Mummaji’s Fresh Green Peas & Aubergine
2 Cups fresh shelled peas
2 Medium aubergines
½ tsp Fresh crushed ginger
¼ tsp Turmeric powder
½ tsp Salt
1 Whole green chilli
½ tsp Dry mustard seeds
A pinch of asafoetida
1 tbs oil
1 tbs fresh chopped Coriander
1 tbs grated coconut
1 tsp of sugar
Heat oil in a large pan. Add dry mustard seed - when they splutter, add asafoetida, turmeric and water. Turn to a lower heat and cover pan for a minute. Remove lid and bring water to a quick boil & simmer, adding salt, peas and aubergine. Stir well, cover and cook for 10 mins on low heat. Add the whole chilli & ginger. Cover pan and simmer till peas are tender and very little liquid remains. Add the sugar and simmer for a minute more. Mix in coriander & coconut. Remove chilli to serve.
I'm a quarter Indian - my Grandpa grew up in Gujarat. He moved to the UK aged sixteen and met my Granny, and they married when she was 22. The first time they travelled to India together in 1962 some of their cargo was stolen - my Grandpa had to leave his new wife with his family, who she'd never met, in a country she didn't know.
The first thing his mother did was to take her daughter-in-law to the market; Here's an excerpt from my Granny's memoires.
"The vegetable market was very colourful. The vendors all squatting on the dusty ground surrounded by a great variety of produce. Their scales were two metal bowls hanging at either end of a pole. The vendor would hold the pole in the middle, put the vegetables in one bowl and the weights in the other before saying how much they cost. I think a lot of guesswork was involved.
I marvelled at the time Mummaji took over each vegetable – turning it over in her hands, at the same time working out how best to use it in the menu for the coming week. Then she would argue over the price - this was good natured and it apparent that she went to the same salesman each week as she always got the price she wanted.
Back in the kitchen, there was no rest until all the vegetables had been cleaned thoroughly. We would sit on the cool kitchen floor, surrounded by various produce, cleaning and sorting it before storing it in the fridge. After a short and refreshing cup of tea, Mummaji began preparing the evening meal..."
Mummaji's fresh green peas and aubergine, cooked on a Primus stove, was the first meal my Granny ever ate in India. 53 years later the dish has remained a firm family favourite, alongside so many others. Sadly my Grandparents can't travel to India anymore, but we continue to cook the same recipes which have been passed down through generations. Now I cook them in my kitchen in South London, breaching 5,000 miles and 53 years through tastes and aromas - the pictures they paint, the memories they hold.
