AMAZING SUSTAINABILITY INSPIRATION FROM NANI & HER LEFTOVER CHAPPATI RECIPES
Last Updated on 5th April 2021 by Bejal
A recent telephone call with Geeta from Dadima’s brand sparked this nostalgic story that you’re about to read. We spoke about my Nani and Geeta asked me to write up and share my precious memories for everyone to read in the Dadima’s community. The roots of this family story are inspired by my beautiful Nani (maternal grandma), and the ways in which she ignited my passion for sustainability, originating from her East Africa roots.
Summer holidays as a child were extremely memorable for my brother and I. We spent six weeks of long hot sunny days in Plymouth, Devon at my Nana and Nani’s house. They had lived there ever since they had arrived in England after leaving Uganda (during the Idi Amin uprising in the 1970’s) and were transferred from an immigration camp to their current three story town house.
The Early Years
As well as spending plenty of time on the beaches, visiting local points of interest and helping to prepare Sunday family picnics, one of my fondest memories of my Nani is that her cooking was simply delicious, clever and inspiring. She was so skilful and could literally knock up the most elaborate of dishes from scratch in no time. Nothing was ever too much trouble. I mean 20 diners could transcend upon her house with hardly any notice, and there was a full-on banquet for the night together, with breakfast for the morning awaiting them!
Nani had a small garden in which she lovingly grew pretty flowers, but she dedicated a section to nurturing her own herbs and veggies. She tended to these daily and with great caution. I used to spy on her watching her vegetable patch like a hawk from the window and if anything, or anyone went within a 10 metre radius of the patch, you could guarantee she’d be out there faster than the emergency services could say 999!
Nani’s Sustainable Cooking Style
Over the years, especially during my early teens, I watched and learnt to cook from Nani. The one thing that was always a constant, was how she literally would not waste any part of an ingredient. She would use up everything, every last tiny existence of a radish, a coriander stem, edible flowers, things that most people would throw on a compost heap or in the bin! She could make a curry out of limited ingredients by using her inbuilt wizardry radar. If we had a bunch of shoots or roots, she could somehow use them for something, be it a sauce, a spicy mix or stuffing and you’d never have known their humble origins!
I think unconsciously, this sustainability dimension of her life and culinary approach, has really stuck with me. I absolutely loathe food wastage because there is so much to go around and people just shouldn’t be starving in this day and age.
Looking back today, Nani was an inventive kitchen guru who wore technicolour sarees, her gold and black necklace, her silvery hair was always swept back in a tight bun and of course a perfectly small red vermillion bindi! I was amazed at how she never sported an apron, yet always looked immaculate.
Nani always looked pristine, even when she’d struggle to pin me down as a child so that she could plait my hair – I’d wail when she tried to comb the knots out. Her solution was to douse and massage my hair in coconut oil, then plait it so tight intertwined with silk ribbons towards the ends! I know Geeta also has memories of her mother-in-law doing the same to her daughters. But on a positive note, my hair didn’t have to be done again for a week! Every cloud and all that!
I would never have imagined that one day I’d be so passionate about being frugal in terms of using up ingredients to make the most of what I have. I’m really grateful that I got to spend so much time with Nani and made time to learn from her. Being a devout vegetarian and believing in Ahimsa, she was my first and shall remain my most captivating traditional Gujarati cooking scholar!
I see now it was a complete honour to have shared that cosy kitchen with her, listening to her stories about life back in Uganda and how she’d cook and look after her seven children! As a young teenager I was completely smitten by her stories of early life and to this day it is my absolute dream to go and see the land that my family refer to as Africa, which you can read all about it in ‘A land that a girl knows as Africa’ or click below.
Nani’s ‘Use Up Your Leftover Chapattis’ Recipes
Any Asian household will be able to relate to the fact that, no matter how hard you try, there will always be a few chappatis/rotli left over and these are two recipes Gujarati folk in particular are probably very familiar with. They are two simple dishes that my Nani would supervise me making as a snack to accompany a nice cup of Indian Chai. By supervise, I mean there was no diverting from her rules and she did have to interject with stirring to ensure quality standards were achieved!!
Vagareli Rotli
(Dry chappati’s in spices and onions)
Ingredients
Serves 2 and a great snack
- 4 leftover chappatis/rotli cut into squares
- 4 leftover chappatis/rotli cut into squares
- I small onion chopped finely
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds and cumin seeds
- 1 small fresh chilli finely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon cumin and coriander powder
- Salt to taste
- Coriander to garnish
Method
- Fry the cumin and mustard seeds in the hot oil then add the onions and fresh chilli and fry on a low heat until they turn golden brown and caramelise.
- Add the spices, turmeric, cumin and coriander powder and salt and allow to roast for a couple of minutes.
- Place all the chappati/Rotli pieces into the pan and stir until covered in the mix. Allow to cook for a couple more minutes until the Chappati/Rotli become slightly crisp and reduce.
- Garnish with fresh coriander before serving.
Dahi Vari Rotli
(Chappati’s in a spicy yoghurt sauce)
Ingredients
Serves 2 and a great breakfast dish
- 4 leftover rotli cut into square pieces
- I small onion chopped finely
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 finely chopped green chilli
- 8 curry leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
- Coriander and sesame seeds to garnish
The yoghurt based sauce
- Half a cup yogurt
- Half a cup of water
- A quarter of a teaspoon of turmeric powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1/4 teaspoon coriander powder
- Salt to taste
Method
- Whisk the yoghurt well in a bowl
- Add water, salt, turmeric powder, coriander and cumin powder and mix well.
- Heat the oil in a pan and add mustard and cumin seeds
- Next add onion, green chilli, curry leaves and asafoetida. Fry until the onions are golden brown, stirring occasionally. Then add the yoghurt mixture
- Finally add the roti pieces. Cook till moisture gets absorbed. If you prefer this dish with gravy you don’t need to cook for as long.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves
Thoughts
When I Iook at my Nani today, I think of how she left a different life and embraced a new land, with all the struggles that it must have bought. She may have retired from kitchen duties and passed over the reins to the next generation, but she will always be the one who shaped my precision in cooking, refined flavour palette and desire to experiment. In an age when vegetarian food was bland and boring, she showed me it was just as delicious, better for the environment and taught it was more about being resourceful in terms of flavour combinations and pairings. She subconsciously could even be the precursor to my dining jaunts in some of the world’s best restaurants (I’m sure she’d be happy to take the credit!).
The stories of cooking with my Nani are some of my most cherished moments, which I share with my husband today. Coming from totally contrasting backgrounds, being in a mixed-race relationship is something my Nani accepted because I had chosen a life partner who made me happy. I will always admire her endearing attempts to speak to Dr C in English, even though it’s about time he learnt Gujarati!
If you’re reading this today and are lucky enough to have grandparents, remember to make memories with them. I don’t visit my Nani as often as I’d like but it’s really important to make the time for a call or visit. Chatting to my Nani previously, when she was in much better health, was eventful to say the least. Lets just say most of the call was spent me not getting a word in edgeways and the rest was her advising me on studying hard, getting a good job and marrying a fine gentleman…oh and learning to cook well of course! Which was never going to be hard because I had the best teacher!!
The world is blessed with many superwomen, but for me there will only be one culinary genius who has now been inaugurally named, Super Nani!
Nani 1928 – 2021
This post is in collaboration with Dr Geeta Ludhra, lead from Dadima’s CIC, focussing on learning from the older generation to create legacies.
You can read more on the Dadima’s website & Instagram @_dadimas
Do you have poignant memories of the older generation in your life? Have they shaped the way you live today? Let me know in the comments below…
À bientôt
londonkirsty
What a lovely tribute to your Nani, Be! I love how she used up everything, leaving nothing to waste. Sadly my dad’s mum died when I was six and my mum’s mum lived in a different city so I didn’t get to see her that often. She was a great baker though and I like to think I inherited her baking skills as I rarely have a baking fail!
Bejal
londonkirstyThanks so much Kirsty, I really enjoyed writing the post.She’s been such an inspiration in my life. Oh no that’s such a shame but I’m so pleased to hear that you have taken on her baking skills. I know where to come for some bread now as I’m a total failure of a baker! Thanks so much for reading and your lovely comment.
londonkirsty
BejalAny time! x
Bejal
londonkirstyThankyou x
Binny
This brought tears to my eyes Bejal as it’s so beautifully written and I love the sound of her leftover rotli recipes – will def try the Dahi one. Nani’s are the best and I miss mine so much <3
Bejal
BinnyOhh Binny thankyou so much. I’m so sorry again about your recent loss. You’re right they are so special and I do hope you enjoy the dahi rotli.B xx
Scarlett Roitman
What a beautiful tribute, Bejal. Food always presses the nostalgia buttons, and Nani does indeed sound super. She must be very proud of you, too. My husband, who is the “Nani” in my kitchen, is keen to try these. I’ll let you know how we get on!
Bejal
Scarlett RoitmanThanks Scarlett so much for reading. I’m sure she’ll be pleased to know that I actually listen to her adn remember what she taught me. Oh yes please do. I’d love to know how his dishes turn out! B xx
Mostlyfoodandtravel
A lovely tribute to your Nani! It brings back floods of memories for me with my grandparents especially cause we lived in an extended family! Grandparents are superheroes. With left over rotli ,I don’t like the shak or vegarali rotli. Instead I freeze my left over and toast it under the grill and have it with honey.
Bejal
MostlyfoodandtravelThanks Neha. Yes a lot of the Indian community do live in the extended family setting. Oh what is the rotli shak, I’ve never heard of that? We only make the vagareli rotli and one with dahi in? Also never never heard of freezing rotli.
Aaron Vallance
What a beautiful post, Bejal. And such a wonderful tribute to your Nani. So great to hear about her, and her ways in the kitchen. What special memories for you too. Loving the photos as well. Thank you!
Bejal
Aaron VallanceThankyou Aaron, thats very kind of you. Definitely very special memories indeed and cab’t wait to show her this post.I’m so glad you enjoyed the post and very kind comments.
louiseloveslondon
Awww such fond memories! Your Nani sounds like a wonderful person,B. Thank you for sharing such beautiful and delicious looking dishes! I will ask Frenchie to try some of your recipes in the kitchen
Louise x
Bejal
louiseloveslondonThanks so much for reading Louise. Nani is truly amazing! Aww that would be great! Be sure to let mw know how Frenchie’s recipes turn out! B xx