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First time together in kitchen with my Fiancée

By - Vaishali Parekh

It was just second Sunday of our Courtship period during April 2003. We wanted to spend some good time together alone rather than going out for dinner in a crowded place. And the best place that came out as winner was my house as everybody had gone out.

We thought of ordering a pizza and watch some program on TV. While I was finalizing the order over the phone, to my surprise, he disconnected the phone and said, "Lets go in the kitchen and I'll help you in my own way to make some easy yet love filled recipe." "Do you know how to hold the knife?" was my immediate reaction.

He took me in his arms and we went in. He took out cabbage, carrot, beans and he started to cut them into fine juliennes. I was mum, just watching, infact staring... Then he asked me to boil the noodles and I was blindly following all his instruction one after another. The final result - the noodles was tasting - full of love, affection and it brought a new taste to our growing relationship.

I felt on top of the world that I found a companion who would truly support me in anything and everything that I do, not only in words but in action too. This website is the result, which would had never taken birth without his support and help.

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First day at my kitchen-in-law

By - Vaishali Parekh

Nice term has been coined... I had an arranged marriage, and as usual lots of enquiry were done before marriage. Since I am a Nutritionist, it was very much expected that I cook well.

The first dinner menu was Malai Kofta, Dal Makhani, Naan and my all time favorite spinach and date raita. Strict instructions were given to other lady members to not to help me in the kitchen as it was MY day. Thanks to my relatives and friend who had flaunted a lot about my cooking and management skills in the kitchen. I was really cursing them all that evening.

Being a new daughter-in-law of the house, I was not much aware of everyone's liking. Somehow I managed all with my shaking hands. and was then waiting for the reaction. I was having a feeling as if my Graduation results were to be announced.

Well the result was more overwhelming as I got 110 out of 100. Yahooooooo. I was even gifted a silver coin by my father-in-law.

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Me the second best cook in my family

By - Kadiyala Ravichandra, Kochi, India

My dad is the best (cooks only when me and my mom are sick or not there.)
Me next in row, granny, next mom and then finally my sis.

Ok this is the story of my sis making beans curry with grated coconut. She is a very pampered girl (by my dad mostly and he doesn't like to upset her). The day she was making the curry she added baking soda instead of salt. Well my dad though aware of the situation ate it just to see her rejoice her first curry. I dint have time to appreciate the fatherly love here because I was laughing my head of there.

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My first experience with Indian food

By - Anthony Bastarache, Wilton Manors, USA

I was on a business trip, one of my first times staying in a large city for work... I checked into my hotel and looked at their guide for nearby restaurants. I saw that there was an Indian restaurant near where I was staying, so I decided to try something new. From the moment I walked in the door, I knew that I was going to experience something special... the aromas of incense and exotic spices were just amazing! I ordered the "mixed grill", a rice dish, and an order of naan at the advice of the waiter, who was very helpful to someone completely unfamiliar with the food.

When my meal arrived, it was presented with a tray of chutneys and relishes which hooked me on Indian cuisine forever. The most memorable was the Lime Pickle, a combination of flavors that I had never experienced before... salty, sour, pungent, spicy-hot... just an amazing combination of flavors.

Since then, I have learned how to cook Indian food myself and have moved to a larger city where the ingredients and spices are available nearby. Madhur Jaffrey's cookbooks have been an inspiration, and she got me addicted to Khatte chhole.

Many of my friends also love to cook, but I am the only one who keeps asafoetida, fenugreek, and kalonji as staples in my spicerack, and I know I am the only one in our group who makes his own masala as opposed to buying "curry powder".

I have recently moved into a new condo, and I plan on inviting my friends to an Indian themed housewarming party, and will be using the information found here to plan my menu.

Once again, many thanks for all the information you have provided here!

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Few blunders worth remembering

By - Rashida Abdulhusein, Canada

Memory 1 : When I was just out of high school, one day my mom said why don't you cook and I will stitch your chanio(pettycoat) and blouse for that sari you want to wear this afternoon... She was a seamstress and could stitch, or finish stitching, by the time I made rice and curry and rotis...
and that day she said to make bhindi(okra) with roti and rice..
fine, seemed easy, so I began.....
made the curry, coz that takes a little longer,
then made the rotis
then made bhagare rice (tempered rice),
and left bhindi for the last... was good coz just as I finished cutting the bhindis into small rounds, and turned the tap on to wash them, my mom came to find out how I was doing...

WAS SHE EVER SHOCKED OR WHAT!!!

budhoo, bhindi is washed first, then wiped and THEN cut, do u know what u r just about to do?

so she pushed me away from the sink and just managed to save the cut bhindis from becoming useless, or god knows what she could have done to me...

well I was around 16 or 17 then, so u see, I was such a dud, and from that time on have never created another blunder with the lovely and delicious bhindi....

obviously the bhindi would become too sticky to handle if I had washed it AFTER cutting it...

 

Memory 2 : Another blunder I often made was when she asked my to make curry, usually beef or chicken or goat. I would sauté the onions till they are brown then with the pan still on the stove start cutting the tomatoes, and then add the garlic-ginger paste, and the spices.

What do u think happened by then?

Obviously the onions became toooo dark, meaning masala jal jaata tha, so in order to try and sort out the mess, I would add double the tomato paste, and so the curry became bitter in taste, and the colour would be between chocolate and maroon.

Well, I did that several times and one day she said "This is the Umpteenth time I m showing you how to make curry", if u wont learn toh sasuma na haath no methipak chakhje (get a good thrashing from mother-in-law)!

Well obviously I learnt that I had to leave the onions a little undone, and bring the pan down and also to keep all the spices handy, the tomatoes should be diced BEFORE I started to sauté the onions, and hey presto !!

It is these kind of memories that sometimes still bring a smile to my face and of course my mom must be smiling from Heaven.

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Memorable Kitchen Experience

By - Meher Mirza, Mumbai, India

When I was 14 year old my Aunt was serious so she had to go to Mumbai and stay with her in hospital, so my mom told me that u take care of dad and your brother and cook food for them.

I was so scared to cook on my own as I use to help my mom in kitchen work but never cooked on my own.

So everyday new order came from my brother side make this and make that and I use to make it seeing few recipe from book and sometime it turn out nice sometime it was so horrible that I also didn't taste.

One day my father told me that make Mutton Dhanshak as that is our Parsi dish and I made it and serve them and my dad had it but didnt say anything and even I dint ask him.

After few days my mom came and my mom make Dhanshak again on Sunday
and we all were having lunch and my dad told my mom that "my daughter makes better Dhanshak then you" and I was so glad to hear that and my mom too was glad to know that, that was my first experience on cooking and it turn out nice.