 |
| Pindi chhole, alur dom, dahi vada, paratga, salad |
I was introduced to stainless steel utensils after we moved into India and when I was around 8 years old. I did not take to them immediately and fussed and refused to use then before I was finally made to give in.
Melamine plates became a thing in the late 1980s and my mother bought some and I happily moved to those for our dinners at home.
I moved to Mumbai after my studies got over and stayed at a PG at the start. Food was served in stainless steel utensils there. Then I got married and we used porcelain dinnerware at home. No more stainless plates though we had some, I do not know from where. We used the bowls to have dahi at times.
A couple of years back I started what I call my #LittleJackHornerMeals which celebrated simple everyday food at home. I plated the food on very pretty, albeit fairly expensive China in an attempt to make the mundane look majestic. I loved this. As did my Instagram followers!
Then came an evening when there was Maharashrian style puri bhaaji at home and I decided to use the stainless plates and bowls to have this in as a hat tip to the humble eateries such as Prakash in Dadar and the old IMRB office canteen where I loved the puri bhaaji. Then I called for idli chutney sambar one evening and used the stainless utensils again in an attempt to recreate the South Indian tiffin thali experience. Inspired by the thalis in which they served dosa at breakfast at the Hyatt Regency, Mumbai, possibly.
Gradually I started using our stainless plates and bowls more often. To plate the Punjabi food that our friends, the Grovers, would send us during the lockdown as it reminded me of my PG aunty’s kitchen. At times the Malvani meals that we called in from Pallavi Amberkar, in memory of the Malvani thali joints one used to frequent in the pre-pandemic world. And on days when our cook Banu would make ‘rustic’ Maharashtrian fare such as jowar oo bajra bhakri, tud dal, vangi bharit or tendli in singdana chutney. Slowly the stainless steel plates and bowls at home began to grow on me.
I used them for lunch today too and in my thali were parathas made by Banu yesterday, Bengali alur dom from yesterday too, Punjabi pindi channa that I had called in from Lashkara at Pali Naka, salad and dahi vada given by our friend and neighbour Erika last night.
It ,ade for a happy meal and here’s one more argument in favour of the thali. It helps ensure portion control. As long as you do not take seconds!
And, Instagram loves thalis!
 |
| Talking of ‘Indian’ presentation, check out the excellent plating of the firni made by Erika’s daughter Gia which they gave us last night. Tasted as delicious as it looks. She recycled the earthen bhaars from the mishti doi from Sweet Bengal which we had given them sometime back. |
