As an avid food enthusiast, I always look forward to assembling unique recipes that are no less than a gem in the culinary world but somehow are vanishing in this modern lifestyle, maybe in lack of proper documentation or the interest shown by next generation. There are lots of caste & community specific recipes that were once savored by all but are slowly sliding into obscurity.
The motive behind starting this blog was, of course, to create and record as many SCD recipes as I can, so that it becomes easier to follow this unconventional diet plan that forbids the usage of most of the grains. But then there was also the idea of documenting the traditional Indian culinary secrets. In this era of internet cooking and a plethora of catered snacks, it is really difficult to imagine how the women of a bygone era spent the major chunk of their life, mastering the art of handcrafted sweets and savories.
Things that are easily available, we often end up taking it for granted only to realize the true value when it’s about to sink into oblivion. Recently I received a package from my aunt that she lovingly sent all the way from Nagpur, Maharashtra. The package had my all-time favorite kharpudi (a community-specific sweet snack from Bihar), her signature dish chivda, some bodi (sun-dried lentil balls) and homemade rice fryums (papad) along with a piece of my childhood which was somewhere lost amidst oodles of responsibility. Sometimes the mystic clouds of nostalgia shower the most beautiful memories that somehow get faded over time.
Over the years I realized that replicating a recipe that we have grew up eating, that was always a part of our traditional cuisine is not so easy, but I find myself fortunate enough to have aunts in the family who have not only mastered the art of these goodies but also have the understanding of ingredients. They cook by feel and measure with their eyes. Have you ever seen grandmas or aunts using measuring cup or spoons, well at least I haven’t.
I felt that this celebrated dish (kharpudi) from my aunt’s vast repertoire of regional recipes, which she happily shares with me, certainly deserves to be photographed and posted on the blog. So here it is! Kharpudi, one of its kind, a masterpiece of handcrafted sweet snack which belongs to a Kayastha community in Bihar. Also called as sweet stuffed kachori, it is one among the authentic pakwaans (gujhiya, khaja, anarsa) that signifies the rich culinary heritage of India. Although made during various occasions, it is a must in weddings where the bride and groom family often honor each other with these handcrafted sweets along with many other gifts. It is one of those recipes that make use of those easily, inexpensively available ingredients but turns out into something authentic, delicious. Kharpudi is not too difficult to make but it does require a little practice, the right amount of moin (ghee mixed in flour), slow roasting of besan (chickpea flour), amount of spices and the right temperature for frying it. It took me a while to figure out the exact proportion as the recipe included “a tad bit this and wee bit of that.” Didn’t I tell you that they measure ingredients with their eyes...
