JOIN USThere’s a certain indescribable charm to your granny’s cooking and people of a generation fading away are the undisputed experts at making pickles and powders.
From being exclusively homemade, these have gone on to become mass-produced ingredients and preserves, which has left those of a younger generation craving for their grandmothers’ culinary delights. In what is now a startup hub, senior citizens or the generation after them are capitalising on this demand.
Two years ago, after her husband passed away, Chandramathi spent most days in her room, watching TV and crying, causing her family to worry.
On New Year’s Day, a conversation between her daughter and daughter-in-law led to what is now a thriving business of selling pickles, masalas and chutney powders under the name ‘My Amma’s Homemade’.
“When my husband and I told her of the idea, she agreed, but rather reluctantly,” says Sridevi N, a former web designer and Chandramathi’s daughter-in-law. “I had just quit my job because of a spinal injury that didn’t let me sit at a desk for long hours. So that very evening, we went to a supermarket, picked up the ingredients and started off.”
Thanks to the venture, both the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law not only manage to “kill time but also make between Rs 18,000 and Rs 25,000 a month”. “Initially, my sister-in-law, who has a wide circle of friends, used to sell the powders for us; now we have a Facebook page and orders pour in about four days a week,” she adds.
The ‘sambar’, ‘rasam’ and variety of ‘chatnipudis’ made by the septuagenarian are often shipped to other parts of the country and are also in high demand among those travelling overseas, she says. The ‘tomato chutney’ and ‘gongura tokku’, both Sridevi’s specialities, are more popular closer home.
Chaithali Pisupathi’s mother, Vishali, also started making similar powders in addition to ‘avakkai’ (mango), ‘tomato’ and ‘chilli’ pickles upon her children’s insistence, three years ago. “That was in Chennai at my brother’s house. She was 57, and after retiring at 50, she didn’t know what to do with her time,” says the 30-year-old NGO programme coordinator. “She’s a really good cook and has been cooking since she was 12.”
Vishali moved to a flat in Yeshwanthpur a couple of years ago. “Now, her ‘idli’, ‘dosa’ and ‘vada’ batters are also very popular among her neighbours as are the Sunday breakfasts prepared by her,” Chaithali says. “She has many regular customers but we’re still testing the waters and so haven’t registered ‘Mother’s Kitchen’ as a company yet,” she adds.
Purobi Katgi, a native of Assam, now settled in the city makes many pickles — including a pork-based one. “It’s by far the most popular,” she says. She also makes other varieties like ‘chicken’, ‘chilli with mustard oil in Assamese style’ and ‘cabbage’.
“I’ve lived in places where fresh fruits and meat weren’t always easily available,” she explains. “So preserving became a habit, and now, since a year, I’ve also been taking orders.”
Last weekend, at ‘Silver Bazaar Under the Stars’, Shobha Narain introduced her ‘manga-inji’ (mango ginger) pickle. “It has no oil so it became an instant hit,” she says. “I also make ‘chilli’ and ‘sweet and spicy mango’ pickle.”
Her sauces, including one made from peanuts, are also popular. Three years ago, the woman who describes herself as a housewife, started ‘Naani’s’. And she manages everything, from taking orders to pickling and selling. Does it ever get taxing? “Not at all. Cooking for many people is a lot of fun. At flea markets, people finish up even my samples. And anyone is welcome home to try some,” she gushes.