Art from the Heart

 Aai was  wonderful at cooking. The typical Marathi dishes such as Puran Poli or Shreekhand  or Gulab Jamun, she would make truly excellently. Unique, however, were her unusual dishes such Pakatale Chirote or Sanjyachi Poli. Tough to make, she would prepare them with such finesse that they used to melt in the mouth. Her gulachi poli used to be soft, too! If she could manage such  wonders, but natural it would be that her Diwali specials used to be ultimate in healthy deliciousness.

What I really appreciate about her cooking is the fact that her simple daily preparations were tasty  and fabulous, too. Her amti/dal, salads, even okra or eggplant or spinach or gourd preparations used to be simply fabulous. In my opinion, that is the mark of her superb art because daily dishes need that special touch. Unusual items such as her shengolya anyways have the charm of novelty that daily dishes cannot enjoy. Only a great cook like Aai could make them truly tasty. And, that feat, mind you, was managed without a generous use of onions, garlic, tomatoes or coriander leaves!

In my opinion, her simple dishes could be real mouth watering because hers was the art from the heart. Her route to all our hearts was via the taste buds. Not a single one of her dishes would have much too much salt or chilly powder. Every dish, be it dal or curry, would have that unique taste not only because she would use a pinch of sugar or tiny little jaggery granules. The unique taste of the food she prepared basically came from her devotion, from her feel that her family must have the best.  

Yearly hence she used to literally pound her unique masala mix, a perfect combo of all the spices. A dash of it and a spoonful of ghee could make simple rice, too, taste heavenly. In addition to the yearly pickles, papad's and kurdaya, she used to make chik to be mixed with our daily milk glasses. A tough process it is. She used to soak wheat for three days, then pound it in a stone or iron mortar, spread the wheat milk thus prepared till it became powder. Difficult to make but highly nutritious it would be, and she prepared it year after year. 

Unique indeed used to be her Chaitra Gour special usal or raw mango preparations such as panhe or dal. Neither hot nor pungent, and yet unbelievably a gourmet's delight. Never hence her fridge would overflow with leftovers.  Her cooking, in brief, was Art straight from the heart that managed to make us healthy and wise!

pratima@ home-made food is the ultimate recipe!