My Mother-in-Law's Masterpieces

My mother-in-law loved me much before my marriage as a friend of the family and became my best friend after I got married to her youngest and the most favorite son. Her greatest happiness was making meals for family and friends. On Sundays specially, it was always a lavish lunch. Her menu would consist of multiple courses, including one special dish which needed elaborate preparation, matching spices, time consuming cooking, a lot of concentration and, of course, the love and passion that only she could put in. The end result was always an awesome meal that is remembered by all long after my mother-in-law passed away. If I have to name top three of my most favorite dishes that have not been matched by anyone so far in my knowledge, they are the following:

Sarson Ka Saag with Makki Ki Roti: Mention Punjabi food and the first thing that comes to mind is makki ki roti and sarson ka saag. The pride of Punjabi cuisine in winter, it is simple, sizeable and hearty - with no unnecessary frills or exotic accompaniments A signature dish of Punjab, it is prepared with mustard greens. The dish is something of a delicacy simply because besides the long preparation time, the vitamin rich dish also requires a lot of time to cook. My mother-in-law cooked it on a slow fire for hours to coax out that perfectly robust taste. In fact, the longer it takes to cook the saag, the better it tastes. She cooked it with a minimum of spices so that the fresh taste can be retained. The luscious green sarson ka saag, tastes fabulous with makki ki roti and a dollop of butter, both of which my mother-in-law made with perfection.

Dal Makhani with Tandoori Roti: One of the hallmarks of Punjabi Cuisine, this Punjabi delicacy is another feather to my mother-in-law's cuisine. Rich, creamy lentils, whole urad, cooked with assorted spices makes it one of the best warm and soul foods ever! Dal (lentil) Makhani (cream/butter) as the name suggests, is filled with calories and is a special treat. My mother-in-law cooked it on a slow fire, simmered for hours till it turned creamy and then flavored it with spices and rounded off with cream for that rich finish. For the final touch to make it the tastiest dal on the planet, she put plenty of ginger in the tadka and served it with tandoori roti, which she was expert in making.In fact, Maa ki Daal ('ma' means mother in hindi), this 'mother of all dals' is a firm favorite of our family. Traditionally this dal was cooked slowly, for hours, on charcoal. This gave it a creamier texture, made even better with fresh cream or fresh butter added to it. It is highly nutritious, essentially filled with rich proteins and fiber. It is a sumptuous meal and a staple diet in Punjab and most of Northern India. It is a very good source of energy and extremely healthy. This dal also tastes very good the following day and even the day after, when reheated properly.

Kadhi Pakora with Basmati Rice: Punjab Kadhi is a very famous Indian dish. One of the most popular cuisines liked by people in India and abroad, it is made from chickpea flour (besan) and sour yogurt. Till my marriage I was amongst those people who didn't care for kadhi much, but after I had the Punjabi Kadhi my mother-in-law made, I became a lover of this dish. I don't know what made this Kadhi so different and special but its taste was amazing. She made it traditionally with yogurt, but added a lot of water in the kadhi and let it simmer at very low heat for around 1/2 hour to get the final consistency. She used to say that the kadhi is not kadhi if its not simmered for a very long time. It gets the name from the term 'KADHNA' which is a process of simmering something on very low heat! Spicy pakoras in kadhi made it all the more delicious with basmati rice.

We had the old family servant, who was also a great cook. But my mother-in-law would not trust him to make any of the above main dishes, which she would insist on cooking herself. He was, of course, a great help with seasonal side dishes and chapaties. I also remained a sue chef to help her, except when the menu needed making of non-veg dishes. I have been pretty good at preparing non-veg meal, especially lamb curry and chicken tikka masala, which I learnt from my mother who was a great cook of mughalai dishes. Watching my mother-in-law closely, making her specialties, I was confident that I too had mastered those dishes. Today whenever I cook any of these dishes, I receive enormous appreciation. In my heart I know that my mother-in-law put her whole heart and soul, tender love and care while cooking meals for the family and friends, which I inherit. I learnt from her to take cooking as a passion and not a ritual. She remains my great mentor, though I can never match my mother-in-law's masterpieces.