An Uttar Pradesh native, for whom Mumbai is home, is exploring her Awadhi roots with a variety of snack boxes
Puran poli
For home chef Maya Shukla, cooking is meditation—a process of re-centring that she describes as “dhyaan”. It allows “her to remember her parents, but without falling into the trap of nostalgia”, as she carries forward their legacy.
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Born and raised in Mumbai, her relationship with her roots in the Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh has survived through the puris, nenwa sabji (sponge gourd) and bara—a vada made with ground urad daal and had with kadhi or chutney—that her mother would make. On the 63-year-old’s Instagram handle (@maya_ka_khana), nuggets about belonging through food are evident in every post.
It’s while recreating these dishes of her childhood and mapping the stories around them that she started a weekend delivery kitchen, Maya Ka Khana. We first learnt about Maya’s kitchen, when her son Sitanshu Shukla, reached out for orders over WhatsApp. It began with the seasonal Gujarati undhiyu in March, before Shukla started focusing on vegetarian Awadhi cuisine—matar paratha with tamatar chutney, kalanji aloo with kairi chutney, puri and aloo paratha. It was, however, her September Ganeshotsav special meal box that got our attention: Namkeen puran poli with traditional pumpkin sabji and homemade kheer. We’ve always relished the Maharashtrian-style puran poli, hot off the tawa—the crumbly, chana dal and jaggery stuffing, making it a scrumptious treat. But a namkeen version was a combination we had never eaten. The flier mentioned that the recipe, passed down to Shukla from her mother Rajkumari Mishra, was a staple in the small village of Kalinjara, on the banks of Gomati (in the erstwhile Awadhi kingdom of western Uttar Pradesh). This was our chance to travel through food.
We placed the order on a Friday over WhatsApp, for a Saturday afternoon. Since it’s still a nascent setup, you will need to book a delivery person on WeFast or Dunzo to pick up the meal. This felt like a bit of a roundabout way for us. Shukla sensed it and offered to deliver it to us instead.
The meal, which arrived just in time for lunch, came to us in a paper box. We ordered two boxes (Rs 950; Rs 80 for delivery). Each box had four puran polis. Before grabbing a bite, we warmed the meal in the microwave, as suggested by the chef.
The discovery happened when we finally sat down to eat, tearing into the roti—crumbs of the spiced stuffing, again made with chana dal, fell onto our plate, reminding us that this was very much still puran poli. Every bite was soft and delicious, and though the roti was thicker then what we have tried, it still melted in the mouth. What we can remember most is the fragrant smell of jeera, which stayed long after we had eaten the polis.
While this can easily be a standalone dish, the pumpkin sabji that came with it, was an interesting addition—not too spicy and bursting with flavours. It was a bit messy trying to scoop the sabji, because the filling kept falling apart, but tell us if there’s a better way to eat puran poli. The rice kheer was a sweet way to finish our meal. It wasn’t exceptional, but felt like something you’d make at home. But, what took the cake was the dried mango achar that came with it. It’s difficult to put into words, but we will say this—we chewed on the peel long after the meal was done.
What: Maya Ka Khana
At: @maya_ka_khana, Instagram
When: Deliveries over weekends
Call: 9920107173
Rating: good
Maya ka Khana didn’t know we were there. Sunday mid-day reviews anonymously and pays for meals.
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