I never imagined one day you will sit at home like this
unemployed! Anyway, you are at home, why don’t you do something for me? commented my son this morning.
What else can I do for this foodie teenager at home, who
was also requesting me since long to write something on food? Hence, I embarked
on a journey to prepare Biriyani for lunch today. My better half too is relieved
as she doesn’t have to cook lunch on a working Saturday. The foodie along with
his mummy are relishing the biriyani while I am writing this blog.
Last week our neighbour, the retired Maharashtrian uncle
and aunty invited me for a cup of tea. The tea was different yet delicious with
added ginger and jaggery.
In fact, the British taught us to drink tea. Otherwise
serving tea to guests at home was not a traditional Indian way of hospitality.
Not long ago, we used to serve other beverages, the likes of buttermilk, lassi,
lemon juice, flavoured milk, “Panak” prepared from jaggery, dry ginger and
other condiments. The beverages were healthy and rather served as that aiding
digestion and soothing the mind and body. Today the tea coffee too has given
way to colas and other drinks which jazz you up.
“अन्नाद्भवन्ति भूतानि” says the Bhagawad Gita which means all living beings
subsist on food. You are what you eat! Food is that which nourishes the body
& mind, sets the mood and enriches the soul. Ideally the food you eat must
be conducive to your lifestyle, profession, climatic conditions, geography and
time. The food should nourish and provide energy to carry on with our
activities, rather than the body spending energy to digest it.
I am not sure how many remember the Rajesh Khanna’s
dialogue from the 1972 Hrishikesh Mukherji movie Bawarchi
तीन चार सौ किसम की चटनी बना सकता हूँ | आज एक खाईये ठीक एक साल बाद उसकी बारी आयेगी |
If not one year, at home we have a simple
rule not to repeat a dish for at least a fortnight. We prepare at least half a
dozen type of Dosas from, Rice, wheat, Lentils etc, only one type a week. Rice,
traditional Jevan or what we call in Kerala “Oonu”, twice a week. Different
types of rice dishes prepared using tomato, lemon, tamarind, coconut, at least
four types of pulao and khichids, all
vegetarian in addition to a variety of rotis, bakris, puris and parathas, the appams, idiappams, puttu and other items.
Typical Konkani dishes, the types of Ghassi, Valaval, Humman,
Ambat, both sweet and sour. Also delicacies from at least a dozen states of
India learnt during the different sojourns, the last one being the buckwheat
roti and fern curry from Sikkim.
India is a land of festivals and food is an integral part
of our festivities. Each festival is unique with unique delicacies. Let’s not forget
the sacrifice of mothers who over the many generations insisted, prepared and kept alive the tradition and passed on the traditional recipes to us. In my hometown even today 64 delicacies are prepared during one of the festivals.
The history of the Konkani speaking GSB community to which
I belong is full of adversities and persecutions during the last 600 years. A
civilization originally belonging to the now extinct Saraswati river in Kashmir
have migrated multiple times and at last settled along the south west coast of
India starting from Maharashtra to Kerala. Probably because of the migrations, greens
are an integral of our diet that include
banana stem & flower, drumstick and pumpkin leaves other bitter, sour and
sweet leaves, fruits and flowers.
BTW, Last evening, I moved on from my job of last 8+ years.
A short spell of unemployment has its own advantages as it liberates you to do whatever
you love than other professional responsibilities however challenging they may
be.
It is never my intention to just talk about food. We also
welcome you home to taste the delicacies but please let us know at least day in
advance as I would be taking up another assignment next week and likely to
remain employed for some more time.
The picture you see above is a traditional Konkani preparation known as Hittu or Khotto, similar to Idli but prepared in cups made of Jackfruit leaves served with freshly prepared coconut chutney
