It doesn’t matter where you go, nothing can replace home. Home isn’t a physical place but the happiness of seeing the same old posters on the wall of your room. The nostalgic feeling of going through old CDs. Home means so many things. But most importantly home means Maa ke Haath ka Khaana .
The best part of home food is that you can eat shamelessly. And yet you always hear the words, Ek aur lele.
Here are 10 dishes that remind us why we must go take a cab/train/plane as soon as possible.
1. Paneer & Roti/Chapati
I remember coming back from a school trip. Throughout the journey, I couldn’t think of anything else but my Mother’s fluffed up rotis and Paneer Bhurji. When I reached home I realised, it tastes even better than what I remembered.
The paneer had the exact amount of salt, spice and everything nice.
It makes me wonder about mothers being successful kidnappers; luring children in with the pleasing aroma of their sabzis.
2. Rajma Chawal
I asked my friends about the first dish that comes to their mind when they think of Ma Ke Haath Ka Khaana and their immediate response was Rajma Chawal. Rajma and chawal were made for each other. But even though they are available in almost every canteen, they aren’t as good as mother’s rajma chawal. What is the secret ingredient Mom? Beans made of actual kidney?
On the same subject Divya got a little teary eyed. All you need to know about her is she is a hosteller. There, there.
3. Maggi
It is no coincidence that maggi had a whole campaign on 'mom’s maggi’.
Maggi which now seems like a snack to munch upon, use to be a very big deal as a kid. A celebration if I must.
Obviously mother would even try to make maggi healthy. Carrots? Yes. Peas? Yes. Tomato? Yes. broccoli? No way. I mean she did want me to be healthy. She didn’t hate me.
4. Halwa
Halwa use to be my comfort food. And one katori was never enough.
Halwa in my house has always a compulsorily item on Kanjak. The plate included aloo poori, kaale channe, rayata and Halwa.
It use to give me immense joy to share the same with my friends. Not because I wanted them to eat my mother’s delicious food. But because, bragging rights.
5. Aloo Ka Parantha
I always use to think it is a punjabi dish. But that isn’t true. In fact every home has their own Taste of Aloo parantha. Every aloo parantha carries its own trademark.
Sunday meant aloo parantha as brunch. The hot parantha with cold curd and an ounce of butter just waiting for me to eat them. Every bite is worth it. Even at the cost of increased jeans size.
6. Kadhi Chawal
I got introduced to kadhi chawal pretty late. Trying new things to eat wasn’t really my thing. But when mother politely requested me to eat it, I did.
Did you buy that? ‘Politely requested’. No, she shoved it down my throat. But may I say, after recovering from choking, I liked the taste.
Admitting to like it was a challenge in itself because my mother then gave me ‘I told you so’ look, followed by an evil laughter and commission from Kadhi land.
7. Biryani
Biryani was like the reward for doing something good without doing something good.
While there are various types of biryani available, nothing beats ghar ki Biryani.
I wonder why my mother doesn’t have a restaurant yet. All you want from a mother is to be materialistic. But here we have mothers loving and caring. Life is so unfair.
8. Macaroni
Macaroni meant ‘party time’; A Friday night item. When things use to get a little too crazy, my mothers use to give me coke also.
And of course I didn’t use to remember much after that, just waking up on Saturday with a heavy stomach and happy heart. On the floor one could see the ‘accidental’ capsicum and onion that fell from me. Images of last night flash and the veggie stare back at me like; I know what you did last Summer.
9. Dal & Roti/Chapati
Dal and Roti is the constant item when it comes to homemade food. In this chaotic world, you may not be able to rely on many things like WIFI or Sunday sale or political parties or toothpaste sometimes. But damn it you can rely on Dal and Roti!
After you have gone all around the world and tried every possible thing one can eat. There it is. Dal and Roti, waiting for you to get bored from it again.
Dal and Roti give a very homely feel. Only after trying dal at various restaurants, hotels and hostels, do we have new found respect for homemade dal. You the real MVP.
10. Sandwich
I know what you are thinking. Not a food item that reminds us of home. Well, it is the most important food item for me.
All of my friends in school and college know that this is my signature Tiffin. It is only I, and I only, who use to bring sandwich every day, day or night, hail or storm; without fail.
It is not even something I can’t make, but when my mother makes it, it tastes so much better.
Back-story: Didn’t eat anything else in Tiffin, now I am known for it. If I am McDonald’s then sandwich is my French fries.
In all seriousness, these items are so much more than food. They are a part of my childhood and in a way, keeps the child in me alive. I am grateful for every single bite.
I suddenly feel the urge to start preparing for a mother’s day gift.