Mother’s lessons
May 9, 2020
Three chefs from Ahmedabad talk to Ankita J Sharma about what they learned from their mother.
Chef Pranav Joshi, Owner, Food Designers
My mother always taught me to be a better person then to be a chef. if you see anything wrong happening, don’t hesitate and stand up for yourself.
My mother is an excellent gujarati food cook. She makes amazing dhokla, handva, patra, mango & gundo nu pickle, dudhi thepla.
On mothers day if my mother visits my restaurant i will make mexican rice for her with honey chilli potatoes, orange mojito and tiramisu for the dessert.
Chef Zarin Mirza Prasad
The most important lesson my mother taught me was to eat seasonal and fresh food. Most of my inspiration for Parsi cooking came from my maternal grandmother (nani), my summer vacation and Diwali vacations where always spent with her in her kitchen pickling, making akuri, dar ni poori, dhanshak, bhakra, kolmi patio,dhandar. From my mother I learnt two things in the kitchen. Firstly, being constantly innovative, not letting the non-availability of one ingredient cause a road block but instead tweaking the recipe to make the dish with available ingredients. The second was the importance of presenting food with colours and texture on the plate so that it excites the palate. If I had to cook for mother on a special day I will make her favourite nadru yakni. If I was planning a Mother’s Day dinner I would want all my chefs to make dishes they learnt from their moms and make a menu for that one day.
Chef Rushabh Purohit, Owner of Purohit thali, Ahmedabad
I learnt consistency, Hard Work, and Dedication from my Mother. At a very young age I have idolised my mother as an epitome of perseverance and strength. As an avid Geeta reader and an entrepreneur herself my strong believer of “karma” she always taught me to be focused and sincere towards reaching my goals, and to always be benevolent and kind to every soul. Her teachings like these have helped me at every step of my journey.
Something that really intrigues me is how the cuisine of any community is a strong reflection of their culture and heritage, their ethos and values. Hence, I’m always looking out to try and taste dishes of various cuisines made indigenously using traditional methods of preparation.
As an innovator myself, I feel a perfect amalgamation of two or more cuisines can do wonders ! I want to keep learning new recipes and learn dishes of varied cuisines .
As my mother is born and brought up in Aamchi Mumbai my mom loves of Pav Bhaji on her plate with dollops of butter to top it with, along with a Fresh Mango Sorbe for the dessert.
About Author
Ankita J Sharma studied journalism at NIMCJ and Integrated marketing communication at MICA, Ahmedabad. She works as a Social media coordinator and content creator for brands. Her food Instagram handle is @teekhidalmakhani.
