| Artist Paramjeet Singh, best known for his serigraphs (he won a national award from the Lalit Kala Akademi in 1979 for these), remembers selling his first work as a schoolboy in Jamshedpur, in the 1950s, for a princely sum of Rs 300. It was an oil of JRD and was bought, naturally, by the Tatas. Much has changed since then, both in the world of art and in Singh's own life. He has retired from the College of Art, Delhi, where he was a professor and acting principal, and his works "" when not stored in the living room, sharing space with the pretty toys and knick-knacks of his two-year-old granddaughter Amrita "" have found their way into galleries and collections much more precious. What has not changed, on the other hand, is Singh's dalliance with matters culinary; with soybean and sundry things. |
| Much before tofu captured the imagination of hip vegetarians in our metros, Singh was already experimenting with it in Jamshedpur. The family would buy the beans from local grocers and make their own milk, curd and "paneer". The practice continues even today and has been since perfected: Soak the beans overnight, drain and remove some of the husks to do away with the bitterness; grind in a mixie, adding little quantities of water; strain the resulting milk (the leftover paste after straining can be used to make pakoras; (see recipe) and set it like curd (using a little actual yoghurt) or make paneer by splitting with lemon or vinegar, but not before you have added a little baking powder! "That makes it softer," explains Singh, something that he discovered after many trials over the last 30 years and after friendly talks with agriculturists. |
| Back in Bihar as a boy scout, Singh learnt the basics of cooking. There was litti and sattu in the camps and badkas (see recipe) at friends' homes and his team always stood first in school when it came to making halwa-puri. In his mother's kitchen, he learnt how to roll out chapatis. But over the years, artistic sensibilities also got mixed up with the veggies somewhere. Today, Singh believes that "flavours depend on how you cut the vegetables and how you cook them." He is careful to chop up all your regular gourds, squashes and kundrus diagonally, so that the seeds too get cut and flavours are enhanced. And when he is lightly stir-frying the veggies, he is careful to air them a little more, tossing with the spatula, so that the dish gains in oxygen and taste: "In south India, when people make their filter coffee frothy by transferring it from one glass to the other, they are doing the same." Surprised? But then, it is apt that this observation should come from an artist trained to look very closely at all nuances of life. |
| Favourite Recipes |
| Soya Pakoras |
| 1 cup soyabean, soaked overnight, ground to a paste and strained to make milk. Use the leftover pulp after straining 1/2 cup besan 1 small onion, finely chopped 2 tsp dried and crushed fenugreek leaves Salt and red chillies to taste |
| Mix together the pulp with all the above ingredients. Heat oil in a wok and put in little drops of the seasoned paste for fritters. Fry till golden brown and take out. Drain on kitchen paper. Serve hot with chutney. You can also mix in any other herbs like curry leaves for alternate flavours. |
| Badkas |
| 1 cup kala chana, soaked overnight and drained 1/2 cup besan 2 black cardamoms, pounded and skin removed 1/2 tsp grated ginger 1 green chilli, chopped Salt and red chilli powder to taste |
| Grind the gram coarsely with skin. Add all the ingredients and make into small patties or vadas. Heat oil in a karahi and deep-fry until golden. Serve hot with a chutney. |
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