Woman Connected to Recipe: Bharati Sharma
Submitted by Pallavi Dixit (Bharati’s daughter)
About Bharati:
When my mother immigrated to America in 1975, she couldn't cook. Away from her family, her country and anything familiar, she spent long hours alone in a tiny apartment in New Jersey while my father worked. This was before FaceTime, Whatsapp, social media, the internet; when overseas phone calls were expensive and unreliable. She waited weeks to receive letters in thin blue aerogrammes from India that were her primary connection to home.
Though she faced immense solitude and what must have been crippling sadness to be away from all she knew, she didn't let it crush her. She learned and adapted. She made friends, learned to drive, took endless photographs of snow, had two babies and learned to cook.
She learned from books and from neighbors, who hailed from all over India. She uncovered the best places to buy produce and she learned to roll rotis with a very skinny rolling pin because that's what was available to her. She mastered chana masala, rajma, a spectrum of dals and subjis. She cooked and cooked and learned the ways of this country and now, if ever I crave food, I crave her food.
About Bharati's Meethi Tamatar ki Subji (Sweet Tomatoes):
This is an Indian recipe which my mom used to make as a side dish, often along with chana and poori (a type of roti). My best friend Priya used to come over and ask specifically for this dish because it was so delicious and not all that common. That was 30 years ago. She still asks for it.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups chopped tomatoes (or 1 15oz. can diced tomatoes)
1 tbsp canola oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp black onion seeds
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp red pepper
1 tsp ginger (fresh, grated)
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp cilantro (finely chopped)
2-4 tbsp sugar (or more, if you want)
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan or pot for tempering whole spices. To check if the oil is hot enough, add a couple of cumin or mustard seeds. If the seeds start to sputter, the oil is at the right temperature. Add cumin, mustard seeds, black onion seeds and fennel seeds. Let sputter.
Once the sputtering slows (be sure not to burn the spices), add grated ginger, coriander powder and turmeric. Stir for a few seconds.
Add the tomatoes and salt. Stir and let cook for 5 minutes on medium-low heat. Add water and let the mixture cook for another 15 minutes or until the tomatoes are cooked through.
Add the sugar and let cook for 5 minutes, mashing the tomatoes as they cook to create a sort of mushy paste texture. Add chopped cilantro and remove from heat.
Note: When I attempted to write down this recipe from my mother, it involved no precise measurements, but instead said things like, “a little bit of” and “a handful of.” There were no time guidelines, but rather “you’ll know when it looks done.” So, I guessed to the best of my ability to type this recipe up. There may be little to no accuracy. But you’ll know what to do when you see it :)