Christmas 2023: How Mumbai's East Indians, Anglo-Indians are carrying forward the tradition of stuffing chickens, piglings

Rita Rodricks has grown up savouring stuffed chickens and piglings for Christmas in her maternal family home near Bandra's Pali Naka. She reminisces, "At my grandmother's house, we used to make both for Christmas because there used to be 50-60 of us who used to come together for the occasion." Everything used to be available or made in the house. Starting from the chicken to the piglings and even making it all. Today, more than five decades later, the self-taught continues her family tradition of making stuffed chicken for the occasion.

Every year, the Catholic community along with many other Mumbaikars come together to celebrate Christmas on December 25 like many people around the world. The city boasts many different communities including the Goan, Mangalorean, East Indian and Anglo-Indian Catholic communities who make their specials for the occasion. Interestingly, among the many traditions, the East Indian and Anglo-Indian communities have one unique and grand dish that they make - Stuffed Chicken/Pigling, that stands out for them and is served at every Christmas lunch. Baked to perfection, it is delicious and savoured by family and friends for as long as they can.

Carrying forward East Indian tradition
It's no different for Rita, who has continued her family's tradition over the years simply because she loves cooking and intends to pass on her heritage. She explains, "Every year now, I make one stuffed chicken for me, and one for my brother."

Sitting at it a day before the main celebration, Rodricks prefers the traditional recipe over anything else. "You cannot take the East Indian out of me," says the 64-year-old, who starts by cleaning the entire chicken and taking out the innards. "I prick it all over with a fork and I add salt, sour lime, turmeric and garam masala powder, and keep it aside. Then I make the stuffing it with a handful of green peas, finely cut one big or two small carrots, along with the boiled and chopped innards of the chicken - liver, heart, and gizzard. Then you cut one onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, and green chillies and cook it, then I add some chopped cashew nuts and kismis. I always make a little extra stuffing to enjoy separately."

After stuffing it all in, Rodricks stitches the chicken together and bakes it with a little ghee on the skin till it is ready. Interestingly, the whole preparation takes only an hour and she is very specific about the baking process. She explains, "I like to give it to the bakery for baking. So here, I give it to National Bakery on Bazaar Road because they get the crispiness that you don't get with the home oven." Rodricks makes the stuffed chicken on December 24 every year and then tells her husband to give it to the bakery at 7 am on December 25. It is a stark difference from when she was growing up. "Earlier, we used to make all the sweets and food on firewood and it was a different taste because it used to get the smoky flavour."

Rodricks doesn't use bread croutons as a part of the dish to increase its shelf life. However, it has been a part of Sybil Rodrigues's family recipe for as long as she can remember. She is another Mumbaikar continuing her family's tradition by making stuffed items for Christmas. She explains, "My mother, who is from Vile Parle and married in Kalina, used to do it and then I have continued that tradition by doing it on every occasion like Christmas, New Year, and even weddings." Over the years, the 52-year-old from Kalina's Kolovery Village in Santacruz has also taken orders from people who want it to be a part of their celebrations. "I stuff the chicken with white bread, raisins, cashew nuts, and cold cuts, which are optional, onions, garam masala, lime, green peas -- all of it is chopped." Rodrigues, who is a city-based HR executive is an active member and the global coordinator for Mumbai's Mobai Gaothan Panchayat, which showcases the East Indian community's culture. "You have to cut the bread into cubes and fry it in ghee or oil, whatever you are comfortable with, and make it slightly brown; do the same thing with cashew and add raisins to it. Then fry the onions till they are golden brown. Then, you have to marinate the chicken with salt, and then stuff the chicken with the mixture. The chicken has to be with skin, and you have to order it like that because it gives you a crisp texture. "I love the dish so much because of the stuffing. It is so tasty because it is a little sweet and spicy and has a great taste. At the same time, it is so simple." Even before Christmas, the Mumbaikar will be making it for a wedding next week and is extremely excited about making the stuffed chicken.

Stuffing like an Anglo
Elsewhere, for as long as Bandra-based Mavourneen Pereira can remember she has always been in the kitchen making stuffed chicken. "It is a family classic," she exclaims, continuing, "We have also done stuffed pork, duck, turkey, Porchetta, quail, and pigeon."

This year is going to be no different. The 49-year-old explains, "My table has always been centered around family and tradition, so a dish as classic as a stuffed chicken or turkey just comes naturally to the mind. It is wholesome and feeds a bunch."

Being from the Anglo-Indian community of Mumbai with an Irish-Scottish mother, Pereira says having a stuffed bird has always been a traditional part of any celebration in her house. The Bandra resident shares, "Stuffed Turkey is going to be the centerpiece on our Christmas table this year." Otherwise, when the chef, who runs Cafe Mav's Cakes and Bakes in Bandra, usually makes the stuffed chicken, she brines the chicken overnight and then seasons and stuffs it the next day. She adds, "We use a variety of stuffing from various parts of the world. We use wild rice, apricot, sage, and sometimes all it takes for the perfect stuffing is some lemon and garlic." It is then put in the oven and roasted to perfection. It is no wonder then when she says that the stuffed items which range from chicken to Turkey and whole stuffed pork sucklings are bestsellers in Mumbai among people from all communities.