Asha’s recipe for success
. . . food, fashion and family
THE delicious smell of freshly made roti and sweet chai tea fills the air at Asha Maharaj’s flat in Dr Yusuf Dadoo (Broad) Street.
Dressed in her signature outfit, a sari, this time a mustard and maroon one, Maharaj looks completely in her comfort zone as she kneads and rolls dough into perfectly shaped circles, thereafter placing them on a hot skillet.
Within a few minutes she has already completed a dozen and moves on to the next batch.
“I get orders from people who want dozens of rotis, puri pathas and samoosas, among other delicious savoury and sweet treats, every day,” said Maharaj, 73.
“I am busy from morning to night but this is my passion. I make my own dough and fillings from scratch, using the freshest but simplest ingredients, which can be repeated at home.”
Maharaj spent the first part of her childhood in the tiny village of Nonoti on the North Coast and later moved to KwaDukuza (Stanger) at the age of 12.
“I recall my mother waking up at the crack of dawn to make stacks of rotis with a freshly cooked curry every morning for our family and extended family,” she said.
“I quickly learnt the skill as I watched her and began assisting her.”
The eldest of six children, Maharaj used to help her mother with chores, cooking and taking care of her siblings as she got older.
After completing her batch of rotis, Maharaj, who still looked as fresh as a daisy despite the long time spent in the kitchen of her two-bedroom home, eagerly pulled out an old Singer sewing machine.
The Singer used to belong to her mother.
She said she enjoyed sewing from a young age and had learnt the trade from her mother and aunts when she was 13.
Thereafter she studied domestic science (home economics) at ML Sultan Technikon in 1957.
“All our clothes were sewn at home and I found myself sitting behind the machine at a young age trying to make dresses and tops.
“I learnt how to sew my own sari blouses and even went on to sew my entire wedding outfit,” she said.
“Nowadays I turn old saris into kurti tops, which I donate to charity.”
When asked what else she held dear, Maharaj showed a big brass “lota” (pot) that was given to her on her wedding day.
The lota forms part of a collection of more than 50 different shapes and sizes of brassware lining shelves in her lounge.
“When a woman gets married she receives such gifts from relatives and friends. The gifts can be used as utensils when she goes to her new home after marrying.
“I also purchased many over the years. When people walk into my home this is one of the first attractions they see and I always give them one to take home as a souvenir,” she said.
Her bedroom closets hold about 200 locally and internationally designed saris in a variety of colours, shades, patterns and fabrics, all neatly hung up and ready to be worn.
Although she usually wears a long top and pants at home when she is relaxing and watching her favourite Indian soapies and movies, Maharaj loves to wear her saris when she goes out.
“Many of my saris were brought by my late husband Basil and my son Nishen.
“Whenever they travelled to either India or Dubai they would always return with a new sari.”
Despite being known all over South Africa for her Indian dishes, Maharaj said she had only visited India once.
“My husband had taken our son and I on holiday after he was admitted as an attorney. It was a wonderful experience,” she said. “But I am happier on home ground.”
In her home office, she keeps a stack of boxes filled with her cookbooks – she has written five – as well as clippings and photographs of her with celebrities, political leaders and artists.
That is her “little haven” where she sits down to write her books and sort out her recipe columns – which she supplies to newspapers, including Maharaj, who has lived in the flat for almost three decades, said she was recently gifted a property by her nephew from which she started a new venture.
“I love my garden. It is filled with different herbs including thyme, rosemary, dhania and basil. I spend much time there watering and turning soil while watching them blossom.
“I am also able to hold my cooking classes at this premises at least once a month.”
Maharaj has big cooking plans for Mother’s Day.
“Mothers have not only given birth to you, but they are also the ones who have made a difference in your life.
“I was greatly and positively influenced by my grandmother and aunts as I grew up and have also showered the same love and affection that I received on my siblings and nephews and nieces,” she said.
“This Mother’s Day I hope to bring all family members together at my home.
“I will be cooking a spread, which will include seafood, meat and vegetarian dishes as well as sweet dishes, making sure there will be enough so that everyone can take food home. My goal is to make sure everyone is comfortable on the day.”
Maharaj makes it her mission to cook for the poor.
“It is sad to see how many people are without food and living on the streets. I feel their hunger pangs, so once a week I will cook a big pot of curry, either beans or other vegetables with roti or rice, and go downstairs to the corner of the road to feed them.”