chefs of the world ..here I come

cooking from the heart 

Wow that an intimidating title ..Iam not sure i mean anything by it ....so readers ,ignore it just like I did:P

"Food was celebration, conversation, and nourishment. The table is where the big decisions of the family are made and all the arguing takes place."
(Adriana Trigiani)

True, but in my case cooking is also an expression of my creativity ..I almost feel like a magician concocting edible visions when I play with those ingredients .

My first introduction to the art of cooking was learning something as basic as a cup of tea at age 8 .As I grew older I learned to impress ma with my "chai" and then graduated to learning how to knead flour and roll chappatis .My chapatis often resembled the maps of far away countries but mom was patient as moms are ..she comforted me saying that it would get better .That didnt happen but atleast I became more helpful around the house.

As years went by I learnt more;gradually but reluctantly.Often wondered why mom couldnt let me be and not teach me anything like a ,lot of other moms .I already knew far too much than my classmates and freinds and was strangely embarrassed about adimtting to my culinary expertise (pun intended ).I ranted and raved like a bull in a china shop but ma ddnt give up .She wanted her girls to be self sufficent and know everything that she did'nt know or did'nt learn in time ...Little did I know that I was learning something so invaluable, the art of cooking :)

By 10 I even knew how to make cakes and cookies ,puddings (again on ma'd prodding) and we were all making fun stuff during our summer holidays at home (stuff like parathas, various kinds of subzis, gol gappe,chat,gulab jamun ,kheer ,other snacks etc).

When I was 11 yrs old ma started a new thing around the house .On saturdays after we got back from school ,everyone would contribute one item towards lunch or dinner and i remember being ready with all my recipes from magazines and newspapers ,all set to make my impression..and I did ...Ma was my inspiration , her cooking is awesome and she always was ready with tips and suggestions to make things better ,I used to watch her fascinated as a kid .My big sister ,my partner in crime and fun was my other inspiration ..she was always "messing "with food and churning out great stuff...and keeping up with her wasnt easy :)my granny and grand ma are great cooks too so the influence kept rubbing off ..I loved watching cooking shows ,cookery books and kept adding recipes here and there to my scrap book:)

time went by and I learnt to cook most stuff thats part of the indian cusine(including bengali and punjabi cusine and many others) ..other things became more important though like my education and a career and cooking took a backseat.for a while I only cooked if I had to or If I had any time.

then I met my future husband and I pretended that I was dumb and knew squat about cooking ..he was most understanding and said he ddnt care and that we could eat out or work somethign out (I cackled when he said that) ..After marriage ,he was shocked out of his wits to learn that I dont only cook but actually cook well and most stuff at that .

I have rediscovered cooking after marriage and coming to the US of A ..here Iam the queen of my kitchen and make all the rules .There are so many cusines to chose from and learn about ;cooking never seems mundane ..what with all the ingredients , spices , ovens ,pots ,pans ,paraphernelia, techniques and instructions available ..its always fun..iam curently dabbling in thai ,chinese food and american food and its great:) .theres so much to learn and I am nowhere near tiring.

In my heart ,everyday I nurture to dream to open my own restaurant some day and showcase my creativity and share some love

because as the saying goes "Food should be prepared with butter and love" .Me,I spare the butter and just add more love