Khana Khazana
One of the most important aspects of setting up your home involves the setting up of the kitchen. It requires a lot of time, effort, innovation and investment to get your kitchen up and running effeciently. The outcome of all this effort is surely rewarding, as it ensures that your stomach recieves a clean and healthy supply of food, which suites your taste.
Sunday, 16th November, saw the inauguration of my kitchen. Yes, it was delayed because of various circumstances, but I am happy that I eventually got there. I brought most of the utensils I needed, from Mumbai. Mom informed me that we had extra supplies of everything back home and hence, during my return after diwali, I packed up everything from glasses, spoons to the copper bottom vessel to make sabji. Stuff like stove, gas cylinder and cooker, I decided to purchase from Bangalore itself.
The 'Servo Flame' burner came in last to last weekend, thanks to a good deal offered to me by Big Bazaar. A Rs. 2250/- deposit also ensured the delivery of a 14.5kg gas cylinder, last saturday evening. The cooker and other plastic equipment to store the food items like sugar, salt and masalas followed on Sunday. I was hoping to get the actual food items that evening, but I postponed it to later in the week, since Varun had come from Mumbai and we had decided to dine outside that day.
However, the kitchen had to be inaugurated and Mummy dearest informed me that I had to start with milk. According to the ritual, I had to boil milk and let it spill over. But a few honest questions from mom, made me modify it to suit my need:
Mom: "Will you clean the stove, after the milk spills?"
Me: "I don't think so"
Mom: "Then no need to spill the milk. Just boil it and drink it"
And so I boiled the milk.....only until it spilled over for 1mm on the outer walls of the vessel (pardon my attention to details, when it comes to measurement). I rarely drink milk in it's purest form and hence, there was a glass with Bournvita and sugar waiting for the milk to be poured in.
Ten minutes later, after a real long time, I had gulped down a glass of choclate flavoured Bournvita, boiled on my very own stove!!! :)
Next target was to cook something nice......but my project work and customer hassles ensured that I stayed late and dined in office from Monday to Wedensday. Finally, today, the D-day arrived. I left early, and decided to cook some dal and rice for starters. The groceries were purchased on the way home and after arranging all the masalas in place and cleaning the utensils, I started my first task of boiling the dal. The boiling of the dal taught me a lot about my new cooker and I didn't take long to find out that I had used extra water. While the dal boiled, the rice was cleaned and after some six whistles, the rice replaced the dal in the cooker. I had decided to make konkani style dal or dalitoi as it is fondly known and hance my next task was to give my dal a perfect tadka or ffann, in konkani.
My mom normally prepares the ffann in a small vessel and adds it on top of the dal. But, I don't have that special vessel and this is where innovation sets in. I normally prepare the tadka first and add the dal to it. While I was doing it I realized that I was missing one of the key ingredient - kadipatta and hence decided to cover up by using jeera and cummin seeds instead. The overall result - not bad!!!
My rice meanwhile wasn't doing too good.....yes it had boiled correctly, but when I opened the cooker I realized I had purchased the wrong type of rice!!!
People down south prefer the thicker boiled type of rice and I got confused between the sona masoori and sona boiled category of rice and picked the wrong one :(
Nevermind, it wasn't as if I couldn't eat at all. All was not lost.....I decided to fry some papad to go with the dal rice. It was here that I learn't something new - papads' can catch fire!!!
I left the first one a little too long on the fire and it literally caught fire.......due to which I had to toss it into the sink. I was much more careful with the second and third and finally one hour into my soujourn, I sat and had my very first home-cooked meal.
I think it was one of the proudest moment in my life. It's these little things about life that I treasure more than anything...... This was probably the third kitchen I inaugurated, but this one today gave me an extra sense of happiness and pleasure :)
I had to tell someone about my little success, and the person on the other line to pick my call was the most unlikely, but definately the most important one - Dad. He was the first to congratulate me and he even had a good laugh when I told him about my goof up with the rice. Mom, as usual asked all the tertiary questions like "Do you have pickle?" and "Did you burn your fingers while making papad?"
All in all it was a great experience...........
My next target, which I hope to acheive this weekend is obviously 'fish' or atleast 'chicken'. I need a fridge before that and I hope I can get one by Saturday. Along with the fridge comes a constant supply of milk, curd and eggs.
In the words of 'Teja' from Andaz Apna Apna......
"Dozen undon se mein omlete banounga......omlete ke sath bread chahiye....bread bhi mein hi doonga.....mein bakery kholunga, jiska naam hoga Bajaj....hamara bajaj...hamara bajaj..."
(disshummm)
So, on this historic night, let me not wander off like Mr. Paresh Rawal, but instead revel in the glory of my success, like the scientist of Chandrayaan....who from the ISRO headquarters, next door, sounded a warning to the world about their arrival in the space race......
Only difference is that I will do it in true Rajni vorray style -
"Aye Mr. Sanjeev Kapoor....ur khana may be khazana....but my khana...is for the new zamana...
yepadi......how is it??
kaanna......you can catch me, but you cannot match me...."
he - he - he....... Jujupi
(P.S.: watch out this spot for more interesting recipes and methods of 'how not to burn your food'......Amen)
Sunday, 16th November, saw the inauguration of my kitchen. Yes, it was delayed because of various circumstances, but I am happy that I eventually got there. I brought most of the utensils I needed, from Mumbai. Mom informed me that we had extra supplies of everything back home and hence, during my return after diwali, I packed up everything from glasses, spoons to the copper bottom vessel to make sabji. Stuff like stove, gas cylinder and cooker, I decided to purchase from Bangalore itself.
The 'Servo Flame' burner came in last to last weekend, thanks to a good deal offered to me by Big Bazaar. A Rs. 2250/- deposit also ensured the delivery of a 14.5kg gas cylinder, last saturday evening. The cooker and other plastic equipment to store the food items like sugar, salt and masalas followed on Sunday. I was hoping to get the actual food items that evening, but I postponed it to later in the week, since Varun had come from Mumbai and we had decided to dine outside that day.
However, the kitchen had to be inaugurated and Mummy dearest informed me that I had to start with milk. According to the ritual, I had to boil milk and let it spill over. But a few honest questions from mom, made me modify it to suit my need:
Mom: "Will you clean the stove, after the milk spills?"
Me: "I don't think so"
Mom: "Then no need to spill the milk. Just boil it and drink it"
And so I boiled the milk.....only until it spilled over for 1mm on the outer walls of the vessel (pardon my attention to details, when it comes to measurement). I rarely drink milk in it's purest form and hence, there was a glass with Bournvita and sugar waiting for the milk to be poured in.
Ten minutes later, after a real long time, I had gulped down a glass of choclate flavoured Bournvita, boiled on my very own stove!!! :)
Next target was to cook something nice......but my project work and customer hassles ensured that I stayed late and dined in office from Monday to Wedensday. Finally, today, the D-day arrived. I left early, and decided to cook some dal and rice for starters. The groceries were purchased on the way home and after arranging all the masalas in place and cleaning the utensils, I started my first task of boiling the dal. The boiling of the dal taught me a lot about my new cooker and I didn't take long to find out that I had used extra water. While the dal boiled, the rice was cleaned and after some six whistles, the rice replaced the dal in the cooker. I had decided to make konkani style dal or dalitoi as it is fondly known and hance my next task was to give my dal a perfect tadka or ffann, in konkani.
My mom normally prepares the ffann in a small vessel and adds it on top of the dal. But, I don't have that special vessel and this is where innovation sets in. I normally prepare the tadka first and add the dal to it. While I was doing it I realized that I was missing one of the key ingredient - kadipatta and hence decided to cover up by using jeera and cummin seeds instead. The overall result - not bad!!!
My rice meanwhile wasn't doing too good.....yes it had boiled correctly, but when I opened the cooker I realized I had purchased the wrong type of rice!!!
People down south prefer the thicker boiled type of rice and I got confused between the sona masoori and sona boiled category of rice and picked the wrong one :(
Nevermind, it wasn't as if I couldn't eat at all. All was not lost.....I decided to fry some papad to go with the dal rice. It was here that I learn't something new - papads' can catch fire!!!
I left the first one a little too long on the fire and it literally caught fire.......due to which I had to toss it into the sink. I was much more careful with the second and third and finally one hour into my soujourn, I sat and had my very first home-cooked meal.
I think it was one of the proudest moment in my life. It's these little things about life that I treasure more than anything...... This was probably the third kitchen I inaugurated, but this one today gave me an extra sense of happiness and pleasure :)
I had to tell someone about my little success, and the person on the other line to pick my call was the most unlikely, but definately the most important one - Dad. He was the first to congratulate me and he even had a good laugh when I told him about my goof up with the rice. Mom, as usual asked all the tertiary questions like "Do you have pickle?" and "Did you burn your fingers while making papad?"
All in all it was a great experience...........
My next target, which I hope to acheive this weekend is obviously 'fish' or atleast 'chicken'. I need a fridge before that and I hope I can get one by Saturday. Along with the fridge comes a constant supply of milk, curd and eggs.
In the words of 'Teja' from Andaz Apna Apna......
"Dozen undon se mein omlete banounga......omlete ke sath bread chahiye....bread bhi mein hi doonga.....mein bakery kholunga, jiska naam hoga Bajaj....hamara bajaj...hamara bajaj..."
(disshummm)
So, on this historic night, let me not wander off like Mr. Paresh Rawal, but instead revel in the glory of my success, like the scientist of Chandrayaan....who from the ISRO headquarters, next door, sounded a warning to the world about their arrival in the space race......
Only difference is that I will do it in true Rajni vorray style -
"Aye Mr. Sanjeev Kapoor....ur khana may be khazana....but my khana...is for the new zamana...
yepadi......how is it??
kaanna......you can catch me, but you cannot match me...."
he - he - he....... Jujupi
(P.S.: watch out this spot for more interesting recipes and methods of 'how not to burn your food'......Amen)
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