My Interview featured in Beyond Sindh Magazine

       

Where were you born, raised, and where/what did you study? 

Born in Jaipur, Rajasthan, raised and educated in Mumbai…graduated from Science College, majoring in Chemistry and Physics and then went on to post-graduate in Special Education at the Center for Mentally Challenged.

 You recently released a book on Sindhi Cuisine - can you tell us about your inspiration behind this book?

October 2005, I was in India. “Mom is critical, come soon” said my brother over a long distance call. Travelling formalities took some time, when I reached; Mom was there no more. All that remained were her beautiful memories. There were chutneys and pickles, sweets and spices, a bottle of peeled garlic, a jar of pickled carrots, frozen samosas in the freezer, all still fresh in the fridge. Mom was a great cook; her life revolved around her kitchen, everyone who tasted her food came back for more. I wanted to preserve her memories and rekindle her art of cooking. I quickly ran to my bookshelf to get my scribbled notes. I wanted to share her culinary art with the next generation. My cookbook began to breathe.

3How long did it take you to compile this collection of recipes from the very first one to its published form? Was it difficult setting out to get your book published?

I had collected mom’s recipes for many years, scribbling down the method that she used, trying out each dish under her guidance. But the process of writing a recipe book is very tedious. It took me more than two years to compile them in a proper form. Writing a recipe book is not just jotting down the method and sharing with the world, a lot of research is involved. Sindhi food is intricate, thoughtful; satisfying labor of love, and it’s a matter of choice like all cuisines are. It’s sad that young children haven’t been brought up with it, and they will never enjoy it the way we do. There is definitely a tough competition between Sindhi cuisine and other varied cuisine; the reason being non-exposure and non-availability of numerous ingredients. I had to understand the history behind the ingredients used in Sindhi cooking, the type of special food used during festivals, the tradition of using certain kind of food on a particular day and its’ importance in the Sindhi culture. The recipes had to be tried, tested and checked for proper measurements of the ingredients.

However, It wasn’t difficult to find a publisher. The first publisher (Popular Prakashan) I approached informally (at a book launch), accepted it immediately because they were impressed with the content and variety of dishes mentioned in the book. Normally, people are familiar with only handful of dishes like Sindhi Curry, SaiiBhaji, pilafs, but there are many more dishes, that are simple to make on daily basis and yet so nutritious. Sindhi food is comfort food that warms the heart. It is wholesome, delicious, very gourmet Indian and compliments the good life. Publisher had great faith in my work but it took them another four years to get it out in print. I think editing and other formalities do take time.

 How many copies have been printed and where or how can one get a copy especially from outside India?

For a start, 1000 copies have been published and it is available online all over India at ‘Amazon’ (http://www.amazon.in/Sindhi-Cuisine-Pushpee-Moorjani/dp/8179917940/) It will take some time to sell online internationally. But many people have approached me for selling it in their friends’ circles, and bulk orders can be booked with my publishers (http://www.popularprakashan.com/) to bring the book to any country.

  Do you have an online or Kindle version available as well?

Yes, it’s available on Kindle too

  What are your hopes for this book? 

I am very happy with the response the book is getting and I am hoping that my book is found in every Sindhi home.

After the partition, Sindhi were scattered all over the world and because of the non-availability of the ingredients in their new environment, they adjusted to a new fusion food. The process of globalisation has also reawakened an interest in, and focus on, regional identities and the roots of our culture.

All these changes have led to a growing interest in regional and local foods. If correctly handled this interest in regional foods can and will create new opportunities for food lovers. Sindhi food is also quite popular around the world because Sindhi are well known for their hospitality and a Sindhi woman expresses her love for her guest by stuffing them with food till they drop dead!

I have written this book mainly for young people who grew up enjoying Grandmother’s cuisine. They enjoyed the Sindhi food whenever they visited their grand parents home. In the families, where Sindhi food is cooked regularly, the youngsters realize the value of the spices used in Sindhi cuisine and their health benefits. The recipes are simple and easy to follow. With the Global fusion and international taste, the original flavors are disappearing. There are just handful of people who really know to cook the right and original recipes, I hope to succeed in communicating with Sindhi youth and help revive our age-old tradition, culture, and food to next few generations ahead.

   We have noticed there were no pictures in this collection of recipes - how do you think readers may feel about that? What was the reason not to print pictures of the food with the recipes?

True, there are no pictures in the book and many people may be disappointed. Pictures were not added so as to keep the cost affordable for everyone. (as I mentioned earlier, I wish to see my book in every Sindhi home) On closer examination, it has been noticed that the content is so good that very few people actually miss it. In todays trend, digital pictures are splashed all over the net, and it is easy to get the picture of any dish you want. In fact I have created a board on Pinterest, on #SindhiCuisine at http://www.pinterest.com/pushpz/sindhi-cuisine/ especially for those who would like to see how the dish looks like. People are encouraged to send in their food pictures after trying out a recipe from this book. Gradually, I will have a picture of every dish mentioned in the book on my Pinterest board

8What are your other projects that is keeping you busy and what are your plans next? 

Most of my time is spent in reading and writing. I maintain seven blogs that keeps me quite busy. Besides that, I am the coordinator and trustee of Swami Brahmanand Pratishthan, Center for Mentally Challenged. We have two centers in NaviMumbai, where we train more than 180 Special Children in special skills programmed as per their ability. I plan to build a residential home for mentally challenged in near future where such children can lead a secure and sheltered life. 

9 What previous writing accomplishments have you achieved and what writing projects are you doing currently? 

I have published 2 books on computers for kids, a set of 24 modules on mathematics for pre-school and two stories in 'Chicken soup' series. Presently, working on book on ‘Teaching Computers to Special Children’

  You have a blog - what is the address and what do you generally write about?

I maintain seven blogs writing on various topics such as food, travel, special education, Mumbai city, poems and fiction. All blogs are inter-connected. You can visit my blog on food at http://papadchai.blogspot.com

Also I have a FaceBook page at http://facebook.in/pushpeeworld. Do like and share my page.

My #Sindhicuisine travels around the world.

The greatest news I got today was that my book went international and is now available worldwide in kindle version at amazon.com

I launched my book from Krabi, in Thailand, while I was there to attend a family wedding. Family and friends from all over the world came to attend, I found a perfect opportunity to launch my book from there.

The interest was aroused on the first day itself. Everybody wanted a copy of it. I had never expected so much demand.

#SindhiCuisine has very simple recipes targeted towards younger generation who have grown up enjoying grandma’s cuisine.

“Your book is a great treasure for my children” said one of my friends who bought my book. “You have made cooking easy for them, because kids nowadays are not into cooking and they need to learn Sindhi Cuisine, especially those dishes that they used to enjoy during their holiday trips to Grandma’s house.”

People have bought my book and sent in their testimonies.

While in India, Indian sweets are easily available at sweet stores but Sindhis living abroad normally make Mithais at home. Greatest joy was when four women from Manila(phillipines) prepared Bugal Mawa, garnished with chopped nuts and kept as offering during Ganesha festival.  I am very happy that people have started making dishes following the recipe from my book and are enjoying it.

The good news is that Sindhi food recipes are not just enjoyed by Sindhis, other community are discovering the taste too. My food blogger friend Purabi Neha tried few recipes. She writes:

“Those flavours and masala blends which I had not experimented much, are now a part of my meal. For example, sprinkling garam masala at the end of cooking an Indian dish is very common, but there is this traditional Sindhi masala blend of roasted and powdered caraway seeds and cardamom, which I especially fell in love with. Of course, the Sindhi garam masala itself is full of a magnetic aroma. My newfound passion is trying out Sindhi dishes now: thanks to Pushpee Moorjani’s cookbook, which features more than 100 traditional recipes.” Read her complete review on her blog at Cosmopolitan Curry Mania 

She tried Badam puri and her family loved it.

Picture source

 Unfortunately, my book has no visual delight. To keep the cost low, there are no pictures at all. But not too disappointed indeed. People who tried the recipes started sending me pictures, and that gave me an idea of creating an album on #SindhiCusine at Pinterest. I keep adding pictures whenever somebody tries the recipe from my book, that’s great fun…Do visit my album on #SindhiCuisine at Pinterest.

 It gives me great pleasure to see my book in Sindhi homes. My siblings and my cousins are the happiest to see my mom’s recipes in print. They are transported to those days when mom happily churned out the most delicious food for them. “The taste is same, exactly like it used to be” they say whenever they try a recipe from my book on #SindhiCuisine.

 And why not…these are my mom’s authentic recipes that she used to cook long before pre-partition days. I have just compiled them to share it with the world…they are not mine…… It’s a tribute to my Mom’s cooking, to keep her memories alive.. Forever..

A leaflet from #SindhiCuisine

‘Thadaree’ An Important Festival of Sindhis

Today I miss my Mom a lot. Actually I miss her all the time but on festivals, its the most. Mom used to be super excited during festivals. Right from shopping to cooking to serving, she did it all with a smile. Mom’s trait has been passed on to my sister, who continues and follows the Sindhi culture and tradition that has been going on for eras.

Last evening when I visited my sister, her kitchen was very active. She was preparing food for the next day. It’s the special meal that she prepares on this special day. I visited her again today and her table was full of delicious cold food. Today is the auspicious day, all Sindhis around the world are celebrating a festival called ‘Thadree’ (also known as ‘Vadi Sataiy’)

Thadree comes from the word ‘Thado’, meaning cold, hence today, the Sindhis around the world will eat cold food throughout the day.

Mom used to cook the food for next day on a stove. She would start to cook in the evening after taking her bath. With her head covered and the prayers on her lips, she would cook food for this festival.

Pure Ghee was used for cooking the meals and its fragrance dominated the house for many hours. I would scheme a plan to steal a bite of sweet lolo from the hot plate, but that was not allowed, in fact, I was not encouraged to enter her kitchen while she was cooking, therefore, I only drooled and waited patiently for the next day to arrive. She used to make many things like Mitho lolo (sweet flat bread), Besan jo chillo (spiced flat bread) Dhal ji Mani (Roti stuffed with spiced lentils), Sanna Pakoras (gram flour fritters), mixed vegetables in green masala, stuffed karelas, rice curds, rotis, Papads, etc. 

At the end of her cooking, she would offer prayers over the stove, with rice, vermillion and sprinkle water to put the stove to sleep.

On the ‘Thadree’ day, all my close and extended family would come home for a feast of cold food. Mom, being the eldest in the family, our home was the meeting point for all festivals. Mom enjoyed serving food and inviting people for lunches and dinners and family loved her food. After lunch, the adults would engage in game of cards, while we kids played board games. The elders would give ‘Kharchi’(a gift in cash) to the younger ones and we would be thrilled with the money that we received from uncles, aunts and elder cousins.

This festival is still celebrated in many Sindhi homes, although it is gradually disappearing. The youngsters don’t show any interest in eating cold food nor do they have any inclination to cook an authentic Sindhi cuisine.

Nevertheless, whosoever has tasted this delicious meal enjoys it a lot. It is special because it is made with love, prayers and interest.

The festival is celebrated in the honor of Goddess Shitaladevi, which literally means cool Goddess. Hindus believe that she is the reliever of suffering and pain. During this festival, while offering food to the Goddess ShitalaDevi, women hold the sweet bread over children's eyes, singing “Thaar Mate Thaar, Pahenje bachran khe Thaar” which means 'bless your children with good health'.

This delicious lunch that was cooked in my sister’s home today to celebrate this festival.

Mixed vegetables in Green Masala

Bhajiyas with green chutney

Spiced Besan Roti

Curd Rice in Mustard

Dhal Roti

Mitho Lolo

For recipes on ‘festival food’, do find them in my book #SindhiCuisine available at bookstores and online across India.