kahte jao khate jao...

"I am married to a marwadi jain family and I know how much ghee and sweets they eat," said the dietitian. I dint know if it was a compliment or insult. I give her a smug look with a grin on my face. She understood that this guy is hopeless.

Having been born and brought up in Nimar/Malwa (region around Indore) and spent most of my life there, food comes as a natural obsession for me. Aakhir hamara janam hi khane ke liye hua hai. Childhood was full fun coz of the variety of home made food we used to eat. Each festive season, the whole family would gather at one place and then there would be a lavish treat for everyone. Everything home made, and being Jain it also meant No aloo (potato), pyaj(onion) etc. So a variety of green vegetables, mixed and matched in all types of permutations and combinations, fried with pure ghee (that too homemade) served hot with different kinds of bread (roties and parathas). No three course meals, everything and anything at one time. There would be at least 4 cups in the plate and one with sweet outside the plate. yummm...I miss those days a lot.

One more really special fact about that time was that we never went out to have food. Only occasionally we would see face of a hotel. Anything you ask for, it will be prepared in the home. No spending extra money on unhygienic food. I still remember how we used to pataofy our parents for a meal out. We never cherish good things in our hand you know. Now when I live away from my home, I miss those homely treats a lot.

We Jain's have a uncanny taste for trying out new things. Let me give you an example that would bowl you out. During the summer season, mango can be found in every house. Green mango is used to make achar (pickle). The ripe one is used in a way that nobody can ever think of. Take a look here.
First thing you can make from Mango is Mango juice. A inevitable part of lunch during summer at our house. So you use mango pulp for making this juice. But what about the chilka(skin) and guthli(the seed). Do we throw them away? No way... Clean and wash them and then dry. Now we make sabji of them. Trust me I never liked those Sabjis when I was there, but now when I eat them, I just feel proud of my mom and my food culture. I know you still cant digest this fact. This summer my mom is planning to come to Bangalore, I would invite you for such a treat then.

Whenever I go home now, my mom would be all prepared for the same treat. All the pickles (mango, lemon, dates, red chilly, green chilly, mix, amla) would be in place, properly decorated near the dining table. Papad (moong, chana, joovar, chaval, kela) always handy for that extra pinch of taste along with the ravishing meals. Day starts with a hot cup of tea (she could never make me drink milk at home, while I drink one full glass here in Bangalore), served with some home made biscuits and sweet/namkeen. There would be atleast 5-6 types of namkeens available on any given day. Lunch and an early dinner (Jains don't eat after sunset you know) are always completed with sweets and namkeens. I forgot to mention evening snacks and the late night nashta. Eat eat and eat.

continue...