- Every son and mother share a very special and personal bond. What are your fondest memories with Mrs Tarla?
I have always grown up enjoying her tiffin meals packed for me with love. My friends used to call it a ‘Gourmet dabba’ and I enjoyed taking pride in it. At the age of 15, I too showed a keen interest in cooking and assisted her in cookery classes. She loved cookery classes as they provided an opportunity to interact with her avid fans. Me and mom would plan the recipes and menus together and while she would go ahead and execute them, I would contribute by writing the recipes as those were non-digitalized days. This was the beginning of our bond in the culinary field.
2. Which were the tastiest dishes cooked by your mother on which you completely drooled over?
Tacos was one of my favourite dishes cooked by Mom. A few more recipes that top the chart are samosa kadhi chaat, eggless vanilla cake, pyazwali bhindi, bisi bele bath and Maharashtrian misal.
3. From learning and exploring new horizons of cooking to winning a Padmashree, how did you witness her grow?
She was just passionate about cooking and achieving her goals both and the rest was a natural progression. She had a natural bent for cooking, and at the young age of 12, she helped her mother with everyday cooking at home! She went to college and finished her B.A. Economics in 1956, and soon thereafter she was married to my father, Mr. Nalin Dalal, who was doing his M.S. in Chemical Engineering in America. She started cooking out of interest for a young food-loving Indian family in a foreign land. That was a turning point in her life, and the start of her career in the culinary field!
She further believed that “Good things must be shared.” So, in 1966, when her friends pushed her to start a cookery class to share her skills with youngsters, she readily agreed. She started giving cookery classes at home and went ahead to publish cookery books too. With time, I helped her in expanding the range of cookbooks and to remain in touch with younger generations, we together started www.tarladalal.com. She further made her presence on social media and has also had a major presence on YouTube with her simple-to-cook recipe videos. For this contribution to the field of culinary arts over the years and winning the hearts of many, she was bestowed with a Padmashree.
4. What were the biggest challenges Mrs Tarla had to face?
The biggest challenge was to start a cookery class with just 6 students. This did not continue further for quite some time. But her positive influence on people and being an achiever by nature took her to heights which had no bounds.
5. How were here initial days of cooking? How supportive was your family during her journey?
Her family was supportive and is one of the ladders for her success. My father was her biggest motivation. He loved multi-cuisine food and motivated his wife to try her hand at different cuisines. Since she loved cooking too, Mom jumped into the task brimming with energy. She read different books and tried her hand at two to three new recipes every single day! Her husband though was a perfectionist. Much as he would appreciate and devour the dishes she cooked, he also shared suggestions to improve dishes that did not come out as expected. She then would re-cook the dish for him till she got cent per cent marks for it! She gave her whole to everything she did – which ultimately groomed her into an expert in vegetarian multi-cuisine cookery. But then, Mom used to recollect that it took Papa almost nine years to confer the ‘Master of All Cuisines’ title to her – rather a long graduation that was!
After the success of her cookery classes, papa suggested that she write a cookery book, to reach out to more people. Her first book, “Pleasures Vegetarian Cooking,” was released in 1974 and became a huge hit. In this venture too, her husband was the wind beneath her wings! Mom used to try and jot down recipes while Papa helped edit them.
6. You coined the term “vegetarian activism”, can you? tell us more about it.
We can call Mrs Dalal’s teachings as vegetarian activism, but it was a fun-filled kind of activism that made everybody willingly walk the vegetarian path. She was a vegetarian and loved teaching this. So she converted loads of non-veg curries into veg curries… By demonstrating mouth-watering recipes from starters and main course dishes to desserts and mocktails, she made everybody enthusiastic about trying and understanding vegetarianism as a delicious, economical and quick option, before adopting it for life.
7. What is your vision with Sanjay and Co.?
Mrs. Tarla Dalal continues to live through her work, in not just the kitchens but also the minds of people all over the world. We stand by the faith that she is forever – not just as memories but also tangibly. She has left behind a legacy – not just to be remembered, but to be continued. As a tribute to her, her family and team of professionals – honed under her direct supervision – have resolved to continue her legacy and continue to bring out many more books and online content based on the treasures she has left behind. Together, let’s continue her work, her charities, and her good spirit. Let’s make sure she lives on!
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