So beautifully expressed… i could feel it and it took me the aromas of your kitchen and to the gurudwaras and langar too. Food has a way of bringing people together, almost like magic that creates connection. And the process to me feels like meditation.
Raji, this touched me so deeply. For those of us who have journeyed far from familiar kitchens, food becomes a kind of remembrance, a way of finding our way back through aroma, texture, and memory. I’m profoundly humbled that my little piece of writing carried even a whisper of that feeling for you. Kindred souls like you make this journey feel beautifully shared. ❤️
Thank you. Your words here also remind me of Marcel Proust’s book and Proust’s madeleine, where the taste of a tea-soaked cake instantly transports the narrator back to his younger days unlocking childhood memories.
Raji, your mention of Proust’s madeleine made me smile, because that kind of transport is something I have always quietly hoped my food might offer. Over the years, a few patrons have written to tell me that a bite of something unexpectedly carried them elsewhere, to a rainy college canteen, an afternoon when an aunt or sister-in-law made something simple but unforgettable, or some ordinary moment they had not realised they were still carrying until flavour unlocked it. So to hear you say my words created even a trace of that same feeling feels incredibly moving to me, because I had always imagined that particular kind of remembering belonged mostly to the meals I prepare. I think of that as one of food’s quiet miracles. Thank you so much for being on this journey with, its deeply comforting to find a kindred spirit in our sometimes fractured world ☺️🙏
Daljeet, just like your delicious food, you wove beautiful words to share your experience 😊 I absolutely loveee kheer :) Your expression of Savory Sadhana added even more flavour to this post 💖
Shweta, this is such a generous kindness, thank you so much! Food has always been one of the languages through which I make sense of life, so finding words alongside the cooking feels strangely natural, almost like extending the same conversation from the stove onto the page. And I’m delighted the kheer found a happy home with you 😊
😊 I also loved your masala dabba post.. it's so beautiful 🤌🏻✨ but my comment got deleted ..I don't know if you received it in mail..i will repost fursat se ..soon :)
Shweta, I happened to catch your beautiful note in my email 😊 and what a joy to read. Anyone who can immediately summon the aroma of freshly ground masalas is very much my kind of people 💛 There is something so deeply comforting about a well-loved masala dabba, isn’t there? Your mother’s jars and your beloved dabba sound like beautiful little kingdoms of flavour. Thank you for reading so generously and for cheering me on… dil se, it means more than you know ✨
I'm so glad Daljeet that you got to read that note...expressing something in the first go has its own joy :) I would have reposted otherwise. Thank you for sharing such beautiful food related posts..keep adding the flavour in your writing too 🫶🏻😊 enjoyed reading it
I’m slowly discovering that writing, much like cooking, is simply another way of offering care. Thank you for your warmth, encouragement, and for reading so generously… dil se shukriya ✨
I was nearly moved to tears by this poetic anthem declaring what Savory Sadhana is all about, Chef Daljeet. What a beautiful beginning to your Substack. <3
Vpep, what a profoundly kind thing to say. Thank you. I was quite teary while pouring this piece out, so to have it received with such tenderness truly means the world to me. Savory Sadhana has always been more than recipes, it is memory, migration, love, and meaning made tangible. Thank you for being here at the beginning.
Thank you, William. The kitchen has always been the place where I feel most like myself — especially during uncertain or overwhelming seasons. I’m grateful you recognize that it’s more than just cooking for me. That kind of understanding means a lot.
So beautifully expressed. Every word touches the heart and sounds like it came straight from the soul 💓
So beautifully expressed… i could feel it and it took me the aromas of your kitchen and to the gurudwaras and langar too. Food has a way of bringing people together, almost like magic that creates connection. And the process to me feels like meditation.
Raji, this touched me so deeply. For those of us who have journeyed far from familiar kitchens, food becomes a kind of remembrance, a way of finding our way back through aroma, texture, and memory. I’m profoundly humbled that my little piece of writing carried even a whisper of that feeling for you. Kindred souls like you make this journey feel beautifully shared. ❤️
Thank you. Your words here also remind me of Marcel Proust’s book and Proust’s madeleine, where the taste of a tea-soaked cake instantly transports the narrator back to his younger days unlocking childhood memories.
Raji, your mention of Proust’s madeleine made me smile, because that kind of transport is something I have always quietly hoped my food might offer. Over the years, a few patrons have written to tell me that a bite of something unexpectedly carried them elsewhere, to a rainy college canteen, an afternoon when an aunt or sister-in-law made something simple but unforgettable, or some ordinary moment they had not realised they were still carrying until flavour unlocked it. So to hear you say my words created even a trace of that same feeling feels incredibly moving to me, because I had always imagined that particular kind of remembering belonged mostly to the meals I prepare. I think of that as one of food’s quiet miracles. Thank you so much for being on this journey with, its deeply comforting to find a kindred spirit in our sometimes fractured world ☺️🙏
Daljeet, just like your delicious food, you wove beautiful words to share your experience 😊 I absolutely loveee kheer :) Your expression of Savory Sadhana added even more flavour to this post 💖
Shweta, this is such a generous kindness, thank you so much! Food has always been one of the languages through which I make sense of life, so finding words alongside the cooking feels strangely natural, almost like extending the same conversation from the stove onto the page. And I’m delighted the kheer found a happy home with you 😊
😊 I also loved your masala dabba post.. it's so beautiful 🤌🏻✨ but my comment got deleted ..I don't know if you received it in mail..i will repost fursat se ..soon :)
Shweta, I happened to catch your beautiful note in my email 😊 and what a joy to read. Anyone who can immediately summon the aroma of freshly ground masalas is very much my kind of people 💛 There is something so deeply comforting about a well-loved masala dabba, isn’t there? Your mother’s jars and your beloved dabba sound like beautiful little kingdoms of flavour. Thank you for reading so generously and for cheering me on… dil se, it means more than you know ✨
I'm so glad Daljeet that you got to read that note...expressing something in the first go has its own joy :) I would have reposted otherwise. Thank you for sharing such beautiful food related posts..keep adding the flavour in your writing too 🫶🏻😊 enjoyed reading it
I’m slowly discovering that writing, much like cooking, is simply another way of offering care. Thank you for your warmth, encouragement, and for reading so generously… dil se shukriya ✨
I was nearly moved to tears by this poetic anthem declaring what Savory Sadhana is all about, Chef Daljeet. What a beautiful beginning to your Substack. <3
Vpep, what a profoundly kind thing to say. Thank you. I was quite teary while pouring this piece out, so to have it received with such tenderness truly means the world to me. Savory Sadhana has always been more than recipes, it is memory, migration, love, and meaning made tangible. Thank you for being here at the beginning.
Your comfort place is the kitchen and I admire that. Other people view cooking as a task but you do it to center yourself.
Thank you, William. The kitchen has always been the place where I feel most like myself — especially during uncertain or overwhelming seasons. I’m grateful you recognize that it’s more than just cooking for me. That kind of understanding means a lot.