Cooking

My culinary skills before coming to the US included making great maggi, good tea and uh.. ummm.. that's pretty much it, actually. Practically speaking, I was not someone who can whip up imaginative masterpieces from the kitchen.

Equipped with a few recipes that my mother penned down & basic Indian utensils, I was ready for the challenge - surviving on my self cooked food. I was pretty confident initially, that I'd be able to get some decent meals made.

I failed miserably.

One disaster after another, my time in the kitchen was beginning to resemble like an Adam Sandler movie. On my X'mas visit to LA, my aunt taught me a few basic recipes and gave me some valuable tips. I have improved after that... atleast I can eat whatever I make, although I have my share of problems as well.

I still find it hard to tell the difference between jeera and ajwain. So, I keep it simple and add both whenever a recipe call for either of them. The internet has helped me with my cooking as well and I have learnt quite a bit. A major problem with every recipe book or a site however, is that no one shall give you measurements for salt / spices. "Salt to taste". What's that supoosed to mean? I am going to taste the dish after its all cooked, how am I supposed to know how much is enough. I found that the hard way.... the hard 'salty' way.

Something else that I have learnt with cooking is the darned jargon involved. I just knew cooking involved the gas stove. As if different recipes requiring low, medium and high flame level was enough of an overload, the food needs to simmered, sauteed, stewed and what not.... You literally have to maintain a data dictionary for all this. Imagine you ask a friend for a recipe of say, green beans, and she replies - 'Well, you just buy these fresh snap peas and beans, yada yada yada simmer on a low flame yada yada yada... saute in yada yada sauce....' How can one understand all this, let alone remember it? I'd just nod in resignation..

Another observation: A recipe will never turn out good if you follow directions painfully to the point. (Cakes could be the exception to this rule) You need to add some of your own variation to get the taste and texture right. Its almost as if the recipe has been written as a puzzle. You need to identify the flaw before following the instructions.... You can recognize some of them easily, they are downright lame - like using an apple while preparing tomato puree.

I have realized, I am real good at making snacks. My Bhel and Bhaji turned out real nice (I've posted their pictures) Perhaps, I still have hope if I the IT sector gives me the boot....