Seyal Bhaji. Courtesy - YouTube, Kanaks Kitchen

MY SEYAL BHAJI MEMORIES

Fresh Coriander
Lots of it
In the morning, from the bazaar, it was picked
When home, it is delicately washed
Caressed, and finely chopped

In a hamam dasta, it would gently fall
A red, juicy tomato is casually carved
Dotted with pearls of garlic
The green chillies are halved

My Naani would pound
I hear the scrunching sound
Flakes of chilly, the beads jumping
To play, I would go
up and running

With my summer friends
On a golden roof
Surrounded by mountains
And the soul-teasing views
I would talk to them - the Aravalli Hills
They have known the secrets of my quills

The kadai will rest on the stove
Hot, two spoons of oil, in they flow
Now, the spices from the box
Heaps of coriander
and chillies hot

The colour of love becomes
like the hues of the setting sun
Into the deep red
Would slide the pounded blend
Little rings of aroma wafting up
Like magic potions from a wizard’s cup

I let my friend know it’s not ready yet
Naani’s thin fingers will now add
Baby onions, peeled and uncut
Round slices of potatoes
Topped with wedges of raw mangoes

Kissed by the desert winds
I say bye-bye to my King
Back to the childhood home I hop
The green of stuffed okra
Now glisten on top

Tawa chapatis dressed in ghee
Naani adds an abundance of glee
Chaas is stirred, and I see the bubbled butter
My thali oozing with love forever
I savour my Sindhi maani
Seyal bhaji and the memories of my Naani

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Glossary

Seyal Bhaji - traditional mix veg savoury cooked in Sindhi homes 
Seyal - simmered / slow-cooked
Hamam dasta - mortal pastel (in this context, wooden mortar pestle)
Kadai – wok, deep frying pan
Tawa chappatis - Indian wheat flour bread
Ghee - homemade butter
Chaas - buttermilk
Maani - meal

DODO CHUTNEY AND MY NAANI

My senses behold, the dawning dusk
The summery sultry sky
edging into the shade of musk
Playing with the clouds, curiously I see
The paranda and the floral saree
The delightful dodo chutney and my Naani

It’s Friday evening on the desert plain
My soul wanders on a distant mountain
Mint, coriander, green chillies and daru khatta
Naani adds them all to the hamam dasta
A chutney of choicest ingredients is made
Like the hue of a tree bathed in rain

Naani pours the potion into a kalmandar
Through the wisdom of her chocolate fingers
She will now enter her culinary mandir
Between her palms, she shapes the dodo
Wood-fired chullah smears the smell of smoke
The homemade ghee, Naani gently spreads
Let me add some more, she thinks to herself

Now I see the saree, the shade soft blue 
Pink little flowers all across, they bloom
Draped easily, Naani’s saree brushes my cheeks
It oozes aromas of love and peace
She braids the paranda and some powder dusts
I see her walking towards the place she trusts

The prashad is on its way to the darbar
Naani chants the infinite naam, serene and calm
To her guru she goes
The dodo in a dubba and the chutney in the fold
She will listen to stories of spiritual serendipity
Her fervour, fortified by her Bhakti

Playing with the clouds, curiously I see
The paranda and the floral saree
The delightful dodo chutney and my Naani

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Glossary:

Dodo - flat bread made of millet flour
Daru Khatta - dried pomegranate seeds
Hamam Dasta - Mortar and Pestle
Kalmandar - a cylindrical food container with a loop-like handle
Randron - kitchen in Sindhi language
Darbar - a place of worship for Sindhis
Naam - Chanting of God’s name/mantra