Cookery
shows on television have always interested me. Though I don't cook much, the
shows do provide some amount of entertainment and a lot better than watching
reality shows or the MiL-DiL battles. Till a few years back, the cookery shows
were mostly studio based. There would be a host with a guest who would display
her cooking skills or rather how she cooked a particular item. It would mostly be
a low cost operation with a long shot of the guest and a close up of the food.
Presentation was secondary. The host would keep jabbering in the background
with no clue whatsoever as to what was being made. Soon the host got replaced
by a starlet to increase viewership and so did the guest. The western versions
were a little better. The host did the cooking and knew his stuff...well most
of the times. There were no competitions or contests. Floyd was my favourite.
As
time went by, there came a new show from down under which had a set of people,
amateur chefs, competing amongst themselves to be the master of all chefs. It
was a very interesting concept as the competitors went through various rounds
with theme based dishes and getting eliminated as one moved to the next round.
What made it interesting was the presentation of the show and the fact that the
judges were accomplished chefs, owners of restaurants and food critics who not
only knew their pots and pans but also the difference between sauté and satay. There
would also be guest chefs who would bring in their creations and the
competitors had to recreate them.
What
the show did was add glamour to a socially unacceptable profession in this part
of the world and transformed a person from a cook to a chef. What it also did
was introduce the viewer to the entire process, technique and time that went
into creation of dishes that takes us a very little time to devour. That a dish
needs technique in its preparation and has various components was something I
may say was unknown or rather unsaid to a layman. To most of us cooking does
not entail much. You take a main ingredient, be it a veggie or meat, chop it or
dice it, add oil, masala, water, bring it to a boil and it's done. If you want
a curry just add more water. It's always the masala that added taste and that
the taste of the main ingredient has to savored as well is simply unknown. The
meat or fish is invariably overcooked beyond recognition and to repeat myself,
masala is king.
Anyway
coming back to our program, after watching several seasons, I have begun to
look at my regular food in a new way. There are new terms added to my food/cooking
vocabulary. Just collecting all the ingredients is now "mise en
place".
My
regular aloo subji is now made with
the best potatoes from Punjab or wherever boiled to the right consistency without getting
mushy. Lightly sautéed in oil with some cumin, turmeric, curry leaves and some
green chilies to add "heat". Have it with Indian flat bread with some
lime pickle for a very fulfilling meal followed by a yoghurt smoothie.
One
also has to cook in a manner as to retain the original flavours of the main
ingredient or the "hero" of the dish. That poses a great danger to
those who anyway hate their Eggplants, Okra, and bitter gourd.
The
other day my father declared that his raspberry sorbet had too much "acidity".
Acidity is a term one normally associates with the stomach arising from eating
too much or too little, symptoms being nauseous belches and a burning
sensation. I have also been enlightened by a toothpaste advertisement that
acidity is also caused in the mouth when going through the motions of eating.
Anyway, what would normally have been called as sour is now acidity. One also
needs to know how to "balance" this acidity with any sweetness of a
dish.
Caramalization
is another term that I used to associate with the burning of sugar. Now
anything that is being browned is being caramelized including onions. If you
want to have "protein" in your meal, a multi vitamin pill is not
sufficient and meat is the answer.
My
grandmother who was born and raised in Gujarat would love to add some Lasan Sev or leelo chivdo to
her veggies. I have also followed her footsteps and do it whenever the
opportunity offers. Now I realize that such sprinklings add some "crunch"
to otherwise mushy and tasteless vegetables.
Ice
cream is no longer made at home by freezing some sweet flavoured milk. You can
have some made instantly with liquid nitrogen. You can also have some
"rocket" in your food, a term I am still looking for the local
equivalent. Edible flowers is the other thing though using rose petals in the
form of Gulkand is an age old thing.
The humble raw mango/amla Murrabba is
a "preserve" or is that a "reduction". If you feel you have
to bite into your Pasta, remember if still hard it is not uncooked but "al
dente" and that's how it is eaten.
And
not to worry if your Undhiyo is not
what it is supposed to be. It can always be your "take" on the
traditional one. Even if you don't assemble all the "components" and
present them individually, you are being innovative with a "deconstructed"
one.
I have also been made aware that testicles,
tongue, trotters and brain are beautiful and need to be cooked with love and
care. This will surely help those with low appetites. Bon Appétit .
`Rocket' is also known as Arugula. You can get it at many places. Godrej Natures basket carries this. Trikaya agriculture grows this and places which stock Trikaya products should have this. You get it at Crawford Market. You get it at Sunil Bhajiwalla at Pali market. Now get out and buy it. No excuses.
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