GROW, COOK & EAT TALES OF RICE AND MORE

Sreedevi Lakshmi Kutty 2 GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE

Published by : Consumer Research Education Action Training & Empoverment Trust ( CREATE ) 76,2/84, Melachathram street, Paramakudi, Tamilnadu, INDIA 623707

This publication was made possible with the support from Bread for the World (BftW)

Campaign Office : Thanal,OD - 3, Jawahar Naghar, Kowdiyar, Thiruvananthapuram - 695003, Kerala, India Tel : 0471 2727150 Email : [email protected] Website : http://indianricecampaign.org

Year of Publication: 2018 Printing Press : Akshara offset, TVM-1 Illustrations : Praveen p Design : Ananthu S Kumar GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE 3

Foreword :

his book is a collection seeds back into the agrarian landscape, Tof the writings of a food we believe it would not have hap- enthusiast, activist and literally a pened without the consumers adopt- good food evangelist, whose vistas on ing many of them back into their food expanded more than ever before cuisines. Traditional food is hence an when she walked into the Save our important pathway to seed conser- Rice (SoR) Campaign as a consultant. vation. As Wendel Berry succinctly And in a decade of her in- puts it, “Eating is an agricultural act”. volvement with the Campaign, she We would probably stretch it and say literally opened up her kitchen to the “Eating diversity is a conservation large and sometimes unfathomable act” as well. diversity of our edible crops, re-dis- covered traditional cuisines and prac- We hope that through these tices, ate as well as fed people with it, articles the reader will be able to better and then as any evangelist would , appreciate the large diversity of crops she started talking and writing about and food, ranging from the hundreds it. Some of that featured in the main- of varieties of rice, millets, cooking stream media, to be read by people styles, those less used fruits, leaves who actually understand that kind of and vegetables that exist in this part food, or have to understand them. of our country, the need for safe and diverse food, farming, cooking and We are very happy to present the interconnectedness of it all. this book, which is a compilation of So, these articles published during the Pick up the book. Pull up a chair. Give last few years. The Campaign in its into the taste, endlessly diverse, eter- twelve year journey has discovered nally delicious. that one of the most significant fac- R Ponnambalam, Honorary Co -ordinator, tors to ensure successful conserva- Save Our Rice Campaign & Managing tion of agro biodiversity is for people Trustee, CREATE. to actually appreciate and consume agro-biodiversity. And hence even as the SoR Campaign boasts of having revived a thousand indigenous paddy CONTENTS

01 loving rice

1. Rice to the occasion 8 2. Heritage in every grain 10 3. Seed festivals promote seed conservation 13 4. Eating our way to rice diversity 18 5. Beyond Basmati 20 6. Who is afraid of red rice? 22 7. The desi version of a healthy soup 24 02 Eating Diversity

1. The big deal about the small grains 28 2. Eating from trees 30 3. Jackfruit, jack of all tastes 32 4. The mango with a beak 35 5. Muringa memoirs 37 6. Eating it with flowers 40 7. Make the ordinary exotic 42

03 Being Organic 1. Black and beautiful 45 2. The colour of the skin 47 3. Pottering with pots 49 4. Bugs in my dal 52 5. Eat organic 53 5. Memories of peanut farming 57 GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE 5 Loving Rice

he Save Our Rice Cam- ties, the properties, the challenges, the Tpaign has been a turning losses, nothing mattered to us. point for all of us involved with the All that changed for us in the Campaign. Most of us who grew up Campaign. We began identifying rice in rice growing and consequently rice varieties by their names, we began eating families had by then lost our talking about the taste and texture intimate connection to growing pad- on one hand and season and dura- dy, even though we continued eating tion and growing conditions on the copious amounts of rice every day. other. This evolution manifested in Growing paddy had been relegated myriad forms within the Campaign. to a few hapless farmers, who had no The Campaign encouraged and mo- choice but to farm for their livelihood, tivated seed saver farmers to become in the face of mounting losses. It was seed conservers, conserving over 1000 as if none of us had to worry about varieties of paddy ranging from red how our rice was grown, what kind of to white to black to brown. The Cam- rice varieties were grown, what it cost paign brought to light good agro- to grow it. We also became mere con- nomical practices of many innovative sumers of rice, a commodity that we farmers, promoting it far and wide. brought home from a shop; the varie- We worked on localised seed banks 6 GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE and rice diversity blocks for in situ sumers is critical to diversity on the conservation. We celebrated field days farms and fields. It is only if we ‘eat and seed festivals to bring seeds to the our way into rice diversity’ will farm- farmers and food festivals to attract ers grow it, so the responsibility lies consumers to traditional rice varieties. with us fair and square. The variety Each of us involved in the and diversity of scented rices in this Campaign became rice evangelists. land is beyond imagination, ‘Beyond Personally for me, this growth and Basmati’ gives us a glimpse. In the understanding manifested in prepar- conservation work one of the greatest ing, eating, becoming an evangelist learnings was that much of our diver- and marketing these rice varieties. sity, particularly in the South was in Below are a few articles that red rices, which may have contribut- were published by the mainstream ed to our robust health in the past. print publications. ‘Rice to the oc- These were always part of our casion’ talks about the now almost diet, however, now we have developed iconic rice diversity block maintained almost a fear of them. ‘Who is afraid by us in Wayanad that has become of red rice?’ talks about the role of red a kaleidoscope of colour, variety and rice to protect diversity and preserve scents attracting birds and people our health. Kanji, the most popular every growing season. The ‘Nel Thiru- version of rice gruel that was the sta- vizha’ that the Campiagn has institu- ple of most rice growing regions that tionalised in Tamilnadu is featured in has now become a rarity is featured in ‘Heritage in every grain’ and ‘Seed fes- ‘The Desi version of a healthy soup’. tivals promote seed conservation’. Our Below are my rice tales ! engagement with diversity as con- GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE 7 Rice to the occasion This Pongal, celebrate Nature’s bounty by trying out some indigenous varieties of rice.

hen we began our rice- rices. What we need to do is to wel- Wwith- bran experiment come these back into our homes and 10 years back, I proudly presented the diets. It is easier said than done, with unpolished, small grained organical- all of us having become accustomed ly grown Komal rice from a friend’s to fully polished white rice. farm near Mumbai; our son looked at But on a misty, chilly Decem- his plate and balefully asked, “Can we ber morning, with the dew drops on have some normal food in this house the grass soaking our city shoes when for Sunday lunch?” From that not so we walked to reach the rice diversity great beginning we have become a block in Panavelly, Wayanad at the household that relishes Kuru- Thanal Agro-ecology Centre va from Kerala, repeats I saw Rajamudi fully from Kar- nataka, re- grown spects paddy the plants, deep sway- red Map- ing in pilai Samba from hues Tamil Nadu and re- of green, veres the dark as the night Karup- yellow, red , pu Kavuni. We find the universal, rust, brown and purple and heard the unnamed, polished white rice quite cornucopia of names, Thondi, Kala bland, having got accustomed to the namak, Mullan kazhama, Jeeraga distinct flavours of these rices. saala, Burma black, Kuruva and the The fully polished white rice stories accompanying them. This rice that we get in the market is not the diversity block with 219 varieties is paddy rice our forefathers ate. They one of the many maintained by the ate the flavourful, hand pounded rices Save Our Rice Campaign, working grown locally during season. We have across six rice growing states to con- a rich cornucopia of rices ranging serve and promote traditional rices. from white to red to black to scented Every year sees more rice farmers 8 GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE from across the country joining the fragile health. My farmer friend tells ranks of seed savers, conserving our me that when grown in the plains it rich heritage, to ensure protection of loses its fragrance. Almost all varieties our diversity, food security and to have distinct nutritional benefits; for create insurance against the vagaries example the famous Navara rice is of climate change. Interestingly most known for its medicinal properties of these varieties do well under organ- and is used extensively in Ayurveda. ic/natural conditions. Traditional pad- Pongal is upon us and it will dy varieties are impressively climate be time to celebrate nature’s bounty. resilient, Kattuyanam is flood and This is the best time to welcome these drought resistant. Ottadayan takes all traditional rices into our plates. These of 180 days to mature but grows seven would lead to a colourful and varied to eight feet tall providing plentiful pongal array- a ven pongal with Kicha- fodder whereas arupatham kuruvai, di Samba, Thuyamalli or Rajamudi as the name suggests, matures within rice ( a rice from Karnataka favoured 60 days providing short term income by Wodeyar kings), a sakkarai pongal to the farmer. with one of the scented rices like Jeer- What is good for biodiversi- aga Samba, Gandhasaale or Mullan ty is also good for health and eating kazhama, a payasam with Karuppu these traditional rices is a route to kavuni. With the accompaniment of good health and promoting agro-bio- organic jaggery, cashew nuts, raisins, diversity. Sundararaman Iyer, a well green gram dal and delicious pepper known organic farming guru says, from the Western Ghats, make it a ‘we all complain of micro nutrient healthy and tasty Pongal. and mineral deficiency while eat- ing the same food year in and out, if This article was originally published in The Hin- du, Metro plus edition of Coimbatore on January we eat different rices across the year 09, 2017 we could get many of the micro nu- Link:http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/ trients we require.’ However, there food/Rice-to-the-occasion/article17012918.ece are many misconceptions about rice including that it causes obesity and is the cause of diabetes, and conse- quently there is an en masse exodus from rice to wheat or millets. Gand- hasaale, my all time favourite rice, grown in the Western Ghats, known for its fragrance, reminds me of my father every time we cook it. This was the only rice he relished and could digest in his last few years while in GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE 9 Heritage in every grain Paddy farmers from across Tamil Nadu and neighbouring states congretgate at the 12th Annual Nel Thiruvizha at Thiruthuraipoondi

el Jayaraman, Tamil cow dung and filled with paddy seeds NNadu State Coordinator alongside a photo of agricultural sci- of the Save Our Rice Campaign, stood entist and environmental activist tall, unmindful of the heat, greeting Nammalwar. The idea was to create people and keeping an eye on the awareness about traditional food and preparations. The 12th annual Nel seeds. The seeds were brought in and Thiruvizha brought together thou- placed reverently in front of the hall, sands of paddy farmers from around signalling the beginning of the Nel Tamil Nadu and a few Thiruvizha, organised from neighbour- by the Save Our Rice ing states as well. Campaign and other The wedding hall in groups. Thiruthuraipoon- The thiru- di was a sea of vizha has become colour with farm- an integral part ers in white vesh- of the agriculture ti and shirt with a calendar of Tamil bright green thundu Nadu farmers. It is thrown over their no longer an event by shoulder, and the Save Our Rice alone. It women in bright has become a public saris. Youth volun- event with local peo- teers were everywhere ple from in and around — managing logistics, serving food Thiruthuraipoondi and Thiruvaroor and water and manning the registra- participating in large numbers and tion desk. paddy farmers coming from all cor- People who came early were ners of the state. witness to the rally that began from An enclosure with 12 tonnes the centre of Thiruthiraipoondi town. of seed was the focal point of the meet- A handsome Kangeyam calf was led ing. The thiruvizha is the high point out, followed by a bullock cart with of the year and sharing these seeds is vegetables, fruits and other crops, a sacrosanct. Jayaraman reeled off facts basket made of straw, plastered with and figures, “We were ready with 12 10 GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE tonnes of seeds across 164 traditional en traditional varieties (Kattuyanam, paddy varieties. We multiplied large Kuzhiyadichan, Kudavalai, Panang- quantities of Karuppu Kauni, Map- kattu kudavalai, Poongar, Sigappu pilai Samba, Jeeraga Samba, Thuy- kauni, Garudan samba).” amalli, Poongar, Kullakar, Kichadi Usha Kumari, who has led Samba and Kuzhiyadichan. By the the Save Our Rice Campaign since end of the second day, approximate- its inception, remarks, “Seed saving ly 11.5 tonnes of paddy seeds were and conservation is an integral part distributed to 5742 farmers. Farmers of agriculture. They lost favour with also returned around 3.5 tonnes of the introduction of high-yielding seeds. This is a system of barter based seeds and commercialisation of seed on honour. We give each farmer two production as part of the Green Rev- kilos of seed; they bring double the olution. In the process our wealth quantity back the next year. Almost of traditional varieties was lost. The 60 per cent do this. Many share the thiruvizha is not only a reminder of seeds with their neighbours leading to what we have lost, but also of what we a multiplier effect. Every farmer signs can recapture. The conservation and a pledge that he/she will grow the revival of traditional paddy varieties seeds though organic methods”. has become an imperative with cli- Farmers collect paddy varie- mate change causing havoc in agricul- ties and also return varieties that they ture. We have to revive these resilient had taken earlier and multiplied. The traditional varieties and introduce event has become an annual meeting them into the fields.” point where farmers growing tradi- These farmers and seed con- tional varieties of paddy using organ- servers are not rich. They battle ad- ic techniques meet fellow sojourners, versity every day. They are challenged share notes, listen to speakers, visit by climate change, lack of water and exhibition stalls with seeds, books, a market. Yet they have decided to food products and agriculture imple- adopt organic paddy cultivation and ments. to conserve traditional varieties. Ponnambalam, one of the They have found that these pillars of the campaign, reminisced, traditional varieties, which are our “The first thiruvizha was inaugurated heritage, could be their saviours in by Nammalwar in 2007. Adirengam these uncertain times. In the process, village, eight kilometres from Thiru- they have become the saviours of thuraipoondi town, was the venue these seeds that, if not cultivated sea- and the meeting was held in the pad- son after season, could cease to exist. dy fields lying idle post-harvest. We Saving rice welcomed the 147 farmers with sev- In December of 2004, 150 ac- GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE 11 tivists working on agriculture paddy-growing states of and environment came Kerala, Tamil Nadu and together in the small pic- Karnataka and then turesque village of Kumbal- moved to West Bengal angi near Kochi, in Kerala, as well. Twelve years lat- to discuss the future of er, the seed conserva- paddy farming. Usha tion work has been Kumari and Sridhar adopted by tens of Radhakrishnan, who thousands of paddy led the campaign, farmers in the four travelled around meet- states. ing people working on seeds, organic farming and This article was originally published in The Hindu, Met- farmers and The Save Our ro plus edition of Coimbatore on Rice Campaign emerged June 02, 2018 Link : https://www.thehindu.com/ with the objective of conserv- life-and-style/food/paddy-farmers-from-across- ing rice ecosystems, sustaining rice tamil-nadu-and-neighbouring-states-congret- culture and diversity. In 2006, the gate-at-the-12th-annual-nel-thiruvizha-at-thiru- thuraipoondi/article24064829.ece# Campaign began work in the three 12 GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE Seed festivals promote seed conservation: The Nel Thiruvizha in Adirengam

here is renewed interest festival. Tin conserving seeds and Genesis of Nel Thiruvizha growing traditional paddy varieties The seed festival which has among the farmers in South India. become a prominent event for many The annual seed festivals have played paddy farmers in Tamil Nadu, had a significant role in bringing about its humble origins in 2006, two years this change. This initiative by Save into the Save Our Rice (SOR) cam- our Rice Campaign has resulted in paign in India. improving agro-diversity of paddy, The CREATE team, an NGO, re-introducing healthy red rice into that runs the SOR campaign in Tamil the diet and also rebuilding the ger- Nadu, began its seed conservation mplasm of climate resilient paddy work under the aegis of Mr. Jayara- seeds. man, the Tamil Nadu State Coordi- May 25th, 2013 was an oc- nator for the campaign. Initially, the casion for celebration for farmers in team just began collecting traditional/ Tamil Nadu. It was an occasion for cel- indigenous paddy seeds from various ebrating biodiversity in paddy. More groups and growing them in their than 3000 paddy farmers from all training centre at Adirengam village. the 32 districts of Tamil Nadu joined They began with three varieties of the two day paddy seed festival in paddy seeds including the famous Adirengam village in Tiruvarur dis- Jeeraka Samba. The team had no idea trict in Tamil Nadu. about purification of seeds or the se- Besides exchanging infor- lection process. Seed multiplication mation and experiences, farmers also and conservation was the focus. shared 61 traditional varieties of pad- In 2006, the idea of a seed dy, largely brought from Tamil Nadu, festival originated to bring together Kerala and Karnataka. Farmers in the interested paddy farmers. The first festival share seeds in good faith that Nel Thiruvizha (paddy festival in Ta- they will cultivate the seeds organi- mil) was born. Organised during the cally, share the seeds freely and return month of May, the first gathering in double the quantity during the next 2006 saw 425 farmers who chose from GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE 13 sixteen traditional paddy varieties. mil magazine on agrarian issues. This Two kilograms of paddy seeds were brought considerable attention to the distributed to all the farmers. existence and need for revival of tra- As Mr. Ponnambalam, Trus- ditional paddy seeds. It aroused the in- tee, CREATE says, “The seed festival terest of many farmers who read the was not the result of a long term plan story. The interest on traditional vari- or strategy. The festival was a result eties grew. Today, around 2000- 3000 of the interest of the SOR team to in- farmers cultivate Aruvatham Kuru- volve the farmers in the village and vai variety. Similarly, Kattuyanam surrounding villages in the indige- and Mappilai Chemba are two other nous paddy cultivation effort; then it varieties which have gained immense took a life of its own, growing bigger popularity through the campaign. each year. The late Dr. Nammalvar, Growing seed diversity the legendary organic farmer in Tamil Tremendous efforts are re- Nadu began talk- ing quired to multiply and conserve about it at seeds. Seed festival provides an every meet- opportunity for farmers ing and slow- to share and multiply ly the word traditional varieties. spread.” The Though, ini- festival and tially only seed con- some servation farm- work grew ers who organically took with Jayara- seeds from the man taking the festival cultivated, now, lead with guid- most farmers collect the seeds and ance from partners plant them. Every year, more number of the campaign and many other seed of farmers return double the amount savers. of seeds taken from the seed festival. Further impetus for the festi- Among the 61 varieties being val came with coverage in the Tamil distributed, some are more popular media. The story of Aruvatham Ku- than others. According to an analysis ruvai (a paddy variety which matures done by SOR, it was observed that in 60 days, as its name suggests), the 19 varieties are most popular, which seeds of which were procured by SOR include Mappilai Sambha, Jeeraka from a farmer in one of the meetings Sambha, kattuyanam, Kattu ponni, and multiplied over years, made a Aruvadam Kuruvai and others. Farm- cover story by Pasumai Vikatan, a Ta- ers have reported good yields for the 14 GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE

Varie- Year Total Farmers ties 2005-2006 16 425 2006-2007 26 1116 2007-2008 28 1629 2008-2009 47 2016 2009-2010 51 2320 2010-2011 53 2860 2011-2012 (Nov 2011) 61 2900+ 2013 63 3000+ Table 1: Number of farmers who procured seeds during the seed festivals Source: PADDY, July 2013 traditional varieties they have grown pouring from numerous organiza- and have observed high resilience tions and individuals. Many organ- during adverse climatic conditions. izations and individuals have been Sometimes SOR made extra supporting the festival and the two efforts to multiply seeds. For instance, day event has seen many illustrious in the last two years, when the Kaveri people come to address the farmers. belt in Tamil Nadu was reeling under Many banks including NABARD drought, the SOR team had to lease- have been supporting the festival in land with irrigation facility to pro- since many years. Presently, the gov- duce the required quantity of paddy ernment is also showing interest. Last seeds for the festival. year, the agriculture department took Growing popularity the responsibility of sending invita- The festival has gained tre- tions to farmers across the districts of mendous popularity among farmers Tamil Nadu which resulted in farmers with the 2013 festival witnessing being represented from Kanyakumari farmers coming from Kanyakumari to Thiruvallur. district in the south to the Tiruvallur The support from farmers is district at the northern tip of the state. also worth mentioning in organizing Starting from a little over 400 farmers this event. Though initially farmers in 2006, the number of farmers partic- did not bear the costs, gradually they ipating in the festival has increased to started paying an entry fee to cover more than 3000. some costs. The entry fee which was With growing popularity, the Rs 10, has been increased to Rs 50 and support for the festival has also been to Rs.100 last year. Inspite of the fee, GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE 15 there has been tremendous response reap around 32 bags of paddy (each to the festival. Now the festival is so bag containing 60 kilos) these farm- much in demand that in the last two ers are on an average spending 5,000 years small seed festivals were held in as input costs and reaping around other districts to reach farmers who 24 bags of paddy. In addition, their could not attend the seed festival at paddy fetches 1,200 rupees per bag as Adirengam. against the Rs 800 that conventional In addition to the thousands paddy fetches in the open market” of farmers who come directly, many says Jayaraman. However, the sad re- more thousands are involved in or- ality is that the Government does not ganic paddy cultivation, by further procure traditional paddy and pro- sharing of seeds. In many cases, a cures only high yielding varieties or farmer from a far away district comes hybrids. on behalf of more than one person. Many families of small farm- ers earn their livelihood by processing Outcomes traditional red rice, creating value Save Our Rice Campaign added products and selling it. Further, The Save Our Rice campaign many people in Tamil Nadu across was initiated in India by Thanal (Ker- different cross sections of the society ala) with CREATE (Tamil Nadu), Sa- have started talking about traditional haja Samruddha (Karnataka) and Liv- red rice and its benefits. Anecdotal ob- ing Farms (Orissa). Subsequently the servation is that now supermarkets in campaign also moved to West Bengal many or most towns are stocking red in 2009 with a new formation called rice, a marked change from the times the Save Our Rice, West Bengal. The when one would find only white rice. campaign is founded on five objec- Also, another interesting outcome is tives: that all the paddy farmers who are (1) conserving rice ecosystems growing traditional paddy varieties, (2) sustaining rice culture and diversity the seeds of which they had collected (3) protecting traditional wisdom during the festivals, are now using (4) preventing GMOs and these varieties for home consumption toxics and (5) ensuring safe and nu- too. They also preserve some quanti- tritious food. The groups have been ty for special occasions like weddings working in their respective states on and festivals. Earlier, most of these all these areas. The farmers who are paddy farmers sold the paddy they cultivating traditional paddy through grew and bought white rice from the organic means are finding a distinct market for household consumption. economic advantage as well. “While According to Usha, the Na- conventional farmers spend around tional Coordinator for the SOR cam- 15,000 – 20,000 rupees on inputs and paign, “The interest shown by farmers 16 GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE to grow traditional paddy is encourag- plasm of climate resilient paddy seeds. ing. It shows that farmers still value their traditional agro biodiversity and This article was originally published in Leisa India Magazine ,May 2013 given a choice they will adopt it. The Link: https://leisaindia.org/seed-festivals-pro- experience of these farmers also shows mote-seed-conservation-the-nel-thiruvizha-in- that these varieties have a great poten- adirengam/ tial for good yield, quality in terms of nutrition and climate resilience”. The traditional seed festi- val has achieved the very important purpose of popularizing traditional paddy among many farmers all over Tamil Nadu. There is a clear revival of traditional paddy cultivation and renewed interest in conserving seeds and growing them. This is a great step in improving agro-diversity of paddy, re-introducing healthy red rice into the diet and also rebuilding the germ GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE 17 Eating our way to rice-diversity

ecently, studies have es- I lived in different cities in Rtablished that the causa- India and abroad and bought polished tive link to diabetes is with “polished white rice. I was concerned about the white rice” not any rice. It is increas- quality and price, beyond that I didn’t ingly being established that unpol- think it mattered. Moving to Mum- ished red and brown rice do not cause bai, I found that the south Indian diabetes. stores provided red rice; sadly, this Rice is my soul food, what I was red only in name and appearance. long for when I am hungry and what The colour washed off like from a bad I miss when I don’t get it. Belonging fabric! to the post-green revolution Paddy Problems generation, white It was at this rice came into juncture, as part of our family my work with agri- pretty early culture and food despite liv- issues, I got in- ing in the volved with the land of red ‘Save Our Rice’ rice, Kerala. campaign. It was When we at this time that were young, the spread of diabetes my great grand- in India, particularly in the mother who cultivated our ancestral south, began to be associated with the paddy lands used to send us unpol- consumption of rice. ished parboiled red rice. When she Recently, studies have estab- became bedridden the lands were left lished that the causative link to dia- fallow, eventually sold, and the mon- betes is with “polished white rice” not ey used to buy a then much-coveted any rice. It is increasingly being estab- refrigerator, prompting my moth- lished that unpolished red and brown er to say, “we sold our rice-growing rice do not cause diabetes. In fact, red lands to buy an ice-box to store stale- rice is known to have many beneficial cooked rice!” health effects and is also nutritionally 18 GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE superior. I have also come across other Watching and sharing the di- rice varieties like the ‘Rajamudi’ rice lemma of the farmers, I realised that used by the Wadiyars of Mysore, we as consumers have a role in reviv- the fascinating variety named ‘Tha- ing rice. valakannan’ (literally means frog’s To save agro-biodiversity, we eyes) which is favoured by temples in have to eat diverse foods, thereby pro- Kerala for preparing beaten rice flakes moting their cultivation and propaga- and ‘Njavara’ rice that is recommend- tion -that is exactly how rice consum- ed for diabetics. There are rice varieties ers will become rice savers! that are good for lactating women and Whither Rice-diversity numerous rices with medicinal prop- We, in India, are rich in rice erties as well. heritage and had till about 40 years Why don’t we unearth some back over 1,10,000 varieties of rice; of the indigenous rices we have and now we are down to about 6,000 vari- their uses and find innovative ways eties, according to Dr Debal Deb, one to cook them for our families? In of the foremost rice savers in India. Karnataka, farmers are conserving Why do we need this diversi- around 140 varieties of rice, in Tamil ty? We need it to keep the robustness Nadu, around 40 varieties are distrib- of the crop and diversity aids the evo- uted every year through a seed mela, lution of stronger and more adaptable groups in Wayanad are trying to con- varieties. serve traditional varieties used by the And how do we protect this tribals, even in Thane, Mumbai, over diversity? Simply by growing and a hundred varieties of rice are being eating. The more varieties of rice we conserved. all eat, greater the range of varieties ‘Natabara Sarangi’, a rice saver farmers will grow season after season. in Orissa, conserves 310 varieties. But, Rice Delights we need more rice savers who relish During the last few years I traditional rice, to conserve the most have eaten various kinds of red rice - valuable grain known to mankind. raw and par boiled with full bran or partly removed, the fragrant ‘Gand- This article was originally published in The New Indian Express, edition of Thiruvananthapuram hakasala’ from Wayanad, the smell of on 04th July 2012 which tempted my aged and ill father Link : http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/ thiruvananthapuram/2012/jul/04/eating-our- to eat rice after many days, ‘Mullan- way-to-rice-diversity-383400.html kazhama’ - a lovely flower-like rice which makes delicious ‘payasam’ and the small grained brown rice called ‘Komal’, cultivated by Susheel an or- ganic farmer and a good friend. GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE 19 Beyond basmati Over 300 fragrant rice varieties are being rescued from obscurity and extinction by committed farmers

I saw this beautiful paddy, illness and good health. It is delicious “golden yellow, with a red- in payasam and a friend who made dish awn swaying in the wind. It is Malabar biriyani with it can’t stop that vision that attracted me to seek raving. Its cultivation had dwindled the seeds and grow it. Then I fell in to almost nothing but has now been love with the aroma and taste. Now I revived by a handful of committed grow acres of it and convince others organic paddy farmers in Wayanad. to fall in love with Mullan kazhama .” Mullan kazhama is just one That is Rajesh, activ- example. The Indian sub continent ist-turned-organic farmer describing is a treasure trove of scented rices how he fell in love with Mullan ka- with every region having its own fa- zhama paddy. Paddy fields, the rice vourites. With my involvement with and the verdant paddy land- the Save Our Rice Campaign, I scape are indisputably began to see beyond Basmati. among the most It all began with Gand- beautiful sights hasaale, which grows on earth. in Wayanad , Ker- Till ala, and some hilly a few years regions in Karna- ago, we taka. I came across knew noth- the slender, beauti- ing about ful Jeeraga Samba after Mullan kazhama we moved to Tamil Nadu. rice from Wayanad or any I began hearing paeans other scented rice variety except the about Gobinda Bhog from my col- ubiquitous Basmati. leagues in West Bengal, and tasted Unconventional variety this small-grained fragrant rice from Mullan kazhama is a rather West Bengal only last year. An organ- unconventional scented or aromatic ic farmer friend in Pune introduced rice variety, neither long nor slen- us to Ambe Mohar, a scented rice der. Instead it is rather round with supposedly favoured by Chatrapati an amazing taste and aroma. Today it Shivaji. Tulaipanji from West Ben- appears regularly at our lunch table. gal, Kaala jeera from Odisha, Chinnor It is my spouse’s favourite food in from Madhya Pradesh, Vishnu Bhog 20 GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE from Chhattisgarh, Badshah bhog of they are generally low-yielding. Eastern India, the aromatic black rices It is not only humans who are Chakhao amubi and Chakhao poirei- addicted to aromatic rices. Birds love ton of Manipur... the roll call has only them too. A farmer from Wayanad just begun. explained how the gandhasaale fields Committed and passionate have to be protected as the birds The revival of these scented swoop down to pluck the tender fra- rices is happening due to a small num- grant grains from the stalk. ber of committed, passionate farm- The flip side is our ignorance ers and campaigns/groups working about this treasure trove and our sin- on seed and diversity conservation. gular pursuit of Basmati to the exclu- They have sion of the scrounged Rice facts scores of lo- and found lost • Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh have cal varieties. seeds, worked over 350 varieties of fragrant rices, while This has led to build mar- Odisha has 50 documented varieties. to a sad situ- kets where ation where • Almost all scented rices were accessible none existed, only to the royalty and not to the com farmers in and educated mon man in earlier times. South India the unaware or Eastern • Gobinda Bogh is categorised as a Khaas about these Dhan or special grain and is the chosen India try delicious rices. offering for Lord Krishna. It is great desperately Eat- for payesh , and used for Janmashtami and at great ing and cook- offerings, pujas and festivals. financial ing these rices • Gandhasaale is much favoured in Tamil risk to grow is far better Nadu and used extensively for making Basmati to when grown pulavs and other dishes during special garner con- organically. occasions. sumers and The aroma is markets. As also depend- consumers, ant on certain factors: cool tempera- it is only our conscious choice of se- tures during and after flowering stage lecting these local scented rice vari- and use of farmyard manure, manual eties that will motivate farmers to de-hulling among others. grow these instead of pursuing varie- Complete enjoyment of these ties unsuitable to the climate and soil. rices can be derived if one is around while the rice is being cooked. The This article was originally published in The Hin- du, Metro plus edition of Coimbatore on June aroma wafts around the house and is 30, 2017 almost like an appetiser. Scented rices Link: https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/ tp-features/tp-metroplus/beyond-basmati/arti- tend to be relatively expensive, as cle19183050.ece GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE 21 Who is afraid of red rice?

Make the pretty red grains a part of your daily meal, as the much-maligned red rice is actually a healthy choice

Try it,” I urge my friend, rice grown by my great-grandmother. “who is sceptical of making She sent us freshly milled rice once idlis with red rice. She is of the school every two months. that believes that rice leads to weight Once I moved out of Kerala, gain and causes diabetes. I send her red rice became a memory and pol- some ponmani red rice and ask her to ished slender-grained white rice the make idlis. “Three is to one, if you are norm. But when I began re-exam- using a mixer; four is to one if it is a ining my food choices, I decided to grinder,” I advise. bring red rice back. As She grumbles part of the Save Our a bit saying no one Rice Campaign, I at home likes it and learnt that most of that the grain is too the South Indian bold and it takes too traditional vari- long to cook... the eties are red rice list of complaints varieties. is interminable. But Since the re- she makes the idlis and vival of paddy seed work began in the I have a convert. Cauvery Delta region in Tamil Nadu, She is not alone in her mis- farmer families have reintroduced red conceptions about rice. Many people rice into their own diet. While they think rice is the fount of lifestyle began eating red rice as it was easily diseases. But it is not. The culprit is available to them, today these farmer not the rice, but the kind we eat. We families are well aware of the health polish it and strip it of its bran and benefits and cooking properties of process it so much that most of its the kattuyanam, sigappu kauni or minerals and vitamins are lost. kullakar grains and recommend it to Red rice had sort of disap- visitors too. peared from my table too. It made its “What pretty pink rice!,” ex- second appearance into my life in my claimed a little girl to whom I served mid 30s. As a young child, I ate red some red rice and she promptly pol- 22 GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE

My name is Red! What is parboiled rice? Tradtional red rice is grown widely When paddy is parboiled and dried in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karna- and then milled, the resultant rice is taka (Sigappu kauni, Kattuyanam, called par boiled rice. This is a combi- Mappilai samba, Kuruva, Thondi and nation of the words partial and boiled. Thavalakannan are a few of them) The process involves soaking the Red rice, minimally processed, has grain and cooking the paddy within more micro nutrients and B complex the husk. It is then sun-dried to re- vitamins than the polished rice move the moisture. It also leads to the Ayurvedic physicians in ancient transfer of nutrients in the bran to the times used these varieties as medicine rice kernel. The parboiling leads to and for therapies the starches within the grain becom- Rice is polished to increase its shelf ing gelatinised and hardened and the life, but its nutrition is largely lost in rice attains a translucent appearance. the proccess It also makes the cooked rice firmer Parboiled red rice keeps longer, gives and results in grains being distinct better recovery rate during paddy and separate milling, retains more nutrition, is firmer, less sticky and more digestible rice retains almost all the bran. Full- but takes longer to cook bran red rice can be turned into red Medicinal red rice varieties are con- sumed unpolished to get maximum rice flour to be used in dishes like idi- benefit yappam, kolukattai, modakam, adai, The more bran there is in the rice, the kinnathappam and various snacks. lower is its glycemic index (compared The broken red rice is great for kanji to its polished counterpart) (one of the tastiest dishes in my lexi- We also tend to eat less of red rice con); nothing to match it with a dash of pickle. ished off her plate. The red-coloured I have found innovative food kernel is due to the presence of an- bloggers also making rice cakes and thocyanins and bran. Even when ful- puddings with red rice. I am waiting ly polished, the grain have a reddish to cook a red rice risotto. We take tinge, and unpolished grains look like pride in our ability to try foreign cui- shiny maroon pebbles. sines and be adventurous. So why be Traditionally in Kerala, afraid of red rice? hand-pounded raw red rice (called onakkal-ari, meaning dried rice) is of- This article was originally published in The Hin- fered to temples. This is then cooked du, Metro plus edition of Coimbatore on June 19, 2018 and served to the devotees. Many Link: https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/ have this as part of their main mid- food/why-one-should-go-back-to-the-tradition- day meal. Flakes (aval) made from red GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE 23 The desi version of a healthy soup Kanji or kanji water made of different rice varieties offers not just nutrition but also a lot of comfort

ow that the rains are breakfast for the adults. Nmaking their reluctant My aunt reminisced, “The appearance, I long for kanji (rice gru- kanji would be of Chitteni, Onattan,- el). It evokes memories of our annual Vatton, Navara or Erumakkari red childhood holiday in a small village rice — grown, parboiled and milled, on the banks of the Periyar river in bran mostly intact . Everything, ex- Kerala. We were 18 grandchildren and, cept the pappadam made by a neigh- almost every year, at least a dozen bouring family, was cultivated and would gather to spend time with our processed by us. I don’t think many grandparents. So kanji for dinner was farmers grow the only feasible option. these paddy At 7.30 varieties pm, we would now.” line up on a mat on the floor. The steel plates The and spoons fashioned out of jackfruit preferred mid-morning drink/ leaves would be laid out. We were meal was kanji water flavoured with served two ladles of hot red rice kanji, a little salt and pickle. Before pressure a blob of coconut chutney and green cooking came into vogue, rice was gram poriyal on a small strip of ba- cooked in an open vessel with lots of nana leaf set beside the plate. While water, which was then drained into the jar of salt mixed with water went another vessel and kept aside. Pas- around, we would try to get a bite of sers-by would ask for kanji water if each other’s pappadam. After din- they stopped for a drink . ner, my aunt would pour water into Kanji made with different the leftover kanji, if any, and keep varieties of rice tastes different. Red it in an earthen pot. This, along with rice kanji is arguably the best. But I some pickle or leftover gravy stored have recently fallen love with kan- in a kalchatti, was next morning’s ji made with Ilupai poo samba (a 24 GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE white rice) and semi-polished karup- ing medicinal rices like Navara, Rak- pu kavuni black rice (almost purple tasali and herbs, are consumed during in colour and rich in taste). We use Aadi (Karkidakam). coconut chutney, roasted gram chut- I see adoption of kanji and ney, tuvar chutney, ridge gourd thu- kanji water as a way to rediscover our vaiyal or any of the own version of healthy numerous chutneys soups instead of chasing that are an integral • Right in many ways artificially flavoured • It is a convenience food part of the South In- soups. Why don’t we • It is delicious and dian cuisine. Kanjis wholesome introduce it to our chil- can also be flavoured • It is easy to cook dren on a rainy evening with steamed greens • It is a great one-pot in a soup bowl, with like moringa leaves meal some roasted pappad- and curry leaves or • It is local and seasonal am crisps or and green cooked along with gram on the side? They green gram. Kanji is may actually surprise us usually made of broken rice, as it gets and enjoy it. cooked faster. Three years ago, when we This article was originally published in The Hin- du, Metro plus edition of Coimbatore on July 29, were visiting organic seed saver paddy 2017 farmers in Karnataka we stayed with Link : https://www.thehindu.com/life-and- Nandish, an innovative rice farmer. We had a wonderful surprise in the style/food/benefits-benefits-of-rice-kanji/ morning: a small bowl of leftover article19384922.ece rice was mixed with buttermilk and chopped onions and accompanied by another bowl of sprouted groundnuts, green gram and Bengal gram. Nandish said, “The only thing better than this is the water in which the rice was soaked. This is the best source of Vita- min B12 for vegetarians.” Red rice kanji and kanji wa- ter are used extensively in Ayurveda as part of the diet and during treat- ment. According to Ayurveda practi- tioners, kanji cures fatigue, removes toxins, stimulates the appetite and helps facilitate bowel movements. In Kerala, medicinal kanjis, prepared us- GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE 25 Eating Diversity

addy rice is seen as mono- few months. Keeping in view the tra- Pcrop by many and be- ditional paddy agro systems, the Save lieved to be a water guzzler and cli- Our Rice Campaign has always insist- mate change contributor. That is not ed on agro-biodiversity based paddy the reality in traditional paddy agro farming. systems. These are mostly rain or sur- face water fed wetlands that not only We have promoted and sup- hold the paddy crop but also form ported a culture of ecological bio di- water sinks for those regions. Also the verse paddy systems in all the cam- ‘paddy after paddy after paddy’ rota- paign areas. This inspired us to support tion is a relatively new phenomenon the Naba Diganto system of paddy that came into being after irrigation farming in the Sunderbans combin- became available. ing paddy, vegetables and fish. In the Traditionally paddy is fol- hardcore Thanjavur paddy belt it has lowed by pulses, which on one hand resulted in innovative farmers experi- builds nitrogen in the soil, uses resid- menting with millets when water be- ual moisture and is a great addition came scarce. This not helps nutritional to nutritional security. Also another security but also helps build the soil summer crop in paddy fields is veg- and provide economic security to the etables- gourds and beans. Farming farmer who has a varied basket of families grow an array of greens, marketable surplus crops. gourds and other vegetables provid- ing for that season and the following Our explorations also led us 26 GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE to conducting various studies in pad- component of our diet. ‘Eating from dy field diversity. One of the studies trees’ evolved from my pain about the revealed that in Wayanad, unsprayed, drought and our ignoring tree based organically cultivated paddy fields crops as an important seasonal or per- and surrounding areas had over 90 ennial source of nutrition. As climate varieties of edible uncultivated greens change ravages the resource base we growing wild. This is a rich source need to increasingly depend on trees of nutrition, which was part of the for nutrition. Flowers and edible traditional diet, which was lost since greens are an important component chemical agriculture came into vogue. of diversity. Eating almost every part However, even in organically culti- of the plant from the root to the fruits vated fields where these greens exist; with everything in between is yet an- ignorance about these is a nutritional other practice which we have given loss for the community. Therefore, a go by since vegetables and greens there is a strongly felt need for food come home from the shop rather than education along with agricultural ed- from the kitchen gardens or family ucation for promoting biodiversity farms. based agriculture and food systems. Read below about eating diversity. It is as part of my understand- ing of ecologically bio-diverse diets that I began exploring millets as a GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE 27 The big deal about the small grains With each millet boasting its unique properties and benefits, they are a great alternative to rice and wheat, but in moderation

ur serious engagement with a meagre supply of water. Owith millets began three Years back, during a meet- years back when we moved to Coim- ing of millet growers, we listened batore. We were already into tradi- open-mouthed to a millet grower tional varieties of rice and strains of from a tribal community in Madhya wheat; but I jumped onto the millet Pradesh, as he explained that the bandwagon with gusto. storehouse of millets To the dismay of my that he inherited spouse, millets appeared on the from his father, col- table at almost every meal. He lected over bountiful stoically ate through my millet harvests, was his pri- experiments, which were nei- mary wealth. ther appetising nor creative. The store- But there was no stopping house, made with me, since I was convinced that mud, cow dung and eating millets was essential to grass, carrying tonnes of living an environmentally millets, was built near the friendly life. house and zealously guard- Initially, we ed. It was a revelation that were thrilled with our whole millets can be stored low ecological foot- for years. print and the weight More than mere loss both of us experi- enced; material wealth, then things became problematic these gluten-free when my better half, already slim, grains are also packed couldn’t stop losing weight. with nutrition, fibre, contain For all seasons an array of minerals and are rich Experimenting with millets in calcium, magnesium, iron and oth- revealed some interesting facts. These er nutrients. small grains are the ultimate survival Each millet is different, with food, as they can grow in the harsh- its own unique properties and ben- est of climates and the poorest of soils efits. We would be best served if we 28 GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE

Millet Know-how

• The eight common millets of South India are : Little millet ( Samai), foxtail millet (thinai), barnyard millet ( kuthiraivali), kodo millet ( varagu), proso mil- let ( pani varagu), finger millet( ragi), sorghum ( ari solam) and pearl millet ( kambu). • Little millet and barn yard millet raw rice cook very easily (need water in the ratio of 1:2 cups). Foxtail, kodo and proso millet take longer to cook and require 1:3 glasses of water. • The par-boiled millet rices need more cooking time and water compared to raw millet rices. • The raw millet rices are good for saadam, curd rice, sambar rice etc. The par boiled millet rices are good for preparing idlis and dosais and also suitable for making pulav, lemon rice etc. • Millet flours can be used to prepare appams, idiyappams (string hoppers), put- tu, kolukattai (dumplings) paniyaram and also sweets such as ladoos, kheer, barfi, etc. • Millets generally expand more on cooking and one cup of cooked millet rice can stretch to three people instead of two with paddy rice. • Millet rices are best eaten warm /hot for the soft mouth-feel and tend to become a little dry and unappetising when cold. experiment and figure out which of that so many millet meals a week did them work for us. not work for one of us. It also rein- We may derive benefits from forced the oft-repeated, but forgotten some, while others may not suit us. lesson: listen to the body and don’t Interestingly, the way millets are pre- jump into the latest food fad. pared also changes the properties. For example, in Western In- This article was originally published in The Hin- du, Metro plus edition of Coimbatore on April dia, pearl millet is consumed in win- 06, 2017 ter as a warming food (in the form of https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/food/ the-big-deal-about-the-small-grains/arti- bhakri, a hard roti), whereas in the cle17847051.ece?_escaped_fragment_= South, it is cooked, fermented and consumed along with buttermilk (kambu kuzhu) as a cooling summer food. At home, it dawned on us after many consultations with an Ayurveda physician friend and others GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE 29 Eating from trees There was a time when lots of our vegetables came from trees in our backyard or that of the neighbours. May be it is time we revisited those days

Imagine if we got our veggies consumed drumsticks, drumstick from trees just like we do our fruits. leaves and flowers in various forms; This thought has been at the back we made delicious poriyal, erisherri, of my mind through this summer kootu and other preparations with while working with organic vegetable raw papaya. Summer food at my pa- farmers during this unprecedented ternal grandparents’ home revolved drought. around jackfruits, mangoes, grape- I realised that almost fruit and breadfruit — all the vegetables we raw, cooked, roasted, want come from cul- preserved or fried! tivated one-season Jackfruit crops that require a con- and jackfruit seeds siderable played a stellar amount role with the of water whole fam- and care ily involved and are in cleaning the vulnerable raw fruit, skinning to pests, diseases and cli- the seed and sharing it mate variations. with neighbours, so that We expect the cut fruit is not wast- these seasonal plants ed. Jackfruits converted to provide vegetables beautifully into aviyal, consistently the year kootu, and puzhukku (in around: be it pota- which the raw fruit and seed toes, tomatoes, okra, beans, gourds are cooked together along with coco- or cool seasonal veggies. Maybe it’s nut). The seed was made into a deli- time to think differently. cious poriyal with drumstick; it was We, in the south of India, combined with roasted coconut into are fortunate to have many trees theeyal. The chakka puzhukku was with edible fruits. In fact, during my also eaten as a rice replacement. childhood in Kerala, the role of tree- How can we forget the crisp based vegetables was significant. We jackfruit chips and the rich chakka 30 GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE varatti (jackfruit jam), which was Once irrigation and trans- preserved to be eaten for the next few portation across long distances made months and used for making chakka other vegetables easily available, we prathaman. began to ignore what was available in Raw mangoes went into our backyards. It is time for us to seri- everything — the sour ones into pick- ously re-look some of these tree-based les chutneys, sambar, aviyal, fish veggies and uncultivated greens. curry and mango rice or were salted As we face unprecedented away for rainy days. Apart from eat- drought and shortage of groundwa- ing the ripe ones, we got pachadi and ter, the increasing tree cover could be pulisheeri. our salvation. For a warming planet, We also consumed the sour these trees would be a gift to bring the bilimbi (supposed to reduce choles- much-needed rains while providing terol) that was made into an aviyal food, shade and biomass. This change with small onions, added in fish cur- will require us to do some addition- ry, made into pickles and used in al- al work, get used to seasonality and most every curry that requires a sour- availability and also explore growing ing agent. some of these trees in and around our Bananas were as much vegeta- homes. ble as fruit. Every part of the banana Maybe climate change will tree was cooked and eaten — from the force our hands whether we like it stem and flower to the raw and ripe or not and lead us to these tree-based fruit. We used the ripe nendran- vegetables again. pazham in pachadi and kalan. Af- ter the chips were made, the leftover This article was originally published in The Hin- du, Metro plus edition of Coimbatore on April skin was made into a delicious and 27, 2017 nutritious poriyal. Link : http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/ food/a-look-at-the-many-vegetables-that-come- Then there was my favourite from-trees/article18250052.ece vegetable: bread fruit, a wonderfully adaptable vegetable that arrives in February and disappears when the jackfruit season begins. Breadfruit made delicious theeyal, poriyal, chips, and masala curry. Not to forget that the essen- tial curry leaves, the healthy agathi keerai come from shrubs or small trees; and that tamarind and Malabar tamarind also come from trees. I am sure there are many more. GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE 31 Jackfruit, the jack of all tastes In praise of the versatile jackfruit, which has been declared as the state fruit of Kerala

hakka a.k.a. jackfruit, and everything inside) with a wooden Cmeant summer vaca- pestle (don’t try the blender, it will tion, long, carefree days, sticky fin- become an inedible mush) and then gers that when pulled apart produce garnished with coconut, jeera etc to those strings from the resin, the dis- make a delicious thoran. We all obvi- tinctive aroma of a ripening fruit in ously live and swear by our thorans. the house, and the array of delicious Then, as the season pro- dishes that will follow through the gressed, we would slowly see chakka summer up to Onam. Growing up in the local market, large, medium in Thiruvananthapuram (then and small. Thanks to Omana and my Trivandrum), mother, who were not my chakka deterred by the (jackfruit) onerous task of memories cleaning the are wrapped jackfruit, around we bought both the and accept- city, ed the fruit’s where we gifts with open lived and in arms. The only deter- Nedumbassery, my rent was that as much as I father’s ancestral home. The large loved ripe ‘varikka chakka’ (the va- mammoth trees with pendulous riety with firm flesh ), the ‘koozha’ fruits hanging were a sight we looked (the flesh tends to have a slimy feel) forward to. When it comes to jack- made me gag. So, despite the taste, I fruit, delicious things come in large could never down the flesh. Of course packets.The beginning of the season is that’s what ada allowed, a way to eat usually heralded by the arrival of idi it. The fruit was all cleaned, steamed chakka (the small tender jackfruit and mixed with jaggery and rice flour used for cooking) in the local shanties. to be steam-cooked in banana leaves. Peeled and chopped up, the pieces are Jackfruit was the mainstay steam-cooked and then mashed (seed in the menu along with mangoes 32 GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE when we went to my father’s ances- er ones were tasked with picking up tral home located in a remote village. clean jackfruit leaves. Twisted into a There would always be young men cup and pierced with a small piece of who could bring down these heavy irkil (coconut leaf midrib), these in- fruits from the trunks of tall, old trees stant spoons were used for eating our with just a rope and a few shouts here kanji in the night. The outer prickly and there to the person standing be- skin and all the white stringy bits low. It was important to get the were fed to the cows that munched fruit down uninjured. I don’t happily on them. remember the trees requiring Jackfruit featured any care, after the initial one in almost all the meals year or so. during the summer. The Family ritual chakka puzhukku, a Chakka was a summer quintessential Kerala family ritual, unlike man- preparation using raw goes that one could jackfruit and seeds, steal away and eat in were a staple during solitary splendour; lunch. Coconut, cum- jackfruit had to be in and green chillies community or fam- along with garlic was ily fruit. It doesn’t used in this dish that take a village but at was also consumed least two determined as a rice replace- souls to clean and get ment. When our it into an edible form. grandmother got Around mid-morn- some time, she sat ing, the sisters and the down to clean a large sisters-in-law sat down pile of seeds to make to chat, clean and chop the a small thoran made raw fruits for lunch. The older with drumsticks, kids sat around late afternoon after which also fruits pro- oiling their hands to clean the ripe digiously during summer, and grat- jackfruit for the evening snack, all the ed coconut. I realise how patient she while eating the pods they cleaned. was, now that I am forced to clean the Unless one of the elders rescued suf- seeds myself. ficient pods, the others would have The raw jackfruit pieces are been left with nothing to eat. The chopped lengthwise to make thoran seeds were collected in a jar to be used and aviyal, each seed is cut into four later. pieces lengthwise after scraping off In the meantime, the young- the two layers of skin. The raw fruit GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE 33 is chopped into small round pieces out being chewy (a problem with to make erishheri, spiced with pep- most commercially bought chips). per and cumin and garnished with They made chakka varatty that one grated, roasted coconut. The seeds are would kill for, which went into chak- again a big favourite with me, I love ka prathaman for Onam or came in them in thorans, mezhukku varatty small delicious packets back with us (the seeds sauteed in oil with some to Thiruvananthapuram. This was spices), pulinkari (made with mango, used as jam and spread or eaten plain drumstick and jackfruit seeds with till the last bit was licked off the bot- a coconut gravy) or the delicious th- tom of the container. eeyal made with the seeds cut into Today, I have the privilege of round shape. Every preparation had being friends with Lilly chechi who its specific geometry, I never under- makes me delicious chakka varat- stood why, but followed it diligently. ty that lasts me through the year I checked with my mother who is all and chakka chips, almost as good as of 75 and she told me, “That’s how my aunts’, during the three months my grandmother used to do it”. How jackfruits are available on the natu- the embedded memories dictate our ral farm, she shares with her envi- tastes and actions! ronmentalist husband. It is from her Raw and cooked that I learnt that you need jackfruits Almost everybody in Kerala with thin-layered pods to make good loves ripe jackfruit; however, it is the chips. She makes chakka varatty only raw fruit that won my heart, even as from the fruits of specific trees. Today, a child. I loved and continue to love jackfruit has become all the rage, and all preparations with raw jackfruit and innovative cooks and chefs are doing its seed; and possess a voracious appe- wonders with it. I look forward to the tite to eat it uncooked. Even today, if new tastes but my jackfruit memories anybody is cleaning a raw jackfruit, I are anchored in the tastes of my child- would shamelessly sit beside them to hood. pop a few pods into my mouth. I am told that it would give me a stomach This article was originally published in The Hin- du, Metro plus edition of Thiruvananthapuram ache, which has never happened. on March 24, 2018 My indomitable farmer-aunts Link : https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/ could make chips that crunched be- food/in-praise-of-jackfruit/article23320770.ece tween your teeth satisfyingly with that right amount of crispness with- 34 GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE The mango with a beak Looking back at a lifelong love affair with the totapuri or kilimooku, which revels in chaats, gravies and desserts alike

ome summer and draw- ange outer hue with creamy inner Cing rooms are abuzz with pulp when ripe... no other variety has mango talk: pedigree, quality, quan- the impact of this ‘ordinary mango’ tity and price. The arrival of various with a beak. exotic varieties is awaited with bated It is my good fortune that breath. But in this land of connois- the otherwise treeless plot of land we seurs, the most ordinary variety has bought has a few kilimooku mango been my favourite — the kili- trees. It’s mostly relished by mooku manga aka tota- our neighbours and pas- puri or kilichundan sersby, but we do get a manga. few dozen every year, This year, some years more my Valentine’s than the others. The Day gift was the trees are not too first bunch tall: easy for me to of kilimoo- climb and pluck ku mangoes the mangoes. of the season I first fell from our farm. The in love with these man- first mango chutney of goes when we moved to the season was prepared Mumbai two decades ago. that night, and eaten The hour-long daily com- with gusto. The fragrance mute made a quick evening of jeeraga samba rice snack at the local railway sta- combined with the fresh- tion necessary. The totapuri, ness of mangoes and sweet- sliced and arranged enticingly on ness of coconut milk was in- the plate, with bright red chilli pow- describable. der sprinkled atop, was irresistible. With its greenish-yellow col- I would invariably ask for the bhel our, reddish spots on the outer skin puri as well, with chopped mango and the light yellow inner flesh when giving it a distinct flavour. raw; its crunchy sweet-and-sour taste Another unforgettable ex- when mature; and its yellowish-or- perience was my first aam panna, GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE 35 a cooling Maharashtrian drink made mustard and grated coconut. They from raw mangoes. On that hot day, work beautifully in salads and, of I drank the refreshing concoction course, are ideal for sweet-and-sour made by women who had pulped the mango rice. uncooked green totapuri with sugar, Despite being a lackadaisical mint, and roasted and powdered cum- cook, raw kilimooku gets me into a in. frenzy of making cut mango pickles. That was the day I decided I make this in sesame oil with just red this was my mango. chilli powder, mustard, salt and curry In season, kilimooku man- leaves. goes go into almost everything we And this year, finally, the make at home. Starting with the kilimooku mangoes inspired me to chutney made with coconut, pep- make my first batch of homemade per and curry leaves — what else can thokku and chunda. Armed with you expect from somebody born and simple, easy-to-follow recipes from brought up in Kerala? — right to the my friend Radha, I made spicy mango raw pieces on a plate. thokku and sweet chunda — both or- The gravy we make with ganic, local and seasonal. pumpkin or ash gourd and drumstick is made with half a mango, which This article was originally published in The Hin- du, Metro plus edition of Coimbatore on April gives it just the right amount of zing. 28, 2018 The sambar and aviyal are cooked Link : https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/ food/the-mango-with-a-beak/article23612770. with mango pieces, and tamarind is ece relegated to the back shelf till the raw mangoes run out. They go into pachadi, with 36 GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE Muringa memoirs

t the end of the tedious stray puppy who adopts you, home- Afour hour long journey less and jobless; she appeared at our we all tumbled out of the van and doorstep and agreed to help take care looked at the strange two part house of ammumma in return for a roof with a terrace over the front and a over her head. The all woman house- tiled roof behind which was to be our hold in the true matrilineal tradition, home for the next couple of years…. with the token 6 year old man trun- Amma spied the large mu- dled along, on All India Radio which ringa tree whose tear drop leaves was ammumma’s lifeline, and slender stems Omana’s garrulousness, fanned all over the amma’s quiet conviction part terrace and ex- and our innocence. claimed ‘we have our Amma and Oma- own muringa tree and na were of one heart in we are going to have their attention to the lots of muringakka’, to me muringa tree which a very grown up 9 they would examine years to Jayan’s 6 at regular intervals years it still meant and exclaim over the nothing. I could amount of fallen flow- have understood her ex- ers and the muringakkas citement if she had spot- which were too high up to ted a mango tree. be reached .Jayan and I nev- Days flew past with achan er realized its importance in leaving for Delhi, Jayan and me the scheme of things… adjusting to new schools and mak- Omana turned out to be a ing friends with kids in the neigh- wonderful cook with an inordinate bourhood, amma struggling alone fondness for muringakka and mu- with us and taking care of her eighty- ringa leaves. Amma made a game of nine year old ammumma, who was plucking the leafy branches and sit- paralyzed and beyond therapy, which ting with a tray and separating the was why we had to leave behind our tender leaves, which we thought was life in Delhi, stay away from achan great fun. Jayan and I eagerly plucked and move to Trivandrum…. the leaves in no time and heaped it on Omana happened to us like a a tray all the while looking to see if GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE 37

Amma was watching. The tediousness first couple without even pausing and of plucking the leaves put paid to our then realized that they were differ- enthusiasm for the job, but amma ent. We savored the next couple and had decided that this was a safe chore found that Omana had cooked the for two hyperactive kids .So many an patties with a mixture of potato and evening found us around the radio in tender muringakka flesh. We were ammumma’s room listening, talking really and truly beaten and amma and plucking muringa leaves for din- won hands down. After that there ner or next day’s lunch… weren’t too many protests during the Jayan and I were reluctant next two years filled with innocence, converts to amma’s muringa religion laughter, books, missing achan, am- and found muringa leaf preparations ma’s love and of course the muringa… a trial and called the muringa leaf When we moved into our dal as amma’s kashayam .But amma new house two years later matters wouldn’t budge, so we had no choice had improved and our dependence on but to eat it with rice and crisp fish muringa leaves reduced. But one of fry which Omana conjured up. The the first things we did on moving was muringa leaf thoran was not bad at to take a few sturdy branches of the all when laced generously with grated muringa tree from the rented house coconut. and plant it in our new backyard. A Muringakka was better re- muringa tree of the same parentage ceived and at the end of the meal we has stood proudly all through these had huge mounds of muringakka years in my parent’s backyard till it peels beside our plates when amma was felled by a mighty storm during made mouth watering muringakka the rains last month. chakkakuru thoran and muringa- The muringa was our life- kka potato avial. Omana took the line not only to good health but also cue from amma’s success stories and to our financial health at that point. added muringakka to Jayan’s favorite Years later older and wiser, I realized sambar and my favourite thiyal and that it was amma’s insistence on our the holy fish curry…and slowly and muringa diet which kept us within insidiously muringakka and muringa our budget in those tough years and leaves became an integral part of our taught me the value of living within diet like the morning glass of milk, my means. She showed me how not which nobody questioned. to compromise on essentials by con- None of this prepared us for tinuing to keep us both in wonder- Amma’s and Omana’s muringa mas- ful schools even while we were on a terpiece on a Saturday evening. When muringa diet laced with our favourite we saw patties for tea we downed the fish. 38 GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE I learnt from her that be- coconut * Muringa leaf thoran – A ing creative made anything and dish with the drumstick leaves and everything palatable. I also realized grated coconut * Muringakka chak- that you can win over children, mal- kakuru thoran –A preparation with nutrition and adversity with love, per- drum sticks and jackfruit seeds laced severance, and a muringa tree. Jayan with coconut, which is a favorite with and I are rudely healthy middle aged malayalees * Muringakka Potato avi- people and I have little doubt that am- al- A variation of the traditional kerala ma’s muringa diet had no small part avial made with drum sticks, potatos to play in that. Amma and achan are and ground coconut * Thiyal- A tra- a serene old couple who are teasing a ditional kerala gravy made with fried new muringa branch to replace her and ground coconut with a choice of favourite giant who was mercilessly vegetables felled by the rains last month. . Muringakka- drum stick The memories were triggered by project morin- ga of ‘Trees for Life’ * Muringa - drum stick tree * Am- mumma – grandmother * (http://www.treesforlife.org/project/moringa/ default.en.asp ) a non-profit organization which Amma – mother * Achan – among other things, is trying to popularize mo- father * kashayam –Ayurvedic medi- ringa leaves in India and other Asian countries cine which are usually bitter * Murin- as an antidote to malnutrition. ga leaf dal – A gravy with drum stick orriginally published in www.sulekha.com leaves and thur dal with or without GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE 39 Eating it with flowers From neem and moringa to agathi, there’s a wide range of floral flavours to be discovered

remember the morning While many people have started using II found my friend Sujata banana blossoms again, and featuring plucking flowers from the neem tree it on cooking blogs, it is a difficult in front of our house. She showed me flower to clean and prepare. I choose the tiny white flowers with their sub- to think of it as a meditative process, tle fragrance and told me the flowers but since most of us don’t even have would go into making a delicious time to breathe in the mornings, let rasam for lunch. That’s the first I alone meditate, that is not a great sell- had heard of rasam with neem ing point. flowers, and that set The edible flower that my me thinking about mother favoured was the other edible blooms. blossom of the morin- Contrary ga olifera. As children, to popular belief, I can’t say we loved it; which is that all our mother overrode our of us are eating better objections and moringa and more diverse food flower stir-fry appeared than ever before, I on the table whenever believe that we have in season. As I grew given up on some de- older, I learnt to ap- licious and wholesome preciate the distinct local foods. We are al- flavour of the tiny, ways looking elsewhere for creamy-white flowers. the rare and exotic, and hence They can be eaten steamed or slight- miss the wonders right under our ly cooked, and we usually have them noses. Flowers are one such category in a steamed salad along with sprouts of plant foods that we often overlook. and peanuts, or in the traditional stir- Banana blossom is the first fry with a lot of grated coconut. thing that comes to mind, being a Another discovery in the commonly used ingredient in South last few years is the agathi flower Indian cooking. My favourite dish (sesbania grandiflora, also known with banana flower is a stir-fry using as the humming bird flower). I love chopped banana blossom and cooked the shape and colour of these flow- green gram, which is a staple at home. ers, with their rich succulent petals 40 GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE in cream or a rich burgundy. To me, and can withstand dry spells, more they taste as delicious as they look of which unfortunately seem to be beautiful. coming our way. Banana trees are the I have eaten only the constant companions in most South cream-coloured ones, which are avail- Indian homes. So, in effect, all of these able locally. I are friendly just wash the Cleaning a banana flower neighbourhood large flowers flowers. and buds, chop Peeling the outer red leaves ( called bracts, I Being a them into piec- have seen some cookery blogs using them as pedestrian cook es and lightly serving bowls), we need to clean the individ- with a limited ual yellow tipped flowers. From every flower steam them, repertoire, I remove the matchstick like pistil and the to be added to outer petal that feels like plastic ( the calyx). love anything salads and the As you move into the inner layers the leaves that becomes ever favourite and flowers can be used. A traditional method flavourful stir-fry, gar- used in Kerala to avoid discolouration of the with simple nished with hands is to apply coconut oil over your palms cooking, and grated coconut before handling the chopped flowers. The I found to my or roasted and chopped flowers are also gently rubbed with delight that crushed pea- oil and then rinsed in water. It can be rinsed flowers fit the in lemon water to avoid discolouration.. nuts. I don’t bill. What I en- throw away joy about them any part of the flower. is how lightly they need to be cooked A friend told me that a stir- and spiced. fry of these flowers with eggs tastes Light steaming is usually great and these can also be fried in enough; anything more and they batter. can turn into mush. It goes without Pumpkin flowers are on my saying that we should choose flowers list too. The season starts with male which have not been sprayed with flowers, and then the female flowers any toxic chemicals. start putting in an appearance. It is Now, it’s time to eat some popular in some cuisines, where frit- flowers along with fruits, leaves and ters are made by frying the flowers in stems! a batter of rice and gram flour. The added advantage with This article was originally published in The Hin- du, Metro plus edition of Coimbatore on Febru- agathi and moringa is that these are ary 16, 2018 perennial shrubs/trees that are benefi- Link : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-pa- cial for the soil and easy to grow. Both are also nutritive powerhouses. Neem per/tp-features/tp-metroplus/eating-it- and cassia fistula are hardy trees with-flowers/article22768336.ece# GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE 41 make the ordinary exotic Instead of chasing produce from across the world, rediscover local greens that are a powerhouse of taste and good health

here is constant tussle (climbing brinjal) that is traditionally Tbetween the spouse and used for curing cough and asthma. I about the tiny strip in front of our My interest in these uncul- home that we call our garden. He tivated food plants grew after the thinks it should have lovely plants, drought last summer. The scanty prettily lined up, whereas I am all garden dried up as the summer pro- about letting everything stay/grow gressed. However I noticed that our indiscriminately. I am loathe to pluck Ceylon keerai (waterleaf plant) sur- anything even vived and continued to flourish. remotely use- With its succulent leaves and pretty ful. I will keep pink flowers; it grew wild between the tulasi and flagstones, under the bamboo trees... keezhanelli everywhere. Other than the (stone breaker small quantity I use to or seed-under- make a delicious dal, the leaf plant, known for rest I am forced to com- its extensive use in post as nobody seems to curing liver-related com- want it. What a waste plaints) growing outside the beds. of a wonderful food, Thanks to the wild gar- full of vitamin C, den, there is a bounty of unculti- E, calcium, fi- vated greens. Baby Akka, who manag- bre, potassium and es our home and garden, is a veritable many other elements, encyclopaedia on these plants and making it a nutritional their uses. A full-time farmer until 15 powerhouse. years ago, she moved to the city after Another beauty in the garden being widowed. Her knowledge and that I have fallen in love with is Ko- fascination with these greens hum- vakkai keerai (Ivy gourd leaves). The bles me. The first time I had a cough variety we have strangely doesn’t she quickly went to the garden, fruit and flowers rarely. The first time plucked a few leaves from a thorny one of the farmers showed me the creeper and told me to make rasam plant and told me its benefits, I real- with it. It was the tuduvalai plant ised that this was the same creeper I 42 GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE was indiscriminately uprooting and joys the ease of cooking vegetables throwing into the compost. Now this that don’t require attention and skill is a regular addition to our dals and I from me. However, the more I see mi- think both this and the Ceylon keerai cro-nutrient deficiencies among us, would make great additions to soups. I learn that the best diet is what our Rich in beta carotene, the ivy gourd ancestors ate. Above all, when I expe- leaves have numerous healing prop- rience the vagaries of climate change, erties. I realise that the luxury of cultivated Another discovery that I vegetables has to be tempered with have eaten and relished but not dared the pleasures of uncultivated greens. I prepare is the pirandai keerai (Veldt have to learn to use them seamlessly grape) high in my dai- on medici- • Panna keerai (Silver cocks comb) that grows ly diet and nal proper- plentifully in unsprayed fields cultivate ties; again • Mudakathan keerai ( Balloon vine leaves) is a the palate to Baby Akka great addition to dosa and idli batter enjoy these is my guide • Kattu ponnanganni keerai (Sessile joyweed) is uncultivated to it. With great for poriyal foods. its exotic, Each succulent, of us will squarish stem and beautiful leaves, find different greens growing in our it grows lustily wrapping its tendrils backyards. The time has come to find around every other plant nearby. The nutrition in these plants that grow tender stem is great to prepare thuvi- easily and make the ordinary exot- yal. It has to be sautéed in oil and used ic, rather than chase the exotic from along with tamarind, as otherwise it across the world. The taste for exotics can cause itchiness in the throat. is cultivated, so why not cultivate a As part of the Save Our Rice taste for the ordinary? Campaign, a study conducted in un- sprayed paddy fields in Wayanad This article was originally published in The Hin- du, Metro plus edition of Coimbatore on Novem- led to the discovery of 96 varieties of ber 17, 2017 uncultivated greens all identified by Link : https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/ food/rediscover-local-greens-make-the-ordi- older women and tribal community nary-exotic/article20479348.ece members. These were regularly con- sumed till modern vegetables made their way into the local diet. It is not that I am a complete convert to eating these keerais. I am very much the spoilt urbanite who likes the sweetness of palak, and en- GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE 43 Being Organic

rganic, natural, bio di- mand from consumers is a key ingre- Overse or any form of dient to healthy farming season after chemical free agriculture also requires season. It is as part of my organic evo- an understanding of processing, cook- lution, a journey that began 13 years ing and eating the natural way. Gener- back amongst the farmers’ markets of ally the organic way of life requires us a distant land with local foods I was to be more mindful about the whole unfamiliar with, that I learnt: what I process of sourcing, processing and eat is what will be grown. preparing our food. Today one of the greatest barriers to sourcing and eat- I learnt that eating organic ing healthy is the aversion to cooking. food does not simply mean replac- It is perceived as a time consuming ing our conventional choices with task for which we cannot spare the organically grown equivalents. It is time. Our disconnect with the source not that simple; eating organic also of our food is one of the reasons for involves eating whole foods, as natu- this aversion. ral as possible, eating pulses with skin or rice with bran, raw cane sugar, and One of the greatest achieve- un-filtered oils. It requires us to re- ments of the Campaign has been how train our taste buds. This shouldn't be the farmers and their families have difficult as we have all become experts become champions of traditional rice in enjoying new and varied cuisines. varieties. Many of them are produc- An organic life style also requires us ing value added products and also to develop the skill and patience to creating awareness about the various deal with the challenges of growing, properties of traditional rice. The big- storing and cooking organically. Also gest favour we can do for ourselves to explore cooking in vessels that are and farmers is to prepare and eat made with alkaline substances. It is wholesome organic food. Such food all part of the learning and becoming habits are what will keep up organ- organic. ic/ natural growing, resulting in bet- ter health and progressively cleaner environment. In a system where the consumers of food are different from growers of food, the sustained de- 44 GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE Black and beautiful Rummage through your grandmother’s storeroom and see if you can unearth her old kalchattis

mana amma would walk er is suitable for sambar, a third for Oin mid morning with a aviyal and so on. The surfaces have a day’s worth of betel leaf and a beau- matt black patina — the black from tiful smile. She would settle down to the wood stove and years of use and leisurely exchange of the day’s news the smooth finish from decades of with my mother. Half an hour later, soft scrubbing. she would chop vegetables and build Kalchattis are cooking vessels a small fire in the two wood stoves in carved out of soapstone, a naturally the kitchen annexe. In the next hour, occurring soft stone. Thick walled delicious aromas would waft from and heavy, they ensure slow and thekalchattis(stone even cooking. Since they are vessels) and man- porous, heat and chattis(mud vessels) moisture circulate bubbling over small through the pot well-managed fires. while cooking, All of us relished thereby enhanc- her delicious sam- ing the flavours. bars,aviyal, theeyals Tradition- and kaalan. When she ally used on wood stopped cooking for us, stoves, these can also the kalchattis were rel- be used on the mod- egated to the loft. ern gas stove. Kalchattis As my interest in neutralise the pH balance of acidic traditional food increased, food items and thus enhance their Omana amma’s cooking came to nutritional value. Kalchattis can be mind. A few years ago, I started used to prepare gravies, but not for rooting around my parents’ loft and dry preparations or sautéing. found a few kalchattis that my moth- Let the food cook slowly. er had inherited from her grandmoth- Turn off the flame 4-5 minutes be- er. These were bequeathed to me and fore the food is fully cooked. It will so I have a few old black kalchattis of continue to cook slowly in the heat varying sizes and shapes. Some are tall retained inside the vessel. The time with a small circumference and used taken to heat the kalchatti is compen- for making puli inji or rasam. Anoth- sated when the slow cooking process GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE 45 continues even grandmother’s kal- after the stove Kalchatti Care chattis changes the is switched off. • Traditionally kalchattis need to be tenor of the whole Food seasoned before use act of sourcing and cooked in old • Apply organic coconut oil inside cooking food. kalchattis keep and outside using coconut fibre. Food is well for the Leave it on for a day and wash off less of a commod- next day as well with non-toxic natural dishwash ity and more of without refrig- powder a bond with the eration. As the • Use over low flame initially. As the farmers; cooking vessel ages, the kalchatti ages, it can be used on has become less a cooking quality medium flame chore and more an improves. Most • Never heat when empty and do active connection important, the not expose to abrupt temperature to my grandmoth- kalchatti has changes er. Search through to be seasoned • Do not drop them. I wrap a kitchen your grandmoth- before you start towel around it and and place it on er’s store of vessels a tray that is taken to the table cooking in it. to find kalchattis Even or order them on- after seasoning, How to season it line. They are usu- the kalchatti • Soak the kalchatti in water in which ally available in should be intro- rice was washed. The starch helps temple fairs. duced gently clean the grit and close the pores Thick and slowly into • Put the vessel on the stove with walled and heavy, daily cooking. either water in which rice has they ensure slow Use on a low been washed or the starchy liquid and even cook- obtained by draining boiled rice flame and don’t ing. Since they are let the water • Bring to boil on a very low flame. porous, heat and dry while cook- Allow it to cool moisture circulate ing. Periodi- • Wash the vessel with a non-chem- through the pot cally oil it and ical dishwash powder and apply while cooking, organic cooking oil and turmeric leave overnight thereby enhancing powder. Leave overnight before washing the flavours it in the morn- • Wash it off and repeat the process ing. two to three times My kal- This article was origi- nally published in The chattis have be- Hindu, Metro plus edition of Coimbatore on May come an integral part of the cooking 03, 2017 routine. Sourcing organic, whole foods Link : http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/ tp-features/tp-metroplus/black-and-beautiful/ from farmers and preparing it in my article18366847.ece 46 GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE The colour of the skin Don’t rinse away the skin of your dals. Not only do they add texture and health to your food but also help small farmers

n a bright December cept for tuvar dal, for which most of Omorning during my the skin is removed). first season of farming, I was excited But, in the urban diet, the about harvesting my crop of organic skin is usually banished. The pulses in green gram and looking forward to the market not only do not have skin eating what I had grown. The work but are also polished to a sheen. These didn’t end with sowing, tending and are preserved using chemicals and last harvesting. There was sun drying the quite a while. gram and processing (beating the puls- Until a couple of decades ago, es to remove the pods, dals were eaten skin and all. An winnow- ing abiding memory of and clean- my early ing it child- to re- hood move the is idli/ soil and dosa bat- stones, etc.). ter being Yet, ground on despite all this, I realised a stone and the ritual of my organically grown washing the soaked urad green gram contained dal (with skin) before smaller grains, which some- grinding it. The loose skin times did not cook well. I was would be rinsed off during also faced with the reality of insects the washing. Despite the intention to attacking the pulses within a couple rinse off as much of the skin as possi- of months or less. ble — so that the resultant idlis looked I found from our neighbours white — some of the adamant skin in the village that they split the pulses clung on and provided us with fibre. immediately after harvest to prevent I decided to bring the skin insect attack. According to them, split back to the pot. The experiments be- pulses keep much longer. This set me gan with the black-as-night urad. I thinking. The villagers ate their puls- soaked the split urad with skin, rinsed es split but with the skin intact (ex- away about 50 per cent of the skin and GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE 47 ground the rest into my batter to give are required to process the pulses me marbled idlis (though it is hardly to meet the urban market demand. visible in the dosa). This discourages small farmers and Pigeon peas (tuvar dal) was as a result many grow just enough another story. Its skin is not easily for their own needs. India today im- digestible and process ports pulses, which are of removing the skin stored in granaries for is quite complex and My farmer friend gave years. If we adopt dals manual. The whole pi- me another wonderful with skin, especially method to use the whole geon pea is soaked in the organic ones grown urad with skin. She recom- large vats, drained and mends soaking the whole naturally, we not only allowed to sprout. Then urad, sprouting it and get the much-needed it is dried and stored. then grinding it for idli/ dietary fibre but also Once the whole dal is dosa batter. The result is help small farmers with ready to be processed, it idlis and dosas full of fibre binding the soil and is split. Thus processed, building their incomes. pigeon peas have about five per cent of skin left and this adds This article was originally published in The Hin- du, Metro plus edition of Coimbatore on June texture to the cooked dal. 02, 2017 But I lost the battle with the Link: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/ tp-features/tp-metroplus/the-colour-of-the- split moong. I decided to make green skin/article18703812.ece gram paruppu along with the skin. When I cooked it, the skin stuck to the walls of the vessel. I scooped up the excess skin and lightly blended part of it into the dal. It did not go down well with the paruppu lovers at home. So we are still with the golden yellow moong dal. Eating dals without the skin has implications for farmers as well. Large machines and huge quantities 48 GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE Pottering with pots !

hy do pots matter? Is in the cold climes of Netherlands, in Wit middle age or yet cazuelas that originated in Spain. As another fad or is it a progressive evo- far as I have understood, cazuelas and lution to mindful eating and prepar- cocottes are essentially similar kind ing food that has made me fascinated of cookware with minor differences; with pots? but there may be more to it that I am Anyway, I am the proud own- not aware of. Cazuelas are traditional, er of two beautiful brown cazuelas, distinctive looking terracotta pots/ glazed inside and unglazed at the bot- pans from Spain, an essential part of tom and two mustard yellow cocottes any Spanish kitchen (also used widely that together take care in other Mediterranean of a good part of my A tryst with clay cook- countries) and usual- cooking. Over months ing pots in Spain recalled ly passed down from they have acquired memories of her childhood mother to the daughter battle scars of age and kitchen in Kerala, and or daughter-in-law. use and their surface revived Sridevi Lakshmi Apparently have begun to look Kutty’s fondness for cook- they have been in use like my middle aged ing in them An array of since over 1000 years. multicoloured, deliciously face, fine wrinkles What we get in the attractive cazuelas. which appear with my shops/markets today smiles and the frown could be either hand lines that are here to thrown or mass pro- stay. However, unlike steel or alumin- duced, both kinds are fired twice in ium vessels that look unpretty with a kiln (once before glazing and once age, these pots have aged gracefully, after) and glazed inside, but have becoming part of the household – an unglazed terracotta base. I came evolving with our taste buds and with upon these quite unexpectedly while us, for the long haul. browsing in a fascinating shop that They patiently and evenly stocks hand-made artifacts from dif- cook the beans, red rice, quinoa, cous- ferent countries. It was love at first cous, channa and our array of soups. sight, I was somehow so reminded In addition, they are also getting used of the beautiful mud pots in which to the idiosyncrasies of sambar, ras- we cook fish in Kerala (in Malayalam am and avial, dishes from a distant we call them meen-chattis – literally land – cooked by an Indian couple, translated to pots for cooking fish). I GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE 49 wonder whether it was the memo- pots are best washed with salt and ry of the delicious fish curries eaten water as they are capable of absorb- through the first half of my life or ing the dishwashing soap. I am told the grace of these pots that attracted that some modern-day cazuelas can me. Long and short of it, the first pot go safely into a dishwasher, but I am came home with me, and more joined not testing that with my precious the first! Since then quite a bit of our ones! Cooking with a cazuela is a slow cooking has been in these cazuelas process on a low fire, it takes time and cocottes. to warm up; once it begins cooking, The pots also demand care it trundles along steadily and even- and attention. The store owner, an ly; rest assured the contents will be avid cook who uses cazuelas, cau- evenly cooked and require hardly any tioned me: “You can’t just take these supervision. You can switch off the home and place them directly on the stove a few minutes before the food is hob; these pots have to be done as the pot will continue to cook soaked in water and the food will bubble even after it for at least is taken off the stove. four hours This is not my first and prefer- brush with clay ably 12 hours pans/pots, to season though they them”. are responsi- ble for con- The verting me unglazed base absorbs wa- into a clay-pot ter, making the cazuela cooking enthu- sturdier. He continued, “It is not siast. During my Mumbai days, enough to season the cazuela, using I began collecting terracotta curios it also requires some deliberation and when I visited Kerala and struck upon care; don’t place an empty cazuela on the notion that I should use clay pots an already lit hob and add food into to cook. I bought three; two arrived it, put the ingredients in and then intact and the third arrived in pieces! put the cazuela with the food on the I seasoned the pots by applying coco- hob.” Clearly, he knew his cazuelas! nut oil and let them stand for a day Washing a cazuela is easy as the food and then soaked them in water for a doesn’t stick to it. It is better not to few hours and they were ready for use. use detergents; the best way is to just These unglazed clay pots had the ad- scrub it with a mild scrubber and vantage that being porous, moisture rinse it. circulates through the pot ensuring Traditional unglazed clay even moist cooking ( without drying 50 GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE the food). The alkaline clay also inter- breakfast, cut vegetables, grind co- acts with the food and neutralizes the conut for the different preparations pH balance in the food. My clay pots and then settle down to having some did turn out particularly tasty thiyal paan. Once she was done, she would and other tamarind-based prepara- light the wood stove with a few dry tions. twigs and firewood and turn out one As a child I remember that delicious dish after another, all cooked Omana, my mother’s Lady Friday, on the wood fire in clay or stone pots! used to buy new clay pots every year Generally a quick and impatient cook, from the local markets or during the I often struggle with the terracotta temple festival markets in Kerala. One pots. I am slowly changing; planning or two of them were used to store wa- dinner beforehand, starting it a little ter, one was used to cook rice and an- earlier and also developing patience other to prepare tapioca and the spe- to wait for the pot to cook at its pace, cial meen chattis (more than one) for handle and wash it carefully. Yet, preparing delicious fish curries with it has not been incident free. One of tamarind or raw mango in it. We also the cazuellas has developed a crack, had stoneware, inherited from my thanks to my carelessness in letting it great-grand mother, pots carved from dry on the hob. I have a long way to sand-stone called kalchattis (available go. But, it is worth it. Let us get out in Kerala and Tamil Nadu) in which our chattis, kalchattis and claypots all the sambars, avials and other gra- and regain those flavours! vies were prepared. My strongest memories This article was originally published in Life Pos- itive Magazine on May 2013 of kalchatti cooking are of Omana Link : - Amma (not the other Omana, they are https://www.lifepositive.com/potter two women with the same name), an ing-with-pots-/ inspired cook, who insisted on cook- ing all the curries for lunch on the wood fire in kalchattis, years after the LPG gas stove and aluminium vessels had conquered my parents’ kitchen. I didn’t know enough to know whether cooking in clay pots made a difference in taste but what I distinctly remem- ber is the deliberate, methodical and mindful way that Omana Amma cooked. A lovely woman, then in her early 60s, she would come after GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE 51 Bugs in my dal! How does one deal with the pests that infest your provisions? We list out a few simple tips to keep them away

arlier, many families Organic grains and pulses are Ebought grains in bulk, attractive to pests as well. This is proof which was then periodically dried in of authenticity. the sun and later packed into contain- More importantly, these pests ers. are not as dangerous as the chemicals The pulses were first roasted used to prevent infestation. and then stored. Today, we are used to Pest problems increase during cleaned and packed grains and pulses the monsoons due to moisture in the so much that we rarely have the time air. It is also difficult to dry them to dry and clean them. during this season. Eating organic is a sym- Pests can biotic process, where the con- be easily managed. sumers cannot just be buyers. When you see a few They also have to work with weevils in your or- farmers and suppliers, be ganic grain/pulse/ ready to consume millet jars, you can re- the produce that use them after winnowing is local and sea- and cleaning, or washing and sonal. That is not drying. In the case of flours, all, one has to work putting it through a sieve is the only on preserving non-perishables and way. In the pest-attack hierarchy, the understand the challenges of grow- flour gets attacked the earliest, then ing, storing, and transporting food the broken grains (rava) and then without using chemicals. the whole grains. Among the pulses, At various stages, these grains those with skin are more vulnerable are repeatedly dried, cleaned and to attacks than the split versions. natural control mechanisms such as neem leaves, vasambu or red chillies This article was originally published in The Hin- du, Metro plus edition of Coimbatore on January are used to control pest infestation. Of 28, 2017 course, this does not guarantee 100 per Link: http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/ cent protection. A few organic brands food/Bugs-in-my-dal/article17108590.ece use nitrogen packing to prevent infes- tation. Yet, the grains become infest- ed, and sometimes pretty quickly. 52 GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE Eat Organic

he highpoint of my week have prepared salads with the myr- Tis the visit to the weekly iad greens, best eaten raw, winter organic farmer’s market in the city purslane, lamb’s lettuce, and others. I centre every Wednesday. It began have added the salty sea beans, orig- the week after we (my husband and inally from the tidal marshes, to my I) moved to The Hague two years ago, vegetable dishes. By eating organic, bringing us to a continent with strin- local, and seasonal foods, we are pro- gent standards for pesticide residues moting sustainable, earth-friendly, in food, and making safe food availa- people-friendly farming. I have en- ble to its people. With high consumer joyed raw milk cheese, and made Eu- awareness about food safety and plen- ropean soups and Indian sabjis with ty of options, Europe is the Mecca of the plump pumpkins and succulent organic food. zucchinis. I have relished The Hague, a city the luscious plums with a population of and berries, and 5,00,000, offers a appreciated the centrally located difference be- weekly organic tween shitake market, numer- and portabel- ous organic la mushrooms, stores, and a helping me to few organic become part of the supermar- local food culture and kets. My favour- enrich our meals.Some of ite destination is the organic market these delights cannot be found readi- with around 10-15 stalls ranging from ly in stores, as they are seasonal, easily cheeses, dry goods, nuts, vegetables, perishable, and do not handle trans- fruits, flowers, a couple of bakers, and, portation well. An added attraction believe it or not, a stall specialising in of the market is that I can re-use my mushrooms. I have learnt the names paper bags, using zero-plastic, a luxu- of vegetables in Dutch, even though ry no store or super store affords me. the vendors understand me better Tryst with organic food when I said the names in English. Our tryst with organic food began Picking up strange vegeta- when I moved to the US in 2003. bles that I had never seen before, I Mary, a cancer survivor, a neighbour GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE 53 and a dear friend now, spoke to me a farmer’s market, and worked with about eating organic. This conver- a farmers’ group in Kentucky! Once I sation was part of my explorations woke up to this new world of sustain- about food in general, which began able and safe food, I realised, to my due to the high levels of obesity that dismay, that we spend less thought, I observed in the Midwest of US, and time, and money, on the food we buy, the very low prices of highly pro- cook and eat, than on many other pe- cessed foods. ripheral things in life. Reading, watching docu- Food is fundamental, but mentaries, and understanding more in our new paradigm, it has become led us into eating local, natural, and merely a chore to be outsourced. We seasonal food, and led me to my sec- began evangelising about buying ond career, working on food and ag- organic food and responses from riculture issues. friends and fam- Mary took me Sreedevi Lakshmi Kutty believes that ily varied from it to the two large we are at the crossroads today with being expensive, organic super our food threatened from all sides by involving too stores in Louis- toxins, genetic modification, cloning, much effort, and additives, preservatives, antibiotics, ville, Kentucky, our bodies having hormones, and denaturing through pro- and in return, I cessing. Organic is the answer gotten used to took her to the toxins so it does lively, open-air not matter. People weekly organic farmer’s market two wanted to know whether it was fear of miles away from where we both lived. falling sick or paranoia that prompted I, who had never been too interested us to go organic. It is not that simple. in food, began to enjoy buying food, Of course, being able to eat organic interacting with the farmers, discov- food is a privilege today. A situation ering new vegetables and recipes, and created due to the mindless use of deepening my understanding about chemicals and genetic modification agriculture. in agriculture. The Saturday market, with However, it is also a conscious live music, hot omelettes made fresh choice, which involves making ethi- by Ivor from eggs of ‘free-range hens,’ cal food choices a priority, and invest- farm fresh produce, and families with ing more effort, time, and money. babies and pets, was a magnet, which Why eat organic? drew us to savour, linger and buy. We have numerous reasons We began enjoying food at different for eating organic. One reason is defi- levels, seeing, buying, preparing, and nitely that the food we eat is non-tox- eating. By the time we left four years ic, free of genetically modified or- later, I had volunteered at a farm and ganisms (GMOs), safer, healthier, 54 GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE and tastier. However, there are other began telling me about one store equally strong reasons. By eating or- and then another, in south Mumbai, ganic, local, and seasonal foods, we are central Mumbai, suburbs, carrying promoting sustainable, earth-friend- everything from our newly discov- ly, people-friendly farming. We are ered sweetener, powdered jaggery, supporting sustainable farmers, who to the brown rice with bran, and the go out on a limb to buck the con- varied millets. It also meant meeting ventional chemical-driven paradigm. many new people and visiting new With this choice, we contribute to a parts of town in search of food. safer environment and more of our Meeting Anand, an organ- money reaches the farmer, making ic food exporter, listening to farmer their livelihood secure. and friend Venkat’s droll tales about By eating local and seasonal the farm, were all part of the experi- foods, we reduce our food miles, and ence of eating organic. Our Mumbai

By eating organic, local, and seasonal foods, we are promoting sustainable, earth-friendly, people-friendly farming nourish the local agro-bio-diversity. purchases were nicely supplemented In most places, local vegetables are with delicious hand pounded organic dying out, as they are being replaced red rice, and spicy pepper from our with a few standard vegetables, thus hometown, Thiruvananthapuram.Of decimating the biodiversity of our course, the irrepressible fruit and veg- heritage. We learnt to appreciate the etable vendors of Mumbai put me in slightly bitter kale and arugula, beet place, when I advocated organic and leaves, fresh corn in season, and love- local. In response to my query about ly variety of pumpkin, and heirloom vegetables without chemicals, the tomatoes ranging from pretty to sour, vendors confidently told me, “Aunty, and in strange shapes. you can’t grow vegetables without Relocation brings new experiences chemicals.” The regular fruit vendor, Our organic quest continued who visited our building, greeted me when we moved to Mumbai. Get- the first day proclaiming that all his ting organic food seemed at best a fruits were ‘vilayati and badiya’( im- joke, and at worst impossible. When I ported from abroad and of great qual- started asking around for organic food ity). outlets, friends were amused, and Feeling righteous, I tried ex- laughed it off as my US hangover. plaining to him about my principle of Gradually and serendipi- local, seasonal, and natural. He looked tously, friends and acquaintances bemused, but nodded and left. A week GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE 55 later he rang the doorbell, displayed with our food threatened from all all the fruits and announced with a sides, toxins, genetic modification, flourish, “Madam, all the fruits are cloning, additives, preservatives, an- desi, no videsi fruits.” A new spiel and tibiotics, hormones, and denaturing the same fruits. through processing. We are also faced Organic and local vegetables with the threat of enormous loss of and fruits were a problem in Mumbai. biodiversity, and alienation of farm- The supply was unreliable, erratic, and ers from their seeds. To secure our intermittent. We relished the times food safety and sovereignty, and the when Ubai, our friend and organic future of our children, I believe that farmer, shared his delicious papayas every one of us has to connect with and mangoes with us, when our reg- the farmers who grow our food, and ular organic store carried a rare supply become food growers ourselves, in our of seasonal vegetables, and fruits, and balconies, kitchen gardens, and com- when our balcony yielded the herbs munity spaces. for our teas and garnishes, and the This article was originally published in Life Pos- rare tomatoes, greens and beans! In itive Magazine, on June 2012 the process, I became an urban farmer Link : https://www.lifepositive.com/archive/oth- and became a part of an urban farm- ers/eat-organic- ing group.I am enriched and humbled with the gifts of nourishing food and rich interactions with organic farmers from three different continents, so different yet so very similar. Today we are at a crossroads 56 GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE Memories of peanut farming The pleasure of harvesting groundnuts and eating them fresh has few equals

remember my first season into bed exhausted, I dreamt about Iof farming, when I ambi- more rains, nuts and snakes in the tiously attempted growing ground- fields. We baby-sat the groundnuts nuts organically. The sight of mounds for two weeks, which meant lugging of groundnut plants on the harvested a huge tarpaulin sheet full of drying field, of women plucking the nuts nuts (easily weighing 100 kilograms, and filling them in sacks, is still fresh if not more) into the sun when it in my mind. I had not realised back emerged, and dragging it all back at then, that growing this simple crop the first sign of rain. That was a par- would drive us nuts. ticularly bad year of harvesting. When the plants Every evening, af- needed water to grow, ter a hard day’s work, the we had a dry spell, and women collected their when the harvest share of fresh nuts, needed the sun, put them into their we had copious bags and left for rains. But the home. I realised harvest couldn’t then that fresh wait, so we groundnut was a worked in between favoured food, eaten spells of rain, bringing the ground- in plenty during the short har- nuts into the farm house: 15 women vest season. They told me to boil the working on our two acres of crop. The groundnuts in the shell before eating women toiled hard at harvesting, dry- them. So in the evenings, we settled ing and preparing stacks of the plant down on the farm house veranda, residue to be used as nutritious cattle and as dusk fell, we cracked open the fodder. Most of the groundnuts were shells with our discoloured fingers dried and sent for making oil. Some and popped the nuts into our mouths. of it went into making peanut candy. I learnt that boiling groundnuts in Every waking moment was their shell is the most nutritious and filled with nuts, and when I dropped wholesome way to consume it, as it is GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE 57 rich in antioxidants and fibre. flavour of the peanut butter, and the Groundnut cultivation crunch of the peanut candy always re- opened my eyes to the hard work that minds me of my nutty season. goes into my food before it reaches my plate. Knowing where our food This article was originally published in The Hin- du, Metro plus on November 16,2017 comes from and being involved in the growing process gives us a better Link: https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/ tp-features/tp-metroplus/memories-of-pea- appreciation of it. The delicate taste nut-farming/article25001225.ece and aroma of the groundnut oil, the 58 GROW, COOK & EAT –TALES OF RICE AND MORE

Acknowledgements:

My thanks to:

The Save Our Rice Campaign for inspiring many of these pieces.

The Hindu newspaper and the Coimbatore Metro EditionEditor, Pankaja Srini- vasan, who published most of these pieces, motivating me to continue writing.

The Hindu team for the “no objection” to use the articles in this publication.

Usha Soolapani and Sridhar Radhakrishnan of Thanal and R Ponnambalam of CREATE, who came up with the idea of compiling these articles into a book

Praveen P for the illustrations

Ananthu S Kumar for designing the book.

Anishida for coordinating the publication

& finally to Ramesh, for everything