Reviving grandma’s recipes
THERE ARE RECIPES THAT CAN BE TERMED TIMELESS, BUT NOT MANY FIND THE TIME TO RECREATE THEM WITH THE SAME EFFORT AND MAGIC
My hunt to find special and unique recipes often start with my grandmother, who comes from a place called Kodungallur in central Kerala. These dishes used to be popular 30 to 50 years ago among the Muslim community but have now disappeared from the dining tables. Although I remember my grandmother preparing them, I had to research a lot and ask around to find people who could tell me the ingredients and method of cooking.
Fruits used in these dishes are seasonal and available only for four or five months. So, not surprisingly, these are made with a view for longterm preservation.
It is not hard to understand why these dishes are no longer popular. They need time and (wo)manpower to prepare. It must have been easier in the joint family set-up.
Even though Kadachakka (better known as breadfruit) is available all around the year, people don’t find time or take effort to make the elaborate dish with prawns and coconut milk. This dish is ideal with red rice. It has the richness of fried coconut paste and the tanginess of tamarind.
What makes the second recipe — the mango seed pancake — special is the fact that it is made with something that people throw away these days. Back then, people made it a point to utilise every part of a fruit or vegetable. This again is a time consuming dish as one has to soak the mango seed for upto five days. The entire mango seed is not used but the shell is cracked to extract the soft edible seed inside. I had only heard about this dish until I decided to prepare it myself. Even today, only a handful of people know the recipe of the mango seed pancake. Apart from its mouth-watering taste, it has health benefits and is very good for digestion. The Manga Thera or Mango Candy has a long shelf life. Back when every household had a large backyard, mangoes were in abundance. During summer, the Manga Thera was prepared to avoid wastage of good ripe mangoes. The writer is Sous Chef — Banquets, Holiday Inn, Kochi