Aaji's kitchen cookbook has amazing recipes that no one knows

A new cookbook From Aajis Kitchen has recipes that no one except an aaji would know Theres dadpe pohe pohe with grated cucumber and raw mango gul pohe pohe with jaggery pej rice porridge kelfulachi bhaji banana flower stirfry tak pole buttermilk pancakes and tikhat dhondas spicy cucumber cake In fact according to 70yearold Anagha Desai the author of From Aajis Kitchen From Grandmothers Kitchen tikhat dhondas is a dish that nobody prepares mhanje nobody prepares Its her sisterinlaws recipe a family secretBangade SukkeWe meet Desai at her residence in Worli where she has baked the dhondas for us Her late husband test cricketer Ramakant Desais portrait hangs in the background while her son Amod plays mother hen prompting answers and at one point even the question Why dont you tell her why you decided to write the book Desai answers Every time we used to come together in the family the kids would discuss their grandmothers cooking One day I said Ill compile all the recipes for our family From a personal project it soon became a public project As Amod adds A friend of mine who is settled in Milan said he wanted the recipe for varanbhat So mum sat typed out the whole thing and sent it to him That was also another turning point because people were hankering for this stuffMalpolaDont go by the name of the book From Aajis Kitchen actually includes handmedown recipes by all the cooks in Desais family from her grandmother to her sisterinlaw While tagging along with them she would first take mental notes then take written notes which eventually became the book In those days nobody taught you to cook she says We observed and followed them and we learned from them Since hardly anyone undergoes apprenticeship in the kitchen today the cookbook ensures you dont have to look over your mothers shoulder to mimic old recipesAlong the coastThe Desais are originally from Vengurla in the Sindhudurg district and the 110 recipes can be broadly termed as coastal Maharashtrian food Obviously fish forms the heart of the cuisine pomfret mackerel halwa ladyfish mandeli sardines The book also contains the familys version of popular dishes My grandmothers mutton curry was called Sunday mutton curry because it was made only on Sundays says Desai Sol kadhi is an extract from dry kokum But my sisterinlaw used to prepare it from fresh fruit Our way of preparing kopra pak is also different We add potato to it for smoothness We also make a special paste with ground coconut and roasted onions That paste is most important because it gives thickness body and taste to our graviesAnagha Desai wife of late test cricketer Ramakant Desai started work on the cookbook as a medium to compile some of the family favourites PicBipin KokateEven if youve lived in Mumbai forever its likely you havent eaten some of these dishes Is there any restaurant that has gul pohe and dadpe pohe on its menu Gul pohe used to be my tiffin in school says Desai Actually typical Maharashtrian food is hardly available in restaurants We dont have so much oil and tomatoes and fried things in our cooking Our sourness comes from kokum and tamarind None of the sweets such as fenugreek pancakes with sweet coconut milk are available in any shop or restaurants In a bid to correct this Aaswad Restaurant in Dadar is going to host a 10day festival from October 20 that will feature some of these dishes Suryakant Sarjoshi owner of Aaswad says The basic motto of Aaswad is to promote traditional Maharashtrian dishes which is not even being made in homes For the festival weve selected 1015 unique items that most of the people dont know aboutChemist to cookDesai who was a chemist with Agmark for 36 years and retired in 2006 took four years to write the book I have kept myself busy with this work only What to do You cant sit in the mall the whole day Whats true for the Desais is equally true for all our families Our matriarchs especially those in their twilight years have recipes and stories that will disappear with them Perhaps just like Desai did its time to put our mothers and grandmothers to work and get those recipes on paperTikhat DhondasIngredients34 tbs ghee1 cup semolina1 cup grated cucumber peeled and deseeded25 cups hot water1 tsp salt1 tbs jaggery14 cup grated fresh coconut14 cup cashew nuts halved12 piece ginger23 green chillies12 piece cinnamon12 tsp black pepper corn1 tbs fennel seeds1 tbs coriander seeds12 tsp turmeric powder6 fresh turmeric leavesPreparationGrind ginger and green chillies to a fine paste Powder cinnamon black pepper fennel seeds and coriander seedsHeat 1 tbs ghee in a pan add semolina lower the heat and roast the semolina till it changes colour and gives a roasted aromaIn another pan heat 1 tbs ghee add grated cucumber stir and cook for five minutesAdd hot water and increase the heat As the water starts boiling add roasted semolina and salt Keep stirring continuouslyAdd gingerchilli paste jaggery coconut cashew nuts ground spices powder and turmeric Stir and cook the mixture till it thickensGrease a cake tin with ghee Spread three turmeric leaves at the bottom Pour the thickened mixture in the tin Place remaining turmeric leaves at the topBake in an oven at 180 degrees for 20 to 30 minutesServe hot or at room temperatureCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates