Sabita Radhakrishna – My Mother & her Uppumav

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!

[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.

[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

• 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