Another highlight in Sankranti was the 'Bor nahan' which literally translates to Bathe in Berries. This is a function organised for small children. SO if there is a toddler in the house apart from the haldi-kumkum there is also a bor-nahan. All kids in the vicinity are invited to this function. Small pieces of sugarcane, peas and chocolates are mixed with sweet and sour berries and poured over the 'toddler of the house's' head and all other kids run around collecting as much as they can to eat and share with their friends.

The high point of Sankranti was the haldi-kumkum where turmeric and red kumkum is distributed to all women. As children we were given the most important task of going from house to house in the vicinity and inviting the ladies for the haldi-kumkum. Mostly, the invitations were issued a day or so in advance.

Then there was a frenzy of preparations. You had to pull out the silver attar-dani, which contained perfume on a cotton ball, gulab -dani which had rose-water and take-away gifts which were very practical and varied each year! There was a challenge to be creative as you did not want to repeat a gift given by someone else the same year atleast. So it could be anything from candles to green vegetables but the most common was steel spoons and bowls.Oh, and how could I forget the flowers, mostly asters white,pink and violet!

On the day of the function, the living room was cleaned thoroughly and doilies laid on the teapoy. The silver ware arranged and a bowl of sesame seeds laddoos kept alongside. The old throws and hand embroidered sheets were laid out neatly on the diwan and then the women would begin to trickle. All dressed in lovely traditional sarees, green, blue, red, orange, pink violet and flowers in their hair. We children got to wear our parkar-polkas which was a long skirt with a blouse. I had a red one with sequins and a black one with bright red and yellow flowers!

Then the ladies of the house would give the haldi-kumkum and til-gul and their gifts. My friends A and K would join our family as volunteers and we got to distribute the rest - flowers, attar and gulab jal. I loved the gulab-jal duty where I could walk around sprinkling gulab jal on everyone and they would say, Stop, stop, enough!

Some of the Aunties would bring small gifts for the kids, some guavas or bananas from their own gardens or sometimes some snack they had made at home and so it would be a fragrant, delicious evening to remember!

Sankranti was always much awaited for the til-gul combination, especially the laddus that were made by pounding roasted seseame seeds, jaggery and cardamom and then mixing them all together.

If there was a small child at home or a newly married bride then one would go out and buy halwa (tiny stars made of sugar) ornaments. New brides and young children got new black clothes/ sari to wear.

Sesame seed laddus are now readily available in the stores but that jaggery is heated unlike the pounded jaggery laddus that were served at home.

The Bhogi meal

Bhogi is generally the 13th of January, the day before Makar Sankranti and eagerly awaited in the New Year for the delicacies made on this day.

The Bhogi menu at home would be:
Vangyache bhareet (Brinjal Bharta)
Lasnachi chutney (garlic chutney)
Mugachi khichadi (khichidi with green gran dal)
Kadhi
Bajri chi bhakri


The bharta menu is already posted on the blog. Vangi as the brinjals are called evoked a variety of emotions and Dadima talked emotionally about 'Krishna kathchi vangi' (brinjals grown on the banks of the Krishna river)which were supposed to be beyond compare.

The lasnachi chutney is a simple chutney that can be stored for a week or so.
You need
3 bulbs of garlic (peeled)
20 red dried chillies
1 cup peanuts (roasted)
1/2 of one dried copra (grated)
salt to taste
1/2 tsp cumin

Heat a teaspoon of oil and roast the cumin and dry chillies and grated copra. Add all the ingredients together and grind them coarsely. Store in an air-tight container. This is Dadima's recipe but Nanima preferred more peanuts. You can try different permutations and combinations too till you find the one that suits you best.

The Kadhi is still my favourite its status as comfort food remains at the top of my list. Those days curds were made at home with full- cream milk and then the butter churned from the buttermilk. While serving the bajra roti there would be a dollop of home-made butter melting on it. The kadhi would be made from this buttermilk and it had a creamy texture and a slightly sweet taste.

The Kadhi recipe is really simple. To 2 cups of buttermilk add a tablespoon of gramflour. Chop 2 green chillies fine and also coriander leaves (fistful). Blend well! Add a teaspoon of butter to a heated wok, half a teaspoonful of cumin, the chopped chilles, a pinch of asafoetida and about 20 curry leaves. These are the most important ingredient as they change the flavour of the curry. Add the buttermilk-gramflour mixture to this and then as it boils add salt to taste.Eat with warm white rice for the best meal ever tasted!


So what are you making today?

Oops forgot to tell you about the udadachey papad - they would be Lijjat brand! Crunchy and yum!

Hi Ripples, Happy 2014! This blog is now being written for you! In its new avatar for 2014 it will still take us through the four seasons and the food journey. The then, the now and the unknown; the family and neighbourhood! Well, it all started with me not finding enough time to share what little I know about cooking etc. and Aunty U with her forthright manner suggested writing it all done if forgetting things was my only worry! Since, I don't have a witty comeback to that, here goes... If ye all there can recognize yourself with your quirks, feel free to feed me again!

New beginings!

Then,

Taking up the challenge of keeping this blog going for one set of seasons. Dividing it into the 'Then' and 'Now' sections. The 'Then' is the nostalgia of how things were with three resident grandmothers 'The Three Graces' and 'Now' is the now, ofcourse. How we react to the same festivals and same seasons and vegetables today!

It is the day of 'ganapathi' festival. The elephant-God is worshipped before all beginings and the festive atomosphere and the food were unparallelled.

'Modaks' were made for the Bappa.For more information on modaks -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modak

There are two types of Modaks - Ukadiche (steamed) and tal-lele (fried). One of these were made today and supplemented by AA Sweets' Kaju Modak.
These sites have good recipes -

http://www.tarladalal.com/Modak-4950r

http://www.cuisinecuisine.com/Modak.htm


11 modaks are served to the Ganpati and Daddy, who was incharge of the ceremony had 11 for himself. And all the rest shared by everyone after pilfering a few from daddy's eleven.

Now,

The best Modaks I ate recently were at The Courtyard by Mariott at their evening buffet when they had a Maharashtrian evening.

Planning to maake some today, but like all best 'made' plans...

Searching for sweet potatoes

The hunt for sweet potatoes is on.

Unfortunately, there isn't a single sweet potato in the market currently. So the recipes will have to wait till I find the elusive potatoes.

In the mean time let's carry on with other 'fasting' recipes with sago.

One very delicious one is the sabudana vada -

To make sabudana vada

Soak a cup of sago overnight and then drain for a couple of hours before using it.

To this add half a cup of coarsely-ground roasted peanuts, three-four ground green chillies and salt to taste.

Mix thoroughly and make small patties from this mixture. Deep fry these patties in hot oil till golden brown.

These can be eaten with a curd dip.