Bombay Canteen's menu to get a mother's touch on first anniversary

Its 1030 am As soon as we step into The Bombay Canteen Sunita Seth the mother of Sameer Seth partner at the restaurant warmly asks us Would you like some tea or coffee while the silverhaired Beryl Cardoz chuckles Or maybe something stronger Brand consultant Radhika Misrarsquos mother Iti chirps in Oh shersquoll have that when she is off duty as Cynthia Zacharias and Renu Bhanage mothers of executive chef Thomas Zacharias and partner Yash Bhanage respectively join in the laughter Though some from the group are meeting each other for the first time their bonhomie sets the mood as they gather to celebrate The Bombay Canteenrsquos first anniversary February 11 by creating a special menu straight from their home kitchens across IndiaFrom left Iti Misra Beryl Cardoz Cynthia Zacharias Renu Bhanage and Sunita Seth with their creations Ulta Pulta Pineapple Cake Macher Kochuri Aar Aloo Dum Bf Cutless Pressure Cooked Sardines on Toast and Dahi Gujiya ChaatMumrsquos the wordCardoz who grew up in Goa and has contributed Pressure Cooked Sardines and Toast and Chicken Xacuti to the menu admits I couldnrsquot make a cup of tea when I was young I have perfected the recipes through trial and error and all of them are my creations I have six children and not once have we bought a cake for birthday celebrations I would bake a cake each time Punebased Bhanage who currently manages an 800tree mango farm with her husband recalls her initiation into cooking Before marriage you are not even expected to cook You learn cooking when you have children When my kids were in school they would return home for lunch I would attempt different dishes and they would get excited That motivated me to cook better In those days we didnrsquot even have ovens I would bake a cake on a stove and that aroma still lingers with me Ulta Pulta Pineapple Cake and Konkani Kolambi Curry will be her contributions to the anniversary menuThe mothers indulge in friendly banter at the Lower Parel eatery PicsDatta KumbharHailing from a vegetarian household in Delhi Sethrsquos contribution to the menu includes Dahi Gujiya Chaat and Phool Gobi Mussalam The Mussalam is an adaptation of the nonvegetarian recipe and was typically cooked in my house during celebrations My mother was an expert at making gujiyas and I have learnt the dish from her she saysHome truthsMeanwhile Zacharias has substituted prawns with crabs in a Keralastyle curry titled Crab Mappas One of Thomasrsquo favourite dishes are beef cutlets so thatrsquos also on the menu but it will be made using carabeef she shares adding Earlier you didnrsquot have access to so many ingredients you had to learn to improvise And the other mothers agree Post marriage I lived in a small district of Guntur in Andhra Pradesh and I had to even get vegetables from Bangalore because nothing was available My husband was in the export business and I had to host dinners at home so I learnt to cook recalls Misra who has written a cookbook of handpicked recipes and their stories sourced from friends and acquaintances For the menu she has whipped up a unique Macher Kochuri or fish stuffed puris served with Aloo Dum tempered with the typical Bengali spice mix Panch Phoron lugged all the way from her Kolkata homeWe love our fish in all forms she smiles as Cardoz curiously interjects Isnrsquot the fish head supposed to be a delicacy especially at Bengali weddings and instantly the conversation veers towards cuisines from their respective states food culture coastal ingredients such as bamboo shoots mangoes and coconuts the variations in cooking styles the number of dishes that can be made with the modest poha flattened rice and also how some Goans even use turkey in their Xacuti As the mothers share notes intently and we too soak in the hourlong conversation that is a great culinary crash course Cardoz says The most important ingredient for any dish is love A statement that echoed among all at the Lower Parel restaurant which has become one of the cityrsquos most favourite hangouts in the past yearBeryl CardozBeryl Cardoz with Pressure Cooked Sardines On Toast with tomato onion coriander nimbu PicDatta KumbharBorn to Goan parents in Iran Cardoz grew up in Hubli Karnataka and later in Goa in a family that loved food and her six children including chef Floyd Cardoz have inherited the trait Having moved to the city in her early 20s Cardoz initially worked as a secretary with Macmillan Publishers and also as a singer in the band The Ken Mack Band ldquoI wasnrsquot a reckless singer I sang because my voice merged beautifully with the band Now of course I canrsquot singrdquo she laughsIti MisraIti Misra with Macher Kochuri Aar Aloo Dum Bekti stuffed puris served with baby potatoes cooked with panch phoran tamatar and red chillies PicDatta KumbharA sales and marketing professional for British Airways Kolkataborn Misra learnt cooking out of compulsion when she had to shift to Guntur a small district in Andhra Pradesh post marriage By now having developed a strong passion for all things culinary ldquoI have also tried many kinds of meat including kangaroo meatrdquo Misra has penned yettobepublished cookbook that includes a handpicked collection of recipes from her friends and acquaintances and the stories associated with them ldquoFrom Jewish to Anglo Indian I have covered a variety of dishes The recipes are traditional but whatrsquos interesting are the people who have spoken about themrdquo she sharesSunita SethSunita Seth with Dahi Gujiya Chaat Chironji stuffed urad dal dumplings mint and tamarind chutneys spiced yoghurt nylon sev PicDatta KumbharPuneborn Seth grew up in different parts of North India including Agra Delhi and Lucknow due to her fatherrsquos various Army postings Armed with BA from Loreto College and MA from Agra University Seth has been an English teacher for the last 30 years Slightly apprehensive when his son Sameer wanted to quit banking and venture into hospitality business she laughs ldquoAs a mother I thought it was a passing phase and wanted him to have a backup too because itrsquos important However he was clear he didnrsquot want to be part of a hotel but set up a restaurant I am glad he went to Cornell University and met Yash Bhanage As mothers we hope and pray that the team sticks togetherrdquoCynthia ZachariasCynthia Zacharias with Bf Cutless with green chillies cloves ginger served with cucumber challas PicDatta KumbharWhile her mother and grandmother were famous in Kochi for their culinary skills Zachariasrsquo a Syrian Christian interests lay in Maths and Economics Post graduation from Stella Maris College in Chennai she did her MBA from Cochin University and later also worked as a stock broker for a decade apparently one of the first women to work in the Cochin Stock Exchange ldquoThomasrsquo love for cooking is actually inspired by my mother as he would observe her in the kitchen a lot My friend used to run a cooking class and he wanted to get himself enrolled in it He must be 1012 years old he was the first male student in the class He learnt to make fried rice and noodles and he became an expert at making Chinese fried ricerdquo she recallsRenu BhanageUlta Pulta Pineapple Cake baked with caramelised pineapple brown sugar served with vanilla ice creamDrawn into the world of finance during the 80s Mumbaiborn Renu Bhanage soon decided to quit her career and pursue Interior Design and Architecture at Rachana Sansad school When she isnrsquot busy with her own successful interior design practice in Pune she helps manage a 800tree mango farm with her husband ldquoDuring the mango season I make Kairas a raw mangobased sweet and tangy dish I also send it for the boys at The Bombay Canteenrdquo she smiles