Heeng, Asafoetida

Spice no. 17 

Heeng! is a beloved spice in the Indian household. We don't grow the plants which are from the parsley family and leaves look similar to fennel leaves and Dill. I cannot imagine my life without asafoetida as children we grow up hating the sulphuric smell but learn to appreciate the benefits in our tadka. Eating Dal  everyday without heeng would have caused bloating. In the scenario of limited access to water and unclean habits prevalent across India asafetida was always kept aside in the kitchen as an antidote to indigestion. 

Strange that this clump like thing sold in tiny cubes or rocks are light to hand. This makes one wonder what it is? Well it is the sap that comes out of the the rhizomes and solidifies into brown lumps. A 4-5 year old tree of the Ferula asafeotida having a decent sized tap root is ideal, the rhizome are exposed and slashed to let the sap ooze out and form the resin lumps. The fresh resin smells very strongly sulphurous. This is exactly what is desired flavouring in our Indian food. The best quality comes from Iran and Afghanistan. Lahaul valley in Himachal is now being used for cultivation. One single plant gives only 500 gms of Heeng hence the cultivation and production makes it an expensive spice. Since Heeng is very strong in flavour and aroma it needs to be used with care and hence commercially it is sold as compound with wheat or rice in the form of powder. This compound also make asafoetida economical for home use.

While most spices came via the sea brought by the Merchant ships asafoetida is credit to be brought to Indian via land over the Hindu Kush mountains by the army of Alexandar. 

We have now reached the end of the Masala trail. We have gathered all the spices that are desired and now let us make Koli masala with these. Yes all these 17 spices are included in my community's masala including Agri and East Indian bottle Masala. Our masalas are similar with slight variation and preferences from family to family. 

After grinding the masala and filling the jars and bottles don't forget to drop a small lump of heeng. The Masala has to last a year on the shelf!

ShahJeera, Caraway Seeds

Spice no. 16 

ShahJeera by the name you might feel we have jeera then what is this Shahjeera why is it used in a blend that has jeera already? To add to the confusion the name causes they even look similar but they are not the same. Look close Jeera is lighter brown where as Shah jeera is darker in color. The seeds when held closer will reveal that Shahjeera is a delicate slightly curved seed. This gives it the biological name Carum curvi. Whereas Jeera is Cuminum cyminum.

Jeera or Cumin as we know imparts a very strong flavour and aroma for more subtle uses Shahjeera is prefered choice. Shahjeera is used in Mughlai dishes and Persian influenced cuisine in India. This Shahjeera is cultivated in Middle Eastern countries and Europe. Finland alone grows 25 % of the worlds Caraway seeds. These are used in Germany, France and Russia to flavour breads, casseroles and desserts too. 

In India however the use is limited to savouries and pickling. It is tastes similar to licorice and feels like a cross of cumin and fennel. It works as a carminative and hence important in folk medicine.

Shahjeera grows wild in the upper north region of India like Leh and Kashmir.

JASHN e DASTAAN e MUMBAI 18-20 Dec2020

The Mumbai Research Centre is pleased to announce that its three day festival Jashn e Dastaan e Mumbai starting TODAY will now be free for all citizens. We have received generous sponsorship and that has made it possible for us to remove the paywall.

We are thankful to our sponsors and ready to welcome all Mumbaikars to the festival of the stories of the city. Respective Zoom links for the three days are attached alongside. Voluntary contributions towars conservation and digitization of the library will be highly appreciated.

18 December — https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85068219267...

19 December — https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86830188456...

20 December — https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86517781780...

Lavang, Ruang, Krambu, Cloves

Spice no. 15 

Lavang in Marathi and sonically variant names in others states. In English Cloves, which traces the origin of the name to nail. It does look like one and it has fascinated the whole world with this shape and everyone fell short of creativity, so all names refer to the nail. Well if the shape was so fascinating so were the properties of this spice. Its ayurvedic properties as an anti-bacterial, anti-septic, anti-fungal and analgesic makes is much sought after across the world.

Cloves are synonymous as tooth ache reliever. Since ancient times mothers have told their children to hold a clove on to the tooth that is aching. Cloves have  a very high concentration of essential oil in it. While a whole clove is ok to be used. Clove oil if used directly can give a burn it is therefore always used diluted with other oils and the quantities used are tiny. Cloves in India and China have always been used as mouth freshner in royal courts. In India one of the components of paan is clove. It has many poetic references too in our literature. 

Yet again this spice is not native to India but comes from the island of Maluku. The sweet smell of this spice growing in the islands attracted seafaring traders. Yet again it was the Arabs and then the Europeans that were attracted to this region. The Dutch controlled this spice for long time just like they did the nutmeg. In a  sad turn of fate Maluku lost its top producer title to the Mozambique islands and now it is Mozambique that exports cloves to Indonesia for the manufacturing of clove flavored cigarettes that their population is addicted to. 

Clove tree is an evergreen tree and the spice that we see is the flower bud. Picking cloves is fascinating and high skilled. The flower buds goes through color changes from pale yellow, pink to bright red when ready to be plucked and only the red ones is the bunch have to be plucked for best quality. 

Cloves are considered heat causing spice and therefore a component of garam masala. The fragrance of the spice and its tenderizing property sees its use in meat preparations. I have also seen cloves used as an aromatic spice in desserts especially in the South. Bengal has a dedicated sweet to this spice the Labango latika, a type of khaja with the clove nailed into it!

Tamal patra, Tej Patta, Karuvaela, Birinji Ilai, Indian Bay leaf

Spice no. 14

Tamal Patra is a Sanskrit name of the fragrant leaf derived from the Cinnamomum species. In English is called Indian bay leaf and that causes confusion. Both are different species. Tamal Patra is reminiscent of Cinnamon and clove while Bay leaf which is botanically Laurus nobilis is pine like with bitter notes. This happened due to the colonizers rediscovering these spices and naming them as spices they knew from old records. 

Bay leaf is found in Sikkim and north east area and the Himalayan region of Nepal and parts Burma. However is is collected from wild trees than systematically grown trees. Hence the quality is random. 

Tamal patra is associated in a big way with garam masala and therefore meat. No wonder that it features so much in Mughal culinary whether it is the biryani, qorma or the pulaos. The Bengali, Mithila and North and North Eastern used these leaves since ever but the West of India was introduced to it only recently. 

Tej patta while it is popular as a spice it is extremely popular as a perfume. So a large percentage of the world's production of Tej patta is used for perfumery.

Yet again we know that Mumbai's strategic location as a port is what made spices available in this region.

Badian, Chakraphool, Anashuppu, Takkolam, Star Anise

Spice no. 13

Star anise is the prettiest of all spices. A favorite of the food-stylists. The spice is a dried fruit with 7-8 pronged shape. Each of those petal like shapes has a smooth seed. The whole fruit is used in flavouring alcohol like mulling wine. The flavour of star anise is similar to fennel and therefore used to substitute its flavour many times. 

Star anise acts as a tenderizer for meats hence used mostly in non vegetarian dishes. Star anise is rich in Shikimic acid and therefore 90% of it is used to extract it. This shikimic acid is the base ingredient for making the anti influenza drug Tamiflu.

This species of Illicium Verum is grown in North East Vietnam and South West China. It has a very limited cultivation in Arunachal pradesh. This spice is popular across the world and via spice trade has landed in use in Mumbai and Koli cuisine. Since it is used in powder form and never whole in curries it adds to the body of flavours.

Nagkesar, Cobra Saffron

Spice no. 12

Nagkesar or Cobra Saffron is a strange name but indispensable in Ayurveda due to its large range of use in ailments related to the gut such as vomiting, fever, migraines and even urinary tract infections. It is an important component of Chyavanprash. Strangely it is a very popular ornamental evergreen tree in Srilanka and is therefor also the national tree.

Nagkesar is ground along with other spices to get blends but never used singularly. The Nagkesar tree is commonly found across South East Asia and is used in local medicine beside the hard word is also sought after.

The taste of Nagkesar is like all spice. It is not to be confused with tailed pepper or Kabab chini which looks similar but varies in flavor.

Masala Velchi, Badi Elaichi, Doda. Black Cardamom

Spice no. 11

My first introduction to Masala velchi was when my mother bought a packet of whole garam masala for making biryani. Biryani is not a Koli dish at all not even a fish Biryani but certainly it is from our Koli-Arab neighbor's repertoire who are known as Konkani muslims. I recollect due to this Velchi being so huge my mother always used a potli to tie the masalas. The resultant Biryani was mildly fragrant and it never got shunned. Masala Velchi has a truly notorious reputation of overpowering the flavours and unappealing physical appearance too. It is overpowering as it is very smoky due to the drying process that blackens and lends smokiness to the spice. It is dried in chambers of woodfire for long hours over days. This Badi elaichi is grown only in Sikkim in India. Sikkim however does never use it in its traditional cuisine. The spice is traded by Marwaris and so no wonder that Rajasthani cuisine uses it liberally and calls it lovingly Doda. This spice however has an association with meats and hence rarely will you find it used in Sattavik food. 

For the Sweets and Sattavik food it is the green Cardamom and even though they belong to the same Zingiber­aceae family the flavor profiles are different. Black cardamon tastes smoky and camphor like while green cardamom is sweet and minty cool. Green cardamom is  grown in Kerala in the hilly regions and is the predominant spice in their sweets. While the green cardamon grows in alternative alignment on the rhizomes Black cardamom is seen in red drupes. The taste of fresh plucked black cardamom is unlike its dried version whereas fresh green cardamom tastes similar.

Black Cardamom has a singular medicinal property, it used for digestive disorders in Ayurved and Chinese traditional medicine.

Mirchi, Mensinkai, Milagai, Mulaku, Lonka, Chili

Byadgi

Spice no. 10

India is synonymous with Chili, was it always like this? Was our food always this spicy? I think credit to a lot of articles in the media and television shows we have got to know that Chili came to India only less than 500 yrs ago.

So colonization and spice trade completely got India addicted to Chilies so much so replacing the Miri and Pippli. Our heat giving Black pepper and Long pepper. How incredible is this replacement. The Portuguese are credited to bringing chilies to Goa and the cultivation and propagation has been so rapid that today India grows 25 types of Mirchi. If that is impressive you would guess how this easy growing crop has covered the entire world and there exists 4000 varieties of chilies today. 

Chili heat is due to Capsaicin a chemical that send the signal of pain to the brain it therefore is different from Piperine in Black pepper. The measure of the strength of Capsaicin in Chili is measured by dilution in sugar solution and the unit of measure is Scovilles or Scoville Heat Units. The higher the dilution higher the strength. India's Naga chilies from the North boasts the honor of being one of the hottest chilies in the world. There are competitions held in the North East to celebrate Naga chilis or Bhut Jhalokia as it is known locally. Here the participants rub the chilies on their eyes! Talk of subjecting oneself to torture.

Chili though became popular Southwards from Goa it travelled to the North of India only 250 years after with the Maratha Empire. No wonder the Northern food is milder than Southern food when it comes to chilies.

Chili gives color, heat and has a lot of benefits for blood circulation and as much as it gives pain it counters pain in the body hence its use as an analgesic. Infact in rural communities applying chili powder on bruises is a common first aid. 

The famous Chilies however are from Guntur, Byadgi, Kashmiri. Andhra Pradesh produces 75% of India's chilies, so the reputation of the hottest food in the state.

Kolis use 2-3 types of chilies in their masala and here you see the Byadgi and Kashmiri.

Kashmiri

My Father and The Mexican farmer

Baba and Me in the sugarcane field in 2013 on the highway in Kolhapur

Baba is aging now. He has been the leader of our joint family. We were a small family of three. My mother and me made so many compromises well I did not have a choice but my mother did. Yet she chose to take care of the family. In a joint family everyone makes sacrifices big or small.

Dad always wanted everyone to study well. He would come back from work and teach us. He was working 3 jobs at his peak yet he made time to sit with us to study. There were 8 children in the family. What made him choose to do this? Parenting is such a thankless job. Only when you become parents you learn or do you?

The reason I put a pic of us in the field is because the Mexican corn farmer's story is playing on my mind. The story goes that this particular farmer grew the best corn. So several researchers were curious to know his secret. He divulged it after probing much and it was simple, sharing his seeds was his secret. Since corn requires cross pollination to give a good harvest and best quality it is a must that the pollen should be good. So for miles he shared his seed with other farmers whose seed wasn't of high quality. That ensured that his corn was the best. I see my Dad as that farmer. He shared his resources, effort and knowledge with everyone. Hoping that the pollination was good. When some one makes progress he is the happiest in the knowledge that now there is no dependency of the neighboring farmer for seed. They have their own seed. Flourish you all!

🙏 Gratitude 🙏

Cassia and Cinnamon, Dalchini, Tuj, Karuvapatta

Spice no. 9

Let me start with Cassia because that is what we use in Indian cuisine. Dalchini which means a branch or twig from China. That is where the first uses of Cassia are seen. Cassia is used as a medicine for respiratory and circulatory and antibacterial effect. The flavour of the aldehydes in Cassia are sharp and pungent. This is the external bark of the Cinnamomum cassia. In the Indian cuisine meat and poultry dishes use Cassia. It is a garam spice so a component of garam masala. It helps make meat better for consumption as it is a blood thinner and lowers cholesterol. 

So since the Cassia belongs to genus Cinnamomum, it is confused with Cinnamon, the sweet spice that makes all baked goodies nice. However the use of sweet Cinnamon is mainly in the West. In India it is never used in sweets. This sweet Cinnamon is grown and harvested only in SriLanka. Those beautiful quills or sticks of Cinnamon perfectly cut into international standards of 4.2 inches long are painstakingly done by Cinnamon harvesters by hand. A horseshoe shaped blade is used to first scrape the hard exo bark and then get to the smooth layers of bark which is hand quilled and dried. Due to this process the Ceylon Cinnamon in much more expensive than the Cassia that Indians are used to. However for all commercial bakeries they use Cassia. Indonesia is also a producer of cassia cultivars.

So there now you know that Dalchini is not Cinnamon.

Dhana, Coriander

Spice no. 8

What you see here in the picture looks like a seed that we call Dhana or Coriander. That however is a fruit and almost always mistaken to be the seed. I learnt this when I started growing Coriander in my Window box. The first time they did not sprout inspite of soaking them overnight. On research and talking to my agriculturist friend Nilesh Malekar I learnt that the seed is inside the hard ovoid fruit. So he told me to use a rolling pin to lightly crush the fruits and bare the seeds inside to aid germination. This makes us realize the effort in propogation of this plant that we love so much across India. 

Dhana is grown majorly in two states in India one is Rajasthan and the other MP. However Dhana is not a dessert crop. It needs a well hydrated soil but nevertheless is intense in this dessert land like no where. While Dhana is used widely in the Northern and Southern states it is agreed that everyone like a bite of  dhana in their bhajias and kababs but in curries we love the mellow woody fragrance from the powder. Fresh ground is always better. 

While the seeds are so popular nothing beats like hara dhaniya showered over everything in our Indian cuisine. Our sole pan Indian garnish! The leaves have that loving aroma but actually the aroma intensifies in the stem and roots. While in India we don't see much of the root being used. I was surprised to see it used in Thai cuisine. 

When I have tourists who come for my cooking sessions. Most declare they hate Coriander leaves even before they reach my home. They complain about the soapy taste blame it on their extra gene that is sensitive to aldehydes. However I trick them and show them how the cilantro that they desist when added in the tadka can flavor the dish so subtly. 

Our Indian cooking is truly alchemy. We use spices to give heat and then we use coriander to reduce that heat. Coriander soaked in water is a digestive. In pickles dhana is the one that balances heat and also acts as preservative. The Egyptians knew this in 1500 BCE but then this is one spice which finds presence is Greek history records as old as 7000 BCE. Coriander seeds are found across the world and it doe give a feeling that this grew really wild.

My favorite uses of Coriander are rough crushed that lends beautiful aroma to the dish while the powder gives body to curries and sambar. Cilantro is Spanish word but the Portuguese are the bigger user of it after India.

The most unique usage of Dhana is its dal as a mouth freshner and we must thank Gujarat for processing it and making it popular.

Jaiphal-Javitri, Nutmeg-Mace

Spice no. 7

Jaiphal-Javitri, Nutmeg-Mace these are the twin spices obtained from the same tree. The story of Nutmeg and Mace is fascinating. It was available wild only in Banda Islands for centuries. The fragrance of which first attracted seafaring traders. First Indian and then Arabs and finally the Europeans. The Dutch controlled it for a long time. When there is control then there is unnatural prevention methods of propagation but nature rebels and birds carried the seeds of the nutmeg to other islands. India was among the early cultivators. Since it came via Javanese traders it got the name Javitri for mace.

The Nutmeg that we know is the seed. The mace is that network like aril covering the seed. Good quality nutmeg when cracked is red and on drying the color fades to a light orange if its yellow it has lost most of its volatile oils. The nutmeg seed is similar to a bettlenut with light and dark network of veins. The darker veins are the ones laden with essential oil. Commonly nutmeg is used by grating the seed and using the powder to flavor meat and fish. Kolis don't use nutmeg in their masala but use mace. Yes we are smart as mace is milder and cheaper yet has the same properties. Mild usage is key in the case of nutmeg and mace as it is a heat producing or garam spice. Hence you will find it prefered to be spinkled over shrikhand. So it does not cause mucous in the body. The Europeans use it in their soups and sweets too. Excessive use of Nutmeg and mace has psychotropic effect. Maharashtriya people enjoy their milky coffee with a sprinkle of jaiphal. Wonder if it perks up or causes a daze.

Connecticut has the moniker of the nutmeg state since there was rampant creation of fake nutmeg from wood which became a popular term for fraudsters to be called the wooden nutmeg.

The semi hard pulpy fruit of the nutmeg is used to make jam however that is a recent development.

Grenada is another place where nutmeg and mace is grown on large scale and gets a place of pride on their flag.

Badishep, Saunf, Sombu, Variyali, Panmohuri, Fennel

Spice no. 6

Badishep or Saunf is a fragrant spice. We love to eat it as a mouth freshener. Commonly confused to be a seed when it is actually a fruit. Fronds of Fennel are sold in the market and near schools. I am sure many of us have memories of chomping on them while in school.

Fennel as a spice is used for its aroma, flavour and ayurvedic properties. India is the largest producer of fennel and also a big user. It is used both in savory and sweet preparations. Kashmiri Pandit cooking stands out for its indispensable use of fennel. In Koli cuisine we use fennel in our meat dishes a little more than fish recipes. Kolis believe that fennel makes a dish aromatic but it does not preserve that well. The volatile phenols are what give it flavors like licorice, mint, etc. In Ayurved Fennel is considered cooling on the body. Its use as a breath freshner is not just cosmetic, it also works as a carminative and purgative. Hence fennel is chewed on after a meal. It is added in paan as one of the many ingredients. Fennel is used in pickles however this must be purely as an aromatic and antidote for chili used as there is no mention of it as a preservative. A tissane is made to treat the gut and we know its use in gripe water for colic in babies.

Fresh fennel fruits are a delight but even its spiky looking green leaves are used in parts that grow it. Fennel bulbs are use in European countries as a crunchy vegetable. 

It is grown in Southern Europe and Asia. India grows 60% of the worlds fennel.

Next time you eat a Malpua find the fennel in it and feel proud of India.

Blessed With A Brother

This meal was cooked for Vijay Bhau and Mangala Vahini in gratitude for all that they do for me.

I don't think I have mentioned this here before I am blessed with a brother not of blood but love that has grown over 45 years. Vijay bhau came to our home when I was a toddler. He was my family friend's son and he was brought to Mumbai to continue his studies after his Std. X.

As a kid I was very mischievous so he was my punching bag. He was my protector outside the home and also who made me tough unbeknownst. I played with his group of friends, I learnt never to take it lying. He used to come to school to pick me up and I wouldn't budge until he bought me an icecream from Yankee Doodles. 

My Aai loved him a lot and so did he, he called her Kaki. He was the obedient son and I the difficult one. He helped my mother in every chore. My mother taught him everything from making chapati to cleaning the home to shopping for vegetables and even haggling with the bhaajiwalas. She always gave his example to me that he was so good at all the chores while I refused to learn these things as a kid.

His life has been challenging but he did not break. He went through everything like a warrior. His wife and our Mangala Vahini has supported him quietly and like a strong pillar. He has taken care of his blood family consisting of 2 brothers and 2 sisters. Educating his younger brother and getting his sister married. One of his sister was a heart patient who he took care of till she was alive. He has made sacrifices for the other brother that he should be indebted to all his life. However life always throws a googly people for whom you sacrifice the most are the most ungrateful ones.

He suffered ill health few years ago and I feared if that would have a long lasting impact on his life. I am glad that he is back to his energetic self again. Last week he and Mangala Vahini spent time with me, it definitely made me happy. Both Vijay bhau and Mangala Vahini are my rocks. They are the ones who rush to be my side and I don't even need to call out to them. I count my blessing and pray to God may this bond grow ever sweeter 🙏