A meal in the mountains

Born in Balloki a small township in the western part of undivided Punjab and later raised in Delhi Dr Veena Sharma is someone who has travelled extensively While she did a PhD from the African Studies Centre School for International Studies Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi it was Sharmarsquos position as Head of Swahili Service at All India Radio that allowed her to go places Quite literally During the 1980s she was invited as a UN Fellow to Bangkok New York Nairobi and Vienna by the UN Council for Namibia UN Commission on South Africa UN International Decade for Women and UN Council for Namibia respectively But it was only in 2016 when she settled in Rishikesh Uttarakhand that Sharma planted the seed of her first food bookFinger millet and wheat flour halwaTitled Vegetarian Cuisine from the Himalayan Foothills Niyogi Books the book is a delectable experience for gastronomes It delves into mouthwatering recipes that draw on Rishikeshrsquos local bounty ldquoI started engaging with food in a more handson way since moving into a small flat here Rishikesh This is not to say that I was not inclined to do so earlier but here I seemed to have flowed into the whole process in a more holistic way As mentioned in the book also when I settled in Rishikesh I found myself exposed to a huge variety of produce be the lentils or legumes herbs and spices or greens That made me palpably aware of what biodiversity actually means and what a storehouse of nutrition it providesrdquo she tells middayThe recipes given are simple for our everyday consumptionldquoI may also add that I was always interested in the therapeutic qualities of food and felt that the first pharmacy we should visit is our own kitchenrdquoAlso Read A meal from the mountains of Garhwal at this popup in AndheriIt is the local grains that made her truly connect with the soil there ldquoIt is interesting to note how so many varieties are grown in different parts depending on the gradient and direction of the beautiful terraced fields which are exposed to varied amounts of sunlight wind velocity and precipitationrdquoSome of these local grains that have made it to the book include seasonal spices such as jakhiya chora bhangjeera and faran ldquoJakhiya is a smallerthanmustardseed spice which has a crisp crunchy flavour and adds zest to the dish There are many greens like lingdaa which for some reason is called fiddlehead greens in English It looks like a coiledup stem and opens up into a kind of fern It grows in swamps and is difficult to harvest and is generally available during the monsoons Leafy greens like different kinds of chaulai amaranth rai bathua and others are available at different times of the yearPahadipalak is smaller leafed and tastier than the largeleafed palak Kakora is a pahadi karela with pokey little fronds which make it look like a light green Coronavirus This variety is sweet and cooks quickly Then there are hemp seeds which are used by the locals in chutneys or pakoras to which it gives a crunchy tasterdquoComparing food scenarios in Delhi and Rishikesh she says people look for a variety of foods from different regions of the world when eating out in the capital ldquoIn Rishikesh too small outlets provide cuisine from other parts of the world but most of them emphasise the usage of organic and wholesome ingredients This may be because the clientele they cater to comes here with the objective of overhauling and recharging their physical systemsrdquoSharma believes that food is deeply connected to the mind ldquoPractitioners of Ayurveda tell us that there is a direct connection between the gastrointestinal system and the mind Modern medicine is also now recognising this connection The vagus nerve that connects the brain to the gut also passes through the lungs and heart and influences them The gut is embedded with millions of neurons that lsquotalkrsquo directly to the brain Moreover 20 per cent of the very subtle nutrients produced by the gut are supplied to the brain A healthy gut can lead to a clearer brain and better memory The book gives some indication of this connectionrdquoDr Sharma believes her work also honours those who have turned away from industrial meat production which treats animals like a commodity rather than living sentient beings In short this book is a treat for vegan readers ldquoThey are sometimes called shuddha shakaharisrdquo she is quick to addEach chapter gives an overview of the subject and follows it up with recipes So which is her favourite we ask ldquoI am partial to millets They are hardy and grow without the need for chemicals and pesticides They are also highly nutritious and lend themselves to a variety of ways of cookingrdquoThe book she adds is a result of experimentation and is also an invitation to others to explore ldquoThe book is meant to show that if I can do it anyone can Food is something that can never be boring it provides opportunities to create ever new dishes and experiment with flavours and suit them to our preferencesrdquoAs far as food is concerned Sharma now wishes to put together a book about sacred foods prepared in different parts of Rishikesh during festival and ritual times ldquoWe should help preserve these before they get forgotten That may also help retain some of the farms that are fast being destroyed by unmindful policies and cheap tourismrdquoZucchini and sweet potatoes tossed in mustard and poppy seedsPrep Time 15ndash20 Minutes Cooking Time 20ndash25 Minutes Servings 4ndash6IngredientsZucchini slicedSweet potatoes steamed lightly and cut into frac14 thick round slicesSunflower oilYellow mustard seeds Black mustard seedsPoppy seeds khus khus Himalayan pink saltMethodSprinkle some of the seeds in very little oil Small quantities of seeds will be needed at one time as all the slices of the zucchini or sweet potato cannot be done at the same time and the process will have to be repeated Place slices of zucchini and then sweet potato into the seeded oil The seeds will stick on one side The two should be done separately as they require different durations to cook Dust the exposed upper side with salt Flip when one side is nicely caramelised from the vegetablersquos own juices and repeat for the other sideNo need to put more seeds for the other sideTo give a little crunch to this dish serve it with semidry chutneyThe accidental ginTo celebrate their third anniversary makers of Greater Than are out with a new juniperheavy spirit We got a gin enthusiast to tell us if itrsquos really a tipple with a twistMurali Menon content strategist at Haymarket SAC reviews Juniper Bomb a justlaunched limited release gin by NAO SpiritsThe gin has three times the amount of juniper as compared to the originalBack in 2017 when the founders of Nao Spirits Indiarsquos first craft gin company were figuring out their recipe for Greater Than their first product they were faced with a seemingly interminable power cut at their distillery This led to the juniper berries steeping for a lot longer than intendedmdashfor as much as 32 hours over two days The consequence of that delayed distillation process was apparently an eminently drinkable spirit that obviously boomed with juniper Nao Spirits bookmarked the process and returned to it late last year The result is the limited edition Greater Than Juniper Bomb An overeager marketer would probably have embellished the story of its serendipitous discovery with dark nights at the distillery scented with the aroma of juniper a relentless downpour and flashes of lightning that illuminated the pot still But the Juniper Bomb doesnrsquot need mythologisingmdashwhat we have here is a juniperforward gin that is both engaging and refreshingFolks who have been sipping Greater Than will find it to be a largely familiar drink It has the same botanicalsmdashamong them ginger orange peel coriander seeds and lemon grassmdashbut with three times the amount of juniper as compared to the original The aroma consequently is zesty woody and spicy and the gin literally explodes on your palate The mouthfeel is crisp and viscous and the finish is pleasant Think of it as an extroverted Greater Than and yoursquoll see where Irsquom goingAccording to Nao Spirits the Juniper Bomb which retails for Rs 1750 and has just hit stores in Mumbai is partly inspired by the growing global trend of gins with a heavier taste of juniper and aimed at a consumer ldquowho truly likes his or her ginrdquo and expects a little more than just a lsquonicersquo drink It also describes the gin as lsquocomplexrsquo but I wouldnrsquot go that far While the Juniper Bomb makes for a great GampTmdashwith a bitter tonic watermdashor a dry martini the ideal way to have it is with just a splash of water and a dash of lime