Home cooking icons reveal their Indian food secrets in Toronto

Genuine Indian cuisine straight from home kitchens is coming to Toronto just in time for Diwali.

Toronto has plenty of Indian cuisine, some good, others great.

With Diwali around the corner (an Indian and South Asian ‘festival of lights’), home-cooking experts have revealed that true Indian cuisine is passed down by the hands of generations and not by hands exchanging menus.

More Flavours of Home, a seasonal cookbook from FoodBasics, has just launched its Diwali edition that showcases the GTA’s best in Indian cuisine that’s whipped up in home kitchens.

Vibha Ajwani of Scarborough and Harinder Dhaliwal of Kitchener-Waterloo were selected for the book not just for their prowess in the kitchen, but also for their engagement with their communities.

“These are recipes that I learned from family, and this one specifically, from my mother-in-law. I married into a big family, and what we prepared as a result was soul food. It has to be able to feed everyone, kids and adults — so every morning you get your rolling pin and get to work,” Dhaliwal told yourcitywithIN.

[Dhaliwal at the More Flavours of Home launch event]

During an exhibition leading up to the release of More Flavours of Home, Dhaliwal was able to showcase in real time her contribution, which in this case is Aloo Parantha, a flatbread made from scratch, stuffed with a spicy potato blend.

“The recipe, as it stands even today, is completely unchanged. We’ve been doing it for years, and it is how my kids grew up eating, and beyond that, how their relatives and friends ate as well. There is something crucial about sharing these recipes not just in this book, but with those you know,” says Dhaliwal.

Dhaliwal highlighted that getting these recipes out during Diwali is crucial in its own way, as, to the average Torontonian, only a handful of things come to mind when it comes to Indian cuisine, like curries, chutneys, and butter chicken.

[Traditional Indian flavours that are perfect for celebrating on full display]

By using these home-cooked recipes, she hopes to shatter expectations as to what Indian cuisine can be, and make sure that even the most regional of recipes aren’t relegated to just special occasions, and can be made any night.

Dhaliwal, with this mindset, has become a bit of a local hero, as she is almost always in her kitchen and never passes up an opportunity to share what’s on the stove.

“I’m always happy to share my recipes. You should come by my neighbourhood sometimes; everyone always walks by and says, ‘Harinder, what are you cooking?’ It’s a passion that I get to share; my husband loves it too because he gets to say hi to everybody who comes by,” says Dhaliwal.

[Everybody wants seconds]

Dhaliwal wasn’t the only hometown icon showcasing traditional Indian home cooking, with Scarborough’s Vibha Ajwani bringing something sweet to match the savoury.

For Ajwani, her Kesar Shrikhand is the star of her household — think a creamy dessert enriched with saffron, cardamom, and sugar.

“Living in Scarborough and growing up there, I learned very quickly how I could blend everything my family taught me, and as a result, create new recipes with their own identity. For me, being here, it is important to pass on these recipes to the next generation, because each one carries a piece of heritage,” Ajwani told yourcitywithIN.

Ajwani went on to elaborate that, beyond stories, traditions, and heirlooms, food connects generations far more than any other tangible or intangible inheritance, as it can be tweaked and elaborated upon, and each generation is free to experiment or stick to tradition at their own pace.

[Ajwani showing off her completed Kesar Shrikhand]

“I’m out here creating recipes my grandmother used to make, and I create those flavours in the exact same way, and those traditions are now alive and well in Canada, and I feel so lucky that I’ve been given the shot to platform them.”

More Flavours of Home is now on store shelves just in time for this weekend’s Diwali celebrations.