In the 9 years I've been married to Gagan, his grandmother has showered me with more love than I can ever imagine possible. She is the one woman I aspire to be someday but even if I am an ounce of what she is, I'll consider my job done. For Dadima's (Hindi for Grandma) motto her whole life has been to LOVE.
That's it.. Plain and Simple - Unconditional Love!
She is over 80 but is so full of life it's amazing. And when it comes to skills, can I just say that she is a woman of 1000 hobbies! Seriously... be it knitting, crocheting, sewing, flower arrangements, gardening, decorating and last but not the least COOKING she ROCKS! I just have to spend 5 minutes with her to feel inspired and rejuvenated again. And the most amazing thing is that she still wants to learn more! She is continuously trying new recipes, new tricks.. .what not.
Which is why when I was in India last year and she showed me her recipe books and asked me if I would like them, I felt so honored, so special! I touched her feet ( it's customary to touch feet of elders in India to show respect and even though people don't do it anymore that often, I think its the most beautiful form of respect, providing you really mean it. ), hugged her and thanked her.
Her recipe books while not crammed with recipes (most of them are in her head, did I mention that she has super sharp memory!) are still very special. They contain not only the main entrees, but also herbal recipes for treating common colds, sore throat, indigestion and you name it. It's a mine of information. In the books are recipes for her legendary "Magic Masala" as we call it. Magic masala is a spice blend which she makes by carefully weighing and measuring 11 spices, roasting some and leaving some raw. The spice blend is then ground finely and added to prepared foods. We call it magic masala because you add it to any dish and it totally transforms it. It's like magic! Her recipe book also has clippings from newspapers, magazines from years ago. Basically it's something no digital cookbook can match.
So while flipping through the pages of her books, I came across this super quick chocolate cake recipe (eggless of course) which was cooked in the microwave and was ready in 10 (yes 10!) minutes. That night I baked that cake and served it to everyone in my family.
I can't tell you how many times I've flipped through the pages of her books feeling so much more closer to her. Sitting thousands of miles away from Dadima, I've figured out a way to bring her into my kitchen every month.
Each month I'll make something from her cookbook and call it a "Dadima Night". And no substitutions whatsoever!
So join me if you will in this journey of Traditional Indian Cooking at it's best - Dedicated to Smt. Vimlesh Rani ( Dadima ).
13 comments:
I enjoyed this post on many levels. To read about your love and respect for "Dadima." To learn a little about your traditional customs, and to see such a beautiful woman who surely can't be 80+! (And I notice she's wearing and also looking good in a similar color to your latest sewing projects!)
I'm looking forward to seeing the recipes and maybe even trying one (love Indian food). Thanks for this post which made me stop and think about my own dear grandmother, who taught me to sew.
Thank you for sharing your love of Dadima. You've been given such a gift with that cookbook. Is the recipes written in Hindi? I'm looking forward to you sharing recipes you try on your blog. How about starting with the cake recipe?
~Sherril~
Deepika...I enjoyed reading your wonderful post about Gagan's grandmother. Your post is an inspiration and I am glad you took the time to write about it...unconditional love. Thank you. :)
Sherril, yes the recipes are in Hindi in her own handwriting. Which is what makes it even more precious. Gagan, asked me once if I am going to convert it to English and retype the recipes in my ahem "digital cookbook" , to which I replied, no way! Her books are going to be preserved forever.
I will post the recipes I try here and I will of course type them in english to share with you all, cause that's another thing about Dadima, she never hides anything, she loves to share everything. I am sure she'd love it if her recipes are being used by you guys.
Debbie, you are right. She is wearing a different tone of teal and yes, she is lovely, isnt she?
Lindsay and 2BSewing, thanks for reading this post. And I am hoping to post one of her recipes very soon. Maybe I will start with the chocolate cake. Now, please know that this cake is not like the cake you all are used to but in a pinch it does satisfy the cake craving!
North Indian cooking is pretty healthful actually. There is not a lot of oil (actually they use Ghee - clarified butter in my mom's house and at my in-laws) and tons of flavor and lots of fresh veggies and different ways of cooking them. You will need some spices though which are easily available these days. I'll talk more about them as I try the recipes.
Thanks again for reading and commenting on my blog.
What a gorgeous lady your Dadima is! I too cherish the recipes that have been handed down to me from my grandmother and mother - I still have their recipe cards and browse through them occasionally. How lucky you are to have such a wonderful role model, too! Love is the "glue" that holds the universe together, no?
Awesome post, Deepika. It reminded me of how I feel about my grandma, even though she's passed away now. Makes me miss her, but brings back all of those wonderful memories. Thanks for the trip down memory lane and I'm glad you have such a wonderful person to cherish and great recipes to try.
Jodi
I didn't know you actually started your blog after all, can't wait to read more.
Oh Deepika, I'm really looking forward to seeing your Dadima's recipes. What a lovely woman!
What a lovely lady and how fortunate you are to have such a wonderful piece of her history. Food (family recipes :)) play such a large part of who we are.
Thank you for sharing with us.
I enjoyed reading your comments on this post. It was really nice to be able to share my thoughts and I am glad that this post reminded you of similar people you have in your lives. I haven't made anything from her books yet but I plan to as soon as Gagan returns from his trip.
that was such a heartwarming post. dadima is beautiful - cannot believe she is 80.
i would love to see the magic masala recipe. it's so easy these days just to pick up a box of readymade MDH masala's isn't it?
What a wonderful, beautiful and young wonam Dadima is!! What a gift she is to those who love her!!
Warm greetings,
Rhonda in Montreal
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