I met Farah at Ministry of New, the beautiful oasis we both work out of. Recognising people’s half-covered, masked faces has become a current challenge of its own. Last week, I stepped out for my evening walk, only to lock eyes with familiar ones. It was so heartwarming to connect again after months; the story of Mumma’s potato fry is a brief snippet into the many things Farah and I spoke about that evening.

As a Parsi girl born and brought up in Mumbai, food or ‘Bhonu’ as we call it, has been an integral part of my life. Some of my best memories of food date back to my childhood; of simpler times spent in my grandparents home in gay abandon! I’ve always shared a very special bond with my grandmother. A woman of substance and grit , she helped raise me and my sister after our parents passing, many years ago. One of the more special things about her is that she is an amazing cook. Of all the dishes she had mastered, one that stands out is her rendition of the extremely humble dry aloo sabzi or potato fry. A rather simple, no frills dish packed with flavour and the undisputed family favourite!

Looking Back

I distinctly remember when as a little girl, I would zealously volunteer to peel and chop the potatoes for her. Almost always, I would discreetly add a few more than what she had initially put out for me; just so I could claim a larger share for myself. Every time it would make it to the day’s menu, she was sure to send some over to my cousins and neighbours; which almost always paved the way to a constant complaint I had with her – that she didn’t leave quite enough for us! My appetite for it was insatiable.

Looking Ahead

My grandmother turns 90 this year.  It’s been years since she last stepped into the kitchen. Our cooks over the years have all tried their hand at the recipe, but somehow never managed to meet the gold standard. My grandmother attributes her culinary skills to her mother- my great grandmother; who unfortunately I didn’t have the pleasure of knowing. But who from what I hear, was an excellent cook herself. My mother’s siblings, reminisce about their grandmother’s cooking with the same fondness that I speak of mine.

A rather interesting development here is that with the ongoing pandemic, we are currently not letting any house-help into our home. My sister who is temporarily filling in for our cook, has seemingly inherited the culinary gene. Having honed her skills at cooking over the months, she recently tried her hand at the celebrated potato dish,  and much to everyone’s delight, she replicated it beautifully. The dish brought back fond memories of my childhood.  It was comfort on a plate and an emotion that I didn’t think I would get to experience again. Finding our way back to this legacy of my beloved Mumma has definitely been a buffer to this harsh pandemic.  As for my sister, getting my grandmother’s nod of approval that day, was all the validation she needed!

Written by Farah Bomanbehram and edited by  Jashan Sippy.

‘Food, the Feeling of Home’: A series of stories exploring nostalgia, the power of food, our memories and stories of ‘home’. Want to share your story? Send it to us at info@sugarandspace.in