How do you feed a family during the COVID-19 outbreak, without stepping out of the house? “Check your pantry. Walk to your backyard. Open the refrigerator. Flip through old recipe books. Call your friends and family! You will find all the ingredients and know-hows to create simple, delicious meals right within your reach,” explains Fremont, US-based Alagu Al, who organised virtual cookery demonstration and presentation by home chefs last week.
The financial controller for a tech company is also the founder of a WhatsApp group called ‘SamayalSamayal’, a by-invitation only forum for food, culinary traditions and health started in 2018, Alagu feels that it is important for people to not step out of their homes. “As part of the WhatsApp group, we generally organise two live demonstrations ever year in [San Fransisco’s] Bay Area, for about 100 families. Keeping the current scenario in mind, we have to first fulfill our moral and civic responsibility of staying home. It is also the time to use our resources wisely, stay connected with friends and family, and keep spirits high,” she says, adding that this sparked the idea for a virtual cooking demonstration, open out to people across the United States. The event was hosted on Zoom, featuring live demonstrations of five dishes (appetisers, main course, sides and dessert), along with a two-minute presentation each of 85 dishes already cooked.
The demonstrations began with a twist on the kuzhipaniyaram, using pancake flour. The second dish was four kinds of chickpea-based chutney (the most popular was the chocolate chickpea dip, paired with grilled idli). The rava khichdi followed, and a further extension of that were the toasted rava balls which work great as an evening snack. On a healthier note, the fourth participant, who happened to be a doctor, created a thengaipal vengaya (coconut milk and onion) kanji and paired it with a tangy paruppu thuvaiyal. The finale was a French cream horn — a decadent dessert that reminded viewers of French pastry shops — created from scratch by a teenage boy.
The virtual food festival | Photo Credit: special arrangement
“Alternatives and repurposing was the backbone to every dish presented. The idea was not for people to run to the grocery store and pick up ingredients. For example, the pancake flour kuzhipaniyaram was served with kollu (horse gram) chutney — if you did not have kollu at home, you could use walnut and other nuts,” she explains. Each presenter had to think of substitute ingredients, tools and techniques and create a dish using minimal ingredients.
“This is the time to do this, so that we don’t unduly hoard resources that should be available for our fellow citizens,” she points out.
Come one, come all
The participants ranged from teenagers and young working professionals to visiting grandparents. “Each person brought a different perspective and knowledge to the table”.
If the demonstrations were insightful, the presentation of already cooked dishes, by 85 callers was eye-catching to say the least. Coconut rice rolled into a ball, with carrots and beets sticking out (almost looking like the Coronovirus), added a scoop of humour; the vegetarian omelette with a pinch of baking soda and frozen vegetables won many hearts. Kumquats, fruits known to build immunity, were plucked from a participant’s backyard and used to make a tangy gravy served with lentil-only pongal.
Semiya idlies | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
A few more dishes that clearly fell in the category ‘garden to table’ included aloe vera leaves transformed to a delicious curry; a perfect pudina rice; a karuvepillai soup, diced green apple spicy pickle, a green apple, celery and ginger juice, and fresh orange cake. Desserts like paper-thin polis,kesari pooris, Thiruvayaru Asoka halwa and almond flour cakes helped assure participants that a little indulgence at home, is allowed.
Future forward
Over the years, Alagu has witnessed that involving children in cookery events, is instrumental in bringing about sustainable change and passing down family recipes. “We had many second generation Indian-American children presenting their dishes, and they have certainly raised the bar. These children are not confined to a predefined set of cooking ideas,” Their creations included choco mug cake, sweet and savoury poha, veggie pinwheels, pesto potato chips and Italian orzo salad.
The group currently has 132 users who are actively sharing recipes and their culinary experiments every day. The weeks lining up to the event have changed the dynamics of homes, she observes. Participants were asked to dress in a shade of red. “Red is the colour of energy, and positive energy is more contagious than any virus can ever be,” she says.