“The kitchen is a meditative place for me. I am totally at peace when I am cooking,” said Deepa Chauhan, who was one of the top nine contestants in MasterChef India, 2023.
A Bengaluru-based home cook, Chauhan was always passionate about food, particularly dishes from her Sindhi heritage, but had no plans of becoming a chef or even a roadmap. “I did not lack anything; I was just finding myself through this cooking journey,” said Chauhan.
However, post-MasterChef, she has become a custodian of Sindhi culinary traditions, highlighting its inherent adaptive nature that has been shaped by its dynamic history. “With a syncretic culture, it is in our DNA to find the best from everywhere and put their signature essence to the same,” said Chauhan.
Her favourite recipe is the Sindhi kadi for obvious reasons. Prepared using gram flour, tomatoes, vegetables and kokum flowers from the West, Sindhi kadi gets its zest from all corners. Sindhis never had a land of their own, but they surely owned their snacks. Sharing them was a way of creating deep bonds in new places that were not their own. Growing up, Chauhan remembers relishing crunchy urad daal papads with other Sindhis, creating a sense of community wherever they went.
“In the Indian subcontinent, food has power; it plays a major role in marking anything and everything,” said Chauhan, when asked about the power of food in preserving our cultural heritage. Another childhood memory that stands out for Chauhan is going for family picnics. “We would take earthen pots and put everything in them. sel mutton (A one-pot Sindhi style braised meat curry with shallots, ginger and Indian spices) and surand ki bhaji (spiced, deep-fried yam simmered in onion and tomato gravy) were among our top favourites,” added Chauhan. These dishes are also reflective of the traditional sel technique widely used in Sindhi cooking. This method involves cooking the vegetables or meat using the moisture of onions and tomatoes without adding water.
Gram Flour In Sindhi Kitchens
Sindhis share their love for gram flour with the people of Rajasthan and Gujarat. The Vaishno Sindhi community, present in significant numbers across these two states, prepare luscious gravies using gram flour as a substitute for onion and garlic. They also showcase their love for gram flour through recipes like sev tamataar saag, and yoghurt and makhana-based gravies. A popular sweet delight, singar ki barfi is also made with the gram flour sev.
Sindhi food is delectable, but with tangy pickles, crunchy papads, dried ladyfinger and lotus stem, it just becomes magical.
Gathri pickle is a household Sindhi recipe prepared with grated mango mixed with basic spices and a vinegar-water solution. They tie it into a bundle (potli) made from soft, worn-out dhotis or sarees, “It would look like a bun made of hair, with a little strand sticking out”– perfect for travel, since you could pre-portion it without spoiling the rest of the pickle.” added Chauhan. Find Deepa Chauhan’s age-old zesty pickle recipe that is a treat for the taste buds, served best with Khichdi, Pulao, Paratha, and almost everything.
