This Dussehra, try a traditional sustainable meal in Mumbai

The festive season is typically one of excesses yet for Vashibased home chef and caterer Rhea Mitra Dalal this is also a time to look back on how we can better address food wastage mdash an increasingly important talking point in conversations about conscious consumption ldquoI live quite close to the Earthen Routes farm at the ACTREC Campus in KhargharRhea Mitra DalalThe farm grows fresh organic vegetables and greens to feed children receiving treatment for cancer Only the surplus vegetables are sold This year in addition to encouraging my friends to purchase from them I decided to create a new menu based on whatrsquos available at the farmrdquo Dalal tells us The result is a concise but thoughtful menu of traditional dishes with her innovative spinRaw papayaldquoDuring my visits I found that the farm has a surplus of raw papayas jalapenos pandan leaves gongura and colocasia leaves kochu pata in Bengali Immediately the dishes that came to mind were gongura mutton and dal which are Andhra staples Irsquove also included kochu pata chingri which is a Bengali classic and a raw papaya ghonto vegetable preparation thatrsquos a favourite in Bengali households Another common application of raw papayas is the celebrated plastic chutney It typically has a hint of spice for some heat which cuts through the sweetness quite beautifully Seeing as jalapenos were readily available I decided to incorporate them into the chutneyrdquo she explainsJalapenosInterestingly like most cooking enthusiasts Dalal reveals that as a younger cook she often thought of pandan leaves as an exotic ingredient mentioned only in fancy cookbooksPandan leavesldquoImagine my surprise then to find that pandan leaves are readily available across the country Theyrsquore called Basmati patta or kewra depending on which part of the country yoursquore in When you walk in a certain section of the farm the air is fragrant with the appetising scent of these leaves Since their Bengali name is Payesh pata mdash payesh being Bengali for kheer mdash I decided to infuse the milk with the leaves before the kheer is cooked The result I must say is quite outstandingrdquo she saysKochu pata chingriThe final but no less remarkable entrant on her menu is air potato fry This writer mistakenly believed that Dalal was airfrying potatoes to make this indulgence a little guiltfreeAir potatoldquoItrsquos a common mistakerdquo she laughs clarifying that air potatoes also known as Jain potatoes or Karanda grow on the vine instead of underground They can thus be included in Jain fare and make for a delicious accompaniment to Dalalrsquos mains The limited menu is on offer until October 17 and can be delivered across the cityCall 9820904694