“We inherit so many things from our mothers and grandmothers including their jewellery and saris but we never speak about inheriting something intangible yet equally valuable like a recipe. With Nivaala we wanted to remind people that mortality is real and one must keep the memory of their loved ones alive through their recipes,” said Shruti Taneja, founder of Nivaala who also shared one of her great grandmother’s favourite recipes with us.
Taneja lost most of her mother’s and nani’s (maternal grandmother) recipes when they passed away three years ago. “We all make the mistake of taking ghar ka khaana (home food) for granted. It is only when we lose access to it that we realise its worth,” added Taneja.
With the aim of helping families document their heirloom recipes, Nivaala started off with a recipe keeper where people could write down recipes, followed by a voice-recording app that would allow them to record audio clips of recipes.
When I asked Taneja about a recipe that reminds her of happy memories from childhood, she shared one that dates back to 1947, when her great-grandmother (ammi ji) crossed the border from Pakistan to the Kingsway refugee camp in Delhi.
Poorni is a fried, flat kachori that is stuffed with a filling of moong daal and pudina (mint) and is eaten with mint chutney. It is specific to the Derawal Punjabis who are natives of the Derajat region in the Dera Ghazi Khan district of Pakistan and crossed the border to come to Delhi during the Indian Partition of 1947.
“When Ammi ji came to Delhi, she would call a halwai to make hundreds of Poornis and sohan halwa for her family and friends. She picked up the recipe from him and taught it to my nani and my mother,” recalled Taneja. Even today, the entire family continues to make it on special occasions and celebrations. “We store the poornis in our freezer and fry it instantly to serve it to our guests,” added Taneja.
