Kalaan Kari – A Curry Close to My Heart

 

Kalaan Kari: A Taste of Home and Heaven

Last night, just before drifting off to sleep, I turned to my husband and asked the golden question: "What to cook for lunch tomorrow?" I had no clue. I just knew I didn’t want the usual—no chicken, no sambar, and definitely not rasam. I craved something different… something comforting.

Then, like a little spark from the past, it came to me—"Kalaan kari" (mushroom curry). When I mentioned it to my husband, his eyes lit up. “Okey,” he said with a smile that told me he too had been missing that familiar taste. It wasn’t just any dish. This was a childhood favourite—cooked lovingly by both our mothers.

Today, I brought that memory to life. I made kalaan kari with potatoes and a handful of anchovies—just the way our mothers used to. When lunchtime came, baby Kirtigah was asleep. So it was just the two of us, sharing not just a meal, but a quiet moment filled with memories.

We spoke about our childhood, our homes, and especially our mothers—who had once stood over stoves making this very curry. Both of them are no longer with us. They left this world too soon, but their flavours, their warmth, and their love still linger in our lives—in every bite of this simple curry.

Today’s kalaan kari was more than just food. It was a bridge between yesterday and today, between us and our mothers in heaven.

-Gowri Arumugam-

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