This Dussehra, try a traditional sustainable meal in Mumbai

For the Dussehra weekend, a Navi Mumbai-based home chef is using surplus produce to create an innovative festive menu

The festive season is typically one of excesses; yet, for Vashi-based home chef and caterer Rhea Mitra Dalal, this is also a time to look back on how we can better address food wastage — an increasingly important talking point in conversations about conscious consumption. “I live quite close to the Earthen Routes farm at the ACTREC Campus in Kharghar.

Rhea Mitra Dalal

The farm grows fresh organic vegetables and greens to feed children receiving treatment for cancer. Only the surplus vegetables are sold. This year, in addition to encouraging my friends to purchase from them, I decided to create a new menu based on what’s available at the farm,” Dalal tells us. The result is a concise but thoughtful menu of traditional dishes with her innovative spin.

Raw papaya

“During my visits, I found that the farm has a surplus of raw papayas, jalapenos, pandan leaves, gongura and colocasia leaves [kochu pata in Bengali]. Immediately, the dishes that came to mind were gongura mutton and dal, which are Andhra staples. I’ve also included kochu pata chingri, which is a Bengali classic and a raw papaya ghonto [vegetable preparation] that’s a favourite in Bengali households. Another common application of raw papayas is the celebrated plastic chutney. It typically has a hint of spice for some heat, which cuts through the sweetness quite beautifully. Seeing as jalapenos were readily available, I decided to incorporate them into the chutney,” she explains.

Jalapenos

Interestingly, like most cooking enthusiasts, Dalal reveals that as a younger cook, she often thought of pandan leaves as an exotic ingredient mentioned only in fancy cookbooks.

Pandan leaves

“Imagine my surprise then, to find that pandan leaves are readily available across the country. They’re called Basmati patta or kewra, depending on which part of the country you’re in. When you walk in a certain section of the farm, the air is fragrant with the appetising scent of these leaves. Since their Bengali name is Payesh pata — payesh being Bengali for kheer — I decided to infuse the milk with the leaves before the kheer is cooked. The result, I must say, is quite outstanding,” she says.

Kochu pata chingri

The final, but no less remarkable entrant on her menu is air potato fry. This writer mistakenly believed that Dalal was air-frying potatoes to make this indulgence a little guilt-free.

Air potato

“It’s a common mistake,” she laughs, clarifying that air potatoes, also known as Jain potatoes or Karanda, grow on the vine instead of underground. They can thus be included in Jain fare and make for a delicious accompaniment to Dalal’s mains. The limited menu is on offer until October 17 and can be delivered across the city.

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