POV: Sindhis make nutritious food out of garden weeds Meet Loonak (लूणक) ~ aka Purslane (Kulfa), which grows in gardens, in fields and even between roadside pavers! Loon in Sindhi refers to salt and Loonak is named so because of its inherent salty flavours. Memories : 1980’s, Summer vacations, roaming in by-lanes, spotting succulent Loonak (purslane) growing street side, shooting up between the cracks of bricks on the road, but you resist the urge to pluck because foraging in urban areas feels awkward and criminal (people gawk as if you are stealing ). “Weeds? No dear, that’s lunch.” You…
-
-
We are on the 4th letter of the Sindhi Alphabet which is پ or P as in Roman Sindhi! Different books/ websites or articles related to Persio Arabic script will show varying results if you search for this letter. I am going with the Balbharti book of Sindhi (Maharashtra) as it is the source I am referring to, for Alif Be series. You can find the scanned copy of this book here! Not only you will find the consonants and vowels in this book but also some rhymes and lessons covering the basics like letter, vowels, word formation etc. To…
-
Allow me to share some interesting food facts related to Sindhi people. I may be wrong in certain observations, so do correct me if you disagree. In general, Sindhis are divided into various types when it comes to food preferences. a) Those who eat non veg. food, be it goat meat, fish, eggs, chicken etc. b) Those who avoid non veg. food on some particular days like, Tuesdays, Fridays, ekadashi, satnarayan etc depending on their personal beliefs. c) Those who satiate their meat cravings at restaurants or buffet parties because nonveg. food is barred from their homes. d) Those who…
-
Drumsticks are widely used in Sindhi cuisine, be it in the traditional Sindhi kadhi, or in Seyal bhaji, as Bhughal Singhyun or in tomato gravy. The dried tender drumsticks called Suandhro, finds its place in dry curry or even in Raita (condiment made with yoghurt). Our love for the Moringa oleifera, the drumstick tree, extends beyond its tender seed pods and hence when the fresh drumstick flowers are in season, Sindhis flock to markets to buy the seasonal produce before it disappears within weeks, to cook Suhanjhido/swanjhiro/swanjhro i.e drumstick flowers curry. The fresh flowers or Suhanjhido/ suhanjde (Drumsticks) ja (of) Gulah (flowers) could taste bitter if…
-
Soybean, a kind of legume, is somewhat controversial, and there are many different theories regarding the pros and cons of consuming Soy and its products. Traditional Indian cuisine seldom made use of fermented Soy products and its only since past few years, that Soy products are used in form of tempeh, tofu, soy milk, Soya sauce etc thanks to the food going global. Probably the only way that Sindhis used Soy was in form of Textured vegetable protein (TVP, or Nutrella, also known as Soyabean wadhi/ badi, and soyabean nandi or granules). Soybean as beans, often known as “meat without bones”,…
-
One of the best thing about having thoughtful friends, is that they know how to make you happy with sweet, kind gestures! So when our family friend Mrs. R. Khubnani, came to know about my love for the lotus stem, she was kind enough to get some for me, all the way from Ulhasnagar. Now, Sindhis might be aware of the fact that there are only handful places in India and abroad where you get the real Beeh, and not the dried sticks, or awful frozen pieces. And obviously, Ulhasnagar is one such place! Half of my mind wanted to…
-
Sindhi Saibhaji With Spinach and Amaranth Leaves Sindhi style spinach dish, known as saibhaji (sai=green) is one of the most popular dish amongst Sindhis and non-sindhis as well. Saibhaji generally consisits of Spinach, sorrel leaves, dill leaves, fenugreek leaves and some assorted vegetables along with handful of soaked Bengal gram. All of us are aware of the health quotient of spinach but the Amaranth leaves are less popular, though highly nutritious. This simple ‘green dish’ is loaded with vitamin A, calcium, Niacin, Iron etc. Talking about Amaranth leaves, well, these are one of the best sources of calcium, and must…






