Madu - Madhir (मड़ु - माधिर)

Madu Madhir 

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Let's go back,way back to early 1960s. Ija the protagonist had started going to school. A visit to amma(naani), babba (naana) was the highlight of summer break. Why? Was it for cool air and green hills? A BIG NO.

 

Ija that time was just 7 yrs of age, मडुए की रोटी, सब्जियां, भांगे की चटनी और मादिरे की खीर,ड़ुबके,रस-भात  was the highlight of vacation in Patiya gaon along with cuddling with अम्मा, listening to religious and mythological stories and gorging on roasted bhatt, kheera with special salts she used to make.

 

Seing us running up the stairs with hands faces smeared with juice of ghingharoo, hisalu she would shout:

अरे रै ऐ गंईं नानतिन। जा रे नरुआ बाड़ बटि उगल,लाई लिया और सुण द्वि चार गेठि,हरि खुशाणि,मुल और निमुं लै लियै।

And ija's amma would get busy in the kitchen chopping, roasting (चुल में घौल में पकूण) etc. In few minutes the house would start smelling heavenly.

गरमा गरम  मडुए की रोटी would be served with roasted gethi ka bharta and lots of garden fresh sabzis.Oh yes dollop of घर की गाय के दूध का घी. They ate to their hearts content.  later in the day it would be सना नींबू मूली। Oh the taste of that tangy, sweet and sour flavorsome nimbu yet lingers in ijas mouth. Those were the day of growing local, consuming local.

Time passed. Arrival of 70s was marked by late 60s. All changed then. Syllabus books and so chikdren minds were filled with गेहूँ खाओ। ज्वार, बाजरा, मक्का ,मडुआ, माधिरा आदि आदि मोटे अनाज हैं। गरीब लोग गेहूं,चावल, अरहर,मूंग इत्यादी नहीं खरीद सकते इस लिए वो मोटा अनाज खाते हैं।

The young mind of ija got corrupted. Now ija started asking her ija (mother) "Are amma-babba poor? They can't afford what we eat in our house? They eat and feed us मडुआ,माधिरा,गहत,भट्ट ?"

Ija's ija gave those famous side glances indicating "shut up".

Ija's Ija was aghast. That was the not era of internet and google. Even books on nutrition were rare. Ija's ija and amma knew that pahadi food tastes yum and is fresh produce of their farms. They used cow dung for manure. Organic oh what is that? they would have asked. 

Amma left for heavenly abode. Ija's ija used to cook पहाड़ी खाना. The family used to enjoy because it used to be so so tasty. No concept yet of why even hundreds of km away from kumaon the food culture is continued. Even ija's ija was like हमारा  खाना है, हमारी संस्कृति है। That used to be The end of discussion.

Come straight to 80s ija gets married brings all pahadi culture to her home in Pune. She feeds her family kumaoni food, cooked in iron kadhai, because she had learnt that all millets, pulses, spices grown in our himalayan region are full of nutrition and cooking in iron kadhai enhances the taste as well as nutritional value.

The nutritional value of all can be googled so I will reserve this space for quick update.

The grains, pulses, spices (specially bhanga) are rich in vit. B2,B3,B12 and B6, omega 3, omega 6,minerals and few those amino acids the building blocks of protien which are normally presumed to be absent in vegetarians diet.

The traditional way our food is cooked you can find few recipes in my blog. "With love from Mom's Kitchen "

Now ija is enlightened. She knows whys and hows of uttarakhand food to some extent.

भुला भुलियो हमर पूर्वज ननकैं यो पत्त छी कि ग्यूं दगाड मडु, अरहर मूंगाक दगाड गहत, भट्ट, रैंश,चावलाक दगाड  माधिर,भिडी तोरयां दगाड दगाडै लाई पालंग उगल गडेरि गेठि और कतुकै पहाडक साग फल खै बेर हमर शरीर  पहाडक जीवन बितूणाक लिजि हृष्ट पृष्ठ बणी रुं।

अब इज बुड़ी गै। वीक नाति नातिणि है गईं ।उ प्रसन्न छूकि अब वीक चेलि और च्योलकैई नै बल्की जवैं और ब्वारि ( जो पहाड़ि न्हैतन) पहाड़ि खाण बहत्तै पसन्द छू। जाणन्छा किलै?

They are well read and well informed. Apart from taste the nutritional benifits of uttarakhand food and traditional way of cooking has made immense impact on them.

इज यो नि कूं कि पिज्जा,बरगर,पास्ता, ग्यूं रोट,और तरह तरहैकि दाल, मीट माछ नि खाऔ। भुला भुलियो इज बस इतुकै कूं कि संसार में काई॔ लै छा हमर पहाड़क खाण कै जरूर खैय्या। आपुणि संस्कृति कै बणै राखिया।

Ija also loves pasta,pizza as much as pahadi cuisine. Oh yes ija forgot to tell pahari food without potato is sacrilege.😁.

आलुक गुटुक ,काकोड़ौक राई डाल बेर बणईं पहाड़ि रैत और  पुरि।अद्भुत।

गहत भट्ट  माधिरा,

खैबेर जरा देख ल्हिया,

मडुऐक रोटो भांगैकि चटणि,

तुम जरा चाट ल्हिया,

और लै कतुकै छन ,

उत्तराखंडाक अनाज

साग और फल,

गूगल कर बेर देख ल्हिया,

जी रया जागि रया,

सबन धैं भेटनै रया,

चटपट लूणाक दगाड,

भट्टक जौल सपोड़नै रया,

लाल चावलक भातक दगाड,

डुबुक धपोणै रया,

इजकै याद करनै रया।

डा.ज्योत्सना पंत