I am sure fellow ILites will have some interesting anecdotes on how they learnt to cook. I used to help my mother in the kitchen with some of the kitchen tasks. However I did not know to cook many dishes from start to finish. I could turn out an average chole, rajma or dal but that was about it. After my marriage, we purchased a cookbook titled Samayal and it was a lifesaver (for the most). I learnt cooking my cuisine from the Samayal book. I also heavily rely on Nellam Batras and Yamuna devis books. Prior to that I had undergone some tragic/comic experiences following recipes from bawarchi.com making huge amounts of horrible food :hide:. I remember inflicting my hubby with less than cooked chole in which the onions were also not properly cooked and serving him stone like rotis. I will not claim that I am very good cook but I think I can churn out a decent most of the time . No bets on new dishes that I try, it is all a function of the recipe. Looking forward to some interesting anecdotes from fellow ILites.
hi very interesting topic . I dont no cooking at all . i dont have time to go inside kitchen also my used to start from home at morning 6 and come back at evening 7 never entered kitchen for cooking during my college days. I used to have my breakfast and lunch in our college itself . we are not allowed to take home food . I used to go inside kitchen just taste some food items what mom prepared . After finishing college got job and immediately got married . i have to cook . how to cook . what to cook . i used to get up in the midnight and think about cooking . my hubby struggled eating my food in the starting . then learned slowly . taken printout of some basic recipes . i used to prepare that only for some days . we are veg and my hubby pure non veg . i have to cook non veg for him . till now never tasted it but i cooked non veg for 6 times it now . i ask my hubby to taste for salt . he says ah o.............k but .................. 9 months over we got married . i call to my mom ask for some recipe. check chitvish recipe search in net all things i do .
Hello Beamma, It is very difficult to make a decent meal if you have never made it before. I had to struggle a lot to learn cooking. My friends and books helped me very much to improve my cooking. Susi
Jayanti, That was a funny read. Susila, I agree with you. When we are going through the learning process, it is really frusterating at times when we put in all the effort to make something and it does not turn out properly.
nice topic, Beeamma. I too, like you, helped my mom here n there. The only good thing I learnt before marriage from my dad was to cut vegetables properly. He does that at home and chops so neatly. I am glad i atleast learnt that My mom always used to give running commentary when she was making special festival dishes and even on day today cooking. But she never let me cook because both my parents used to cook together. I always thought when my time comes i'll do what big deal. But I was in a big soup after i got married. I couldn't even manage a decent upma for DH when he asked breakfast. But he's one very patient soul and used to gobble up whatever i called sambar, rasam. Then slowly i started to do by referring books, ISD calls and now i can say i've fared pretty well. Atleast i'm not jittery anymore. Still there's a looooong way to go. But I've resolved i'll let my children do atleast basic cooking when they'Re young. They must be atleast able to fix me a cup of chai if i'm sick:hide:. Latha
Interesting topic. I was also just like jayanthisuresh before marriage. Being the youngest in a large family I was always pampered by brothers, SIL. Once I got engaged my Mom realized the necessacity to teach me some basic cooking. I cried, tried to avoid anyhow but she was strict & thanx to her that atleast I could make basic chapati, veggies, dal & rice. After marriage we moved to a diff country, my hubby was very fond of sweets, oops ....I didn't know any. Being a strict veg nothing was available in the shops for us in that country. My hubby gifted me Tarla Dalal's cook-book. I started with trial & error method. And as Traveller said my hubby too was a patient soul, never complained (he does now, as he knows I can make better) & always encouraged me. Thanx to him for his motivation. I developed an interest in cooking.
hi i always use to help my mom in kitchen and then during the holidays i use to try out dishes my mom use to make. I have interest in cooking ,after marriage i really needed to learn lot of non vegetarian dishes as my dh was used to them.slowly he got stared eating vegetarin dishes too. vandannav
HI, before marriage i didnot know anything in cooking and never used to enter the kitchen,( 40 yrs ago when i was in my teens)i was fully occupied in my college activities. my mother never used to scold or pester me to learn cooking she believed those who are having good taste would become good cook.after marriage, i slowly started learning.by trail and error method. in the beginning i would forget to put salt and get scolds from my hubby. but now i am an expert. if you want go and verify my watering cookies post. with love pad.
BeeAmma, I was also like you...learned only the side work in cooking...after marriage, I got the help from Meenakshi Ammal books, tips from my mother, grandmother, aunts and my friends..which I noted down in a big book. Got help from the local library by way of getting cook books and the like. Now from Chitvish, Krishnamma and other friends from IL.. Still learning... sriniketan
Hi all I also helped my mother in the kitchen from time to time cutting up the vegetables etc for her. However when I was abt 13/14 my mum used to help in the family business so she'd phone me and say I must 'start' the cooking. So I'd start braising the curry and she'd take over when she got home. Though I was vegetarian even then I'd start the mutton/ chicken curry till the gravy stage and then she'd come and take over adding potatoes, checking for salt etc. If my mother got delayed I prepare some simple meals for my 2 brothers and 2 sisters - like tomato chutney, french fries, potato curry. When I started working my sister and I used to cook during weekends. I'd mostly cook 'English foods', pasta etc following the recipes to the letter. So when I got married we didn't starve. I was fortunate that even my husband knows how to cook and would do so if he was home before me. The only thing was I had to adjust to cooking for two whereas I was used to cooking larger quantities. My only regret is that I didn't learn to make sweet meats (mithai) from her but it's not too late - I can still learn. Problem is she doesnt stick to a recipe - does her own thing, adds or decreases to her liking!! Nice going down memory lane!! Regards Neesha
