The evening air at our home was always plump with Ba’s presence. Well, not just evenings!! The mornings would be filled with the rhythmic squeaking of the swing where she sat dressed in an all-white saree, pallu covering her head, humming her favourite folk songs and chopping basket full of vegetables for our large household. Her favourite activity while chopping was to eat those veggies raw. I often called her ‘Bakriben’ / goat-like😉. In the evenings, however, we could smell her presence when at sundown, she would bring out her coal filled Dhoopiyu/ frankincense holder. The ritual of lighting up coal for the frankincense would take her 10-15 minutes. After which Ba went around our entire house holding the dhoop-daan in her hand. The aroma of frankincense and later the clinking of her favourite heavy-duty iron mortar and pestle informed us of her presence in the kitchen. Because Ba preferred very lite dinners she often cooked for herself.
My Ba always made simple, quick and fuss-free foods. A style of cooking that never intimidated me or any of her grandchildren who stood beside her while she chopped, pounded and cooked!! Thuli and milk was her favourite. Bhakhri and milk were equally relished. Ba seldom ate mithai but loved her chai to be as sweet as sugar syrup. I also saw her making individual portions of Raab, Sheero and Garya poodla/jaggery sweetened whole wheat chilla/crepes for herself. Interestingly all these foods were never sweetened by sugar but jaggery. Being a true blue Kathiyawari it was always jaggery for her. Winters and monsoons were always delicious when she rustled up some Bhajia or Charamiya – the Bajra/pearl millet poodla/chilla/crepes. Yes, the Kathiyawari have a name for Bajra poodla. Charamiya are a monsoon favourite. The agrarian rural communities would often make these when it rained. The nippy monsoon air and some hot off the griddle spiced Charamiya with gor-keri achaar synced very well together. . And some tempered buttermilk on the side is always welcomed. Charamiya are poor-mans substitute to deep-fried Bhajia etc. 70-80 years ago oil was not an affordable commodity, families used it sparsely. Shallow frying was the alternate they chose, the Charamiya spiced with a paste of green chillies, garlic and ginger were the best alternative. Also Bajra and not wheat was the preferred grain in the rural households.
The clinking sound of Ba’s mortar pestled was followed by sizzle of hot iron griddle. The sizzle is called ‘Chamm’ in Gujarati. And an ace storyteller that Ba was, always narrated Gijubhai’s story of ‘Ma mane chamm vadu…’
There once lived a poor couple with 7 children in a thatch roof house by the farm. The husband feels like eating Vada for dinner. Since the supplies were scarce and the children had eaten vada a few days back the wife asks him to wait until the kids are asleep after which she would cook the Vadas for him. Once the kids were asleep the wife prepares the batter and drops a little batter of hot tawa. The batter makes chamm sound as it touches the griddle. The sound wakes up one kid. She asks, “Ma mane chamm vadu!!”/mother please give me one vada. The mother gives a vada to her. After she is asleep she pours batter again and the other one wakes up… this continues until all the kids have waked up one by one and eaten their share of vada. There was no batter left for the couple who go to sleep after drinking a glass of water!! This often is the case with poor families!!
Ba’scharamiya going chamm invariably attracted few of us into the kitchen. But, the times were different and Ba always had some extra batter in the bowl… Oh, those dinners!! They were always so warm and fuzzy, made us full even without eating!!!
The recipe I share here is how my Ba and now my Bhabhi makes it. She too is from Kathiyawar and cooks finger-licking good food! As I was planning to post the recipe on the blog she made the complete platter complete with fresh gor-keri achar. She deep freezes fermented raw mango and makes this pickle whenever it is demanded. The pickle tastes better the next day.
The pictures, video and cover image are all from the evening we cooked Charamiya at my maternal home!!
Charamiya
Ingredients
- For Charamiya
- 2 cups Bajra flour
- 5-6 cups chassh/buttermilk or sour yogurt mixed with equal parts water
- 3 green chillies, minced
- 1 inch ginger, minced
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
- a handful of chopped coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander and cumin seeds powder
- salt to taste
- oil for shallow frying
- For tempered Chaash/buttermilk
- 2 cups Chassh/buttermilk
- handful of fresh Coriander
- 1 green chilli
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander and cumin seeds powder
- salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon oil to temper
Instructions
In a mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients except oil, listed for Charamiya.
Make a pancake like batter.
Heat an iron griddle, brush it with oil and spread the Charamiya batter with a cardboard/visiting card.
Cook it on one side, smear oil on its sides and top.
Flip, smear oil and cook till light brown.
Repeat until you have used the entire batter.
For the tempered Chaash
In a mortar-pestle pound fresh coriander, green chili, garlic, turmeric, red chili and coriander-cumin powder.
Take a saucepan, heat oil, add the pounded mix, saute for 1/2 minute. Add the buttermilk and salt. Stir well.
Bring to boil, remove from flame.
Serve hot Charamiya with tempered Chaash.
Notes
There is no need to soak the batter. You can add fresh fenugreek green, spring onions, green garlic shoots whenever they are in season.
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