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| Sunday, 19 October 2003 |
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Features |  |
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Woman educationist on a pioneering trail by Carol Aloysius Rarely, does a school principal and full time teacher find the time or inclination to write a book, especially on a subject that is seemingly unrelated to her vocation.
That Kalabooshana Hadjiani Gnaima Dain has been able to do so is a tribute to her multi faceted personality. An outstanding teacher, a linguist, an active social worker, and a cook par excellence, it is obvious that this versatile woman is an achiever by any standards. Her latest achievement is a recipe book which apart from titillating the taste buds of the reader, also gives us a glimpse into the rich tapestry of age old customs and culinary secrets of the Malay community to which Ms Dain belongs. 'Makanan Melayu' is all about Malay cuisine. But it is more than just another recipe book. The writer has taken the time and trouble to present a broad spectrum of traditional Malay dishes with insights into traditional Malay customs. The book is spiced with useful hints on food preservation and cookery hints which she has included in her foot notes at the end of each recipe. These notes deserve special mention. A useful footnote on how to preserve seasonal vegetables, at the end of her recipe Nasi Thoomis (Tempered rice) reads: "When good green chillies are available in the market buy a lot of them. Wash and wipe with a clean cloth. Insert knife on one side. Put them in wide mouthed jar. Add salt to taste. Fill the bottle with vinegar. If desired put in thin pieces of ginger. You now have a ready supply of chillies throughout the year." Another footnote, this time on how to turn out a fluffy omelette which every housewife dreams of reads: "To make omelette lighter and fluffier, just add a dash of soda water. If you don't have soda water, add half an egg shell of water". On how to ripen fruits in a short time she says, "To hasten an avocado's ripening, put it into a brown paper bag or wrap a newspaper around it and leave it for a few days until the skin colours." Or again, " A ripe banana will also help to ripen a green one". Her book is full of these little gems of household wisdom along with medical advice that add that extra flavour to her tempting recipes. e.g." An Aluminium pan that has been badly burnt can be cleaned by boiling an onion in a little water in the same pan. The burnt matter will rise to the tripe and leave the pan clean", is a particularly useful hint to housewives who end up with burnt pans at the end of a cooking session! Of the medicinal value of commonly used vegetables she writes. "Carrots are commonly used for their ability to promote diuresis (passage of urine). The carrots potassium salts aids the diuretic action. Carrot soup is easily digestible for those suffering from stomach and intestinal ailments", is a useful medical tip.. Of the recipes themselves which the writer has methodically categorised under different headings, reading and experimenting with them will take the reader on an inviting culinary journey that more than just tickles your taste buds. From recipes on cooking rice the traditional Malay way, to various beef dishes cooked in a number of delicious ways, from soups such as Darging Soup (Beef soup) to Rawson (a traditional malay spicy soup), from chicken, fish and vegetable dishes to pickles, puddings, sweets and cakes for festive occasions, they are recipes to delight any housewife eager to serve her family with food that makes a refreshing change to her daily menu. Cooking for a festive day or religious occasion is a special event for the Malay community. Special attention is given to religious significance. She writes evocatively of those special moments." The scent of incensed and joss sticks mingle with sliced rampe leaves mixed with rose petals and jasmines, rose water and sandalwood paste, while as the preparation of the meal nears completion, the air becomes thick with the aroma of rice tempered in ghee with onions and spices, chicken korma simmering with all the rich condiments, the malay pickles showing off the radiant colours and smell and then the dessert "Sirkaya" the Malay pudding commonly termed " Wattalappan. Oh! it is gorgeous, when a mixed fruit drink is served in the midst of the rituals followed by the grand lunch". Of the typical Malay breakfast she writes, "the breakfast is usually sumptuous with roti, pittu or string hoppers served with spicy coconut sambol or roasted dry fish sambol, or beef or tripe curry followed by sago porridge sizzling hot with the fragrance of kitul jaggery". Thinking of a memorable evening tea a la Malay? Close your eyes and visualise a steaming savory of Malay patties filled with tripe curry, or pancakes with a beef filling and the sweets - an array of delicacies, the black dodol eaten with kolikuttu plantains, "parsong" full of kitul treacle, bole (Malay cake), fritters in, kitul syrup and yummy mouthwatering fruit preserves. Invalids have not been forgotten either as her chapter on invalid cookery which includes Boobur (rice Gruel, Kuwalada) pepper rasam and Egg flip with spice powder reveal. Teacher, social worker, culinary expert, mother and grandmother this extraordinary woman has come a long way from the time she was making little Malay cakes in bottle lids in an improvised oven of chatty pots of 'double fire' an ingenious device the Dutch introduced from Indonesia/Malaysia, according to Desamanya Kalakirti Ananda Guruge in his foreword to the book. Kalabooshan Hadjiani Gnaima ain's pioneering effort is a brave effort to unlock the long hidden culinary secrets of one of the most vibrant communities in this country. That she has chosen to dedicate her book to her grandchild, the product of the new generation and specially for Malay children who are "not familiar with the famous Sathe, Choika, Rawson etc which are favourites of the Malay", underlines her wish that with this maiden literary effort her readers will continue the rich legacy that has been passed on to them by their forefathers. |
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