pleasures of cooking

Sandwich

Cooking is an art,which requires not only the  knowledge of the recipe you are preparing,but you should be adept in making variations according to the persons you are going to serve.A good cook  experiments  with  her tools to make the end result not only tasty and also hear a word appreciation.If a same recipe is given to two individuals,both will come out tasting distinctly different. Recently my grand daughter had sandwich making competition in her class.I wondered what sort of competition will it  be, when there cannot be any variation in the ingredients and the method of preparation.But I am sure that the end product must have been different in taste for the judges to decide the result.   
After you cook a dish repeatedly  you begin to understand it and make it perfect.If you are careful and  don't take any shortcuts,you will come out a winner.
Cookery is not only  a noble art but a noble science.Our grand mothers used to make food according to tradition.The Dal made by my mother tasted the same.even with the passage of time.
       

Black Dal

 The present generation wants experimentation  even with a modest Dal.The task is therefore challenging for the housewife.While the scientific approach is being appreciated, paradoxically  the interest in cooking is  on a decline in the youngsters  today.On the slightest pretext, food is ordered from outside. Everything is available in tetra-packs and there is no need to cook.Slowly and surely this culture is   spreading around the world..It will be a sad day if the practice of cooking is lost to oblivion.
A good cook is a gift of God.A famous quote says 'the discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of mankind than  the discovery of a star.'A good Dinner prepared and presented lovingly is satisfying for the body and the soul.

Mouthwatering rice dish

Paneer temptation

                                                             


 Everybody loves good food.A famous saying 'the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.'is very apt.
 I am inclined to give a recipe which I tried recently and  was 
 appreciated .This  is Suji (semolina) dhokla. Dhokla is normally made with gram flour but in this recipe Suji is used.
Ingredients:
Suji  one cup
Curd one cup
Tamarind  the size of a small marble
Turmeric  one pinch
Salt  to taste
Green chillies two
 Coriander leaves finely chopped  2 spoons
Fruit salt(Enos)  1 spoon
Method:
 Mix all the ingredients and form a smooth paste .(consistency of pakoras). Keep aside for half an hour. Take a cake dish, smear it with a few drops of oil. Pour the Dhokla paste in it and steam it in a pressure cooker,with water below the dish.Ensure that the water does not  enter the dish.Steam for 10 minutes. Check with a fork ,whether done. Remove and allow it to cool. Invert it into the serving dish.Temper it with mustard seeds and  green chillies.Cut into diagonal shape and serve.