My Uncle Jayendra & his Exotic Areca Nut Concoction

Hi Jinki…his happy and affectionate voice booms as he greets me with a naughty twinkle in his eye. That’s my 80-year-young uncle, my father’s elder brother. Those who know my uncle, Jayendra Patel, will agree with a grin that here is a man who has rarely met anyone without cracking a joke within the first five minutes of the meeting.  If I were to describe him in two words, they would be ‘warm’ and ‘hearty’.

A builder by profession, he is the son of late Shri N.T Patel who started his construction company called N.T Patel & Co. way back in 1928. After completing his engineering degree at The Indiana Institute of Technology, Fort Wayne, USA, Jayendra uncle returned to India to join his father and elder brother in the task of taking the company forward.  He has built quite a few prestigious buildings in and around Chennai, the sprawling Catholic centre building in Armenian street, the majestic University of Madras on the beach road, Venkateswara University near Tirupati to name a few.  He is very passionate about car racing and rallying and has been treasurer and active member of the Motor Sports Club of India for most part of his life along with being a member of the Lions club and builders association of Chennai. But I believe that he finds his greatest joy, his absolute comfort zone in cooking. Right from driving to the vegetable market, to selecting the best fruits and vegetables, to washing, chopping and cooking, Jayendra uncle is at his perfect and creative best. The Rava Dosas & Wheat Dosas that are lifted off his skillet are the most delicious ones I’ve ever tasted.

My sharpest memories associated with him are of the “open house” dinners at his home every single Sunday.  Anyone could walk in from 7.30 pm to 10.00 pm and there would always be so much laughter, so many voices speaking at the same time, cousins and friends of all ages catching up with each other in the midst of the most aromatic whiffs of a delicious meal being cooked by him. He’d be in and out of the kitchen with a helper or two following his instructions…and anyone who wished to help or just simply saunter in to taste his magic was always welcome. His fridge would be well stocked with ice and soft drinks for all the kids and tea teatotalers and an endless array of snacks would flow out of the kitchen, seemingly, with no effort at all. Of the myriad times that I may have partaken in these fabulous evenings, initially as a child, later as a young girl and up to just a few years back with my own husband and kids, I cannot remember once when he looked strained or needed help with the service, or the clearance…everything just kept happening amidst all the fun and regaling.

Oh for those good old days of carefree childhood, of untainted love and affection, of a different kind of happiness born from innocence!

Always happy to share his jokes and recipes, here is one of my favourites from his warm and friendly kitchen. Thank you for sharing this very special, much coveted recipe, Jayendra kaka.

JNP’s SPECIAL SUPARI
Preparation time: 1 hour

Rasiklal or Crane supari – 1 kg
Roasted Areca nuts – ½ kg (This is known as sekeli supari in Gujarati and is available in the good old Bombay General Stores in Chennai. It is easier to find in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Mumbai.)
Cloves – 6-7
Mace – ½ flower
Green cardamom – ¼ kg
Liquorice sticks – ¼ kg, powdered
Fennel seeds, small, thin variety (also known as Lucknowi Saunf) – ¼ kg, dry roasted
Sweetened fennel seeds – ¼ kg
Dried dates, chopped into bite-size bits – 100 gms

1) Remove all the white pumpkin seeds from the Rasiklal supari. Grind the supari to a coarse powder. You can use the pumpkin seeds separately as a mouth freshener if you like. This is a time consuming process, so if you are lucky enough to be residing in a city which has a rasiklal or champaklal & co. outlet, then you can order a kg of the supari sans the pumpkin seeds. Jayendra uncle goes to Rasiklal & Co. or Champaklal & Co. on Govindappa Naikan Street in Chennai.
2) Break up the roasted Areca nuts into small pieces using a nut cracker & grind into a coarse powder. If you do not possess a nut cracker or are not accustomed to using one, then pound the nuts into small bits using a pestle & mortar.
3) Powder the cloves and mace. Powder the cardamoms along with their skins.
4) Now thoroughly mix all the powdered ingredients and the other ingredients together in a large bowl. Fill into an airtight bottle or box and store.
Chew on a pinch of Jayendra uncle’s unique supari after meals and enjoy the wonderful flavours of this exotic concoction.

Jayendra uncle is a free spirited individual, who has always lived life on his own terms, taking responsibility for his actions and moving on, no matter what. Just as any other human being, he has made his mistakes too, has seen his highs and lows, has faced loss and sorrow, probably been hurt and caused hurt too….but nothing ever takes away the goodness of his heart, the cheer on his lips, the twinkle in his eyes and most importantly, his passion for LIFE.

Its your 80^th birthday today Jayendra kaka. I wish you lots of happiness and good health, much peace, many many years of happy cooking and hope to have your affection and blessings always. Cheers

Posted by Jigyasa Giri.
Photo courtesy: Amita Patel