WINTER-TIME OUT-OF-TOWN OFFERINGS AT EXHIBITIONS…at the Indian Artisan Bazaar at Bal Bhavan grounds in Panaji there were lots of quality temptations. Including all kinds of papad, namkeen, pickles, post-meal digestives…from Rajasthan, Gujarat, Bhramapur (Orissa). Delicious and welcome but consume in small portions only, for they are high in salt, sugar, spices, with or without oil!
By Tara Narayan
JANUARY is as cold as what December too used to be at one time in Goa! Weather patterns are certainly changing. This is the season when capital not-so-smart town Panaji hosts several out-of-town exhibition sales. Gone are the days when I would do the rounds of all these exhibitions to shop somewhat to my heart’s content!
These winter time exhibition sales can be very enticing with their very quality conscious range of all kinds of household goods…be it attire (think of this county’s amazing collection of cotton, silk cotton, Mysore silk or the north-eastern tasser silk, with words like Maheshwari, Chanderi, Kanjeevaram buzzing in the mind), traditional costume jewellery, mojdi footwear, terracotta magic lamps from Rajasthan and this time around at the Indian Artisan Bazaar of arts, crafts and handlooms going on currently (till Jan 28) at the Bal Bhavan grounds down the Campal promenade.
AFTER a long time I found myself spellbound anew by our range of savoury crunchies, papad and pickles! Here at one of the stalls were all kinds papad small, medium and large, of rice and sago and lentils, and even potato papad. Who can resist a crisp roasted black pepper-flecked papad which some imaginative eateries serve as exotic hors d’eourve or appetizer side dish while waiting for the main meal to arrive…sometimes the papad dry or roasted and served with a topping of fresh salsa of chopped tomato, cucumber, onion, green chilli, green coriander-mint leaves sprinkled with chaat masala. It’s one way I suppose one gets to eat an enzyme enriched first course, never mind how salty the papad may be! The papad are, not the good ones.
You know these days we are constantly warned about cutting down on salt and refined oil, quite simply because have been proved in countless studies to pickle body beautiful’s arteries or cardiovascular system…and so heart disease is the numero uno killer of our well-fed and over-fed times.
But few can resist the add-ons at meal times in most homes, the side-helpings of papad, pickle. We have such a wide variety of pickles, I’m sure no other country has our kind of variety of either pickles (achaar or papad). I also know folk who make a meal of roti or rice and pickle! Add to this the array of sun-dried wadi or spiced-up nuggets which are actually said to be protein-rich, but they are fryums and acquire their tantalizing flavors only after the deep frying in god alone knows what oil. Most of us no longer use pure single oils for frying purpose but have these fusion oils which I dare say are deadly – the hydrogenated fats or the ever popular junk food oil of palmolin oils. Well, our collection of wadi dunked in buttermilk curries or served plain deep-fried are said to complement a humble meal, make it come alive.
NO Indian meal is complete with our side-helpings of “papad, achar, farsan.” At one time I kept telling myself salt and oil are two things to shun for they’re bad for my heart but recently I got very tempted by the sight of these savoury crunchies and pickles at the aforementioned Indian Artisan Bazaar and couldn’t resist buying some of the exciting “tongue-touchers.”
Prices have certainly gone up but the aonla done in mint chaat masala and also “aonla hing” (aonla being Indian gooseberry, quartered and dehydrated judiciously, jazzed up with asafoetida chaat masala). These are very scrumptiously done, Rs100 per 100 g but most agreeable. Then there were the crunchy savouries or “namkeen” from Rajasthan – mesmerizing, the tilpara, shankarpara (sweetish and saltish), bakharwadi, even sandwich bakharwadi, methimuthiya, dry kachori, and even things like bingo chips, soya sticks, chocolate biscuits, ragi biscuits…the guy here assured me some of the namkeen were roasted as in “air-fried” and so more health-conscious to eat, please buy! The bajra tilpara were very flavorful and I bought some, they got over quickly later in the day between office staff and me (I wished I’d bought more)!
The pickles of Rajasthan and Gujarat are piece de resistance and their traditional names roll on the tongue like “chundo” (sun-dried green mango marmalade-styled pickle), “gor keri” (sweet mango nuggets), a bit of the Rajasthani “bharwan” fat red chilli pickle can make an austere rice or kichadi meal terribly enriching…you may drink buttermilk afterwards to cool down. A little bit of pickle also cheers up a steam cooked recipe of say what we Guju call “bajra no lot” or “papdi no lot” and my favourite is “patuda no lot.” Maharashtrian homes have their “jumka” and “pithla” of gram flour.
FINALLY, what about all the salt, refined oils and spices in all our pickles and crunchy savouries? True, salt sends one blood pressure zooming up but the idea is to eat small, don’t make a meal of pickles and crunchies like many of us tend to do oftentimes in hungry or some damned cussed moments! It’s worth remembering that the salt is an essential ingredient in our diet and sea salt is the oldest and best. Then come the other fancy salts of Himalayan rock salt and black salt and other salted blends said to be better or best. Never mind all that.
It is the potassium in salt which plays an important role lowering blood pressure, improving bone health, muscle tissue growth, stabilize blood sugar and fluids in the body, etcetera. Body beautiful needs salt to function but to err on the side of eating too much or too little leads to many a health problem. In today’s mod con urban lifestyles we consume too much salt and oil, it’s there in all our junk foods. Salties do pickle the arteries in various degree…go read up. The hidden dangers of salt and the refined oils over a long time can take a toll on blood pressure and blood vessels. We know that if we’re educated!
Historically, salt is a preservative of food and it is there in most breads, cereals, cured meats, sauces, condiments, cereals, chips, crackers and soups. On one hand it’s high salt concentration which prevents bacterial spoilage of food and on the other you may not freak out on papad, pickles and other salty foods. Be cautious and prudent, I’ve been telling myself with my newly re-discovered passion for farsan and pickle from Rajasthan!
DO check out the different kinds of salt from natural sea salt to natural pink rock salt to natural black salt with their different texture and flavour. These silky cold of January I feel like living on soups or mildly savoury “amti” dal of Maharashtra or the Guju “tur dal” with its hint of a cinnamon sweetness. I can’t find a good Italian minestrone anyway so will have to make it at home myself…green peas are in the market as are piles of white radish and all the greens of the season.
Recently while making a tomato soup at home I found myself adding too much salt and felt my pressure zooming! Overeating on salties suppresses the renin-angiotensin system of body beautiful which regulates blood pressure and sodium levels. Many studies have proved that higher intake of sodium is associated with death from heart disease.
Hey, we’re supposed to consume no more than half to one teaspoon of salt daily! I’m trying to do what my friend Jaya does. Jaya of “Jaya’s Kitchen” at the Dona Paula Circle in Panaji does the best ghee masala dosa and sometimes I end up here for it. Her chutney with peanuts is very agreeable too, and they serve real south Indian filter coffee here. When I discovered this place I was fascinated by this little drop of lemon-ginger or gongura pickle she would add with every meal on the menu…just a drop, the pickles are utterly desirable. She also sells them if you are interested. Home-made pickles made with love are hard to find. Either we can taste the love or the indifference or hate in food we eat, or so I always think!
The sourish gonguru pickle is a south Indian favourite, it is made from the sour leaves of the ambade or roselle fruit. Once upon a time I used to make sandwiches lined with gonguru or mango pickle, slices of cheddar cheese – made for a terrific combo. No, no butter. Still, I dare say we are constantly choosing between two or three or a myriad evils these days to put body beautiful on self-destruct mode.