New Answers To Old Questions Anyone?
No sooner has the brightest moonlit night of the year passed; with Surtis gorging out on the Sharad Poonam and Chandipadva night that the agenda for the next set of festivities during the forthcoming fortnight has been set.
Social Surtis who qualify as official tattlers around town are armed with their usual questionnaire to attack the unassuming common man /woman /child. It is not as if these questions have been inspired by the new season of” Kaun Banega Crorepati’, rather it revolves around the theme of ‘Kyaa kareyga crorepati”?
Like, no matter how high up in the social ladder you are, you will be asked,”Diwali ni safaai thay gayee?”(Have you cleaned up for Diwali?) If you are left frazzled wondering what is it about this routine of” cleanliness is next to Godliness ‘during Diwali, well, its just an age old custom practiced by our ancestors to clear away the previous year’s waste, gathered with squirrel like skill. Unused and used goods now rendered useless will be presented with philanthropic pride to staff members who eagerly help out in this tedious routine. Often things like, clothes, utensils, cosmetics, toys etc which have seen better days, come tumbling out of lofts and closets. While some find better use in a lesser home, other unfortunate stuff will be re-bundled and loaded back up there for next year’s spring cleaning season. Once you have managed to answer that your home is already clean and does not need to be de-cluttered, you will be given a dirty look with an unconvincing nod saying ,’amaarey tyaa toh karvij padey .”(We have to do it.)
Up next you will be attacked by, “Diwali maa shu karo cho?” No really, now tell me, ever since lord Rama returned to Ayodhya,Indians have been celebrating it by –lighting lamps,feasting,wearing new clothes and, after the advent of crackers ,bursting the same. The good part about this question is that you need not answer it; the person who has asked it will then immediately let you know about his/her plan on spending the festival. Be ready to be inundated with an endless shopping list which will feature nothing other than the routine, a grand announcement of how much moolah is going to be burnt up in from of ‘aatashbaaji’by children who know no better (men included), how the atrocious present market rates of all precious metals is not going to hinder the lala’s homemaker from burning a hole in his pocket –Dhanteras being the rescue excuse, how the hardworking lala is going to go in for a reincarnation in the wardrobe to replace crisp linen shirts with ,well ,more crisp linen shirts.
Which brings us to the last and the most entertaining question of them all,”Diwali maan kyaa jao cho.” (Where are you off to, this Diwali?) .No matter what destination you say, you will be told ‘oh there! We went there 4-6-9 years ago. You will be then given an in-depth info about your destination with more zest than the travel agent. Even if the location was visited a decade ago, you will be told about what to do and where to eat and what to shop for, as if the world has come to a standstill since then and that city or country has been frozen in time. God forbid if you answer,” we are not traveling this year’, thou shall then have to lend ear to listen to extensive travel plans of the person who questioned you. Including what food they are going to carry along on the journey. Which is not a bad deal; actually, you could trot the globe with a Surti’s sense of imagination.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
FESTIVE FINGER FOOD FARE
The spirit of festivals in countries around the earth revolves mainly around its traditions and traditional food fare. Surat being no exception enhances its sense of celebration with home made goodies that disappear as soon as they are dished out.
Migrants who have waded into the city for a better monetary future often wonder why the average Surti, however wealthy , is so proud of something as simple as ‘Diwali nastas’ and displays it with such maternal pride. Over time, these very same outsiders not only get hooked on to the tasty treats but more often than not end up imitating the trend.
Now that the marigold strewn lanes of Tapi town have been witness to the crispy fafda and crunchy jalebi fervor of Dussera, Surtis are all set to devour sinfully smooth gharis as they swoon below the Chandi padva moon. The week after which, woks and pans in domestic kitchens will be sizzling with savories.
The easy to make ready to fry last minute versions that are commercially available might give instant relief to many Surtis who are mental slaves to the festive favourites but these packed to fry versions wilt in comparison to the heavenly home made treats. The successes of these receipes lie in the purity of their ingredients as well as the exact tactfully measured amount from granny’s days, which have been rolled down the ages.
Uptill the 1960’s, Surtis often got their own custom made batch of nankhatais baked at local bakeries, by providing their own wheat flour, sugar and ghee to small time bakers who made tray full of these sweet cookies and marked them according to the orders placed by segregating them with different stones! Variations in these were the ones prepared from plain flour, sooji and milk, topped with almonds.
The original Diwali treats of Tapi town are the Ghooghras- which are basically hand made plain flour dumplings deep fried in clarified butter stuffed with minced milk mawa, embellished with dried fruit and nuts, with a hint of cardamom.
The flaky ‘cholafali’-a spiral of fried chola and udad dal twists sprinkled with a sudden burst of powdered spice are originally from Ahmedabad, where kiosks sell this preparation as a tea time snack around the year.
The ‘mathiyas’-a melt in the mouth version of fried papad made from the flour of math and udad dal are an innovation from Patels of Anand and Vadodra from where till date the best versions of these in an uncooked form are driven into town.
The ‘chakris’ –swirls of spicy wheat flour bound with fresh butter crunchies , that are known as Murrukku down south in their rice flour versions also have a new fancy avatars in chatpata ,roasted soy and bajri versions which of course are no threat to the evergreen sesame dotted originals.
Along with these main show stoppers, palates will also be pleased with thapdas, kharkhariyas and suvalis making it a cracker of a package that tastes as terrific as it sounds.
With the changing times, Surti gals who run non commercial ventures from homes have polished up their culinary skills to present new goodies to treat the town with.Rakhi Dhamanwala the pioneer of the rich and famous cheese samosas will be conjuring up diet friendly desi dry snacks, while the naturally gifted gourmet Sonia Sahni will be belting out sensuous sinful brownies that are laced with international chocolates. The effervescent charmer Cheena Bhatia has plans to present Mint, Toffee, Truffle and other exotic chocolates in pretty packaging.
Surat sure seems set for a sugar and spice and all that’s nice season ahead.
The spirit of festivals in countries around the earth revolves mainly around its traditions and traditional food fare. Surat being no exception enhances its sense of celebration with home made goodies that disappear as soon as they are dished out.
Migrants who have waded into the city for a better monetary future often wonder why the average Surti, however wealthy , is so proud of something as simple as ‘Diwali nastas’ and displays it with such maternal pride. Over time, these very same outsiders not only get hooked on to the tasty treats but more often than not end up imitating the trend.
Now that the marigold strewn lanes of Tapi town have been witness to the crispy fafda and crunchy jalebi fervor of Dussera, Surtis are all set to devour sinfully smooth gharis as they swoon below the Chandi padva moon. The week after which, woks and pans in domestic kitchens will be sizzling with savories.
The easy to make ready to fry last minute versions that are commercially available might give instant relief to many Surtis who are mental slaves to the festive favourites but these packed to fry versions wilt in comparison to the heavenly home made treats. The successes of these receipes lie in the purity of their ingredients as well as the exact tactfully measured amount from granny’s days, which have been rolled down the ages.
Uptill the 1960’s, Surtis often got their own custom made batch of nankhatais baked at local bakeries, by providing their own wheat flour, sugar and ghee to small time bakers who made tray full of these sweet cookies and marked them according to the orders placed by segregating them with different stones! Variations in these were the ones prepared from plain flour, sooji and milk, topped with almonds.
The original Diwali treats of Tapi town are the Ghooghras- which are basically hand made plain flour dumplings deep fried in clarified butter stuffed with minced milk mawa, embellished with dried fruit and nuts, with a hint of cardamom.
The flaky ‘cholafali’-a spiral of fried chola and udad dal twists sprinkled with a sudden burst of powdered spice are originally from Ahmedabad, where kiosks sell this preparation as a tea time snack around the year.
The ‘mathiyas’-a melt in the mouth version of fried papad made from the flour of math and udad dal are an innovation from Patels of Anand and Vadodra from where till date the best versions of these in an uncooked form are driven into town.
The ‘chakris’ –swirls of spicy wheat flour bound with fresh butter crunchies , that are known as Murrukku down south in their rice flour versions also have a new fancy avatars in chatpata ,roasted soy and bajri versions which of course are no threat to the evergreen sesame dotted originals.
Along with these main show stoppers, palates will also be pleased with thapdas, kharkhariyas and suvalis making it a cracker of a package that tastes as terrific as it sounds.
With the changing times, Surti gals who run non commercial ventures from homes have polished up their culinary skills to present new goodies to treat the town with.Rakhi Dhamanwala the pioneer of the rich and famous cheese samosas will be conjuring up diet friendly desi dry snacks, while the naturally gifted gourmet Sonia Sahni will be belting out sensuous sinful brownies that are laced with international chocolates. The effervescent charmer Cheena Bhatia has plans to present Mint, Toffee, Truffle and other exotic chocolates in pretty packaging.
Surat sure seems set for a sugar and spice and all that’s nice season ahead.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
