When I was a kid, summer vacations meant only one
thing—heading straight to the village to be spoiled by Grandma. Every single day
of those holidays was a masterclass in love and culinary heritage, as Grandma
patiently taught me the secrets behind her most amazing recipes.
The Day I Learned the Art of Churma
The picture above captures the very essence of the
delicious Churma we made together when I was just 13 years old. It was
absolutely divine! I still vividly remember one particular summer when we
cooked up a massive storm and made giant batches of this sweet, comforting dish
to share with everyone.
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| A taste of love, pure ghee, and jaggery—traditional Haryanvi Churma straight from Grandma's kitchen. |
The Magic of the Uukhal, Mussal, and Parat
While modern kitchens rely on electric blenders,
Grandma’s process was a beautiful, rhythmic ritual. She would bring out her
heavy uukhal (stone mortar), the sturdy mussal (wooden pestle),
and a massive brass parat (large high-walled platter). Hot,
fresh-off-the-tawa rotis were torn into pieces, drenched in golden homemade
ghee, and mixed with rich gur (jaggery). Watching her pound it all
together with perfect rhythm was pure magic—the aroma alone was enough to make
our mouths water.
A Feast of Traditional Delicacies
Throughout the course of that unforgettable week, Grandma truly cooked up a storm. Between our cooking lessons, we also sat together and spun massive amounts of punnies (cotton rolls for spinning thread). It was a beautiful blend of traditional chores and endless feasting. Over those few days, she taught us how to make churma, kasar, crisp suhaallies, rich khir, fluffy gulgule, and sweet maal puraas. We ate like royalty!
XOXO
