Me - A Cook?

Me - A Cook?

If my memory serves me right, the first time I 'tried" to cook something was when my parents had been away to my native place. They had adviced me to go to the hotel and have food. But, I thought cooking was easy job and went into the kitchen.

I did not even know that rice has to be washed before leaving it to boil in the pressure cooker. Straight it went from the rice sack to the cooker. Then, I decided to make sambar. I took some dhal and left it to boil in a bowl of water. Then added chilly powder,turmeric. I had no idea of the porpotion and added nearly 3 times turmeric powder compared to chilly powder. I also chopped some ladies finger vegetable. I kept a bowl on the stove and added oil and mustard. ( I have seen my mom do this religously every time and I am fascinated to hear the sound of the mustard when it hits the hot oil). Then I added the chopped ladies finger (btw, why is it called ladies finger...strange..) and the turmeric and chilly powder. Left it to boil and covered it with a lid.
After 10 mins, I tasted it.... obviously it was horrible. They it flashed. Salt, the saviour. The so called sambar went from worse to worst as the real taste came out. (Oh! What a taste). Then I opened the cooker and I was shocked to see lot of yellowish residue on the rice. It was to horrible to eat. This was in 11th standard. (Age 15)

But, now I am a matured cook who write his own recipes and offer it to others and walk away with kudos. My speciality..... rasam,brinjal curry,cauliflower curry. I can make wonderful sambar, provided my mother gives me the magic home prepared sambhar powder.