A couple of days back, I made phulkas … I usually make missi Roti or Jowar/Bajra rotis because wheat is also on the list of things to avoid. But the pleasure of seeing a phulka puff up and the smell of freshly made phulkas is something else :). The couple of things that I knew making before I got married were rotis and tea. Amma never liked making rotis and my dad and I loved rotis, all kinds. So I just learnt making them.
Then my mother-in-law taught me how to cook and my repertoire widened. I continued to make rotis nearly every day till Dr. Vijaya Venkat entered our lives and taught us the side effects of eating too much wheat. A couple of simple reasons to avoid wheat based items are, one, wheat is the most genetically modified grain in the world and two, the gluten in wheat causes allergies that are not pronounced but on a long term basis cause several health issues.
So we nearly shifted to a rice based diet, and Amma loves rice, so everyday we end up having some rice based food. I do break the cycle by making rotis and this was one such day.
I was remembering the time I spent with my friend Geetu in Zakhama, and her cook made amazing phulkas. I almost wanted to adopt that young man, but he worked for the army and I didn’t want the soldiers deprived of his services. I think of the phulkas he made, every time that I make them or eat them anywhere else ! Food has such interesting memories attached to it :).
