what’s in a name… Badook Badook

Kalgi and I were having a conversation around some ingredients and foods when she  mentioned the name Badook Badook her mother-in-law makes. As I was hearing about this dish for the very first time  my immediate question to her was, “what is that??” And she narrates this little story behind the origin of  Badook Badook… 

There are some incidents that bring out the best in us – and then there are some that propel the birth of a new dish! Some of the best dishes we enjoy today, were born out of a cultural tragedy, a struggle of sorts or even war!

Badook Badook (Gujarati for the sound made during eating crunchy foods) is a dish that was born out of the need to invent something tasty, to use up leftover veggies and to cheer up a bunch of kids, in the aftermaths of Gujarat’s devastating earthquake.

My mother-in-law, Urvi Desai, was hosting a bunch of children – friends& family – at home, some were here to stay because the earthquake had wreaked havoc on their lives and  some because their parents had gone out helping people from the rubble. She smartly used up every crunchy leftover vegetable in her fridge, smeared it with a little oil and methi masala and onomatopoetically named it Badook Badook – because of the sound it made when eaten.  

About the duo behind this story and recipe 

Urvi Desai is a  fitness freak, who has always put health above all else. She has even authored a Gujarati book called Health Window,  is a passionate homemaker  and a  self-confessed cleanliness freak! She has two kids, two grandkids and is working on a new book currently.

Kalgi  Deai runs a co-working space in Ahmedabad and  a content marketing agency!  She loves her kitchen experiments – that aren’t always successful but are always fun!