Sai Lakshmi’s star dessert has an unusual hero ingredient
By Sushmita Dey
One of the biggest joys of my childhood involved seeing my mother making halwa using usual ingredients such as sooji (semolina) and besan (gram flour) and humming “Boro Asha Kore Esechhi” by Rabindranath Tagore. Every Sunday, at home in Meerut, the halwa would bring us all together as each of us went about recounting our day. This was the beginning of my love affair with halwa.
I’ve always felt that there’s such a strong connection between a dish and the person who makes it. So, meet Sai Lakshmi, who has been working as a warden in Asian College of Journalism’s hostel in Chennai for the past 13 years and carrying her mother’s recipes forward.
Food was always an integral part of Sai Lakshmi’s life. At home in Thoraipakkam, her mother used to prepare warm and high-protein meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Although, Lakshmi had never cooked at home before she married and moved into her in-law’s house in Chennai?. “My older brother used to cook for all four of us when our mother used to go out,” she said.
She shares how, her mother, is self-taught and her cooking skills—with varied spices and traditional ingredients—is the primary reason they never fall sick. “The one thing my mother told me while cooking is, never cook meals for others by thinking which section of the society and what caste they belong to.” Because food is the only thing that helps us to live happily, she added.
“After marriage, when I started cooking for my family, I realised it was more exciting to cook the good old recipes and relive those memories because all my memories of my mother are food-related,” said Lakshmi
Whether it’s a birthday or any other special occasion, the first dish that Lakshmi’s family prepares is the potato halwa.
The recipe itself is not very complicated. First, boil the potatoes and mash them gently. Then heat ghee in a pan and add the potatoes along with some sugar for sweetness. Then mix and sauté for two to three minutes.
Before taking the pan off the heat, put a dash of elaichi (cardamom) powder for a hint of flavour; it is incomplete without a few strings of kesar scattered on top. The potatoes add a creamy and flavourful surprise to the dish.
“The only difference you will find in my mother’s halwa and mine are the garnished nuts and almonds. At that time, my family couldn’t afford to buy nuts,” said Lakshmi.
The piping-hot ghee-laden halwa has an orange hue and is soft and creamy. To ensure it’s not sticky, make sure to balance the ghee poured on it and boiled the potatoes. Almonds lend it the toasty, nutty richness.
Adaptation is key to our perseverance, and it remains the defining aspect of potato halwa, said Lakshmi. However, she pointed out that the cooking remains true to its ancient family roots, with liberal use of ghee and an emphasis on the interplay between the correct amount of sugar and the stickiness of the potatoes.
“I never cook from recipe books, I just cook whatever is in my mind. And I get pleasure from cooking—when I look at someone enjoying my food, it makes my heart happy.”
Potato halwa is the first sweet dish Lakshmi made for her children.
When asked to share one of her favourite memories associated with the potato halwa, Lakshmi smiled and said, “When I was working at the Asian College of Journalism annexe in Chennai, I cooked this sweet dish as a late-night dessert for every student staying there.” The only thing the students said was that it’s the best halwa they had had in Chennai and that they would never forget the taste of it.
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