Cooking is not in my blood. I mean, I cook decently enough, but if Sanjeev Kapoor ever looked for an assistant, I don’t think he’d pick me. Philosophically speaking, what’s one to do ? You gotta eat. And you can’t eat philosophically. Unless it’s like eating your own words (which isn’t much fun). And while I’m all for restaurant food once in a while, one and one’s tummy often yearns for simple, ghar-ka-khaana.

Simple is as simple does. So, I actually surf the net for microwave recipes. I love microwave popcorn. I buy ghee – I don’t make my own from unsalted butter. I also buy yoghurt, I don’t make it. I use precut/frozen veggies. I use bottled ginger/garlic paste. I make gulab-jamun from pancake mix, not paneer. I make tamrind chutney from a Mexican tamarind-ish drink. I use dessicated coconut in recipes which call for fresh. I freeze food, after my weekend cook-a-thons. And now, we’ve succumbed to the lure of entertainment, and finally gotten a TV for the kitchen, because I was tired of missing “The Apprentice”, while I put tadka in the dal.

However, my entire extended family, seems to think that women have a special affinity for cooking. It is a much debated question, as to why on setting foot in a home (either in India or the US) I do not instantly head for my natural environment, the kitchen, but am content to loll on the sofa watching TV or reading a book ? People seem aghast at my non-interest in learning new dishes and honing non-existent culinary skills. You don’t know how to make ghee ? Hai-hai, this girl will surely go to hell. You buy curd ? Horrors ! You feed pati-parmeshwar frozen vegetables ? I hold my tongue and do not tell them that pati-parmeshwar often cooks (well), and feeds me (delicately marinated legs of chicken). THAT would be blasphemy.

Categories : _food