Kala Masala | Daughters of the Solstice
Limited Artisan Curry Pastes
“Ayana” – Belonging to the Solstice
According to
the Drik Panchang - Hindu Vedic
Calender - today is Uttarayana, meaning
the position of the tropical sun is in the midway point between the Spring Equinox
and Winter equinox. This celestial point in the Drikpanchang for Waikato region and timing is specifically in relation to the activity of the Sun north of the equator today, it is Shashthi Tithi – In vedic timekeeping,
a Tithi is a lunar day, or
the time it takes for the longitudinal angle between the moon and the sun to increase by 12°. Tithis begin
at varying times of day and vary in duration from approximately 19 to
approximately 26 hours.
For us today in the Waikato region, the
influence of the tropical Sun from the North brings fragrances from the
motherland of India, that is where my ancestors have written stories in the
soil. And through my blood and soul they speak everyday, carrying
information forward. That is the specific legacies, rituals of our tribe Mali. Their origins are unknown. It is a relatively undocumented small and
ancient community of farmers, who have been last recorded in Western region of
Rajasthan in the late 1800’s.
Women would carry the typical marking
for this tribe - a line of red vermillion across the forehead. Since they would
be in the fields all day, the line is strategically placed on the third eye, blocking
it from the harsh rays of the sun.
Alas, those days are long gone where
young women of such rich heritage proudly adorn these marks. Modernization has
slowly but surely been erasing reminisces of such antiquity, as the female has
progressed. It is in light of these kinds of great losses of identity and information
that the curry pastes have emerged. An artist’s attempt at studying, calling,
experiencing and sharing information through time immaterial of a small slice
of history, carried forward through culinary sleight of hand in Raglan, New
Zealand.
Neelima’s Kitchen is a three channel
matriarchal exchange between my grandmother Pramila Madhukar Girme (19th Apri
1933 – 23rd March 2013)
and her daughter Neelima Borawake and me – the Artist via the medium of one
time created curry pastes, which infuse ingredients of lunar/cultural/personal/spiritual
significances passed down from 3 generations in Maharashtra, India.
NEELIMA’S KITCHEN LIMITED ARTISAN CURRY PASTE IS
NOT A PRODUCT.
IT IS THE SHARING OF SPIRITUAL INFORMATION BETWEEN
3 WOMEN
My grandmother, Pramila was a lean, intelligent passionate woman, she was married to my grandfather when she was 16 and gave birth to my mother when she was 18 years old. And this bond continued as I saw the world through my mother’s arms when she was 32 years old. Ofcourse Kala Masala would be the first masala I used as Pramila's method was famous and many people in the community would order from her regurlarly.
Batch 1
Kala Masala | Daughters
of the Solstice
Limited Artisan Curry
Paste
How to use the Kala Masala Curry Paste
Ingredients
2 Cups Chickpeas : Soaked overnight
2 Medium Onions
1 Medium Tomato
1 Bunch Coriander/Cilantro
1 Table Spoon Butter
Salt
Pepper
&
1 Baby bottle of Kala Masala Curry Paste
Method
Medium
to High Flame
Heat the butter till it melts and add
onions, 3 pinches of salt and sauté till onions become a little transparent. 5
minutes, keep stirring. Then add tomatoes and the entire baby bottle of Kala
Masala Curry Paste.
Medium
Flame
Mix and stir till all the paste is completely
integrated into the onions and tomatoes. Then add the chickpeas, mix for 1
minute. Add 4 full cups of water and one teaspoon of salt to the entire mixture
and cover the pot.
High
Flame
And cook for 10 minutes
Low
Flame
Open the pot and mix to make sure that
the chickpeas are getting soft. Depending on how you prefer the consistency of
the chickpea curry, you can cook on low flame for another 10 minutes (which I
highly recommend)
Once the curry is ready garnish with plenty
of chopped cilantro, some pepper and a little sprinkle of lemon and serve.
Concept
and Preparation of the Artisan Curry Paste
This project explores the primordial female cosmic energy -Shakti through autonomy of the spirit via the channel of progeny during which the daily study and meditation of the Drikpanchang is a part of the ritual.
Through the preparation of the curry pastes I am
exploring this matriarchal string, as I consult the calendar everyday. It allows me to finely tune into the
shifting energies and tap into transcendental philosophies, while gathering
materials for my pastes. As I pull information from my cells and my soul in the
kitchen, a talent that my mother has gifted me and one, which we have acquired
from my grandmother, I follow the moon to lead the path. The 3 of us are in
disparate spheres of existence, yet we are bound through our spices, our
special talent for cooking, our individual orbits (including those of giving
birth, life, death, past lives and karmas), and through the large volumes of people
that we are famously known to feed for generations.
Pramila's Kitchen - Malinagar, Sholapur District, Maharashtra
Raglan, Waikato, New Zealand
***May
19th | The Preparation Environment
The kitchen was being prepared on Upper
Wainui road by Jasper - a kind Dutch who spontaneously decided to scrub down
every surface with great vigor,
at
19:01:54 hrs the Titihi was changing
from
Panchami-(Ruled
by the Serepent, a good day for purging of poisons)
And thus auspicious for
cleaning.
to
Shasthi
(Favourable for coronations, meeting new friends,
festivities, and enjoyment)
Upon
this auspicious change of lunar tide the onions were chopped in a cleansed
environment and the first batch of artisan curry paste was made with a unique
Kala masala powder indigenous to the Maharashtra cuisine eaten in the Mid-Western
part of India. The bottles of paste were ready. We cooked it some of it for trial, and had a huge
feast in the silver light of the waning moon.
May
20th 3:40pm to 5:00pm | At John Wok’s Organic
Retail
For Sale 4 Portions of Kala Masala | Daughter's of Solstice Paste
@ 8 NZD per bottle
For Sale 4 Portions of Kala Masala | Daughter's of Solstice Paste
@ 8 NZD per bottle
Today the period of Shasthi will end at 16:27:41 hrs in Ralgan leading us into Saptami – The 7th Lunar day
ruled by the Sun in the tropics, the calendar says, a good time to begin a
journey. And I reckon a culinary one.
***
When To Cook
Kala Masala |
Daughters of Solstice was prepared at an auspicious time. It was the beginning
of Shashthi tithi after the cleansing
of the kitchen during Panchami. Therefore
this week’s paste ; created with spices brought from India will bring coronations, meeting of new friends,
festivities, and enjoyment. So be sure
to call a good friend over for that meal. As well, be aware of the sun’s strong
influence from the Northern hemisphere coming through your window, and how it
is delicately balancing the darkness of the waning moon, as the spices sizzle in
your home during this period of Uttarayana
Shashthi or Shashti (Sanskrit: षष्ठी, Ṣaṣṭhī, literally
"sixth") is also a Hindu folk goddess, venerated as the benefactor and
protector of children. She is also the deity of vegetation and reproduction and
is believed to bestow children and assist during childbirth. She is often
pictured as a motherly figure, riding a cat and nursing one or more
infants. The worship of Shashthi is proscribed to occur
on the sixth day of each lunar month of the Hindu
calendar 
Until next week and next batch of stories and explorations.