When it comes to motherhood, it is usually not very smooth and there’s no two ways about it. Try as much as you want, but you still might run late in packing your kid’s tiffin box. That said, there are a number of ways to celebrate being a mommy. With Mother’s Day just around the corner, we bring you a list of ‘mom-style’ dishes that remind us of our own mothers and the way they used to come up with their special tricks to cope with having kids at home.
1. Paratha
A favourite pick among ‘mommy dishes’ from the desi kitchen, parathas are loved by all. Moms try their best to stuff parathas with some yummy fillings. While aloo, gobi and methi parathas are common, many mothers also use lentils as stuffing. All you need is a little ghee on top and your tasty, mommy-style parathas are ready to eat.
2. Khichdi
Every community has a specific khichdi recipe for days when we crave comfort food. Mothers often make such comfort foods more memorable than ever. Khichdi papad, khichdi chutney and even khichdi chokha, there are a number of combos that moms make.
3. Pizza
Long before we had online food delivery services and neighbourhood pizza joints, our mothers used to cleverly use ketchup, cheese, fried onions and bell peppers to make yummy bread pizzas at home. Since no fancy seasoning is available, they used garam masala and Kashmiri lal mirch instead. These, sometimes, tasted better than the Italian delights.
3. Tomato Soup
Every Indian household had a day marked for sweet-sour tomato soup. Mom made this a wonder bowl with the right seasoning and amazing croutons made from basic sliced bread. Back then, there were no seasonings available, yet our moms stirred up a delightful bowl every time.
4. Aloo Puri
The sizzling potatoes taken out of the kadhai and garnished with fresh coriander leaves constituted a special from mommy’s signature menu. Paired with small puris, there was no limit to the number you must have eaten at an age when calories were no bother.
Mothers across geographies and communities bring so much to your life. Yet when it comes to food that is inspired by your mom’s kitchen, you tend to always think of the items that bring back lots of memories. The food that you might still cook today while still recalling how your mother used to make it are truly the ‘mom-inspired recipes’. These turn into legacies over time. Happy Mother’s Day.
*Satarupa B Kaur has been writing professionally for a decade. Always on the go, she loves to travel, read books and enjoy playtime with her toddler, as she explores new places and food.