Forging Friendships with Food

by Monette Iturralde-Hamlin / July 22, 2021

They say that food is the way to a man’s heart, but can it be the way to a country’s heart? Beyond providing nourishment, food serves as a culture’s identity, and sharing it deepens the bonds between individuals, communities and even countries. A recent testimony to this is Sarap India: A Taste of Togetherness that took place July 15 to 18, 2021.

To commemorate almost 70 years of friendship between India and the Philippines, the Indian Women in Enterprise Philippines, Inc. (I-WE) is organizing a series of events around four areas of partnership between our two countries: Culinary Arts; Textile, Arts and Handicrafts; Technology and Technical Education; and Health and Wellness. Sarap India is I-WE’s first salvo, aimed to increase awareness of Indian cuisine in the Philippines.

As chair of Women’s Business Council Philippines (WomenBizPH), I wanted to support our partner organization I-WE by participating in the Virtual Food Carnival. I have always loved Indian food, and so was excited to savor the dishes being offered. I signed up on the Sarap India Facebook Page, eagerly anticipating the culinary experience with much gusto.

My experience was a bit rocky because of ordering and delivery challenges. First, I did not realize that we had to order a day in advance, so I had to think of something else to serve the family on the 15^th. Second, I sent my order by text and WhatsApp, but somehow it didn’t reach the vendor. Luckily, I had also posted it on the FB page, and it was seen. Third, I had ordered the meal for Friday noon lunch, but it didn’t come until past 1:15 because of delivery issues so I had a hungry and grumpy family. But in the end, we all enjoyed it tremendously!

Thursday night, I went through each vendor, scouring for the most interesting dishes. After carefully reviewing the offerings on the Sarap India FB group and asking my friends for recommendations, I decided to try something our family hasn’t had before.

I was drawn to Savories and Sweets by Karina, and ordered her Chicken Makhanwala, Paneer Bhurji, Cheese Paratha and Chicken Biryani. It was an excellent choice as Karina’s dishes were superb: brilliant colors that popped out, an appetizing aroma of spices, a truly delicious meal, and I dare say, cooked with a lot of love! Jasmine Babani, Karina’s daughter, said her mom doesn’t have a restaurant, but does home cooking. How blessed Jasmine and her family are to have such an angel in the kitchen!

For my Filipino friends, let me explain. Paneer Bhurji is a heavenly dish made of scrambled paneer, tomatoes, onions, spices, and veggies. Karina posted that it is a perfect dish to eat for lunch or dinner. I totally agree with her!

As I have a cheese-loving family, I was intrigued by Karina’s cheese paratha which she describes as whole wheat bread stuffed with cheese and spices. We’ve had chicken biryani before, but Karina’s version is a notch up, with a generous serving of spicy marinated chicken, spices, caramelized onions and distinctly yellow and orange flavorful basmati rice. As for the chicken makhanwala, it was a buttery, creamy tomato-based chicken curry. Pure delight in every bite!

And now, I understand the need to pre-order 24 hours in advance. Karina prepares everything fresh, according to her Jasmine. This jogs my memory of my friend Meena Mathur who prepared a delicious home-cooked Indian meal for me one day. Her daughter Avantika says her mom spends all day in the kitchen cooking. As soon as one meal is done, her mom starts on the next meal. Such love for family!

I-WE president Ms. Priya Murugesan reports that Sarap India was a huge success, with 32 vendors, 22 of whom were women-owned businesses. There were only four restaurants and the rest were home cooks like Karina Babani who supplement family income through their passion for food. The page gathered 1,725 members and posts reached an audience of over 33K. I am happy to learn that I-WE intends to keep the Sarap India FB page open so that we can continue enjoying Indian food after the festival. Hearty congratulations to I-WE Philippines on Sarap India! What a wonderful initiative to share your culinary gems to Filipinos!

I look forward to I-WE’s upcoming projects: a Tagalog/English e-Cookbook with recipes from Indian home cooks and a directory of food vendors and grocers in August; various workshops on promoting mental wellness, natural healing and home remedies; a contest for fashion designers, stylists and fashion enthusiasts to promote Philippine weaves; an e-mall promoting authentic Indian and Filipino handicrafts, art, and handloom; a webinar on Women in Technology featuring Indian and Filipino women experts; and more.

Indeed, India and the Philippines have much to celebrate by way of friendship!

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