On 2 September, my father would have been 89. He handed on in January, leaving, as you may think, a giant void within the household. A former police officer who believed in responsibility, honour, nation, household and ambition—not in that order—he was additionally a giant advocate of excellent meals and hospitality.
Once I was a boy, home company and dinner company have been frequent, meals was by no means in brief provide, and my mom was all the time ready to oversupply the eating desk.
I generally walked in with associates for lunch, and my mom by no means appeared fazed. In faculty, associates would spend vacation mornings on our driveway taking part in tennis-ball cricket. To discourage wild swipes that might harm my father’s prized roses and crotons, the rule was that if a shot off your bat indifferent greater than three leaves, you have been out: Consequently, many people saved leaves in our pocket to hasten dismissals, and the sport was full of loud accusations of dishonest.
This unruly mob took lunch without any consideration as a result of they knew our kitchen was ready for extra. On one breezy day, a whole tandoori hen that had been ready disappeared into seemingly bottomless teenage stomachs. When my father returned for lunch, the hen was historical past, and he settled, as I recall, for greens.
Not like my mom and brother—who famously scrawled on his wall a quote he wrongly attributed to Winston Churchill, “Vegetarianism is the final refuge of scoundrels”—my father was way more accommodating of greens. Certainly, he needed a vegetable or two together with his meal. At evening, he insisted on a inexperienced vegetable, both palak (spinach) or methi (fenugreek), a behavior I adopted in my 40s; the distinction is that I eat them for, um, good digestion and well being, whereas he relished them. He was unusual in that approach.
None of this detracted from the truth that he preferred his meat and fish, particularly the latter, since he was, in spite of everything, a Konkani boy from north Goa. For years, at his favorite restaurant, Sunny’s in Bengaluru, he would solely order almond-encrusted fish, breaking the monotony, sometimes, with lamb ribs.
On his 89th, as his absence hung heavy over the home, we determined to watch his birthday as he would have preferred it: We referred to as his closest associates for lunch. My mom garlanded his {photograph} and positioned earlier than it a field of dessert, his favorite a part of the meal. There have been no speeches and no tears, solely laughter and reminiscences. He would, undoubtedly, have accredited.
My father’s favorite meals in a bowl. (Samar Halarnkar)
I assumed it solely apt to dedicate this column to my father, particularly as a tribute to his love for greens. The timing is correct as a result of quite a lot of readers lately mocked my claims that I had currently executed higher by vegetarians. “You prepare dinner solely meat, don’t you?” one lady instructed me, dismissing my protestations, and ignoring the truth that my spouse was vegetarian and ate the meals that I turned out.
I assumed it greatest to delve into my mom’s conventional household recipes, lots of them written and despatched to her in a collection of communications from her mom someday within the early Nineteen Sixties. I have written previously about these letters from my grandmother and her rumal vadi, a steamed cabbage cutlet of types. This vadi has gone via many iterations through the years. The most recent one right here is one thing my mom’s housekeeper of a few years, Laxmi, advanced from the unique rumal vadi, utilizing spinach, my father’s nightly favorite. He would have accredited. So did I.
Laxmi’s besan and palak vadi
Serves 4-5
Components
1kg cabbage, grated
1 massive bunch of spinach, cleaned, chopped and drained of water
1 bowl besan (chickpea flour)
1 inexperienced chilli, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp purple chilli powder
Half tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala
Quarter tsp cooking soda
Salt to style
For the tempering (optionally available)
A pinch of asafoetida
Half tsp mustard seeds
Methodology
Combine all of the dry elements and add besan. Combine nicely. Don’t add water as spinach and onion have their very own. Add just a few drops if wanted. Knead nicely to kind a dough.
Boil water in a kadhai (wok). Oil a cooker vessel and make balls of the dough. Flatten every and place within the vessel. Place the vessel within the kadhai with boiling water. Cowl the kadhai and steam the dough balls. Verify after 10-Quarter-hour. If nicely cooked, a fork poked in ought to come out clear. When nicely cooked, take away and lower into squares or slices. Shallow-fry or place in air fryer. Mood with asafoetida and mustard seeds in case you like.
Our Day by day Bread is a column on simple, ingenious cooking. Samar Halarnkar is the creator of The Married Man’s Information To Artistic Cooking—And Different Doubtful Adventures. @samar11
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