Feeding on nostalgia

One thing that evokes nostalgia in Indians when they are far away from home is food. The reason it evokes this strong feeling is more to do with the person who makes the food than the food itself. The memories of this person are etched in our hearts because of the love with which the individual prepares food for their loved ones.

The nostalgia attached to the food we valued as children will constantly play a role in the food and the hunt to restore those memories make us dig deep and revive heirloom recipes.

We pass on the legacy of the dish till there comes a time when it becomes the family’s showstopper during most family gatherings.

In India, there is one common ingredient all mothers and women add liberally to their food. It is the ingredient of “love”.

The dish, no matter how simple it may be, is made with loads of love. Also, the food is prepared to the liking of each and every member of the family. It also imparts feelings of familial love and reminiscence to those who taste the dishes. The deep-rooted feeling of being an Indian at heart can never be removed from an NRI.

The way NRIs carry homemade pickles, snacks and masalas from India and have their bags filled with all things Indian is not surprising as we are so filled with colonial nostalgia when we Indians pack our bags to go back away from where our heart lies.

(The writer is the author of the cookbook Manna: Your Guide to Indian & Continental Cooking which is a result of her culinary journey during which she documented some of the most sought-after heritage recipes of India and elsewhere.)

Sizzling golden rings

On a visit to Stuttgart in Germany, I was wading through the busy central shopping streets and could not miss noticing an oddly loop-shaped bread. The bread was a very popular German pretzel. My memory quickly dashed back to the past, travelled back several years in top-notch speed unravelling relishing memories of a similarly shaped food my mother used to make, Pesaru Kadiyalu, aka golden rings was our family favourite.

We used to eat this bread for breakfast and occasionally as a snack during the evenings. The recipe was passed onto my mother by her mother including the special utensils (a pot-shaped earthen container and brass/steel ring) that were needed for preparation. Naturally, it was a matter of pride for my mom to cook Pesaru kadiyalu for us. I vividly remember those times when me and my brother would be all excited to savour the mouth-watering golden rings, running around the house. We used to carry the golden rings with tongs cautiously walking from the kitchen towards the dining table serving hot golden rings to my grandparents. We would pretend to be servers asking everyone for water or an extra serving. Amidst all the hustle-bustle around the kitchen, hot oil frying pan, the cacophony of the kitchen exhaust fan and smoke, we did notice a contented smile on my mother’s face when she got time to sit back, relax and relish the dish overhearing a praise or two from my grandparents. Golden rings could surely be one of our traditional long lost heritage recipes that needs rejuvenation for sure.

Pesaru Kadiyalu,
aka golden rings

Ingredients

Moong dal: 1 cup
Ripe banana: ½
Rice flour: ¼ cup
Salt: To taste
Oil to deep fry

Method

Soak moong dal for two hours. Drain water and grind the dal with banana until a smooth paste is ready. Add salt to taste. To this paste add rice flour. Mix well.
Using a traditional Pesar Kadiyalu earthen pot to fill the batter. Heat oil to deep fry, place the brass/steel ring in the oil. As it gets heated pour the batter around the ring until it turns golden brown.

Note: The right way to enjoy this delicacy would be to pair it with ginger-onion chutney or green chutney. And for those with a sweet tooth like me, rava payasam or vermicelli payasam would be a match made in heaven.
(Recipe courtesy Swaroop R K.)

One ingredient, one recipe

This column celebrates food and explores the possibility of forming an invisible chain that will bind us together as a family. Picking the most important ingredient of ‘love,’ we would want readers to send us a unique recipe that has either a childhood memory attached to it or, an interesting fact, or even a food philosophy they learned from their ancestors. We will hand-pick one unique recipe and publish it along with this column the following month. Please share your heritage recipe and story in 300 words with “Food Family: Love”
mentioned in the subject line to [e-mail] by March 7.