Delicious UK - (09)September 2020

July the same year, elegantly dressed
in one of your many exquisite saris
with your lovely husband, the
violinist Sanford Allen. Even back
then you had a global following. It
was a huge coup for Ballymaloe.
The course was oversubscribed,
with several people flying in from
abroad to attend.
The challenge for us back in 1986
in Ireland was to source all the
ingredients. Some were unfamiliar,
not only to me but also to many of
our suppliers. Sanford went to the
market in Cork with Tim to choose
the correct pulses for the dhals.
I knew about red lentils (from lentil
soup at my boarding school) but
what on earth were chana dhal,
rajma dhal, urad dhal, toor dhal
(also known as split or yellow
pigeon peas) and moong dhal?
Then there was amchoor (mango
powder made from dried unripe
green mangoes), asafoetida,
tamarind, gram flour, ajwain
(or ajowan) seeds, fenugreek,
kalonji, oriental sesame oil, poha,
mooli radish, lima beans...
Fresh ginger and spices, at least,
were easy enough to source from
the English Market in Cork, a rich
source of ethnic ingredients. At
that time, fresh coriander had to
be imported from London and was,
sadly, not at its best when it arrived.
Even buying the correct rice created
a challenge. Sanford showed us
how to judge fine basmati rice by
its appearance and aroma.
So much has changed today. All
those ingredients are now readily
and widely available. At Ballymaloe
we grow coriander year-round and
use every part of the plant – leaves,
stalks, roots, flowers and seeds – in

thedisheswecookandteach.

YourclassesatBallymaloewere,

naturally,a triumph.Theyweren’t

merelycookeryclassesbutalso

a lessoninthehistory,cultureand

customsofyourbelovedIndia.

Yourpoeticdescriptionsofthe

subcontinentwhettedourappetite

tosuchanextentthatwenowmake

anannualvisittoIndiaandreturn

eachtimewithmorerecipes,food

memoriesandimagestoshare

withourstudents.

Thankyouforreturningto

BallymaloeCookerySchoolagain

andagainovertheyears,andfor

sharingsomuchwithallofus.

Manystudentsnowcomefrom

IndiatoBallymaloe,andarealways

surprisedtofinda deepknowledge

and loveofIndianfood– plus

sculpturesofLordGaneshand

Krishnainthewoodlandbeside

theschool.Ourloveaffairwith

IndiaandIndianfoodallstemmed

fromyourinspiration.

Thankyoufortakinga leap

offaithandforsayingyestothat

unlikelyrequestfromacrossthe

AtlanticinMarch1986.Youcan’t

imaginehowmuchyouhave

enrichedourlivesandthelivesof

somanyothersbyintroducingus

totheextraordinarydiversityof

IndianfoodandofIndiaitself.

Yourpoeticdescriptionsofthe

subcontinentwhettedourappetitetosuch

an extentthatwenowmakeanannualvisit

toIndiaandreturneachtimewithmore

recipes,foodmemoriesandimages

tosharewithourstudents

Darina

deliciousmagazine.co.uk 75

people.

Turn the page for a Madhur Jaffrey recipe that inspired Darina →