SEASON TO TASTE

A Few hundred marauders, huddle around the screen of an aging television set in an
unknown Indian village on a cold rained down winter evening. The occasion is
auspicious and epic. On air is now showing"SHOLAY"a movie where, Larger than life
AMITABH BACCHAN is fighting the evil. Someone says out loud,” AHAB MAINE
AAPKA NAMAK KHAYA HAI****SIR I HAVE EATEN YOUR SALT FOR LIFE!
Salt has been an essential part of human appetite for as long as hunger itself. With
hunting began the ever increasing problem of surplus amounts of meat and a very little
ways to preserve it for the long cold desperate months .Salting ,not only flavored the
meats, but dehydrated the surfaces thus preventing harmful bacteria to grow on the
surfaces.
Over the years a lot of wars have been lost and won over a pound of salt. Mahatma
Gandhi's mass mobilization of the Indian middle class almost directed India towards the
dawn of Independence. Drawing inspiration from the foothills of Himalayas, where lies
one of the richest layers of archaeological sea salt is this recipe that very often brings
back bitter sweet memories of my early child hood days when table salt was sold out of
huge jute bags ,still smelling of the mustiness of the sea, and food was an unpretentious
means of feel goodness....

ROASTED MANGO COOLER AAM PANNA

Ingredients:
6 medium sized Raw Mango
3 cup Water
1 tsp dry-roasted and grounded Cumin Seed
1/2 tsp Red chili Powder
1 tsp Rock Salt
3 tbsp Sugar
3 tbsp chopped Mint Leaves
12 crushed Ice-cubes

METHOD...

Steam the raw mangoes in an oven steamer for 20 minutes.

Drain off the water and then peel, stone and pulp the mango with a spoon.
Place the pulp in a deep bowl.
Add water, sugar, salt, chili and cumin.
Whisk thoroughly.
Stir in the mint and whisk again.
Serve chilled with crushed ice.

Street vendors ladle glass full of this soothing summer drink, quenching the thirst of
millions of Indians old and young out of a earthenware pot, generally identified by a red
muslin cloth surrounding the pot.
Enjoyyyyyy...