RIP Tarla Dalal ~ The Mother of Indian Vegetarian Cooking and a Legend passed away at 77 yesterday early morning reportedly after suffering a Heart Attack
My Wife simply loves her Cookbooks and has stacked so many of them and when in mood refers to them to rustle up a tasty Vegetarian Dish or Two for the Family and is always looking forward to her new and contemporary releases
Both of us are on her website’s email service and regularly receive delightful emails with mouthwatering Photos highlighting some superb recipes and what’s new in Starters and Soup and Mocktail Drinks and Health Food and links to her Videos that actually demonstrate how to make the Recipe
Tarla Dalal was on our Club’s Catering Committee and thanks to her passion and hands on support the Club boasts of even a Surti and Gujarati Menu today ~ In fact at the Club’s Annual Day the Menu was so lovely and extensive and included a particular Vegetarian Dish like Undhiyu that I particularly relished….Later the Chairman told me that it was Tarla Dalal who insisted to have it on the Menu despite facing reluctance from the Club Chefs as it was a laborious Dish to make and needed fresh ingredients and meticulous peeling and preparation~ and she personally supervised the making of it in the Club’s Kitchen ! ~ That was the passion for Vegetarian Cooking that Tarla Dalal had ! and this was all Honorary Work too for the Club
She was a regular at the Club and I believe her Son,Sanjay, handles her Website Subscription and Cook Book Sales Business
Though I did not know her personally, my Wife did through her Cookbooks ! and I actually told Tarla Dalal once at the Club that my Wife was a great Fan of hers !~She was delighted to hear this and my impression of her will always stay as a Humble Lady with no Arrogance despite her Popularity ~ Friendly and Smiling and Accessible at all times ~ and a deserving Padma Shri Awardee in 2007
My Late Mother had told me that in the 1970’s and 1980’s before Tarla Dalal became really famous and a Household Name, at the Club when a particular Veg Dish was made that Tarla Dalal liked ,she used to actually try figure out it’s ingredients,often by deliberately spreading the Dish out all over the plate and tasting each ingredient separately and even often asked the Chef how it was made so she could experiment making it herself ,with or without modification, to be included later as a recipe in her Cookbooks !
My Mom herself was a good cook and had a similar early story to Tarla Dalal in a way ~ When she married my Dad in 1959 and cooked for him the first time,all my Dad said was ” If this is the way you Cook,I think we should eat out !” ~ she took it on as a challenge and learnt to cook Gujarati Food quite well ~ she passed away in 2007 ~would have been 79 this year
Tarla Dalal was inspired by Good Cooking and has modified Non Vegetarian Recipes so that even Vegetarians could enjoy them ~ she simplified Veg Cooking and it was really easy to simply refer to the Recipes in them and cook them ~ Her Cookbooks cover a wide range of Indian and Global Cuisine ~ and now Technology allows us to even View her Cooking Videos and TV Shows that makes it even easier to follow her and make her Recipes
She will be Missed by Millions of those who followed her and made Recipes from her Cookbooks and swore by her
Many Years Ago even I too learnt how to make a Simple White Sauce for Pasta and Vegetables from her Cook Book and even Fresh Vegetable Stock to be used for a Chinese Soup featured in one of her Cookbooks ~ She explained it well and made it quite easy for me to make it
The Best Homage to her will be to request my Wife to make one of Tarla Dalal’s Recipes for the Family soon
May Her Soul Rest in Eternal Peace