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Daily Recco, October 27: Aapli Aaji, Granny with the Silver Ladle

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Rajeshwari Ganesan
Rajeshwari GanesanOct 27, 2020 | 17:40

Daily Recco, October 27: Aapli Aaji, Granny with the Silver Ladle

Aapli Aaji, the septuagenarian farmer-turned-ace-chef from Maharashtra is taking YouTube by storm with her recipes. Watch her videos to learn and rustle up some delicious fare.

Thanks to the pandemic and lockdown, most of us have become star chefs in our own rights. Go to any social media platform, and you would find amateur cooks whipping up the fanciest recipes, courtesy: YouTube channels. But what about those who have been master chefs all their lives, but are now in the limelight with their own YouTube channels?

One such master chef is Suman Dhamane AKA Aapli Aaji (our grandmother). Now most of us — aspiring master chefs or not — would agree that the best recipes are those that have been vetted and handed down by our grandmothers. And 70-year-old Suman Dhamane has been vetted by her subscribers and viewers on YouTube — over six lakh subscribers gained over six months and over 5.7 crore views till date, for her videos that bring out the best of traditional cooking in an endearing manner.

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70-year-old Suman Dhamane hails from Sarola Kasar village in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. In January, her grandson Yash Pathak — the brain behind the channel and Dhamane’s cameraperson, video editor and uploader — requested her to make pav bhaji. On seeing some of the recipes on YouTube, she said that she can make it better. And she did! It was at that point that Pathak thought of getting his brilliant-yet-camera-shy grandmother to the limelight by posting her videos on YouTube. Soon, the lockdown happened and that set the ball rolling. With time on her hands, the farmer lady decided to devote more time to cooking and the grandson became her guide and mentor in navigating through pronunciation of English words (baking powder and sauces, for instance) and technology. Dhamane has never been to school or had a formal education, you see. But as they say, life is the best teacher and Suman Dhamane has surely learnt from the best. It was a matter of time before she received the Silver Play Button from YouTube for her channel gathering over a lakh subscribers.

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Suman Dhamane proudly holds up her the Silver Play Button from YouTube for her channel — Aapli Aaji. (Photo: Instagram/ @aapli_aaji)

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Dhamane has uploaded nearly 150 recipe videos of traditional Maharashtrian fare on her channel. She uses homemade spices for her recipes that are quite easy to make and follow despite the language barrier, and have an authentic taste. We know because we tried some of them. And you must too! Even if the kitchen is not your favourite place in the house, we suggest you still watch the videos of the endearing Aaji just to see the sheer joy on her face when she is cooking.

Last updated: October 27, 2020 | 17:40
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