cooking with heart and soul

last week i was in a bit of a domestic funk. more specifically with cooking. i was uninspired, bored of what i cook (because i think iv kind of maxed out my miniscule repertoire of cooking), and i was too lethargic to try anything new. what little i cooked, was half-hearted. and i realized that when i cook half-heartedly, it shows.

today however, i have an unexplained zest. and that is very strange for a monday morning. i was excited to cook lunch, and i realized that when i cook with heart and soul, it shows.

rain food

since most posts these days are about the rain/monsoon, or about the culinary journey i have been on since i moved to goa, heres something that brings both together.

in honor of the monsoons that have well and truly arrived (and HOW!? :O!), and keeping in mind that i have been fairly busy with some assignments, that have led me to neglect the kitchen every now and then, todays lunch is rain food. easy, healthy and perfect for rainy weather.

boiled french beans and carrots, sauteed in butter. with a sprinkle of home made cottage cheese.
mashed potatoes.
toast.

now, im ready to face the rain.

Expert

When your wife asks YOU to check if the tea is strong enough by looking at its colour, you know you're an expert. Even if it is only at making chai.

culinary experiments

one of the best things about moving to goa has been the discovery that i can actually cook! and no, i dont mean just putting things together to make an edible item. i mean i can cook. and well!

very immodest of me, i know. but the discovery ahs been wonderful. while i havent ventured into the zone of exotic and elaborate cuisine, and im sticking to simple home cooked meals (just the kind my mom makes), everyday poses a mini challenge..

will the channa turn out just like ammas?
will i be able to make the rasam as well as i did the last time?
will the rice be cooked just right this time?
should i experiment and make puris instead of rotis?
how can i use the gobi without repeating what i cooked 2 weeks ago?

but the good thing is, in most cases, the experiments have turned out right. and gone well. been successful. most days, i surprise myself with the way lunch and dinner turns out. whats more, it surprises the husband too, and he often asks "how did you learn to make this?" or "i didnt know you could make this!"

and i have only one answer "i have no idea -- it just happened!"

developments

there have been more developments around the home :)

the cooking experiments continue. but more importantly, we now have a place to sit and eat our home cooked meals. this weekend, after SO MUCH furniture hunting we managed to get ourselves a new dining table!

last night anand and lekha (in picture) came over and cooked us a fantastic meal. cream cheese pasta, pepper chicken and an awesomely perfect caramel custard. which we were all so pleased with, given the amateur levels of equipment my kitchen sports.

thats us waiting to pounce on dinner!

thats anand, so pleased with his "non-eggy-spatula bits-woody-caramel custard"!

cooking finally!

last night marked the beginning of another chapter in my life, titled "cooking ones own meals". after much confusion, being surrounded by cartons, crying out for help, sorting packets of groceries, tidying up and getting a lot of help from pooja, the kitchen is set.

pooja was realllly nice to come by and help out, give me a few recipes and also go veggie shopping. later she ended up staying and rescuing me from my burnt garlic paste catastrophe!

but it was a fun evening, and the kitchen being set has made the house a home. the aloo sabji wasnt too bad either. and the icing on the cake was that vc claimed he actually like it :)