The summer this year was specifically marred by the havoc of second wave of Corona that rocked the country. Ideally, I love summertime for the plethora of memories that accompanies it each year. Each memory associated somehow with the summery smells of the food consumed with relish over the years. This cocktail of memories comprises of fruity, sweet as hell odor and taste of Rasana, of a sugarcane juice seller that used to present it with a dash if lemon and ginger, of freshly pickled raw mangoes, of a house basking in the heady scent of ripe mangoes and muskmelons, of heavenly fragrance of watered soil, of simple uncomplicated easy to digest food we consumed in summers.
Unfortunately half of April and May passed away in tackling the covid infection that plagued us just like several others. So I missed many of the above savours this year. The emphasis was more on recovering and regaining the lost strength. Which meant eating holistic simple food for a month. In the month of May we also had a unseasonal cyclone hitting us badly that changed the course of weather this year. May was relatively cool and June even more cooler. Kesar Mangoes arrived eventually, albeit a little late, to give some semblance to the overall unknown summer this year. So mangoes ruled our lives from the later half of May, in the pureed form as Aamras, as milkshakes, as mango Kulfi, as mango flavored shrikhand or simply served cut in cubes.
One outstanding dish that I attempted was Mango Halwa which turned out to be a beautiful recipe. I say beautiful because it looks lovely, smells lovely and tastes delicious. That soft grainy texture of the halwa with fragrance and taste of mangoes can only be compared with delicately made soft motichoor laddoos. Its a wonderful way to dress up your mundane Sooji Halwa in the shades of a mango.
June arrived with my mothers 75th birthday which we decided to celebrate with gusto! So along with family zoom calls and video messages, I prepared the mandatory 'panchapakwann' meal which consisted of 5 sweet dishes to honor my mother for all that she did for us all these years. The fact that we managed to finish those sweets by eating them over next several days, is another story!
There were Sundays that occupied much of an entire day's time in preparing and slow cooking dishes like Paneer tikka and veg biryani. I also had my first successful attempt in making donuts from scratch. On a scale of 10, they passed with an 8! Some more practice will bring it up to a perfect 10! Also 'the this and that' food like Misal paav, egg paratha and focaccia sandwich kept the interests of the younger generation alive.
To water down all the hefty cooking and to assimilate it properly, we restarted the habit of having infused water in the morning. It also helps to flush out the toxins post any infection. That is an added daily chore but its totally worth it! Great way to start the day with a refreshing glass of water lightly flavored with lemon, mint and cucumber.
So, here's my summer cooking chronicle. Now over to the festive season that monsoon would soon bestow upon all of us !!😊
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