An AI in an EI Kitchen – Part III

Bottle Masala: I first met hat EI staple in all its pungent, fiery splendour when the annual quota was in production at Mum-in-law’s home.

As I ascended the stairs, my nostrils started tickling and the heady aroma grew stronger as I neared the kitchen. There, in the center of the large dining table, in an enormous steel thali (rimmed tray cum plate) sat this tall, sprawling heap of freshly roasted and ground masala. Hubby’s Mum and sister were busy filling the powder into narrow necked bottles using sawn off funnels and a wooden baton to tamp the masala down, packing it so tightly that subsequent removal would require a lot of friendly persuasion (I use a knitting needle or chopstick which is tucked away safely in my kitchen drawer)! But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Hubby, following me, sniffed the air, did an about turn and trotted down the lane double quick. I thought he was chicken. But he returned in ten minutes flat, with a plastic bag of ‘hot, hot’ potato wafers, fresh out of the fat, from the neighbourhood ‘chip shop’. The wafers were emptied onto a plate, a generous pinch of fresh bottle masala sprinkled on top and, presto, he had the perfect accompaniment to his bada chhota peg (a large, small whisky!).

I think that the true test of an EI is the ability to face the freshly prepared masala without having to emulate a masked highwayman. I needed to live down quite a few twitches in the olfactory canals before I got accustomed to the condiment. That first occasion certainly had a salutary effect on my sinuses – never before or after did I have such a clear nose!

Now, I can face the bottle with equanimity. I can even sniff and tell whether the content is good, bad or indifferent. And I use it generously in my own cooking. The proof as always is in the curry: if the colour and taste turn out right, you have the perfect product.

Mum-in-law’s generation always made their own quota from a carefully guarded family recipe. Thankfully, the quota included a daughter-in-law’s needs as well. Slowly but surely, the number of people making the authentic EI Bottle Masala is dwindling. Will the pizza popping generation, who prefer the instant meal, still need the magic ingredient? I cannot say. All I can do is cross my fingers and hope that it will be available to me till my time runs out.

It will be a sad day indeed when this very desirable flavour becomes just a memory.