Pasku cha sann aala! Mumbai's East Indians get ready to celebrate Easter

Mumbairsquos indigenous community the East Indian Catholics like other Christians across the globe celebrate Easter feasting After the 40 days of Lent a period of prayer fasting and giving observed by Christians in preparation for Easter naturally dining tables at homes are lined with celebratory food There are meats of all kinds including curries flavoured with East Indian bottle masala and accompaniments like rotya paprya pickle and of course wineMaria Thelma Poojari an East Indian resident of Chimbai is gearing up to cook a feast like others in her community And shersquos opening her doors to anyone who wishes to join her at the dinner table on April 20 for Pasku cha sann or Easter celebration Pasku comes from the Portuguese word for Easter PaacutescoaldquoEaster is one of the biggest festivals in our churchrdquo she says ldquoItrsquos not very different from Christmas So we celebrate by eating sorpotel vindaloo pork or buff roast fugias pulav and of course eggs made with marzipan and chocolaterdquo Poojari explains that as everyone has stayed away from meat and alcohol for 40 days Easter is a time to truly celebratePoojari learnt to cook from her mother but over the years she has acquired tips and tricks from friends and elderly women in the community that have improved the flavours of her dishes ldquoLike adding a pinch of sugar to the sorpotel to bring out the flavour Such things are usually not told these are tips carried from generation to generationrdquo says PoojariShe often hosts walks around Chimbai and introduces Mumbaikars and tourists to the ways of life of the tiny Bandra fishing village her walks always end with a meal at her home Usually Poojari cooks traditional recipes during celebrations feasts and weddingsSo whatrsquos on her dinner table this EasterPapryaAt East Indian weddings the preparation of the wedding papad or paprya is an event by itself ldquoOne week before the wedding everyone invited comes together to make this as itrsquos a tedious and labourintensive processrdquo says PoojariWho even makes their own papad these days The East Indians do Rice flour is soaked in water and whipped and a ladle of it is poured on the back of a plate and then steamed These small steamed circles of flour are shaped with the bang of a hand onto the plate Once steamed they are left to dry on nets in the sun Once dry and crisp they are stored to be fried and served on the wedding day ldquoAs itrsquos a wedding we add colours to the paprya because itrsquos a celebration You will see pastel pink green and such multicoloured paprya being servedrdquo explains Poojari adding ldquoWhile making paprya everyone comes together Itrsquos teamworkrdquoQuite fitting for a celebration right The uniqueness of the paprya and the fact that itrsquos all made by hand using simple cooking methods without the use of machines is reason enough for Poojari to make it a part of her Easter feast hosted to celebrate her cultural heritage and customsThe mouthwatering wedding pickle PicsGo Hallu HalluLonchaCan pickles be crucial to a meal Ask your tastebuds and they will respond with a resounding yes The East Indians get that and itrsquos why the loncha or wedding pickle is a big part of the celebrations For Poojari who has loved eating this since she was a young girl itrsquos the work that goes into making this ldquoMaking the pickle too is teamwork Itrsquos made a few days before the wedding And old aunties will sit and guide you ndash how much masala to add how much salt to put inhelliprdquo she says That is why preserving this recipe means a lot to Poojari The East Indian wedding pickle is loved by anyone who has scored an invite to a wedding or has a friend in the community This pickle combines raw papaya red carrots sukha khajur tamarind water mustard seeds haldi red chilli powder and vinegar This is later stored in a barni or glass bottle to serve during the celebrationsJawla vangiDried baby prawns and brinjal come together in this dish eaten with hatachya rotya hand bread made with rice flour similar to a rice bhakri As soon as the baby prawns are brought to land from the sea they are dried under the bright hot sun Once the prawns have dried they are roasted on a tawa and later washed to get them prepped for jawla vangi Itrsquos flavoured and spiced with the bottle masala chillies spring onion and onion ldquoThis is usually made for weddingsrdquo explains Poojari emphasising that itrsquos an old recipe revered in the community And itrsquos also one of her favourite dishes to eat ldquoIt has a traditional taste that you donrsquot find easily People donrsquot make this often because it takes timerdquo says Poojari and its rarity is why shersquos serving it for EasterLetri is made with rice vermicelli jaggery coconut and elaichiLetriA rice vermicelli sweet dish only a few may have savoured Letri is traditional and unique to the community ldquoLadies of the community get together to make this Itrsquos such an old and timeconsuming recipe that people rarely make it now This is why when we get to cook it itrsquos a lot of funrdquo exclaims Poojari Rice flour is cooked in hot water with different food colourings and shaped into balls Later it meets the vermicelli machine where itrsquos squeezed out into noodles and is mixed with jaggery elaichi and coconut ldquoSome people melt the jaggery elaichi and coconut and mix it others sprinkle them on top and then mix it up I prefer melting the jaggery so that each noodle is sweetenedrdquo explains PoojariApart from traditional delicacies Poojari also makes a nonalcoholic wine ldquoI soak black grapes in water with sugar and masala It takes 1520 days and you must stir it daily and keep a check Then I strain it and bottle itrdquo she explains Poojari acquired the recipe for this wine from her aunties and her friendrsquos parents ldquoI keep it nonalcoholic Some people do add whiskey wine or rum to it but without the alcohol mine tastes great This wine can easily last one or two months and I have also had a fiveyearold bottle Elderly aunties have told me the longer you store the wine the better it tastesrdquo concludes PoojariGo Hallu Hallu presents Thelmarsquos Easter DinnerWhen April 20 Time 7 pmWhere Bandra West at Thelmarsquos homePrice Rs 1500 per personTO book 98674 03957atOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params