I had my first tryst with cooking when I tried my hand at tea! The simplest, I’ve kind of mastered it now, but mum’s tea still rakes in more compliments. However, I did get one up on her when papa began to prefer mine to hers. I think he was just playing the idle dad:-)
The most important thing my mom always told me was enjoy your cooking. Don’t treat it as a burden, remember if not for anyone else you’ll have to cook for yourself, I’m not going to be there to feed you all your life!
Then I tried experimenting with rice. Now what is there to experiment in that you say? It is so simple to cook and so bland a dish! But even that can be made interesting, tried steam rice, jeera rice, plain fried rice, chinese fried rice, biryani rice, famous maharastrian “masala bhath” and “ fodnicha bhaat” ( you season the previous day’s leftover rice and the taste is super!!)
I love non-veg, I’m not so much a sea-food lover but I absolutely relish chicken and mutton dishes. So more than veg I first learnt to cook non-veg. I learnt super short-cut methods from my mum (a working woman) as I knew with my kind of work-life I wouldn’t have all the time in the world like my mom-in-law(housewife). I don’t like spending hours in the kitchen, I hate that, it has to be quick, with minimum fuss and the result should be delicious 🙂
Another part of the course meal is the salads & the raitas. They just make your meal complete. You can try corn salad, veg raita, cucumber raita, and plain onion-tomato-carrot-beet salad. For more taste try seasoning it too.
My mumma taught me another important lesson, a lesson we all tend to ignore when we cook at home. Have you observed how yummy the dishes in hotels look, why can’t we do the same at home?
Garnish plays a big role in triggering the appetite of the eater. A fact we so conveniently neglect at home. It doesn’t take much to garnish and make a dish look yummy. Corriander, grated coconut, tomatoes, onions and cucumber is all it takes. They don’t cost much and it doesn’t take much effort to decorate your dish with them. Also use some nice vessels to spruce up the dish.
If you take so much effort to be presentable in public and at work, why can’t you take minimum required effort to make your food presentable to your loved ones.
Follow the golden rule in cooking is what my mum told me and the rule was “KISS”: Keep It Simple Stupid 🙂
I don’t cook regularly, my work timings don’t permit me too, but I do enjoy it on the weekends. I’ve yet to scale the heights that my mumma, aunty and granny have scaled. I’ve just started my journey and going by their judgement they have the confidence I’ll get there:-)
I used to smirk when mumma used to tell me nothing beats the joy when your loved ones relish your cooking. I realize it only today, she thinks I’m finally turning into a woman:-) She has lived with a tomboy all her life and is pleasantly surprised by the little changes:-)
As she says cooking and having others savour it is just one of those little joys in life! 🙂 I couldn’t agree more with her 🙂
P.S: I’m no Sanjeev Kapoor but a lot of my friends and my sister have been asking me for recipes for some of the dishes I have cooked. What better way than to share it along on my blog. So watch this space for more and tell me how they turn out:-)
Minal
Ok I’ll put up some good quick veggie stuff with minimal fuss:-)
Tugga
Oi Minal, I need some good veg recipes. We r fantastic cooks of non-vegetarian food, but except for dal-fry, we suck at the veggie stuff. Help out:-)
Minal
@Sujatha: And you blog about yours,I would really love to try them out:-)
Sujatha
Minal,
Just yesterday I was thinking blogging would be a great way to share recipes! I do look forward to trying out some of yours.
Minal
@Weasley: Thanks my dear husband:-)
Hey Anshul,
Yup I’ll post soon:-) Btw your rising review was good:-) I hope to catch it sometime soon now!
Anshul
Great. Can’t wait to try the new dishes.
Weasley Speaks
i know where this post came from. Just because your husband who isaway in dubai, called you up to tell he had made a mouth watering Prawns dish.
Great going.