For this Thanksgiving vacation, musician Hrishikesh Hirway, host of the podcast "Music Exploder," presents his ideas on the frequent traditions that deliver us collectively:
Earlier than I used to be born, my mother and father did not have fun Thanksgiving, not till my sister and I got here into their lives. Instantly, these Indian immigrants had People for youths.
And within the early '80s sooner or later, after making turkeys out of building paper in class, I requested if we may have a Thanksgiving dinner. They usually stated sure.
My dad realized find out how to cook dinner a turkey, and we invited a few of our household pals over – different Indian households. So, along with stuffing and mashed potatoes, we had a full Indian potluck.
The subsequent 12 months, we did it once more, and that was it: It grew to become a convention.
A pair years later, my mother launched a particular dessert into the menu: Mango Pie. It was made with Alphonso mango pulp, one thing you'll be able to actually solely discover in Indian grocery shops. It is imported in these huge aluminum cans, and it has a vivid, punchy, sweetness.
She would mellow that taste out by mixing it with Cool Whip and cream cheese to make a custard filling; then, she'd pour that right into a graham cracker crust.
It was, and nonetheless is, the perfect dessert I've ever had.
RECIPE: Mango Pie
In 2020, the week earlier than Thanksgiving, my mother handed away after years of sickness. We could not collect with others for her funeral. It was actually arduous, and Thanksgiving that 12 months simply did not really feel like Thanksgiving.
However final 12 months, my spouse and I hosted Thanksgiving once more, at our home. And I made my mother's Mango Pie. For me, it is a method to bear in mind her, and a method to share my upbringing with others.
An exquisite factor that occurred earlier than my mother handed away was that my pal Samin Nosrat, the chef and writer, wrote an article for The New York Occasions all about my mother's pie. She created a gourmand model of my mother's humble recipe, and it obtained printed, with my mother's title proper there.
And abruptly, folks all over the place began making Mango Pie.
I am nonetheless looking for methods to share this little piece of my mother's story with the world. This 12 months, the great Portland ice cream firm, Salt & Straw, is making an ice cream taste primarily based on her recipe. It is known as Mother's Mango Pie.
My mother, like so many mothers, gave me a way of who I'm by way of meals. She introduced pleasure into my life and different folks's lives by way of her cooking. And I will all the time be glad about that.
For more information:
- "Music Exploder" Podcast
- Watch the collection "Music Exploder: How Music Will get Made" on Netflix
- hrishikesh.co
- Salt & Straw's Mother's Mango Pie Ice Cream
Story produced by Amol Mhatre. Editor: Mike Levine.
Take a look at the "Sunday Morning" 2022 Meals Situation Recipe Index for extra menu ideas, from all the cooks, cookbook authors, flood writers and restaurateurs featured on our program.
And head to New York Occasions Cooking for extra scrumptious Thanksgiving recipes.