"PRATIBIMB" - A Rustic Culinary Tryst With "DARPAN"

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In Sanskrit, "Pratibimb" means "reflection" and "Darpan" is a "mirror". My creation is a cultural mirror and on it's face, reflection of the "Culinary Heritage Of India" floats. "Word Portrait" on my culinary creation, is the main course, served with an accompaniment of "Photo Essay", which is a collection of myriad images of the culinary techniques or methodologies of the bygone era.

As "The Culinary Painter", I have high regard and great respect for traditional Indian recipes, which have propelled me to paint my 'Culinary Portraits', "Pratibimb and Darpan", with the hues and shades of aromatics, spices,the palatable treats obtained from coconut trees, pepper creepers, banana plants, emerald paddy fields, along with the smoky aroma emanating from an enticing wood fire, a laboriously appealing and appalling
traditional mortar and pestle, lend a unique dimension to my creation.

I have been bestowed with a "fortune of experiences" related to the "rusticity and earthiness" of our "Great Indian Culinary Heritage". By virtue of these golden experiences, I have strung together a necklace of "Creative Culinary Photo and Word Essay", with the wreath of blossoms, reminiscent of the glorious tradition and heritage of "The Great Indian Cuisine". One conspicuous element of the entire creation is a traditional oven, which has been made functional by the usage of dried shells, husks, leaves and woods of coconut trees. It is enthralling to witness, the manner in which, every element of a tree, on naturally drying, have been traditionally and thoughtfully put in use, for time immemorial.

The 'Culinary Painting Palette' of "Pratibimb" and "Darpan" is enriched with innumerable nutritional ingredients. Tomato or 'Raktaphala' in Sanskrit, is an excellent source of antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and dietary fibre. Onion or 'Sukanda' in Sanskrit, is rich in soluble dietary fibre, good source of antioxidant flavonoid, vitamin C and manganese mineral. Ginger or 'Aardraka' in Sanskrit, is enriched with numerous therapeutic properties and help in eliminating intestinal gas.

Chili or 'Mareecham' in Sanskrit, is a rich source of Vitamin C, good amount of minerals like potassium, manganese, magnesium, iron, B- Complex group of vitamins and other disease preventive and health promoting properties. Coconut or 'Narikela' in Sanskrit, is a valuable source of magnesium, zinc, iron, calcium, copper, manganese, B-Complex vitamins and potassium. The dietary fibre of coconut is beneficial of preventing colon cancer and heart diseases.

Curry leaves or 'Krishnanimba' in Sanskrit,are enriched with Vitamin A, antioxidants and alkaloids. These leaves are helpful in promoting a healthy digestive system, play an important role in controlling diarrhoea and blood glucose levels. Cumin seeds or 'Jiraka' in Sanskrit, rekindle digestive fire or 'Jathara Agni', thus enabling the body to digest food efficiently. Mustard seeds or "Sarshapa" in Sanskrit, are known to stimulate "agni" or fire and clear congestion due to intestinal mucus, accumulation of food caused by slow glowing digestion, beneficial in breathing constraints such as bronchitis and asthma.

Fenugreek seeds or "Methini" in Sanskrit, among multiple beneficial qualities, also relieve indigestion and help in the process of flushing out harmful toxins. Bengal Gram legume or 'Chanaka' in Sanskrit, is a protein rich supplement to cereal based diets.

It Serves

Serves: 4-6

Preparation Time: 20 minutes (approximately)

Cooking Time: 25-30 minutes (approximately)

Ingredients

Ingredients:

* 4 Tomatoes (medium size),
* 1 Onion (medium size),
* 1 inch of Ginger (chopped),
* 2 -4 Green Chilies (as per individual choice),
* 1 whole dry Red Chili (deseeded),
* 1 whole Coconut (scraped),
* Curry Leaves,
* Lemon Juice (extracted from a small lemon wedge),
* 1 tsp of Cumin Seeds,
* 1/2 tsp of Mustard Seeds,
* 1/4 th Fenugreek Seeds,
* 4 tbsp of Bengal Gram lentils,
* Rock Salt (to taste),
* 1/2 tsp of Jaggery (molten, grated or crushed).

How To Prepare

Wash tomatoes and onion (peeled earlier), pat dry with a kitchen napkin.

Make slight slit marks on the outer surface of the tomatoes.

Smear tomatoes and onion with a drop of extra virgin olive oil.

Roast tomatoes and onion in the glorious wood fire.

Once roasted, allow tomatoes and onion to cool and then carefully removethe charred skin.

How to Prepare

Break a coconut into half, scrape the sweet meat and keep aside.

Heat a wok, put the Bengal Gram and lightly toast, on the traditional wood fire oven.

Add in whole spices and whole red chili, continue toasting over a slow glowing flame.

Put a handful of curry leaves (washed and dried earlier) and continue toasting.

Once, the roasted aroma of whole spices and lentil grains are released, it is
time to add in hand mashed wood fire roasted tomatoes and onion into the
wok.

It is time to add rock salt crystals and crushed jaggery.

Stir well, to coat every element with warm jaggery and also allowing the rock salt
crystals to dissolve.

Before removing the wok from the heat, squeeze the juice from a lemon wedge.

How To Prepare

Allow the aromatics and spices to cool.

Grind the aromatics, together with the spices in a traditional mortar and pestle, till
a uniform consistency of the all the ingredients is achieved.

On achieving the desired texture, "Pratibimb" is now ready to be served.

My suggestions

1. As city dwellers, it may not be possible to arrange, a functional clay oven, lit with glowing
wood fire. Thereby, the process of roasting can be executed with a pappadum roasting girdle/
a grill pan/ a barbeque grill on regular gas oven or on a gas tandoor/ electrical or charcoal
barbeque skewer.

2. "Pratibimb" is best enjoyed with "Darpan". It is a culinary creation of mine, prepared with rice,
adorn with fresh and juicy green pepper pods, cooked in tender coconut water and served inside
a green coconut shell, on a banana leaf. Conspicuous in the names and evident from the phrase,
"Pratibimb gracefully dances on the face of Darpan", both my culinary creations compliment and
complete each other.

My Suggestions

3. To prepare "Darpan", the required ingredients are:-

200 grams of rice (of individual taste and preference, washed properly and drained),
Tender Coconut Water (2-4 glasses),
2 tsp full of Green Pepper Pods (optional, one can also use Black Pepper Pods instead of Green
Pepper pods, in the form, depending on individual taste or preference),
1 medium size Onion (roasted and chopped),
1 inch of Ginger (finely chopped),
1 Green or Ripe Red Chili (deseeded, finely chopped),
2 medium size Tomatoes (roasted and chopped),
2 tbsp of fresh Curry Leaves (finely chopped),
1/2 tsp of Cumin Seeds,
1/4 th tsp of Black Mustard Seeds,
8-10 Fenugreek Seeds,
1 tsp of turmeric powder,
1/2 tsp of Jaggery (grated, molten or crushed),
1 tsp of lemon juice,
Rock Salt (to taste).

Rest Of the Ingredients

4. Cooking Method Of "Darpan":-

Warm oil.

Splutter whole Cumin, Mustard and Fenugreek seeds.

Sauté ginger and green chili.

Add turmeric powder and continue sautéing.

Ingredients Contd.

Put chopped onion and tomatoes, along with jaggery; cover and cook, till all the
ingredients are mixed properly in unison.

It is time to add the rice grains and gently stir.

Lightly fry the rice grains in the combination of spices and aromatics.

Add the requisite quantity of coconut water, along with rock salt, cover and cook the rice.
(If required, add a splash of drinking water, to properly cook the rice.)

Final

Once rice is properly cooked, remove the cooking vessel from fire, add lemon juice
and fresh and juicy green pepper pods.

"Darpan" is now reflective of the enamouring and beautiful image, "Pratibimb".