Adi, ma story!

“Vankaya…masala vankaya”, Surekha Reddy said without hesitation, is the dish that represents Hyderabadi food to her.

Early one cloudy Tuesday morning, we drove with sisters, Ujjwala and Sharmila to meet their mom Surekha who lives with her son, Raghavendar and daughter in law Jagruthi. As we struggled to park in the narrow, bustling lanes of Domalguda, Surekha smiled at us from her second-floor balcony. We were late, and she had been waiting for us to come. She met us at her front door, dressed in a lovely violet cotton sari and led us straight to the dining table. Our breakfast spread was already laid out and delicious scents wafted to my nose; Poori cheyana? Should I make pooris?,she asked, but we wanted to wait till we had spoken for a bit. Surekha grew up in Jogipet, two hours outside Hyderabad, but was a frequent visitor to the city and made it her home after she got married. Her unabashed declaration of Masala Vankaya as the dish that symbolised Hyderabad to her, was my introduction to this cheerful lady, exuding warmth and charm.