Each household has its own unique food habits and cooking methods. Being brought up in Hindupur, Andhra Pradesh, I had learnt the cooking style practised in my family from my mother.
Since I was a girl child, my mother insisted that I learn cooking, so I started helping her in the kitchen and picked up several tips and tricks. Gradually, I learnt how to prepare a few dishes including sweets.
However, when I got married, I realised that the food was very different in my in-laws’ house in Bengaluru.
The dishes were less spicy, involved more grinding of ‘masalas’ and more work in fact, compared to what we were used to doing in my house.
The dishes were quite different as also the style of cooking. Some of the new dishes that I was introduced to were ‘ragi dosa’, ‘ragi rotti’, different varieties of ‘spiced rice’ and ‘vegetable pulao’.
Even the way of making pickles was different from what I had learnt. In my mother’s house, red chilli powder was used for pickles, but in my husband’s home, the powder was replaced with green chillies.
I am also used to having spicy pickles, and it didn’t take too long to prepare. We also never prepared ‘spiced rice’ for breakfast.
Nevertheless, I embraced the differences and got down to learning and practising the new culinary techniques.
It took me a few months to learn from my mother-in-law Saraswathamma the way of cooking in my new home.
The experience, however, has been an enriching one and I am glad that this has taken my learning curve even higher. I have learnt to prepare a number of different dishes from her.
My husband Prasad Gupta, being a good cook, has also helped and supported me in my journey.
When he is in the mood, he makes delicious ‘kadabu’ , ‘coconut burfi’ and ‘bread uppittu’.
One of the dishes that I learnt from my mother-in-law is the ‘Karadha holige’ or spicy ‘holige’. Whenever the regular sweet ‘holige’ is made, this spicy version as well. The basic dough for both is the same, but the stuffing is different.
I have passed on these kitchen secrets to my daughter-in-law Raksha Ranjit as well and hope that she takes forward the family legacy.
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