toms and ethnic influences. And though there are common elements in Indian cooking, the diversity of the people and India’s equally diverse topography and climate give “Indian cuisine” an infinite number of preparations and an even larger number of variations. “The same dish can be really different in places just a few miles apart, or even from family to family,” says Soares. To which Weberg adds, with a smile at her mother, “Sometimes even within the same family!” Soares comes from a culinary background — his father was also a chef — and he skillfully prepares a wide range of regional Indian dishes. But when Dwarkanath offered to show Soares how to make some of her favorite dishes, he happily accepted, eager to discover yet another facet of Indian cooking.
Dwarkanath and Weberg come from Bangalore, a city in southern India. Situated almost dead center between the coasts, Bangalore is sometimes referred to as the “Silicon Valley” of India, despite the fact that it’s in a mountainous region and 3,000 feet above sea level. The reference is because it’s the center of India’s high-tech industry. Even before high-tech’s explosive growth in India, it was known as a center for science. The India Institute of Science (that country’s equivalent of MIT, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, according to Weberg) is located on a lush 300-acre campus there.
It’s also the coolest, most temperate Indian city, though hardly frigid: with temperatures that rarely dip below the 60s. The pleasant climate makes it possible to grow an unusually wide variety of fruits and vegetables, from tropical bananas and coconuts, to cabbages and beans.
Because Bangalore has been a center of learning, it has always had a cosmopolitan feel about it, and its food, more than in other areas of the country, has been pan-Indian. But it was less influenced than other regions of India by British or European colonists, primarily, Dwarkanath says, because of a benevolent maharajah.
On April 19, Dwarkanath and Weberg will be teaming up with the Soares to put on a special Southern Indian Dinner to celebrate spring and the New Year according to the Hindu lunar calendar. The celebratory feast will follow a long-held Southern Indian Hindu tradition.
Called Ugadi (the literal translation is “new era”), the Hindu New Year has many rituals and customs. Homes are cleaned completely.
Doorways are festooned with ropings made of mango leaves. Designs made of colored chalk powders are created in front of entryway steps.
New clothes are worn. There’s even a traditional method of conditioning the hair with oil, then washing it with a special soap. “We’re welcoming the spring,” says Dwarkanath, “and hoping for good health and good crops.”
Nothing is more traditional than the feast, which is held within nine days of Ugadi in honor of Ramanavami, the birthday of the Hindu Lord Rama. A variety of items are served on a large banana leaf, placed in a strict order to aid digestion as well as complementing each other. The meal symbolizes the goal of having a balanced life in the new year, so each preparation has a distinctive feature that’s one component of that balance: bitter, sweet, sour, hot, etc. “Can’t we just get rid of the bitter one?” asked Loneth Soares. “No!” Dwarkanath and Weberg replied in unison. “It has to be balanced.”
The menu was long, and as I sat with Dwarkanath, Weberg and the Soares, there was talk of needing to eliminate something. They finally decided they could eliminate the plain rice, but as the discussion continued, other things kept getting added. Clearly no one will leave hungry.
Gateway to India’s Ugadi spring feast will adhere to tradition as much as possible. There will be chalk powder designs on the tables.
Dwarkanath will be displaying her best southern Indian saris (I was surprised to learn that there are differences between northern and southern saris), some of which are made of a type of silk that’s no longer made because it became too expensive to produce. Probably the biggest difference will be that the banana leaves will be on tables rather than the floor.
The meal will be vegetarian, but if the samples I tried are any indication, even the most dedicated carnivores will be satisfied with the rich variety of flavors and textures.
The South Indian Spring Celebration Dinner offers a chance to try a unique cuisine and cultural experience. But best of all, perhaps, is the opportunity to get to know Jaya Dwarkanath.
Contact Julianne Glatz and [email protected]
The cost for the Southern Indian Spring Celebration Dinner is $22/person, and seats must be reserved in advance. Call Gateway to India at 726-6890 for more information or to make a reservation.
