My great-Aunt Luna passed away this week. Even though she was in her 90s, it still came as a shock. I spoke to her several times a year for over an hour at a time and she would tell me all the stories of the old days in India and her versions of the Anglo-Indian curries we all enjoy. I’ve written all her recipes down in a green notebook but I have turned the house upside-down looking it this weekend because I wanted to make something in honour of her.

(Aunty Luna and Uncle Richard’s wedding – my Granny Esther and Papa (Granddad) Lennie are standing behind Aunty Luna and my great-Grandmother and great-Grandfather are standing next to her.)

After my Mum died, Aunty Luna filled a void in my family like no one else: she checked in on me and had plenty of time to answer questions that I used to phone Mum for such as whether you add salt to lentils when they are cooking (no) and is tamarind concentrate as good as tamarind in blocks (yes).

So I’ve ended up making chicken jalfrezi, dhal (but have run out of red lentils so I’ve used moong instead), rice and fried potatoes and onions (why we need the potatoes I’ll never know). Jeff is coming to stay the night and it is traditional to make dol and rice with lamb jalfrezi, his favourite, but I used what we had available instead.

It’s not much to look at but I enjoyed making it – from the slow blackening of onions to the building up of the masala for the curry and then waiting for the lentils to have cooked before adding a sizzling garlicky tarka with cumin, coriander, mustard seeds and chili in the fragrant ghee.

I binged watch The Bear last night so thoughts of kitchen pandemonium were on my mind, thinking “behind!” and “corner” to no-one as I to-ed and fro-ed from the stove to the sink. My Mum’s cousin Evelyn phoned just as my rice was starting to simmer and ordinarily I would have called her back later or another day but it felt well-timed, chatting to family as I stirred three daitch-keys and spooned the fried potatoes around in a wok of hot oil. We talked about Aunty Luna and how sad it is that she has gone.

My biggest regret is that I didn’t return Aunty Luna’s call from before the summer holidays. She left a beautifully poignant voice-mail that I will keep forever (I hope). She said,

Hello Nicola

It’s Aunty Luna

I’m ringing you on your day off because I know the best time to phone is when you’re not teaching.

How’s everybody?

Are you fine?

And Pippa is fine [sic]?

And Mark is fine?

Please keep in touch Nikki. It’s very important to me.

This is Aunty Luna.

Sending you all my love.

For Nicola.

For Pippa.

And for Mark. Please also give my love to Mark.

Thank Nikki.

I hope everything’s well. I hope everything’s okay.

Thank you darling.

It’s Aunty Luna.

Take care.

Take care of everybody.

Take care of yourselves.

Thank you darling.

Bye bye my love.

I do hope everyone is keeping well and in good health.

Take care.

All my love.

Aunty Luna.

RIP Aunty Luna

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