CHENNAI: My first attempt at cooking was a simple coconut chutney. As I mixed all the ingredients in a blender, I could hear paati’s “tsk, tsk, tsk” for not using a mortar and pestle. While many of us have turned away from our classic Indian utensils in the name of modern living, Faiza Abdul Nazar of Earth & Ethics retains an impressive collection of traditional cookware. In her talk ‘Heritage in the kitchen and cooking’ by Nam Veedu, Nam Oor, Nam Kadhai, she details her journey back to the basics.
Like many Indian expatriates, Faiza was particular about bringing back native spices, oils and ghee to recreate traditional flavours at her new home. Unfortunately, the food always seemed like a slightly-off replication of the delicious meals at her mother-in-law’s back in India. She soon realised that it was not the ingredients but rather her Teflon-coated utensils that were no match to her mother-in-law’s traditional utensils. “There was such a difference in the taste. Even the simple homemade dosai tasted much better made on her iron dosai kallu,” she shares.
As a novice cook, Faiza equipped herself with Teflon utensils that were nice, fancy and easy to cook with. But her sensitivity to synthetic and chemical smells made it difficult to bear the fumes created by cooking in the pan. She also noticed that the food took longer than expected to absorb any flavour. “When I cooked biryani in Teflon, it took so much time for it to release any aroma. I found it very disturbing,” recounts Faiza.
This prompted her to invest in traditional cookware and over time, she built an impressive collection that she displayed during the talk. She began with cast iron utensils. Made by pouring molten iron into a diecast, these pans and kadhais were like backyard treasures to her. “There is a great sense of achievement to learn how to season these utensils and see myself create a great dosai. It is also amazing when you use a product which is sturdy that you can pass onto the next generation,” she says. Faiza was hesitant to purchase her soapstone collection which was not a regular at her grandmother’s.
An acquaintance who worked with artisans of Arur village in Namakkal district, Tamil Nadu (where they are made) helped her acquire one. Now, it is her choice for cooking curries, chicken soup, lentils and mutton. She also swears by the quality of biryani made in her clay pots — in which they do not burn as they might in non-stick cookware — from the town of Tindivanam in Tamil Nadu.
Apart from cooking equipment, she reveals her brass utensils from Kumbakonam used for storage, lacquer work rolling pins from Kutch, and coconut shell ladles and flat iron spatulas. “These things bring life to your kitchen. You don’t need to transform your entire kitchen at once. You can pick and choose items as per your convenience,” she concludes on bringing back heritage to your culinary set-ups.
Towns of Treasures
Faiza swears by the clay pots from Tindivanam, brass utensils from Kumbakonam used for storage, lacquer work rolling pins from Kutch, and coconut shell ladles and flat iron spatulas.