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FARMS, FEASTS, FAMINES

The imperial roots of hunger: Madhusree Mukerjee
Disreputable cuisines: Krishnendu Ray
From jumia to Jumma: Prashanta Tripura
In cash or in kind?: Deepankar Basu and Debarshi Das
Eating on the islands: Xavier Romero-Frias
The fast food frontier: Deepak Adhikari
The pig-nama: Vidyadhar Gadgil
Between loaf and halal: Tharuka Dissanaike
On taste: Anita Roy

FICTION: HUNGER STORIES

Some incidents related to what she saw at the Mona Lisa Apartments: Mridula Koshy
Ricefields: Jyotirmoyee Devi, translator Madhusree Mukerjee

TRAVEL

Driving across the land of pagodas: Pradip Phanjoubam

GRAPHIC FEATURE

Reviving millets: Aheli Moitra

REVIEWS

Castes and moulds: M V Ramana
Filming Kabul: Taran N Khan
Prescience or coincidence?: Elen Turner
The making of the marginalised: Ahilan Kadirgamar

FROM HIMALMAG.COM

How not to write a history of Gorkhaland: Sumana Roy
The life and death of a surrendered militant: Rakesh Shukla
Shining light on the Rohingya: Meghna Guhathakurta

This recipe is republished as part of our Farms, Feasts, Famines web-exclusive package.

Sishnu soup
By Muna Gurung, The life of food in Nepal, 2010, WFP

Taapke cooking pot / Paul Aitchison

When boiled in water, sishnu’s toxic bristles soften and melt into a delightful spinach substitute. Most Nepalese consume sishnu to reduce blood pressure. Due to its popularity and demand, Nepali towns, such as Pokhara, specialise in exporting powdered forms of sishnu for soups and teas.

Ingredients
Sishnu – use the young leaves of the plant which are the top three sets of leaves on the stalk
140 g corn flour
5-6 seeds of timur – since timur is rarely found outside Nepal, you may substitute this with Sichuan or Chinese pepper
4 garlic cloves
Salt and chilli powder to taste

Method
In a deep pot (or taape), pour in the amount of water you desire for the soup, and boil. As an estimate, use one cup per person. With gloves, wash the sishnu carefully. Even after washing, the sishnu bristles will still sting. So, with gloves or a pair of tongs, slip the washed sishnu into the boiling water. Cover and let soften in the water, as its bristles lose their toxins in hot water. On a low heat, stir to ensure that the sishnu is now slippery and soft, forming a greenish liquid. If hard, distinct pieces of the plant are seen, take a ladle and beat the mixture until even. Cornflour will make the mixture thicker if required. Throw in some chopped garlic and ground timur. Add a pinch of salt to taste. Finally, add some chilli powder if you like it hot. Pour your sishnu soup into bowls and enjoy with rice or dhindo.

This recipe is published as part of our Farms, Feasts, Famines web-exclusive package.

By Xavier Romero-Frias

Mas huni

Coconut / Paul Aitchison

Mas huni is a typical Maldivian breakfast.

Ingredients
250 g grated coconut
250 g tuna
A small onion and a few crushed, roasted red chillies
Lime juice

Method
In the traditional recipe, the proportions are roughly half grated coconut and half very thinly sliced and crumbled tuna. Add chopped onion and crushed roasted red chillies to the mixture, as well as lime juice, being careful not to make it too sour. If fresh chillies are available, they could also be used – after finely chopping them.

A similar mixture with some chopped curry leaves and turmeric can be added to stuff the deep-fried ball-shaped gulha, as well as the mas roshi, baked stuffed patties made with flour-based dough. Some households also add garlic to the mas huni mixture, but this is something purists frown upon, especially in the capital.

Lime / Paul Aitchison

This recipe is published as part of our Farms, Feasts, Famines web-exclusive package.

Maldivian fresh tuna curry
By Xavier Romero-Frias

Tuna head / Paul Aitchison

Known in Divehi as mas riha, this curry is one of the most representative dishes of the oceanic nation. The mixture of spices was traditionally ground wet on a grindstone which yielded a paste that was smoother than when using the powders directly.

Ingredients
750 g fresh, boneless tuna cut into bite sized pieces – if tuna is not available, firm-fleshed fish such as wahoo or swordfish may be used
3 tbsp vegetable oil
4 purple onions, preferable the small variety
1 bulb garlic
1-2 tbsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
½ tbsp fennel powder
½ tbsp of cumin powder:
A few curry leaves
¼ l coconut milk
½ l water
Salt to taste

Method
Slice the onions very thin and cut garlic lengthwise into long, thin pieces. Fry the onions, garlic and curry leaves together in the hot oil until the onions brown. Then add the chilli, cumin, fennel and coriander powder. Stir until mixture is slightly roasted. Put in the pieces of tuna and stir-fry them well, being careful not to tear or burn them. Add water slowly and salt to taste. Place on a low flame after it begins to boil. Cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes, adding extra water if necessary. Finally, add the coconut milk and stir lightly, allowing it to simmer for two or three more minutes before turning the flame off.

Place in a bowl and serve the curry hot along with white rice. Some people like to squeeze fresh lime on top to add a pinch of sourness to the dish. If served with chapattis, mas riha is traditionally eaten along with hot, sweetened black tea.

This recipe is republished as part of our Farms, Feasts, Famines web-exclusive package.

Jonna pelala laddu
From Making merry with millets, by the Deccan Development Society

Cardamom / Paul Aitchison

Jonna is a not only staple food but also versatile millet. It delicious and nutritious preparations are prepared with therapeutic value.

Ingredients
1 kg puffed jowar (Sorghum)
Water to cook
750 g jaggery
10 g cardamom powder

Method
a. Puffing jowar
Clean the jowar, wash and soak overnight and shade-dry for half an hour. Keep a large iron pan on the stove, heat it well. Roast until the jowar puffs.

b. Making laddu
Take crushed jaggery and dissolve well in water. Sieve and cook the solution on a low flame for 20 minutes to achieve a stringy consistency. Remove from the flame. While hot, add puffed jowar and cardamom powder. Stir well. Apply oil to your hands, take the mixture from the saucepan while it is hot and make balls of it. The sorghum laddu is ready to eat.