Nostalgia – It comes in different shapes and sizes.

Wrapped in layers of
memory, sautéed with tidbits of imagination and relished with a satisfying,
almost orgasmic, after taste — one that you can conjure up only in your
gastronomic mind space.

Food nostalgia is all about reliving the experience of food and its associated
memories and stories that all of us long to share.
Being away from home for the past one year makes me miss “ghar ka khaana”
Going back through my memory lane, waking up on the morning of 27th May
every year and feeling the aroma of masalas, my nose sniffing the air, my feet
puttering along the hall and down the stairs to the kitchen with that wonderful
smell and sight of Mumma cooking Chhole in large aluminium patias. A
25years old family ceremony of cooking 15kgs of Chhole and Kulcha on 27th
May- the death anniversary of my uncle.
In my culture and religion, food is integral to how the dead are remembered,
and sharing food they loved can be a very tangible way to feel close to them.
My grandfather would say, ‘You have to eat a spoonful in his memory’.
Chhole Kulche was my uncle’s favourite dish and hence to remember him every
year our family prepares Chhole Kulche for offering in Bangla Sahib
Gurudwara. The Chhole is prepared without the use of onion and garlic as it
symbolises a bhog for god and good souls.
More than a ceremony, it has become a tradition where everyone in the family
from all the cousins to uncles and aunts come together in Gurudwara distribute
the food and share happiness, love and laughter.
Not being there at home this year flooded me with such vivid, emotional
memories of this day. The taste of Maa ke haath ka khana will always be
missed, however gourmet meals I may have at Michelin-starred restaurants on
this day.
The memory of sitting on the kitchen slabs as a kid and watching her cook
Chhole in large patilas, adding all her special ingredients of ginger paste with
tomato puree with lots of green chillies, keeping it on low flame and then
adding variety of masalas such as coriander powder, garam masala, degi mirch,
chana masala, anardana powder, finally adding the boiled chickpeas and the
aroma of boiled tamarind water makes me drool even now.
A bite of the Kulchas, just the right size and softness, oozing with chhole is
pure decadence. The flavours burst in the mouth, hot at first, tangy after and by
the time you've swallowed, your mouth is dripping wet.
The Chhole Kulche with a glass of ice chilled rose milk will continue to linger
on my taste buds and fondly remind me of the best days of my life.
You don't just eat it; it's a wholesome experience, it's more than just my comfort
food, it’s a feeling of home.