Food

...dancing nimbly around the intersections of Space, Time, Energy and Matter. A seed sprouts and grows given certain conditions of soil, water and sunshine. Watching this takes time. Then one fine day, you spot a red tomato or a purple brinjal or a winter pumpkin hidden beneath its own large leaves. You wonder…what shall I cook? Rasam or arrabbiata… soup or sambar…pallya or ratatouille…

Kirtana and Nagamma speak a lot about food. But their best cooking moments happen when they have to forage for greens, some drumstick or pumpkin leaves sautéed in mustard oil eaten with hot rice. Nagamma collects barkesoppu, wild greens and cooks them with lentils, strains the soup and makes two dishes from one - a dry usilli with onions and crushed garlic and bass saaru with roasted coriander, cumin and ground coconut. Kirtana cooks with whatever vegetables are inexpensive and available in the supermarket near her. Frugal food for the pandemic. Here are some of the dishes the two women cooked during that time, one in Germany and one in India. From the horse’s mouth and from the farm.