Eat like an East Indian: How a local venture celebrates community cooking online

Veera Almeida prepares East Indian masalas between March and May for the entire year to honour her culture and her mother who taught her how to cook The art of East Indian cooking lies mostly with its women in their hands as much as their minds The community maintains a fierce adherence to recipes and treats them as heirlooms Yoursquoll hear the word lsquoauthenticrsquo more than the word lsquofugiarsquo And itrsquos not something thatrsquos easily sourced from a cookbook But if you want to ensure spoton flavours bank on using traditional East Indian masalas Many enterprising households make and sell them This month another culinary idea was born mdash Veera Bairsquos Vasaibased The House of Jevayla Ye THJYEast Indian bottle masalas prepared by the AlmeidasThe new venture offers four different masalas mdash the classic and famous bottle masala fish masala puris masala indyal vindaloo masala 200 onwards Veera Almeida says ldquoThere is nothing like our bottle masalas You donrsquot have to add anything else to the dishrdquo Mix and simmer with basic additions like onions chillis and ginger garlic paste and yoursquore done cooking ldquoOur masalas make cooking a 10minute activityrdquo says her daughter NatashaAn Instagram post by Natasha AlmeidaA resident of Vasai 61yearold Almeida senior explains ldquoWe make these masalas during the summer when the heat is just right You start with sourcing good quality spices especially red chillies Sundry all the spices for two days lightly roast it handpound it and then store it in beer bottles or airtight containersrdquo If you donrsquot have the generational training but the patience Google the words lsquobottle masalarsquo and yoursquoll get recipes that include over 20 spices plus lsquopro tipsrsquo to make a mean spice blend ldquoThe secret to good bottle masala is the proportion My mairsquos motherrsquos recipe has 32 ingredientsrdquo reveals AlmeidaCrabstick lollipops PicsSameer MarkandeYoursquoll have to put your ear to the ground to know where to buy the best masalas but THJY has a more customerfriendly marketing approach They started with an Instagram page a year ago detailing everyday meals at the Almeida household Her 24yearold daughter Natasha who is a former advertising professional helms the page Soon the account attracted massive following with agencystyled posts and traditional yet innovative recipes A crowdfavourite post is the crab lollipops an East Indian twist on a dish that replaces drumstick with crab claw and meat The entrepreneurs have streamlined customer service using a WhatsApp business account Save the number and proceed to the contact information section for descriptions of the masalas prices and other details Interested folk can call or message to place their ordersVeera AlmeidaTHJY also ships globally catering to East Indians who have settled overseas Almeida adds ldquoWe want to keep our tradition alive and make home cooking easier toordquo Jevayla Ye translates to ldquocome eatrdquo in East Indian Marathi so why donrsquot you do just thatLog on to _thehouseofjevaylaye and jevayla_yeCall 9175191561Pothundi and chichavni salted fish parcel and gravyFor chichavni gravygtgt2 tbsp oilgtgt6 smashed garlic podsgtgtHandful of spring oniongtgt1 green chilligtgt12 chopped oniongtgt1 tbsp THJY East Indian fish masalagtgtFreshly extracted tamarind water as requiredFor pothundigtgt4 salted fish piecesgtgt12 oniongtgt1 tbsp THJY East Indian fish masalagtgt12 tsp saltgtgt5 garlic clovesgtgt2 tbsp chopped spring onionsgtgt1 green chilligtgt2 tbsp tamarind pulpgtgt2 banana leavesMethodSoak the fish in water for 30 minutes Mix ingredients in a bowl and massage the fish well Rest them for 15 minutes Place the marinated fish in a banana leaf secure it with thread or a toothpick Drop these into the boiling chichavni mix Cook on slow for five minutes Serve with rice