Culinary Chronicles
By Yasmin Rahul Bakshi
Remember that simple, looping handwriting in our childhood autograph books? “We meet to create memories and part to cherish them.” We used to scribble those words with ink-stained fingers, not really understanding what they meant, just thinking they sounded poetic. Today, the weight of that little phrase hit me with the force of absolute truth.
They were sitting just a single row ahead of me at the army club, right in the middle of the noisy, familiar hum of a tambola game. Yet, somehow, they looked like they belonged to a completely different era.
The lady, Ruby Chetinder Sandhu, was the picture of fragile, tender grace. She had a breathtaking, timeless look about her. The kind of beauty that makes you understand why poets went mad over Helen of Troy. But her style was pure Audrey Hepburn, effortless, minimalist and so deeply sophisticated that you couldn’t look away even if you tried.
Beside her sat her husband, Lieutenant General Chetinder Singh (Retd), who looked like he had stepped right out of a vintage photograph. He carried that rare, old world chivalry where good manners are treated like a sacred duty. You could instantly feel his authoritative presence. The posture of a man who used to command entire regiments and, yet, he was so completely warm and grounded.
The moment that absolutely stole my heart was a tiny, elegant gesture. Instead of ordering a standard drink from the club bar, she reached into her bag, pulled out a beautiful cut-glass goblet and gracefully poured herself some rosé wine. It was such a quiet, intentional choice. It told you everything you needed to know about how she curates her life.
They were just magnetic. I couldn’t help myself, I just had to walk up to them. I introduced myself and told them how beautiful they were together. Instead of being distant or polite in a cold way, they welcomed me with the kind of immediate, genuine warmth that makes a stranger feel like an old friend. Right then and there, a real connection sparked. We started a conversation and a beautiful relationship began.
It made me think of another encounter from a couple of years ago, back when our house was just a messy construction site of bare bricks and concrete dust. A tall gentleman had walked right up to us and introduced himself as Brigadier Jagpal Singh Thind, our neighbour from “Villa Mohi” just down the street.
He was a gentleman through and through, carrying his tall frame with an easy, quiet dignity that made you respect him the moment he walked up. But honestly, it was his sheer kindness that stayed with you. He was right there offering to help us out with absolutely anything we needed, sharing all those little local secrets that turned a completely strange new neighbourhood into a place that finally felt like home.
Over the next few months, I’d see him around quite a bit, either out for a walk or driving past but I never got to meet his wife because she was travelling abroad.
When she finally came back and we eventually crossed paths, she absolutely blew me away. Jassi Thind had this rare, glowing grace about her that completely lit up the room the second she walked in. She had this wonderful, effortless charisma but what really stayed with me was just how incredibly warm and affectionate she was. The kind of woman who pours her whole heart into making everyone around her feel completely cherished.
It wasn’t long before she started sending over homemade cakes and desserts along with flowers from her garden.
Her absolute masterpiece, though, was the famous “Tipsy Pudding”. She would make it exactly the way they used to serve it in the old Army Regimental Officers’ Mess. A sweet, thoughtful gesture to bring back those nostalgic, happy memories of army life.
When you think of the ultimate military couples, the kind that carry themselves with an effortless charm, hospitality and real elegance, I shall always think of the Sandhus and the Thinds. They are a beautiful reminder of a bygone era, bringing a touch of old world elegance right to our doorstep.
Ingredients:
- Raisins, chopped dried apricot – 1/2 cup
- Dark rum / fresh orange juice – 1/4 cup
- Sponge – 2 cups (cut into cubes)
- Coconut milk, full fat – 1 cup
- Whole milk – 1 cup
- Custard powder – 3 tbsp
- Caster sugar – 1/4 cup
- Green or black seedless grapes – 3/4 cup (halved)
- Kiwi fruit – 2 medium (sliced)
- Sweet oranges – 2 medium (segmented)
- Fresh pineapple – 3/4 cup (cubed)
- Orange zest – 1 tsp
- Lightly sweetened whipped cream – 1 cup
- Toasted pistachios or cashews – 2 tbsp (sliced)
Method:
- Put the dried fruit in a bowl, pour rum or warm orange juice; cover for 30 minutes until plump.
- Whisk custard powder, sugar and 1/4 cup whole milk until a smooth paste is formed.
- Heat the remaining whole milk with coconut milk in a pan over low flame, whisk in the custard paste. Stir 3 to 4 minutes until thick and glossy. Take off heat, stir in orange zest and cool for 10 minutes.
- Spread half the cake cubes evenly across the base of your serving bowl. Spoon over half the soaked fruit and all its liquid so the cake absorbs it.
- Add a layer using half of each fresh fruit – grapes, kiwi, orange segments and pineapple.
- Pour half the warm coconut custard, smoothing gently to seal the fruit.
- Repeat with remaining cake, soaked fruit and then the rest of the fresh fruit in the same order.
- Finish with the last of the custard, spread to the sides to create a flat top.
- Cover the bowl and chill for at least 3 hours, overnight is best for the tipsy soak.
- Just before serving, spoon or pipe the whipped cream over the top and garnish with fruit.
(Yasmin Rahul Bakshi is an accomplished senior consultant Chef and a food historian. A widely travelled Army wife from the Mussoorie hills with exposure to international cuisines & preserving recipes with the medium of food photography and digital content creation in the form of stories.)
