In the evening, after returning to Riya’s sitting room, Arka put down a huge black bag on the drawing room table and called out, “Riya, get ready quickly. We need to head out right away.”
Riya had come back early from college that day. Arka had gone out early in the morning for research work at Delhi University. Once home, Riya had thought of making some snacks for her cousin brother. Her parents had gone to a musical event. Although the cook was still home, today Riya had planned to make something with ingredients from the kitchen instead of ordering chow mein or a burger. Since it had rained in Delhi recently, the temperature had dropped a little. So going into the kitchen didn’t feel like such a bother.
A little disappointed, Riya asked, “Where are we going again? You just got back! And at this hour, all your favorite places like museums or forts would be closed. Then...?”
“That’s the problem with you all. You start bombarding me with questions without even listening! Just get ready quickly. I’ll introduce you to an interesting person. You’ll like him. Ajitav-da, a senior from our university. A friend of mine. He came to Delhi from Bangalore on office work. He’s leaving tomorrow. A real scientist by profession. A wise man.”
“Well then, why didn’t you just invite him home? Why go somewhere else to meet?”
“The location he sent me on my phone is quite close to your house. Apparently, the place serves amazing fritters. Ajitav da wants to have them before leaving Delhi. Someone told him that if he doesn’t eat these fritters, there’s a serious risk of his life being incomplete.”
“Oh, it must be those pakoras from Nauroji Nagar. Let me see your phone! Yes, I was right. I’ve never had them, but I’ve seen the crowd from the car—so heavy it almost blocks traffic. But why would this gentleman come all the way just for those pakoras? That’s what I don’t understand.”
“His hotel isn’t very far. You know scientists always have a few screws loose! You’ll be like that someday too. Anyway, let’s go quickly. If Ajitav-da reaches before us, he’ll start a full-on Kurukshetra. If we don’t get there by seven, he might get angry and leave. He’s that kind of slightly eccentric scientist!”
By seven, the two siblings reached the pakora shop in Nauroji Nagar, and from a distance someone shouted, “Arka, I’m over here. Come quickly!”
Riya figured that must be Ajitav-da, the scientist from Bangalore. The man’s eyes sparkled brightly. You could tell he was very intelligent.
Seeing Riya, Ajitav said with great enthusiasm, “Hey, who’s this little girl? Your—”
Arka quickly cut in, “Oh no, this is my cousin Riya. I’m currently crashing at their place in Delhi.”
“Alright then! Now let’s trouble your cousin a bit and chat over some hot fritters. I’ve already ordered cauliflower and spinach pakoras.”
In no time, Ajitav had warmed up to Riya and struck up a conversation. When Riya asked why he came all the way just for some fritters, Ajitav replied, “What can I say? I was just looking for a reason to meet Arka. As soon as I heard he was in Delhi, I called him up. Once I found out where he was staying, I discovered this holy spot nearby. Look, our pakoras have come out of the frying pan. Let’s go there’s a car, we can sit and eat while chatting.”
Riya could tell Ajitav was a busy man. He had come just to chat and have some pakoras. Clearly, fancy restaurants didn’t appeal to him. Arka-da was right—scientists tend to be a bit eccentric.
Biting into a pakora and chewing with eyes closed, Ajitav said, “Ah, if only I had some puffed rice now, this would’ve been perfect!”
“Who’s going to give you puffed rice here, dada? This isn’t your Madhyamgram anymore! These guys don’t even fry eggplant. Kolkata’s fritters could easily beat Delhi’s ten-nil.”
“The real story here is chemistry, you see?” said Ajitav, looking out of the car window.
“What chemistry are you seeing in this? And how is Kolkata’s chemistry better than Delhi’s? What does that have to do with fritters?”
“Well, you’re into economics! You’d probably find economics in the business of fritters, but always remember—Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray was from Kolkata.”
“Fritters and Prafulla Chandra Ray? Don’t tell me Bengal Chemicals used to manufacture fritters too?”
“Would you believe it? Sir P.C. Ray loved fritters and puffed rice. And that’s what sparked his sense of chemistry. But this crowded shop’s fritters feel a bit hard, don’t they? Even a little bitter.”
Riya had thought the same while biting into one. She said, “Ajitav-da, you just said exactly what I was thinking. That’s why I’m not enjoying them much. My mother’s fritters at home are much fluffier. These are just... odd.”
“You study science, right? They’ve used baking soda instead of baking powder in these fritters. Probably added too much too. That’s why it tastes bitter.”
“When you add baking soda to fritters, it creates carbon dioxide, which makes the fritters or cake fluffy. When you add a little baking soda to the batter, heat during frying releases carbon dioxide. We learned this back in early school,” Riya replied.
“Good, that’s true. But remember, baking soda is a base, an alkali. A mild one, sure but for the chemical reaction to happen properly under heat, you need both acid and base. That’s why baking powder is better. And our pakora guy didn’t do that.” Ajitav took a tissue paper from the car’s dashboard, handed one to Riya, and wiped his own hands.
“Hey, give me one too, Ajitav-da! Don’t ignore me just because I study economics. But now I want to know the difference between baking soda and baking powder.”
“Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, which you probably know. But baking powder also includes another chemical—tartaric acid. So baking powder contains both base and acid. The moment it’s mixed into the batter, a chemical reaction begins. Once the pakora hits the hot oil, the reaction speeds up. Carbon dioxide forms and escapes through the fritter, creating tiny gaps that fill with air and oil. That’s what gives it a fluffy texture. You don’t get as much carbon dioxide from just baking soda.”
“So if a dish already has some acid, baking soda would still work, right Ajitav-da?” said Arka.
“That’s why, even though you study economics, I love you more because it’s important to have scientific understanding in every subject. That’s what we call analytical power. If I found a cup of coffee nearby, I’d award it to you as a prize.”
Ajitav stepped out of the car and began looking for a tea or coffee shop.
Riya followed and said, “Ajitav-da, I saw a small shop a little ahead. Shall we go check?”
Ajitav told the driver, “Chaliye, let’s go check where we’ll get some coffee.”
“You see, Riya,” Arka said, “Next time, go into the kitchen, dig out the baking powder, and make some hot fritters. But don’t use too much or they’ll turn bitter.”
Then turning to Ajitav, he added, “Ajitav-da, those kebabs from Chandni Chowk were way better than these pakoras.”
“Don’t remind me about kebabs and make me feel bad! I have to return now to the land of idlis and sambar. Next time I come, we’ll eat them together. Oh, look, there’s a coffee machine at that little shop. Stop the car, driver sahab.”
The three of them walked toward the coffee shop.
(Continued)
Read more -...