Christmas holidays in the pre-corona era with all my aunts who come down from their respective cities with all my cousins to spend a few weeks with us. It used to be one of the most exhilarating times of the year for us, something I would really look forward to. We would all gather in my father's maternal uncle's large ancestral house bursting to its seams with kids and grown-ups yelling, screaming, laughing, whoops and hollers having fun was what life was all about. Typically, we would all gather for Sunday morning breakfast where my father’s aunt would always regale us with the special dal pakwan, our mouths would work in unison scoffing down one pakwan after another.
We would enjoy piping hot cups of tea and devour this delicacy along. Served with an assortment of spicy & sweet chutney and raw onions, this was a treat that we just could never get enough of. When nostalgia came knocking, I tried making this dish during the lockdown on my own since I wanted to commence my cooking journey as a cookery student.
My journey to assist my head chef (my mother) began with making daal pakwan and potato fritters (my regional cookery project).
My mom's first instruction; “Cooking is a sweaty business, so tie your hair up and wear comfortable cotton clothes while you are trying your hand at cooking.” I thought I would look like Beyonce while cooking, but then I realised I don’t even look like that doing any other chores, and cooking’s isn’t any different!
So, my first assignment under her inspection was quite interesting and my credence built up. My Michelin star and the only inspiration in cooking, my mom, taught me many of her appetizing recipes. Before lockdown, rustling up for a recipe felt like a lot of effort. I would rather sit at the dining table and let the magic happen at mom's kitchen. Why bother to toil over an elaborate preparation, when my grandmothers can make it for me!
But this lockdown has changed my perspective towards cooking. It's also about taking charge of yourself and learning to be independent. The fact that my skills have upgraded from barely making a cup of tea to whipping up and baking cake...I'm sure I can taste something at a restaurant and say, “Hey, I could make this better at home!...”
YUMMY😋😋