APRIL 2021

THE GANDHIAN CANDIDATE

COVID: A LESSON IN HUMILITY

PAKISTAN’S GREEN CHALLENGE INSIDE TAKING ON TIKTOK PLUS SAVING WATER AND HABITATS The Irrepressible AASIF MANDVI FOOD | SEEMA

BINDU GOPAL RAO

ood served as prasad Vishnu temple at Srimushnam has in temples may seem a confection prepared from the commonplace in India. sweet root korai, which is dear to However, across the Varaha, the boar incarnation of country there is a whole Lord Vishnu.” new spectrum of cuisine that is Of course, most people know of as mind boggling as it is diverse. the famed Tirupati laddu which FEvery kind comes with a touch is made every day in the inner of spirituality, which adds to its kitchen by 30 cooks, who use tons mysticism. In India, temple food of urad dal, sugar, ghee, raisins, has always held a special place cashew nuts and cardamom to in the hearts of the people. Food make it. At the Dharmasthala served as prasad in temples may temple in Karnataka food is seem commonplace in India. served to several thousands of people every day. One of the most HISTORICAL CONNECT elaborate preparations of temple K.T. Acharya in his book “The food is at the Jagannath temple Illustrated Foods of India,” says, in Puri, Odisha where every day, “It is usual in the Hindu temple to thousands of persons manning prepare foods that are first offered 750 stoves and ovens, turn out to the deities and left in their hundreds of varieties of dishes. presence for a while to satiate this “Using and wheat, and Sudha Tilak, author of “Temple Tales,” spiritual hunger. Thereafter, the their flours and grits, urad dal, a book on the many unique aspects food becomes a sanctified prasad. indigenious vegetables, related to the temples of India, which is distributed or even sold to and spices with cow ghee as the including details about its food the assembled devotees. In South cooking medium, the Gods are India the Padmanabhaswami served ritually five times a day,” , and some food historians temple, in Thiruvanthapuram has notes Acharya. say the ubiquitous masala dosa had a special avial that uses traditional its origins in the Udupi Sri Krishna vegetables, fresh and DIVERSITY IN DIVINITY temple in South India.” coconut oil and no mustard seeds. Sudha G Tilak, author of Often there are colorful legends The Ganesha temples of Kerala “Temple Tales,” a book on the and myths associated with the have the unni-, which are many unique aspects related to temples and reasons why certain spongy brown fried pieces, made of the temples of India, including foods are offered. A selection of Japanese temple foods served at Edo, a mélange of rice powder, banana, details about its food shares some the Japanese specialty restaurant at ITC Gardenia and jaggery. The Muruga interesting experiences: SPIRITUAL CONNECT DIVINEDIVINE in Bengaluru temple of Palani Hills has its own “The Annapurna temple in Interestingly, apart from India, panchamrita of crystal sugar, Varanasi is the story of how food temple foods are also popular honey, ghee cardamom and fruits is nourishment for humans and in countries like Japan, Korea, (bananas, dates and raisins), which good life in India. The mahaprasad Vietnam and China. does not go rancid, even after six in the Jagannath temple in Odisha Nimai Pandit, founder of Gopal Spurred on by foodies, weeks. The great Vishnu temple of is a huge catering operation by the Farm, a 120-acre farm in New Paltz, PLATESPLATES Devarajaswami in Kanchipuram temple kitchen; Chappan bhog NY, in the Hudson Valley, has plans high-end restaurants in India has a prasad of a giant idli, weighing consists of 56 food items offered in to open a restaurant next year in a kilo and a half (3.3 pounds). temples to the god Krishna in Uttar collaboration with Chef Hari Nayak are beginning to serve This is spiced with pepper, jeera, Pradesh. The women of an entire focusing on temple foods. ginger and asafoetida fermented village gather to cook sweet rice at “I was trained at ISKON’s Hare traditional temple fare with curd and then steamed. The the Attukal Bhagawathy temple in Krishna temple in Bengaluru,”

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Amit Patra, masterchef, Edo, ITC Gardenia Bengaluru

TEMPLE CUISINE IS DOMINATED BY SOYA PRODUCTS. IT IS BASED ON THE CONCEPT OF NON-VIOLENCE I.E. AHIMSA AND INCLUDES SMALL, PORTIONS OF SEAWEED AND UNDERWATER MUSHROOMS SUCH AS MOZUKU, KOYADOFU, ABURAGAE AND THE VAISHNAVAS mindful eating is what makes consumption very different. There YUBAAND. ARE KNOWN are various advantages of this cuisine, such as gaining focus, based on principles and wisdom TO OFFER FOOD losing weight and clearing of Ayurveda on the one hand and one’s mind to strengthen derived from ages of practices and TO THE GODS concentration,” says Amit rituals across Indian temples on Pandit says. “The Vaishnavas Patra, masterchef at the Edo the other. I addition, the dishes are known to offer food THAT IS THEN Restaurant & Bar, ITC Gardenia. are topped up with infusions of to the gods that is then immunity boosting ingredients distributed as prasad that is DISTRIBUTED SEASONAL FACTOR such as cinnamon, curry leaves, a way of purifying the food. While eating seasonal may tulsi, ashwagandha, giloy, triphala, In New York, in fact we have AS PRASAD be in vogue in the culinary gooseberry, ginger, nutmeg a Michelin star restaurant THAT IS A WAY circles, Hindu temple prasad and turmeric. that specializes in Japanese or food offerings are unique According to Anushruti RK, a temple food called Kajitsu that OF PURIFYING as they have always used local food writer and recipe creator at serves Shojin Ryori menu, a and seasonal produce. Varr in Divine Taste, “The food cooked vegetarian menu originally THE FOOD Rishikesh is a new restaurant in the temples of India (with the served by Japanese Buddhist that offers a thousand-year-old exception of a few Shiva and Kali monks.” Shojin Ryori cuisine history of Indian temples on a temples) are based on Ayurvedic is a combination of various Bengaluru, hosted a food promotion plate. principles of Sattvic philosophy, flavors and simple processes event to break the myth that The service sequence, audio making it good for the body, which makes it so unique. Japanese cuisine is mainly non visuals and small rituals will mind and soul. Food cooked in The most simplistic form of vegetarian. The master chefs at ensure customers gain a new the temples of India is made with Shojin Ryori is the traditional ITC Gardenia dug deep into this respect for Indian culture, says fresh ingredients which are locally Buddhist cuisine that spread historic cuisine to bring out the Tarun Gulati, director of the sourced with recipes dating back through China in the sixth authentic flavors. Temple cuisine Himalayan Hotels & DJUBO to hundreds of years making it century. Like the Saatvik is dominated by soya products. It Hotel Tech Suite , pointing out delicious and healthy at the concept of cooking in India, is based on the concept of non- that the food relies on healthy same time.” temple food in Japan is largely violence, i.e. ahimsa and includes ingredients, both locally sourced And as the pandemic continues, driven by the idea of eating small portions of seaweed and and delivered by select vendors it is perhaps time we reconsider Nimai Pandit, founder of Gopal Farm, a local and seasonal produce. 120-acre farm in New Paltz, NY, in the underwater mushrooms such as across India. Anushruti RK, a food writer and recipe our diets. After all, the lessons of Edo, the Japanese specialty Hudson Valley mozuku, koyadofu, aburagae and Menu planning and selection creator at Divine Taste the past can serve us well in the restaurant at ITC Gardenia in yubaand. While there is no set rule, of ingredients for Varr are present and the future.

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