Food talk
Stuffed surprise

Pushpesh Pant on thepla — the light, nutritious Gujarati bread

IT is not a parantha though it looks suspiciously like one. It is much lighter and dare we say tastier only if due to the novelty. It is certainly not a roti. It is far more tempting with a stuffed appearance and, need we add, is equally welcome all by itself or accompanied with a bowlful of raita, a dash of chutney or that time-tested friend alu bhaji. We are talking about the thepla, the Gujarat bread that deserves to be much better known.

One remembers the hot theplas mom used to make way back in the 1950s at home. She had spent her childhood in Kathiawar and acquired a taste for Gujju delicacies — kokum wali khatthi mithi daal, lahsuni kadhi, dhokla, ganthia, undia, bajjrani rotli, sekkedi sopari dhanadi daal and lots more. In the beginning a pinch of sugar in the recipes was a bit jarring but soon the palate became addicted to the difference. However, not all members of our large family and frequent guests were equally enthusiastic about her nostalgic kitchen creations.

Theplas, however, were an exception. They delighted at breakfast, were always welcome at teatime and never resented in the lunchbox packed for school. Then, there intervened a long gap when one lived without this delicious, nutritious bread. Only once has one encountered it on a dining table in Delhi — the maharaj from the Narmada Sagar Sarovar Guest House who had been commissioned to cook the totally vegetarian meal did include it in the menu but the poor thing was relegated to a lacklustre casserole.

One is at a loss to explain why the thepla has failed to register its presence more emphatically. The papar-like khakra have fared much better. These can be conveniently bought in polythene packs or alfoils zip locked and all at many trendy foodmarts. Quite a few health-conscious friends have taken to the khakra in a big way. You can polish off a pack and not feel guilty. Such is the bearable lightness of being. But, that is another story.

After many years, we came across this long lost friend at the India International Centre and were quite thrilled. Sure beats the brown bread vegetable sandwich, masala cheese toast and the oil-oozing chole bhature.

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