Written by Malik Tatipalli Has been updated: May 14, 2024
Swadistam, which means “handmade with love” in Telugu, is an Instagram channel started by Narcipuram in 2020 to document traditional South Indian recipes that had been forgotten over time.
Armed Food enthusiast Sojanya Narshipuram is reviving South Indian home cooking, one Instagram post at a time, using only her iPhone and voiceover. The 29-year-old, a former software professional, started her Instagram channel Swaadhistam (which means ‘handmade with love’ in Telugu) in 2020. The channel really took off last year, with her thoughtfully crafted recipes gaining rave reviews. Social media.
“I’m drawn to everything traditional, not just food,” adds the foodie. “I think Indian culture is very logical and rooted in nature. And because our country is so vast, each region has food depending on the availability of local resources and the environment. I’ve made some fine adjustments.”
It was after reading Dr. Poorna Chandu’s book. Ahara Vedam (Food Veda)For the film, which chronicles the history of Telugu cuisine, Sojanya was inspired to recreate old and lost cooking techniques and recipes through online efforts. Presented in an effective and engaging way, her videos detail recipes that have fallen out of favor (due to their labor-intensive preparation methods) or have been forgotten over time.
Let’s take her example Nyingma Kalam (Pickled Lemon), a simple and easy-to-make recipe that went viral and attracted the attention of many viewers. Similar pickles made with lemon, chili powder, fenugreek, mustard, salt and green chillies are very common in all parts of India, but timing or social media has surely won her heart. The fact that it struck a chord made this recipe a popular one. Some of Sowjanya’s most popular videos.
All her videos are typically less than a minute and include food-based facts. She explains: Sailors once suffered from scurvy during long voyages due to lack of vitamin C, and she had read that it could be cured with lemon. I touched on this fact in the video, but Nyingma Kalam And I felt that a lot of the audience sympathized with that fact. ”
Sowjanya finds recipes in unexpected places.While her family, friends and followers help her in her quest, her motherland is usually vegetables. mandis of hyderabad. She recalls: “Once I went to the market and found a woman buying ripe palm fruit. When I asked her what she was going to make with it, she reeled off a list of dishes such as: I did. Tahti Garel (Sweet Gyoza) Lotis. I was surprised to learn that there are many very local cuisines that are slowly disappearing because people don’t record them. ”
Her inspirations are diverse.She once traveled to Kerala and had her most amazing experience Kadara I tried to recreate the curry (chickpea) from the roadside hut. Or when her friend’s mother taught her how to make it. siyak podi (a leafy vegetable powder found in the Godavari region of Andhra Pradesh). It is served as the first course of a meal in this region, as it is believed to increase appetite. She is slowly but surely documenting a wide variety of lesser-known local cuisines.
Preserving food traditions
A strong believer in simple food, Soujanya connects with his viewers through hassle-free recipes like bananas. keel (Made from coconut milk. Traditional recipes did not combine milk and fruit to avoid digestive issues) Kobbari Annam (coconut rice).
However, not all recipes are easy.I want to reproduce it Kumbakonam KadappaA side dish made for. Idli and dosa In Tamil Nadu, she thoroughly researched the original recipe and recreated it on her channel. It can be difficult to find authentic recipes when search engines display tons of recipes.
In addition to traditional recipes, Sowjanya is also a strong advocate of traditional cooking methods. Eating with your hands to stimulate your senses. Cook in clay, steel, or stone. Do not reheat food. And using a mortar and pestle for grinding are some of her recommendations that she follows. To ensure that her research was based on the most reliable sources, she also began learning Sanskrit. Her goal is to become proficient enough to read old papers such as: Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita So that she herself can decipher the riches of the past.
Is there a special dish she’s keen to try? She says: “Her grandmother used to make this dish.” Lakshmi Charu In my childhood. It was such an amazing process. She would rub turmeric on the earthenware pot before she started preparing it, and would even apply vermilion on the earthenware pot, just as she would paint pictures of the gods. I tried it once and it didn’t work, so I was nervous about trying it again. ” Lakshmi Charu is a traditional dish from the Godavari region, in which rice soup (water used to wash rice) is fermented in a pot for 7 to 9 days and then cooked with vegetables. A nutritious, probiotic and super delicious summer dish.
Sojanya, a yoga instructor and food lover, has a clear plan for now. It is to make Swadistam a healthy lifestyle platform and start a small traditional eatery where we can serve home-cooked food to people. With her single-minded dedication and focus, that day doesn’t seem too far away. Given her culinary talent, we can’t wait to sample what she comes up with.
Follow Sowjanya’s food adventures Instagram.
