MASALA  UPPUMAV (Serves 6)

2 cups semolina

3 cups water (keep extra hot water to be used if required)

The Tempering:

1 medium sized onion, sliced fine

2 green chillies, chopped

½ cup oil

1 inch cinnamon

2 cloves

1 green  cardamom

6 curry leaves

¾ tsp ginger-garlic paste

1 medium-sized ripe tomato, chopped

1 tsp salt

½ tsp turmeric powder

juice of ½ lime

The Garnish:

½ cup coriander leaves, chopped

1 tbsp ghee

8 cashew nuts

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  • Clean and sift the semolina. Fry lightly in a kadai, stirring continuously so that it does not  brown. Transfer on to a plate. Heat the water, and keep it simmering on the stove.
  • Slice the onion, chop the green chillies.
  • Heat the oil in a kadai, and add the spices and curry leaves
  • Add onion slices and green chillies sauté till onion is light  brown, add ginger-garlic paste and tomato, sauté for 2 minutes till tomato turns soft.
  • Add 3 cups of hot water, and add salt and turmeric When the water boils add the semolina stirring vigorously, to avoid lumps being formed. If the semolina is not cooked ladle some of the reserved hot water on to the mixture, taking care to add very small quantities at a time, otherwise the whole mixture will turn soggy. Pour the juice of the lime over the uppumav and mix well. Cover with a lid and keep it on low heat.
  • Heat the ghee in a small pan, add the split cashew nuts till light brown
  • Stir after a few minutes and sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and cashew nuts for garnish.

The amount of water used is dependent on the kind of semolina you use. The fine variety requires only 3 cups water and the thicker varieties need more water as described in the recipe.

This recipe has been a childhood favourite and we clamoured for it at every party. None of us could make it like my mother with every grain of semolina separate, yet not too oily and tasting just like a pulao. For our Deepavalli bashes  which is usually a grand brunch, Mummy’s masala uppumav is a must by popular demand!!

Happy Cooking,

Sabita

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Sabita Radhakrishna and Mummy’s Potato & Dill Fry

October 25, 2009 · 2 Comments

books_aharam_coverbooks_theQuickCook60minutemenukidskitchenCover_small

This post is a tribute by Sabita Radhakrishna, the award-winning cookbook author. To know more about this dynamic lady’s achievements and repertoire, visit her website.

When we met  Sabita and her mother Smt. Leela Chander, we were completely bowled over by their warmth and hospitality. Their rapport and shared laughter was a pleasure to watch and we immediately wanted to capture it for posterity. A few telephone conversations later Sabita sent us this recipe, thus paying a tribute to her mother.

SabitaRadhakrishna on Mummy’s Potato & Dill Fry

Dubai Dec 07-Jan 08 006I got married when I was only eighteen. I scarcely managed to imbibe the culinary arts nor  learn  kitchen secrets from my mother who was busy as a bee.

Though I was very interested in cooking, coming as I do from a family of foodies, I couldn’t even make a cup of tea when I got married, much to the consternation of my father who believed that “a woman who couldn’t cook to save her life” could not be a good housewife. Dubai Dec 07-Jan 08 008He had different standards for his wife, fresh from college when she married him. My maternal grandfather gingerly told his future samandhis that his daughter could not cook ( as yet), and my father, so worried that this would go against her,  assured his father that he already had a cook and the bride would soon learn the ropes.

My repertoire of traditional recipes have been handed down from my mother, during those days when there was no email, no mobile phones, and  for that matter, no phone in our home in distant Bhopal. I struggled with the complicated recipes, determined to master them as I knew full well what the end products looked like.

Mrs Leela Chander and little Sabita leaning on her, at a wedding![Mrs Leela Chander and little Sabita leaning on her - at a wedding]

This post is a tribute to my mother, Smt  Leela Chander, who has influenced my cooking with her penchant for perfection, at times driving us to despair for not being able to match her fastidiousness. The coconut or any other masala should be ground to a satin patina, the vegetables should be cut according to right specification, and oh the vadais  she makes have to be seen to be believed. Every vadai that is made by Mummy will be a perfect circle, and if they are ulundu vadais the hole in the centre would make cute little  concentric circle, and look like they have been taken out of a single mould, and no one would suspect that she rolled the batter into a perfect ball, patted it into shape into a vadai over a plantain leaf and slip it gently into the hot oil without compromising on shape.. Her curds are something to die for, though they are made from Aavin toned milk, with all the cream removed after the milk is boiled. Mummy’s curds make a good substitute for sour cream and sometimes even cream, and makes the best cream cheese. My little grandson who has been fed on Dubai’s  Labaan a delicious sinfully creamy yoghurt, remarks that there is no curd to beat his great grandmother’s. Would she consider selling them in Dubai, if he did the marketing? Out of the mouth of babes you can say, as he was only ten years old or younger when he said this.

Ah, and the recipe I have given below is loved by all of us, as we are a potato family! (And none of us are grossly fat despite that!) Dill or soyi keerai was available in plenty in Bangalore, and we used it liberally, though I despair at the lack of it in Chennai.

POTATO  AND DILL FRY

½ kg potatoes

¾ cup chopped dill (soyi keerai)

1 level tsp chilli-dhania powder (Chilli dhania powder is kept mixed in the ratio 2:3)

½ tsp turmeric powder

¾ tsp salt

oil for frying

½ tsp mustard seeds

½ tsp split urad dal

6 curry leaves

DSC01373

  • Scrub potatoes, and cook in a pressure cooker
  • Wash the dill thoroughly and chop fine
  • Remove the peel from the potatoes and cut into even sized pieces
  • Mix the spice powders and salt and smear the potatoes with them
  • Heat the oil in a kadhai, and temper with mustard seeds and urad dal. Add the curry leaves.
  • When they splutter add the chopped dil and sauté for a couple of minutes
  • Add the potatoes and roast evenly on medium  heat till golden brown.

I remember what my mother always tells me. Let the water get into a rolling boil, before you place the potatoes in the water. The vitamins are sealed and this is the best way to cook potatoes. Happy Cooking,

Sabita


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Diwali with Cookbooks

October 5, 2009 · 2 Comments

Both of us (Jigyasa & Pratibha) love diwali time, wedding season and the like. It means we can indulge in creative ideas with which to package our books. We love shopping for candles, perfume sachets, bangles, spices,  and ganeshas in colors of our books! We have 2-3 shelves in office stacked just with these! And this is what became our connecting link with a new friend we just made!

Ishrath of Wandering Mist truly brightened our pre-diwali mood with her sunny smile and brilliant ideas. It is tough to believe we did not know of her existence till a week ago. Thanks to black gram, its search brought her to this blog, and to our sheer delight we realized that this wanderer was right next door :) – as the Hindi proverb goes -  “bagal me chora, gaanv mein dhindora”.

Her blog has a lot of gifting ideas, and so when she sauntered into our office and saw all our gift boxes, ganeshas, hand-crafted paraphernalia and the like which we use for gift wrapping our own books, she was supremely excited. Instinctively, she grabbed a copy each of “Cooking at Home with Pedatha” and “Sukham Ayu“, some candles and flowers, and came back the very next morning with a CD full of fabulous, festive pics of our two cookbooks.

We were beside ourselves with delight! And all through our ballistic excitement, she stood there calmly enjoying our excitement on one hand and on the other, scrutinizing the pics for flaws. When she asked us if she could post them on her blog, we told her it would be our honour if she did so.

So here is the link to her beautifully written post describing her labour of love with her camera through the night.

Picture 227

This simple and elegant composition was done for our website. Keeping in mind the color of the book cover, the arrangement was created in white and green.

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A few green leaves add such cheer. Dilip Mahapatra created these lovely marble design handmade cardboard boxes for our two cookbooks. His sense of colour and proportion is unmatched in itself. It is always a pleasure working with him, and seeing his creative finish to suit the occasion at hand.

Picture 173

As the night progressed, the lights were lit one after the other. This photograph was shot by Ishrat using “one side light, candle and a light diffuser. To give it earthy feel, the brown shades were chosen in its composition. Rattan mat, terracotta pot, sepia tainted lampshade, etc, have contributed to the base warmth of the image.” How well the satin curls heighten the deep colour of the book! Note how Ishrath kept changing the background between green and orange according to the books.

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It is obvious that Ishrath was indulging herself, even though it is obviously a lot of work.  Her passion and aesthetic sense shines through every photograph. In this pic, the props and simple addition of candles brings in the festive cheer.

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Lord Ganesha – symbol of prosperity, bangles, tiny hand-crafted boxes with fragrant spices, diya etc are classic icons of Indian tradition. For a wedding gift, we pack the books with all these accessories to signify auspiciousness.

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A bed of fairy lights and the fresh green leaves creates unusual drama for the books. Ishrath says it was like a “partial aromatherapy session :) . Everytime you handle the delicate flowers or change their position, they let out their mesmerising fragrance and one cant help but notice these little gifts of God.”

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She lit up the fairy lights to create a “golden glow…a magical and ethreal bed on which the two gifts were placed with props…Now this may be going the Eastman color way but the moment Pratibha saw it – her only words were “its very diwali”. (Actually Jigs said it, ok? :) That phrase is stuck in my head.  Very diwali. Very very diwali indeed!” she said.

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It is tough to believe that all the pix have been shot with her point-n-shoot camera! Of course, the icing on the cake was when we said we missed Pedatha, she would have been so happy to see the pics and this whimsical blogger replied, “I am sure Pedatha was somewhere there watching me, for that’s how I felt.” This photograph is a befitting tribute to the radiant Pedatha!

POSTED BY PRATIBHA & JIGYASA, PHOTOS BY ISHRATH

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A traditional meal from Kerala

July 29, 2009 · 22 Comments

Reading Ammini’s “Grains, Greens and Grated Coconuts” has been so inspiring that on an impulse, I decided to cook an entire meal from her book. It was not easy deciding the menu, for I am not yet very familiar with Kerala food. Jigyasa was equally enthusaistic and prodded me on. We debated on what to cook, exchanged a few emails with Ammini and here is the result:

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An anticlockwise list of the dishes starting with the sweet dish which is directly on the plate at the left:

  1. Neyyil Varattiya Pazzam (an amazingly quick and yummy sweet dish with ripe plantains)
  2. Chethumaangakari (Green mango pickle)
  3. Puliingi (a spicy dip – ginger and green chillies in a tamarind sauce)
  4. Kothamallipodi (I made this as a dip rather than powder)
  5. Varutharacha Sambar (with drumsticks)
  6. Paavakka Varutharacha Kootan (with Bittergourds)
  7. Kurukku Kaalan ( a south Indian kadhi with raw plantains)
  8. Tomato Pachadi (Ammini, it was the way you wrote about how your mother cooked it that tempted me to try this one)
  9. Urulakizzangu Thoran (a dry side-dish with potatoes)
  10. Plain buttermilk

I started at 6 a.m when the house was quiet and undisturbed. I put on my favourite music (“India and her Future” from Aurobindo Ashram) and began cooking. Having decided to follow the book meticulously, I cooked slowly, unhurriedly, counting every chilli and measuring every teaspoon of lentils. With a new cuisine, one must follow the instructions perfectly, setting aside any temptations at shortcuts, or even trying to be creative. The time for that will come later, I believe.

Ammini’s writings and instructions were so precise and perfect that I cooked without any hitch. Many things caught my attention – for instance, in the paste for Varutharacha Sambar, the dals are toasted, followed by the coriander and coconut, with fenugreek only towards the end. I wondered for a minute, but did exactly that.

I cooked ponni rice with the meal since I had forgotten to buy the typical Kerala rice the previous evening.

DSC01197DSC01199

DSC01215With Andhra food, if it is the number of chillies that constantly surprise me, then with Kerala food, it was the coconut. Knowing that Kerala food is rich in coconut is one thing, but actually measuring cups and cups of coconut (so far, I have added it in teaspoons and tablespoons) is quite an experience. Of course, until the end, I kept checking each recipe to see if I had read the quantities correctly.

I cooked for almost three hours, and I must say that it was a satisfying and pleasurable task. Thank you Ammini for a fabulous cookbook.

A few years ago, I had cooked an entire Tamilian meal from Chandra Padmanabhan’s Dakshin, and the result was rewarding. With Pedatha, Jigyasa and myself were introduced to the delights of Andhra cooking. Ammini’s book brought Kerala flavours into my kitchen. Any cookbook recommendations for a Karnataka cuisine?

Blogger Srivalli of “Cooking for all seasons” fame, a new friend from the web world, joined us for lunch, happily clicking away on her camera. Some friends and relatives came for food tasting during the day – all in all, one of those days which begins and ends on an ‘aha’ note.

POSTED BY PRATIBHA, PHOTOGRAPHS BY SRIVALLI

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Meera Rao’s tribute to her “Aunty”

July 4, 2009 · 11 Comments

n 1997, when I moved to 63, Eldams road, Chennai, the first neighbour I met, introduced herself to me as a writer. That immediately drew my attention. In the months to come, I began to share in Meera’s excitement and avidly read whenever she was published. I enjoyed reading her articles, written in her easy, light-hearted style. As mentioned on her blog – “Qualified in Journalism and Public Relations, she is a prolific writer and has published more than 1500 articles in the genre of features ( including features on offbeat topics), interviews, humorous essays, travelogues, children’s stories, book reviews etc. in mainstream newspapers and magazines like The Hindu, Indian Express, Femina, Eve’s Weekly, Woman’s Era, Alive, Eve’s Touch, Ability Foundation etc.”

fearure-perfect-Mailer(Meera’s book launch at Landmark)

As I interacted with Meera, I came to like her immensely for various reasons – her pleasing smile, her ease as a home-maker, her sponatneous affection, her joy at whatever she accomplished. But what captured my attention most was her relationship with her mother-in-law. They were a perfect pair. Their comfort with each other was a lesson in human relationships. Meera called her ‘Aunty’, so I came to call her by the same name.

All of us have seen people meditate in silent corners with eyes closed. It is an inspiring sight no doubt. But after meeting Aunty, my notion of meditation shifted. Most of the times, she would sit by her window on an easy chair with a cloth in one hand and a needle and thread in the other. My strongest memory of her is that serene, peaceful expression she held while she embroidered away. After meeting her, the word that always springs to my mind in connection with embroidery is – ananda, bliss!

It came as no surprise to see Meera’s first book’s first chapter dedicated to her mother-in-law. Titled as Madras Mosaic, its light-hearted, humorous style makes it a book one can read anytime, anywhere.

I met Meera recently after a long gap of time, and as we got chatting, it was but natural for me to ask her for a tribute recipe. So here it is, Meera’s tribute to her mother-in-law. We are glad to feature their beautiful affection in this space where we remember our own serene-faced Pedatha all the time.

TRIBUTE TO MY MOTHER-IN-LAW, SMT. AHALYA BAI (1915-2003)

By Meera Raghavendra Rao

Born into an aristocratic family, my mother-in-law studied in a convent School. Being the only girl child, with two younger brothers, she had a pampered childhood. Yet when at the young age of 15, she was married to Shri Nandagiri Rama Rao, a chartered accountant, she soon settled well into her new, large family. Despite having a handicapped first born, she was never one to moan her fate or make others in the family miserable.

07(Meera as a young bride seated next to her mother-in-law)

From the very day I entered my husband’s family as a young bride, I felt a part of it as my mother-in-law enveloped me into her fold more like a grand daughter (she used to plat my hair everyday), than a daughter-in-law. We truly shared an excellent rapport.

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A good Samaritan at heart, she always placed others’ interests before her own and went out of her way to extend help to those who needed it.

When we had get-togethers at our house, she would enthusiastically become scorer for the games organized, ready with a pencil and pad to write the scores of participants.

Among relatives she was addressed as Ahalya Akka, and her friends called her Ahalya Maami. I used to call her aunty. She welcomed all those who came home with a warm smile and would never let them leave without accepting her hospitality. Above all, she had a soft corner for the poor and believed in parting with whatever she could to make their lives a little easier and bring a smile on their lips.

She loved sweets so much that sometimes she would even make a meal of payasam and laddus. But when my father-in-law passed away (she was in her late sixties then) she gave up eating those very sweets which were so dear to her. When asked about it she would say it was a very small sacrifice she was making as a tribute to my father-in-law, with whom she had shared her life for more than five decades.

She wore only Madurai Sungadi sarees and patronized Rangachari Store on Luz Church Road.

She was very good at sewing, especially smocking and kutch work  besides embroidery. She would gift smocked frocks to newborns and hand-embroidered bedspreads and smocked night-wear to newlyweds. A number of ladies, half her age would learn the art from her and her handwork was often displayed at various exhibitions.

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Her culinary prowess was remarkable, her specialties being cashew nut cakes, and wheat halwa among sweets and bisi-bela-huli-anna (a dish of Karnataka) and stuffed brinjals.

When she passed away at 88, six years ago, she left a great void in my life (having lived with her for 33 years). I felt I had suddenly aged by 20 years. I am happy to share one of her favourite recipes here in this wonderful space for tributes.

STUFFED BRINJALS

Brinjals, small-sized (light green or purple variety) – 250 gms

For the stuffing:

Chana dal—3 tablespoons03

Urad dal—1 tablespoon

A small piece of hing (the hard variety)

Red chillies – 5-6

Dry coconut – 1 tablespoon, grated

Coriander leaves – 1 tablespoon, washed and chopped fine

Gingely oil – 1 tablespoon

Salt to taste

1) Dry roast the above ingredients for the stuffing and grind into a coarse powder. Mix 2 teaspoons of oil into this mixture to bind it.

2) Remove the stalks of the brinjals and make criss-cross slits from the top. Wash the brinjals and immediately stuff the mixture through the slits.

3) Shallow fry the stuffed brinjals in gingely oil, tossing them occasionally. When the brinjals have cooked well, take off the flame.

4) Alternatively, you can steam them for 5 minutes and then shallow fry them in oil.

5) If any of the mixture for the stuffing is remaining, sprinkle them over the cooked brinjals.

Serve with rotis or as a side-dish in a meal.

INTRODUCTION BY PRATIBHA, TRIBUTE BY MEERA RAO

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