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The alu parathas that I had for breakfast today and which were made by our cook, Banu. I shot the picture at my writing desk. Did not eat there though! |
Pygmalion. The paratha edition.
Just another Mumbai story
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With my PG aunty in 2015. Having alu parathas in the room I stayed in at her place in 1997 |
They were so good that I would often take them to work and my colleagues, fellow PGites all, would wait eagerly for me to do so. My PG aunty would pack them for me when I would take the train back home to Kolkata. Till ‘home’ became Mumbai. I later realised that the love and affection showed to me by my PG aunty played a big part in Mumbai becoming my home.
My not so secret sauce
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The alu parathas made for me by my grandmother’s caregiver, Anjali mashi |
I wiped the plate clean off the alu parathas that she made, a bowl of ketchup by my side. Ketchup was the sauce which connected my new life with the old.
Didu first told me about how she grated lauki the other day and then a made a shukto with rohu fish head. “I used to have it as a child in Dhaka and I made it after we moved into Kolkata too. No-one can make it these days so I made it for myself as I there was a small lau at home and a fish head,” said the 90 year old lady. “You need to slice the lau (bottle gourd) really thin. If not on a boti then with a grater. Do a phoron (tarka) with whole methi and mustard seeds and then add the lau and cook it with some salt and water and then add the fish head after frying it separately and let them cook together. I prefer not to add turmeric to my lau and fish head shukto,” she said as she handed over her recipe to me.
Coming to the parathas, she said: “I had heard about them when we moved in to Delhi. The Punjabis would make it. Their food is simpler than that of us Bengalis. They would just stuff whatever was at home and make parathas and eat them with dahi. Not the multi-course meals that we would have to make. The Punjabis lived in different quarters. I did not go to their houses to see how parathas were made. Nor did anyone teach me. I liked the idea though and started making them. Alu, gobi, methi. I would keep experimenting,” she said and then finished by saying, “these parathas were unheard of in Kolkata then.”
I could sense the feeling of pride in her voice through the airwaves from across the country.
Anjali mashi served me a plate of mochmoche (crunchy) alu paratha and then with a touch of passive aggression typical to the average character in a Bengali film/ soap said, “you eat all over the world. You will not like this.”
They were so good that I did not add ketchup to them that morning!
The Alu Paratha Sutra
This post of mine is my way of trying to repay my debt of gratitude to those who have done so so far in my life.
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Where I actually had breakfast today. At the bistro table that is our dining table |
Appendix:
I cannot end a post on parathas without tagging ad man, Satbir Singh AKA @thesatbir, the man who has made parathas trendy on Twitter.
Also of interest:
1. Post on my PG aunty
2. Post on trying to understand the true spirit of Ramzan through a chat with Banu
3. Post on my stay at my grandmother’s when I had the paratha by Anjali mashi
4. Banu’s kebab recipe
@unknown (Deepa) thank you for your very warm comment. On my way for the aloo parathas now 🙂
This struck a chord. My Didu's alu parathas were and will always remain my favourite. Had alu parathas in many places..dhabas, Punjabi households, restaurants,et al.But Didu's were unique. The stuffing was cooked.."roshun phoron diye" Mildly spiced, garlicky, no onions or green chillies, bhaja moshla a pinch of sugar.Soft, overstuffed and utterly delicious.
She was a "probashi" from Allahabad and spent her life in Ranigunj and Kolkata. I regret never habing asked her why her aloo paratha is so different ..the story behind it. And now it is too late. So i carry with me her memories and the magic ofher cooking.