Cooking - Day 3

Day3 it is.. and on my menu is Dumb Bhindi and roti.. so lets get started.. actually its not very complicated.. first wash and cut the bhindi.. i did cut it really neat (atleast thats what i thought.. and that was before my grandmother told me that i m chopping too much of the edges)..

Step 2.. i take out my super looking cooking vessel.. ( i love cooking in those cute looking aluminium pots)

then i being.. heat a little oil.. fry the jeera add the masalas (and my trick for most indian dishes.. add a pinch of everything in the box and extra of the ones im sure go into the dish :P)
then put the bhindi in... cover the vessel and let it simmer..

after about ten to twelve minutes i ask my grandma if its done and she says add the masalas now.. (uh uh was my reaction.. you already know what i had done.. but thats what the recipe online told me) anyways i checked it with the spoon and it looked cooked.. so the gas goes off.. a little of it in a bowl to make my guinea pig taste...

and yippii.. my aunt says its super :) and then i tell her what i did.. and there i learn another tip.. fresh bhindi is very tender so its ok if the masala is added first..

Verdict: Bhindi brilliant.. rotis need loads more practise

Cooking - Day 2

After the success of the palak paneer, i wanted to get a little adventurous.. and decided to make alu ka parantha. Wow.. I love paranthas, some may say, while a kitchen regular is sure to say that there is nothing adventurous about making alu ka parantha.

The confirmation recipe i read online did make it look easy. but uh right. first boil the potatoes, while thats happening knead dough and leave it aside for sometime, peel the potatoes and mash them, add the spices and make the filling. Till here is the easy part.

And then you have to roll the paranthas. now, not only is that tricky but also requires loads of practise and skill. the parantha keeps tearing and the filling starts popping out.. uh.. really painful experience.. but then i managed to cook the required minimum of four.

Verdict: Looks horrid with all the masala popping out and it being shapeless, but it was edible enough to be eaten without cribbing :(

Cooking - Day 1

Mum is not there.. so for a month i'm the queen of the kitchen.. day1 in the kitchen and yippe its a holiday.. and whats cooking as per my menu?? umm Palak Paneer.. cooking really is a stress buster.. anyway to get on with making palak panner.. dad got the palak and 2 bunches of it (previous experience told me one bunch ain't enough for the whole family) so there you go.. onions and tomatoes are on the kitchen table.. but oops first i have to make the paneer.. so there goes one liter milk on the gas and to curdle it i squeeze lime juice.. so as the milk gets curdled.. i get all the other ingredients...

Then for cleaning the palak, graciously i'd admit that i had quite lot passive learning in the science of cooking, so one such tip i learnt was to wash and clean the greens properly and second always boil and then chop them. so tediously i clean the palak and put for a light boil, meanwhile i chop the onion, tomato and garlic and grind them into a paste... the milk and curdled and been strained into a muslin cloth to give the paneer shape. the palak has boiled and cooled a little and that goes into the mixer too.. a smooth Green paste is ready..

so all the basic preps are done.. now is my time to have fun.. The kadai is on the gas.. 2 tablespoon oil.. the onion- tomato paste goes in first.. till it gets a little golden brown.. then the spices.. (whenever i get confused i use all mum keeps in the spice box and whenever is most of the time). then the palak goes in and a sliced chilly.. a little cooking for about five minutes..(you dont cook greens for too long they lose the vitamins).

ok the gas is off.. and so am i.. i have notes to copy till lunchtime..

at lunchtime the gravy is on the flames.. the panner is being cut into cubes.. salt is added to gravy(adding salt at the end lets the palak be green).. the papad is roasted. the maid has already cooked the chapathis...

and lunch is served..

Verdict on the palak paneer.. Good but salt is a little less :(