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Indian male can cook... with a little help from my friends

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by plantscantalk, Jan 3, 2013.

  1. plantscantalk

    plantscantalk Gold IL'ite

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    What does a cooking challenged person do when stumped by how to make a simple dish to give himself/herself a chance to spend some more time on this planet?

    Hint: only one correct answer exists.

    That's right!! Ask ChitVish :)

    Scene 1
    Location: Silicon Valley, India

    A 35 year old, single, cooking challenged, hungry (for food/nutrition, come on, no double entendre! ) male (CC) on the phone to a woman.

    CC: Hey Ma, how do I make the tomato rasam?
    Ma (in a different city): didn't you do a dry run when you were here?
    CC: Yeah, but seem to have some troubles.
    Ma: Ok, note down, step 1: Pressure cook dal ... blah blah..

    After some time, after many calls from CC to Ma

    CC: Ma, finally done.
    Ma: And? How does it taste?
    CC: Good ma. And sabzi came tasteable as well.
    Ma: Finally!! Good night


    Scene 2: location, characters same as above

    CC; I tried what you said with the sambar. Why have the layers separated by themselves? Gravity is a strong force. Indeed!

    Ma: What?? Did you use the sambar powder i had made?
    CC:Yeah ma. I tried everything and it looks like there is a problem with it.

    Ma: Impossible. 'cos your sister, grandma who are better cooks, than you can dream of being, have not complained. Looks like you're messing up.

    CC: but where, ma? I've been trying this sambar for 6 goddamn months. How can I, a member of the Sambar mafia, not get a sambar right when I can make a delicious rajma masala?

    Ma: Delicious, according to whom?

    CC: According to aunty and uncle. They tasted it and said it is brilliant and they are from Delhi.
    Ma: Not sure.. when you are here, let's cross that bridge then..

    Time passes by...


    Some months later...

    CC; Hey ma! I got the sambar down pat.

    Ma: Oh! yeah? who certified it?

    CC: see, aunty had a problem with the layers separating and so did sis. They tried out the modification i had given and it worked wonders. I cooked it a couple of times as well and I got good and reproducible results.

    Ma and ma's ma majorly impressed... Really? Who gave you the recipe? And where did you get it?

    CC: Chitvish from Indusladies.
    _________

    PS: I learnt and have been cooking for about 18 months.

    ___________


    This is a tribute to the queen of recipes, Smt Chitra Vishwanathan.

    Chitra maami, your recipes rock and so do you :)
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2013
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  2. Dinny

    Dinny IL Hall of Fame

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    HiHiHi
    true we all learn to cook by hook or crook.When i got married my husband was a better cook than i was.His chicken curry was the best i had ever tasted.But over the years my husband stopped cooking (infact hardly cooked after marriage).he used to cook only under emergency conditions like one day when i was pregnant and could not get up from bed to cook..he made his speciality" the chicken curry."
    seriuosly when u want to cook and eat good o think its then that a person turns into chef :)
     
  3. Anitap

    Anitap IL Hall of Fame

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    What a lovely and well deserved tribute :thumbsup:
     
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  4. Srama

    Srama Finest Post Winner

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    How sweet! Chitra aunty certainly is an ace at not only cooking but helping us all learn! Thank you for writing this tribute for her - we all feel this and very often!
     
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  5. shyamala1234

    shyamala1234 Platinum IL'ite

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    Fitting tribute to Chitra madam.She deserves it 100% All those starving Indian students, especially South Indian boys and girls who went to USA for studies ,who used to eat home cooked food...to them Chitra madam is Goddess Annapurna. I have seen quite some boys, taking printouts and cooking food. How long can they eat bread or Pizza or pasta or noodles? When some settled Indians invited them for lunch or dinner they used to take empty yoghurt containers to bring left overs from their house. We know the value only when we do not get something..especially food. They can go to Indian restaurants....but they need a car to go and money to buy food in restaurants. For students..with limited money it is not possible. Then they start learning to cook and the happiness they feel when eating is only to be seen and felt.
    I like your snippet very much......very practical. Food is the primary need of everyone.
    I am nominating this finest posts in January.
    Thank you.

    Syamala
     
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  6. plantscantalk

    plantscantalk Gold IL'ite

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    Shyamala. Thanks for sharing info about guys taking printouts of her recipes when going abroad. I'm not surprised by that, though :).

    Thanks for nominating this post.

    I think the full credit goes to Chitra maami who has put in so much of time with her recipes and has shared it unconditionally.

    I read the page where she and her husband had been interviewed. Since her husband stuck to saatvik food, whatever recipes maami tried were more for helping others out.

    Today's buzz word in Indian kitchens is baking. I admire the effort she had put in going thru' a baking course which to the traditional Indian is (still) out of the comfort zone.
     
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  7. plantscantalk

    plantscantalk Gold IL'ite

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    Very true. And once i started it, it's very difficult to eat anywhere and everywhere.
    It's like using one's own bathroom versus using the public restrooms.
    A picky relative of ours used to enter a house and first use the restroom. Then he'd check the kitchen, on the pretext of drinking water. Only if both these rooms were clean, would he stay in the house. Else, he'd just walk off.
    Only now can i understand his very valid 'idiosyncracy'.
     
  8. plantscantalk

    plantscantalk Gold IL'ite

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    Anita and Srama. Thanks for reading. Penning this down is the least i could have done to express my gratitude.
     
    Last edited: Jan 4, 2013
  9. Anandchitra

    Anandchitra IL Hall of Fame

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    Good tribute to a very deserving and excellent woman Chitvish. Really these words and more are not enough to tahnk someone who has selflessly written and tried new and shared all with everyone and above all she painstakingly answers all questions too. Chitvish certainly deserves this commendation.
     
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  10. vidukarth

    vidukarth Platinum IL'ite

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