Dishing up magic
As we celebrate Women’s Day, it is quite natural for the question to pop up: why is there no mention of women khansamas — professional celebrity chefs? The long answer must wait but we feel this is primarily because we choose not to see.
Long years ago, when deputed to collect some Kakori kebab from Munna Kebabi who operated near the City Station in Lucknow, I made the discovery that behind every celebrated heritage chef lurks a woman no less gifted than the hyped artist. To cut a long story short, Munna, addicted to opium, was missing, but before entering the stupor zone, the man of honour had left instructions for us to pick up the pre-paid consignment from his house. There, we met his sister, who was char-grilling the melt-in-the-mouth skewers expertly. She conversed charmingly and educated me about the different woods that produced charcoal with specific properties and the smoky flavour that was imparted by imli or aam ki lakri.
Decades later, good friend Osama Jalali, journalist-turned-food impresario, introduced us to the fabulous cooking of his mother and wife. Both ladies have a magic touch, and neither shirks from working for hours in a hot kitchen, stirring heavy pots, bending it like the best of those legendary khansamas of yore. Truth be told, there has never been a dearth of stunningly brilliant queens of the kitchen. What follows is just an illustrative, and not an exhaustive, listing as we honour them.
She was just 16 when she was widowed with an infant son and an eight-year-old brother-in-law to look after and this was in a tradition-bound Iyer family in Madras about a 100 years ago. But Meenakshi Ammal was made of stern stuff. Supported by her in-laws and an affectionate uncle, she resolved to stand on her own feet. One thing she knew well was to cook, and soon, she was in great demand to lend a hand in large celebratory meals that were cooked at home. She acquired a formidable reputation as a gifted cook who could easily cater to 50-60 guests. Sometime in the 1950s, she decided to compile her recipes to ensure that these weren’t lost, and the next generation treats these as heirlooms. She pawned her jewellery to self-publish ‘Samitu Paar’ (literally, Look and See, implying how easy it is to cook if the basics are mastered), and the rest, as they say, is history. She is an institution whose legacy is enduring.
Mrs Balbir Singh is known to many as one of the earliest Indian cookbook writers. She was also a pioneer teacher and a gifted cook who consulted with famous restaurants in the 1950s. Some food historians believe that her recipe of shahi murg provided the inspiration for the globe-conquering murg tikka masala.
The next decade belonged unquestionably to ‘Tsarina of Taste’ Bhicoo Manekshaw. She is believed to be the first woman to have acquired an advanced Cordon Bleu diploma when her husband, an Air Force officer, was posted in London in the mid-1950s. Her forte was ‘continental’ but her contributions to ‘modern Indian’ are no less significant. Her long association with the India International Centre in the Capital resulted in the creation of many fusion delicacies before the word came into vogue. Her even greater contribution was to make her compatriots aware of the resplendent diversity of the subcontinent’s regional foods. Penguin Books was persuaded to launch the priceless series of cookbooks focusing on different regions. It was Bhicoo who designed and executed menus for international events hosted by India in the 1960s through 1980s. No khansama could match her accomplishments.
Madhur Jaffrey left India just after graduation in 1953 to pursue a distinguished career in theatre and films. She has won many accolades in her long acting career but what the world recognises her most for is demystifying the taste of India. A self-taught cook, she has researched Indian cuisine for decades and acted as envoy extraordinaire, popularising Indian foods and flavours. A gifted communicator, she has used all means at her command — coffee table books, TV programmes, food festivals and restaurants — to literally move mountains. Past 90 years, Madhur remains indefatigable. Most of her life has been spent abroad and that, perhaps, is the reason that few in the land of her birth are aware of her contributions. Born in an elite Kayasth family, Madhur is an unmatched repository of information — food-related socio-cultural history.
The present is no less glittering with trailblazing women chefs. Space constraints restrict us to mere listings: Pritha Sen is an amazing person. Obsessed by food in the best sense of the word, she is a walking-talking encyclopaedia. And, she cooks fabulously. Not only the Bangla ranna but whatever she has tasted and experimented with since adolescence, travelling all over the world.
Prima Kurien is a gifted painter who wields a taste palate no less evocative, improvising with Kerala delicacies. Sneha Saikia has introduced the foods from the Seven Sisters in the north-eastern part of India through pop-ups, table for six (by invitation) at home and lecturing. Rajni Jinsi has wowed diners in many cities with her fabulous spread of Kashmiri Pandit wazwan.
Cauldron sisters Ratika Bhargava and Richa Khetan are spearheading a novel Marwadi fare in Jaipur, while Reetika Singh, a chip off the old block, has single-handedly revived interest in Punjab’s home cooking. Megha Kohli, who understudied with ‘Saby’ Gorai at Lavash, has embarked on an independent Mediterranean voyage.
There are others: Anahita Dhondy, a Parsi domiciled in Delhi, partnered the Sodabottleopenerwala to popularise Parsi cuisine, and how can one forget Ritu Dalmia, who has impressed Italians in Italy with her creativity. One must also acknowledge great mentors and corporate women chefs like Neeta Nagraj, who have groomed countless protégés.
