Ina Puri, art critic and curator, says that most artists are as good in the kitchen as they are in the studio.
A strong whiff of fish emanates right into the corridor of the swish apartment complex where Ina Puri lives. It’s a warm, inviting odour that’s timeless, evoking memories of days when women had the leisure to cook elaborate, delicately flavoured repasts. As we troop into the kitchen it’s clear the lady of the house — ably assisted by her two helps, Aadhar and Dolly — have been at work.
“I learnt cooking,” says Puri, as she leads us into the house, goggle-eyed at the wealth of paintings on the walls, “from my mother. “Not that I ever cooked before my marriage, but it’s something that you imbibe from your mother. For example, this fenugreek fish is something that she is famous for in our family.”
Cooking, for this art critic, curator, author and documentary filmmaker, is thus falling in line with a tradition that links her to her mother, her aunts and her grandmothers. It might be lost on her husband who’s a vegetarian but her son is quite a foodie. “But I don’t go entirely by traditional recipes, preferring to bring some flair.”
Cooking, however, among her artist friends is a ritual, therapeutic. “For some reason most artists are good cooks. I was very little when my uncle once took me to Jamini Roy’s house. He offered me tea and biscuits in a very grown-up kind of way and we had a nice adda. That was my first brush with food, adda and artists.”
Puri remembers a trip abroad with Manjit Bawa where they scoured the market so they could have an Indian meal. “In the end, Manjit couldn’t find a rolling pin so he ended up using a wine bottle,” she breaks out laughing.
More From This Section
She has many such memories of Bawa — for example, when he added pomegranate juice to a chicken dish and everyone at the party were left guessing how it was that he had got the particular colour. “Manjit had no sense of smell, he went entirely by colour and texture,” she reminisces about the artist who’s been in coma for three years now.
Puri recalls also how Paresh Maity would land up in her home with, not flowers, but with a large ilish maach. “Even Jayshree (Chakraborty, Maity’s wife) is a great foodie and loves to come over for lunch.”
FAVOURITE RECIPES
FENUGREEK-FLAVOURED FISH
1 kg rohu or any freshwater fish
1 tbsp ginger, grated
2 tomatoes, diced
2 green chillies
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
2 tbsp fresh fenugreek, cut finely
2 tbsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp red chilli powder
1 tsp sugar
5 tbsp mustard oil
Salt to taste
Wash the fish properly and sprinkle salt and turmeric on it. Deep fry in mustard oil. Heat three tablespoons of mustard oil in a pan. When it starts smoking, drop the fenugreek seeds and tomatoes. Add sugar and then the fresh fenugreek. When the tomatoes are done, add the red chilli powder and turmeric, mixed in a little water. When it comes to boil, add the fish carefully. Lastly, add the whole green chillies.
MUSTARD PRAWNS
½ kg fresh prawns
50 gm mustard seeds, finely ground
½ a fresh coconut,finely shredded
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp mango pickle
3 tbsp mustard oil
4 green chillies
Salt to taste
Clean the prawns thoroughly. Heat water in a saucepan and add salt and turmeric; drop the prawns once it comes to the boil and let it remain for a few minutes. Drain. Heat the oil in a pan and when it starts smoking, pour the mustard paste along with a little water. Add salt, sugar and the cooked prawns. Slit the chillies and add, along with the coconut. Once it starts simmering, add the mango pickle.
