My Plate of Joy

The year 2020, akin to other years, began with some retrospection and some goals. I enjoy the process immensely. When looking back at the year gone-by I recount my happy moments. My endeavor then is to do more of those things that made me feel good. It is a powerful exercise and I strongly recommend trying it. In business parlance, it helps with prioritization, but to me it helps me live my life in a fuller way. It empowers me to be, more me.  Anchor dates like New Year or Birthdays just make for easier check points and help inculcate this as a habit.

Yes, I do write goals. My goals mostly centre around learning. Why, learning? Because it gives me joy. Something I have arrived at and owe to my annual retrospection. The joy of satiating my curiosity, of new experiences, the unexplored, of overcoming inhibitions, of feeling better equipped and most importantly progressing as per my own yardstick.

This year, amongst other goals, I set myself up to cook a new recipe every week. That is 53 unique dishes. No, I have no prior love for the kitchen. In fact, am seldom required to do much in that space except ensure availability of raw materials and think of what should comprise the next meal. Whatever little cooking I had indulged-in, in the past was using intuition and turned out bearable. The situation did not turn on its head even with the lockdown-moms are great cooks!

There is a brighter side to even the grimmest situations like COVID 19. By 30th April 2020, 36 days into the lockdown, I was at 60 unique dishes. I met my goal and it does deserve a celebratory mention but that is not why I write this. I write this to share my learnings, my joy and my journey.

Cooking is creative, it’s about experimenting, being spontaneous, improvising, being intuitive. Am not sure I can replicate a dish because I rarely follow a recipe. I do look them up to get an idea, though. Top it with the excitement and uncertainty of how it will turn out and it is pure dopamine.

Am a person who loves breadth in things. The plethora of cuisines and umpteen variations to a dish, gives me so many options to work with. At present, am especially drawn to the cuisines of India and understandably so. Indian cuisine is bursting with richness, spices, aroma, bold flavours, history and culture.

A recipe is more than a set of instructions. Food is such a large part of our culture and is teeming with stories. I enjoy exploring these back stories. Why we eat what we eat? If that stokes you, I recommend watching Raja Rasoi aur Anya Kahaniyaan. Amongst the chefs, and I have very limited knowledge of them, I find watching Chef Ranveer Brar’s recipes informative.

Speaking of culture, am so happy to be at my mum’s place. There is no better place to learn or person to learn from. One of her lessons to me, when I was a little girl, was to always clean alongside and never leave a mess, it has stuck like superglue.

Not to forget, I have my captive test subjects.  We eat as a family, enjoy our countless meals, chat and look forward to our favorites being cooked. How is that for instant gratification. Cooking is an act of love, reciprocated by full stomachs and satisfied faces. Its food for the soul. It is rewarding.

No two cooks in my opinion are identical, they lend their touch, they leave a signature. Not necessarily discernible but there. Cooking is personal. To me its absorbing too. I don’t really need music in the background, though I do play some at times. When I do, I have observed a proclivity for shabads. Working with all those colours and aromas in the kitchen is relaxing. Perhaps that explains my love for mandis and chopping too.

Practice makes one perfect and cooking is just that. Perhaps that’s why cooks get better with age, develop their hacks and grandma’s love with her practical experience makes for best chefs. I have realised that I am intrigued by the technical, the chemistry of cooking, the why’s. If I understand these fundamentals, I should be able to apply that knowledge to any dish. As of now I have chanced upon such content in nuggets but nothing structured. Should you know of a resource, please do share. Maybe a content creator can take a cue from this.

I am a lone operator; this maybe so because sometimes even I don’t know what I am doing or maybe because someone may disrupt my cherished moment of ambiguity either way a crowded kitchen is not my space. I consider 2 a crowd. Am yet to develop muscle memory in the kitchen until then I prefer to focus.

First-hand experience on behind the scenes has made me mindful in some ways. I choose healthier options both when preparing and eating. I bust some myths around my favourite dishes. I thought they were harmless green veggies, now I know what it takes to make those crispy Karelas. So lesser of baking, frying and other sinful cooking for me.  I am more conscious of wastage now- ever tried a watermelon ki sabzi-it is delicious. Making my masalas from the scratch is an olfactory delight and   is worth it in every other way. Finally, I respect my food more. I spend more time savouring it. I respect what has gone behind the cook. I pay more attention; I appreciate it more.

I want to leave you with an idea or maybe two. Prepare a dish as a present next time. Not only is it wonderful in so many ways it far outdoes an off-the-counter wine. Rekindle the tradition of sending your neighbour what you cooked and remember you never return an empty dish. I have my neighbour to thank for putting me back onto it.

To wrap it all- I have acquired a life skill, I shall survive. Some punjabi families might contest this since I am yet to make a stuffed parantha. Also, am sorry I don’t have any pictures to share, and that this has to be so bland. Not only was I too busy enjoying myself, I never thought I would be putting together a write up on it.

In a nutshell: I don’t know how good I am at cooking but I know that I am better at it than before.