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March 18, 2007

I ain't fat for no reason.

OK. Its time I say this aloud, modesty be damned! I am a good cook. While I am at it, I'm an awesome cook! I'm not bloody creative or I don't claim to know everything that's there in cooking, but whatever I do I'm good at it. And I LOVE cooking. OK now, this does nt sound unbelievable to you does it? DOES it? I did nt think so too! So why the hell is it hard for my friends to believe the same? Every time I talk to one of my college friends, they re surprised that Im married, a house wife, a stay at home mother, a cook, a home maker, etc... One of them is surprised that I had a natural labor and not a C section because she did nt think I had it in me to go through a natural labor. Another one laughed on the phone when I announced that I was pregnant as in "YOU are pregnant!" Almost all of them think that I am lying when I tell them what I cooked for a dinner party. Now, why would a woman pushing 30 lie about what she cooked for dinner to anyone other than her mother in law? Beats me!

The thing is I was a tom boy in school and college. And our family moved a lot because of my dads job. So except for a couple of friends, I have nt met anyone after I got married. And me living out of India does nt help either. So everyone has this image of this girl who was out going, who did nt know how to cook, who had a boy friend even though she was in a girls college, who fought with her dad, who read Mills & Boon, blah, blah, blah! And I was the first one to get married among friends. Go figure! And I get all this heat from girls who don't know what gestational diabetes is even though they had it, cant spell Schezwan, don't name their babies until the babies start speaking, live with their in-laws and tell me that they like their MIL more than their mother and schedule a C section after consulting an astrologer! God only knows why I even bother to stay in touch with them. Who needs enemies when I have friends like these?

Now for some proof of my culinary skills:






Tomato baskets stuffed with capsicum rice. I made this inspired by a friends recipe.











Banana muffins I baked yesterday.








I don't have more photos here. But take my word for it when I say I make a mean Pineapple Rasam. That's my speciality. My Rava upma/khichdi is something else altogether. I have brought respect to the word Upma among friends and family. I make awesome Pasta with home made sauce. I am good at chopping veggies. I am better than a food processor! I don't use any frozen veggies except green peas. No pre cut veggies either! No tinned fruits except pineapples. No canned veggies except sweet corn. I am very popular among friends for making Veg puffs, Enchilada, Layered Aloo tikki chole, Khulfi, Rasam, Sambar, Veg clear soup,... My idlis, dosas and adai are always good. Im known to make tasty raita and mor kozhambu(kadhi) even though I don't like them and don't eat them.

Now to discard the evil eye, here are the things I am no good at.

I can never make a perfectly round chapathi/roti even if my life depended on it.

I am very scared to deep fry in oil. So I very rarely make pooris, bhajjis and pakodas much to the disappointment of Hd.

Except for Gulab jamoon, ghajar halwa, Rava kesari and Kheer, I have never tried making any other sweet. Oh, I made Basundi once. And I tried making Rasmalai. Gave up half way through. Don't ask!


Even though I make passable muffins and breads, I still have nt perfected the art of cake making.

I am NEVER consistent. No one can taste a dish and say for certain that I had cooked it. I still have nt got that "my" flavour!

I can never follow a recipe to the T. I have to give it my touch. At times, it does nt work!

Bottom line - Judge my cooking by my looks! Like I said, I ain't fat for no reason! ;)

28 comments:

Unknown said...

this is too much.. I am not fat.. that doesnt mean I am a bad cook !!

;)

edukku kuzhandhaiya killanum ? adukkapparom thottilai aatanum ?

:)

shub said...

okay Boo...that post had my mouth-watering!! while there's still a good 2 hours to lunch!

Anonymous said...

Please Please start a food blo too..!!

Regards,
Sangeetha

Anonymous said...

sorry I meant food blog

Sangeetha

Itchingtowrite said...

impressive.. r u taking classes. or better still when r u next in chennai? i invite myself to your place

Anonymous said...

I really hope I would turn out as you did Boo! I have always been out-going, with loooots of "guy friends" and everyone knows I havent tried much cooking at all!! And now with thesis etc over, I've got 3 mnths before I leave for Germany and start experimenting on my cooking skills....So, I've just started learning
from my mom!!
Hope I become a good cook like you :-)
illaina appappa I wl come to Zurich and eat all the mouth-watering stuff you've just described!!!!!!!!!:-)

lakshmi

Crumbling Cookie said...

Yes Yes, I identify..I am loud , I out going, I had a boy friend, I went to school for a long time,I fight with mom and dad and SO, I can't cook, bear children, raise them and be happy...who needs enemies indeed!
Lying about what I cooked for dinner to MIL-I don't even try anymore.
Tomato baskets-yummilious!
Pineapple rasam-post recipe please please please.
I am no good with baking..but the muffins look professional!!

noon said...

Oh my god! I can't believe that tomato basket! Incredible! How do you do a basket like that with a tomato?! You have to start a food blog! And can I be your friend! All yummy dishes - more kozhambu and what not! Too bad you live in Zurich!

Premalatha said...

//this is too much.. I am not fat.. that doesnt mean I am a bad cook !!

;)
//
exactly. (OK, I confess. I tried banana + flour + sugar = siyyaappam/paniyaaram, it was a disaster. so i shoved it in the oven hoping to get a banana cake. don't ask what came out of the oven. obviously it was straight shoved in bin after two days of hoping that someone will eat it).

the tomato basket proves you are a pro. muffin too.

Kowsalya Subramanian said...

Atleast for you, it is only your college friends but for me even my mom and sis don't accept it as I am always a kid in their eyes. When I take some tasty dishes back home, they ask "who cooked?" knowing very well that both my hubby and my kid do not cook

B o o said...

Sundar - You dont have to rub it in, ok? Its just my defense for not exercising! ;)

Shub - Too bad I dont have all those photos I hae left behind in India. Now that would have been something! :)

sangeetha - Have you seen the food blogs around? Im hopeless compared to them!

B o o said...

I2W - Classes? Ha ha! That tomato basket recipe was told to me with step by step intstructions! Dont know about Chennai, but for sure if you are in Zurich!

Laskhmi - According to me, anyone can cook! Need a little interest, thats all. Especially with google, nothing is impossible!!

SM - We both are so similar in lot of things, I have noticed. Lying to MIL becomes necessary when we are eating garlic bread and soup for lunch and she calls up and asks what I "cooked"(not fixed!) for dinner! ;)

B o o said...

Noon - Easy peesy with those huge tomatoes which are called Beef tomatoes in Europe. Gotta look for the recipe. That was a long time ago. Like I said, food blog and me? ha!

Latha - Come on! Not you too! ;) Good that I had the banana basket photo handy!! May be I should take that photo around whenever I visit friends! :)

Kowsalya - Thats too bad! But my mom always complains that I dont make any of the special dishes for her. But she completely takes over the kitchen when she visits and I become totally lazy!

Anusha said...

how the heck did you do that to a tomato??? maybe you could put the step by step in your (secret) food blog - surely you have one, don't you??? then enter it for JFI - tomato.
btw, who needs those real life friends when you have dedicated blog commenters :)

Anusha said...

oh and btw 2 - tell us abt the 'boyfriend' next time ;-)

Anonymous said...

Let me join the chorus of those begging you to share the tomato secret.

Anonymous said...

Can't wait for you to arrive? Slurp Slurp!! I am not your mom.. I will leave my kitchen all for yourself!! He He He...

Me said...

...ennaku ennamo andha imaginary bf kadhai maari idhuvum irukumo nu bayangara doubt...;)

B o o said...

Kodis mom - Exactly why I blogged about it. I love you guys! :) Boyfriend? Now that would go into my secret blog, if I had one! ;)

MG - Lemme go dig to find that recipe in demand.

S - Dream on Girl! Remember those were pre-Ashu days when I had time to scoop out tomatoes. Now I can change diapers blindfolded! Interested? ;)

B o o said...

Me - indha post e ungala maadhiri sandheha cases kaaha dhaan potten! Idhuku mela ennatha solla? :(

Itchingtowrite said...

sorry i meant r u conducting classes? we will attend

Shammi said...

argh, all those dishes... post RECIPES! PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZE! I promise to try 'em and give TOTAL credit to you on my foodblog. Your layered aloo tikki chole sounds like something I really desperately want to try, Boo :)

Anonymous said...

Boo, periya show off :P

B o o said...

i2w - This is too much! ;)

Shyam - I flicked the recipe from the net.Heres the link http://www.tarladalal.com/ViewContributedRecipe.asp?recipeid=2353
Gotta tell you its a long process to make it but comes out so yummy that you dont want to share it at all! ;)

WA - That was the point of the post. So you believe me? Yippeee!!

Kowsalya Subramanian said...

Aaah.. I read the recipe and its fairly a long process. Can we be friends and the next time you make this dish, please please parcel to chennai ;)

Shammi said...

Bl**dy hell! Boo, that's one time-consuming recipe and all hail to you for making it. I second Kowsalya... if I make Switzerland my next holiday destination when you make this, can I come over? :)

the mad momma said...

ah! i hate cooking... and i guess it shows on me!!! but funny... i make very round chapattis, excellent puris and deep fried thingies... and the most amazing brownies....

maybe we should move in together.. the kids will have company and we can kind of work together for the perfect menu

B o o said...

Kowsalya and Shyam - I did warn you did nt I? ;) All this talk has made me want to make it! Tell me when you guys are visiting!

MM - LOL! Round chapathis and puris and playmates for Ashu? It ll be like heaven! :)

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