I needed some protein for my eggless chocolate cake batter, so I used up all the curd lying in the fridge. Unfortunately, though, that wasn’t just another bowl of curd; it was supposed to be the 'starter'. This starter is called ‘Jamun’ or ‘Khatta’ in many parts of the country. So what is a starter, you ask? A small portion of dahi or curd is often kept aside in many Indian households, and this is then used in the making of the next batch of curd. Indeed, you can set curd without the ‘khatta’, but if you desire thick, tangy and smooth curd, you should preserve a portion of curd from your previous batch and definitely keep it away from the pretentious bakers of your family who will end up making a mediocre cake anyway.
Interestingly enough, this is not the only time we desis get so obsessed with storing a small portion of something to flavour the next batch. If you visit the alleys of Old Delhi, Chandni Chowk, in the wee hours of the morning, you would find many legendary dhabas and eateries flaunting an unbroken ‘taar’ that connects Niharis of today to the ones prepared hundreds of years ago. ‘Taar’ means a string in English, and indeed it operates as one between one Nihari and the next. Nihari is a popular breakfast item. Derived from the word ‘Nahar’, which means morning in Arabic, Nihari was consumed by people after their first prayer at the mosque. Nihari is often paired with flatbreads such as naan, roti or paratha. A smooth mutton stew, deep brown, flavoured with rustic spices, Nihari is much lighter in comparison to thick kormas and kaliyas. And because the consistency is so watery, I assume it is much easier to collect and preserve a bowlful of Nihari for the next batch.
From hardcore meaty paradise, let’s go to the world of Indian confectionery. Did you know all sweetmakers who work with chenna swear by the ‘chenna paani’? Chenna paani is nothing but the watery whey that is drained out from chenna or cottage cheese. Sandesh, roshogolla, rajbhog, ras malai et al. are some of the iconic sweetmeats made after mashing and moulding chenna. The water that is squeezed out from the muslin or cheesecloth is collected and stored in a bowl. This water is used when the milk is being curdled for the next batch of chenna. It is said that it makes the resultant chenna even softer and pliant.
Whether you use the remnants to flavour curries or soften a dough, we cannot disagree that it is indeed an ingenious way to give our preparations an added boost, besides being incredibly reasonable and cost-effective. Instead of purchasing store-bought agents and premixes, you can end up recreating a restaurant like a charm at home. What do you think?