However much we master our cooking, Mom’s food is very
special, and we often crave for Mom’s food. I don’t know, whether it’s her love
or a secret recipe she’s yet to share with me, that makes her food so special.
I attribute reasons to be her love and purity she
practices. Let me give you a brief background. My mom is a converted
vegetarian. All of us started practicing vegetarianism, when we were introduced
to meditation by Brahma Kumaris. She strictly practices ‘Purity’; she only
takes food cooked with God’s remembrance and doesn’t take onion and garlic. Hinduism
promotes Saatvic food i.e. vegetarian food but avoiding certain type of
vegetables. Onion and garlic is believed to be increasing impure feelings.
Whatever she cooks at home she will offer it to God, before serving to family. Hence it could be her love, pure feeling and on top
of it, God’s love that make’s mom’s food so special.
I always bring something along with me from home,
something that I could cook and bring mom’s food taste into my dishes. Curry
powder is a wonderful ingredient to bring back from Mom’s kitchen. Her curry
powder is influenced by Sri Lankan Tamil (Northern) origins, but with some
modifications. She only consumes very little chili (unlike me), again it is
believed to be increasing heat and anger in oneself.
This curry powder has zero chili and has protein from
Soya, yellow split peas, orid dhal and toor dhal. It also has rice. Adding
these legumes and rice helps to give tanginess to gravies made with this
curry powder. Gravy will be much thicker and tastier. So here you go…. secret
recipe for my mom’s curry powder.
