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Journalism of Courage
The only rituals we follow in our family are food rituals. It’s not for us — the warm fragrant oil massage at dawn followed by the herb scrub or rose-scented soap of a certain brand; I never understood the fascination for. When we were still ‘cooperative’ children, our grandmother made an attempt at aukshan — an aarti to herald good tidings — but gave up eventually because we had bigger incentives to look forward to.
Diwali morning — the morning of Narakachaturdashi — is when the faraal (breakfast feast) dabbas are, officially, opened. For the week preceding the festival, the house is filled with aromas of chaklis made from freshly milled toasted grains and spices, the hearty crackle of curry leaves going into a phodni (tadka) for chivda, the sweet fragrance of green cardamom being added to gram flour patiently roasted in ghee, soon to be shaped into ladoos, in palms pink with heat. But here’s the caveat — you dare not be caught so much as sampling any of the faraal until Diwali morning. The first platter is offered to the gods on this day, and only then can one partake (and carry a similarly laden platter, duly covered with the prettiest table napkin one has, to the neighbours, only to get one in return).
This may seem like an extreme rule, but there is some merit in the waiting — the faraal does seem to taste a tad nicer once it has had a chance to sit in the farthest corner of the pantry cupboard a few days — with the exception of one item — the chakli.
The chakli is best when fried fresh — still warm if one can help it, but not more than a night old. When broken into, it must be light and hollow, not toothsome. It must be eaten with an accompaniment — freshly churned butter or perhaps a scoop of thick, freshly set yoghurt. Everything else can be supporting cast (at least for this scene)!
Chakli
Ingredients
l 3 cups rice
l 1 ½ cup chana dal
l 3/4 cup urad dal
l 1/4 cup coriander seeds
l 2 tbsp cumin seeds
l 2 tbsp white sesame seeds
l 1 tsp ajwain
l 1 ½ tbsp red chilli powder
l Salt to taste
l ¾ tsp turmeric powder
l 1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
l 3/4 cup hot water
l Oil for deep frying + 1/4 cup for the dough
Process
1. To make the chakli bhajani, roast the rice, black lentils, chana dal, coriander seeds and cumin seeds separately, Cool and mill together to a semi-fine flour
2. To make the dough, add salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, sesame seeds and ajwain to the flour mix. Add the 1/4 cup of hot oil and mix well. Add the 3/4 cup of hot water to make a soft dough
3. Divide the dough into logs to fit your chakli press. Use the star-shaped disc for the classic chakli shape. Pipe chaklis onto squares of parchment (this makes it easier to lift them off) about 2 inches in diameter
4. Carefully lift the piped chaklis and deep fry over medium heat until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel and store in an airtight box for 3-4 weeks
Saee Koranne-Khandekar is a Mumbai-based food writer and consultant
Diwali and the taste of mother’s love in ladoos
(As told to Udbhav Seth)
Laddoos made with besan are a common sweet prepared across India. My mother, and my friends’ mothers, would always pack a dabba (box) full of besan laddoos when we returned to college in Mumbai at the end of the holidays. We didn’t eat them in solitary splendour. The dabbas would be opened as soon as we reached the hostel, all of us competing with each other to see how many laddoos we could eat. Each looked different — some were plain, others filled with dried fruits. But in all of them, we could taste a mother’s love.
BOONDI ÉCLAIR by Ranveer Brar, chef, author, restaurateur and popular television host
Prep time 30 minutes
Cooking time 15 minutes
No of portions 4 to 5
Ingredients:
For éclair
Water 125 ml
Milk 125 ml
Butter 125 gms
Caster sugar 12 gms
Flour 165 gms
Eggs 5 no
Salt 2 gms
For Pastry Cream:
Milk 500 ml
Sugar 100 gms
Egg yolks 120 gms
Vanilla Few drops
Flour 50 gms
White chocolate for sheet 60 gms
Boondi to spread 60 gms
Method:
FOR ECLAIRS:-
FOR PASTRY CREAM:-
ASSEMBLING:-
