I love cooking. I do. And, much to people's initial astonishment (hmph!) I am good at it. I always loved making my own snacks at home (usually, something to do with eggs or brownies) and of course I could always make the tea my body demands at regular intervals during the day. But I learnt to actually cook actual food when I left home for the first time, wandered off to England, and decided I didn't really fancy living on fish-and-chips for the next three years. And of course, since my mommy wasn't around to help (read:cook) for me, I had to improvise.
Therefore, aside from when I'm trying to make something very specific (like my aachi's kanjamolaga chicken) I experiment, going by sense of smell and accumulated knowledge of spice flavours. Cooking is an absolute joy. There is nothing really like the joy of creating something, and having your creation be appreciated by others - whether it be a painting, a song, a poem, or a delicious curry. Mmm. *slurp* And if you're a foodie, of course, there's the added joy of eating... :P
BUT...the advantage to following an actual recipe is, you can keep the recipe, and follow it again. And you know you'll be making the same delicious thing you did last time. For those of us who cook by instinct, and don't have a pen handy...well, that's the first and the last time you make that dish. And if your food comes out tasty enough for someone to ask you for the recipe? You look sheepish, and mutter something along the lines of "Umm...I have no idea. *eyedart*"
If you're reading this blog, I'm sure you know the feeling - someone's coming over for dinner. You have nothing in the house. You throw some random ingredients together and somehow, it turns out brilliant! Everyone loves it, but by the next day you have no freaking idea what you did. And of course, you can never make it again. No matter how hard you try. It's never quite the same. It's some tiny key ingredient you've forgotten...a pinch of kalonji or asafoetida, or maybe a couple of curry leaves. Or maybe even that extra garlic paste that accidentally slopped out of the jar. Who knows.
So, this blog's purpose is to document those things I make which turn out good enough for me to want to make them again. And anyone else's 'creations' which they share with me.
Because there are some dishes that should get made a second time. And a third...and a...
Therefore, aside from when I'm trying to make something very specific (like my aachi's kanjamolaga chicken) I experiment, going by sense of smell and accumulated knowledge of spice flavours. Cooking is an absolute joy. There is nothing really like the joy of creating something, and having your creation be appreciated by others - whether it be a painting, a song, a poem, or a delicious curry. Mmm. *slurp* And if you're a foodie, of course, there's the added joy of eating... :P
BUT...the advantage to following an actual recipe is, you can keep the recipe, and follow it again. And you know you'll be making the same delicious thing you did last time. For those of us who cook by instinct, and don't have a pen handy...well, that's the first and the last time you make that dish. And if your food comes out tasty enough for someone to ask you for the recipe? You look sheepish, and mutter something along the lines of "Umm...I have no idea. *eyedart*"
If you're reading this blog, I'm sure you know the feeling - someone's coming over for dinner. You have nothing in the house. You throw some random ingredients together and somehow, it turns out brilliant! Everyone loves it, but by the next day you have no freaking idea what you did. And of course, you can never make it again. No matter how hard you try. It's never quite the same. It's some tiny key ingredient you've forgotten...a pinch of kalonji or asafoetida, or maybe a couple of curry leaves. Or maybe even that extra garlic paste that accidentally slopped out of the jar. Who knows.
So, this blog's purpose is to document those things I make which turn out good enough for me to want to make them again. And anyone else's 'creations' which they share with me.
Because there are some dishes that should get made a second time. And a third...and a...
Coooooooooooooool
ReplyDeleteThanks Afeseh! :D
ReplyDeleteHear! Hear!:D I'm looking forward to reading those recipes!:D
ReplyDeleteI find that I quite hate following recipes. Once I get the hang of how a certain dish is done I love to improvise. Like you say, the disadvantage of improvising is that you forget the next time you want to make it again. I tend to note down ingredients and measures I use if I do something quite different and I want to remember it for another time - my big black book!:D
P.S. - I LOOOOOOVE your header!!
ReplyDeleteah good. this way, i can at least hope to see the recipe for those brownies some time!
ReplyDelete@Sariga...exactly! I note down the ingredients, some approximate quantities for the non-powders, and stuff like that. My recipes don't really go in a 'list of quantities' and 'procedure' manner...it's a nice, friendly little paragraph :D This blog is for people like us! :)
ReplyDeleteOh, and thanks :) I spent most of yesterday redesigning headers for both my blogs! :)
@Sophia - Wo Gad...I was hoping no one would remember the brownies :P Truth being, I have forgotten the recipe and have to dig it out of the depths of the dim and distant past!
Remember the Never Fail Chocolate cake? I made it for your 11th birthday (I think) with whipped cream icing and chocolate shavings and your friends loved it. You need to share that.
ReplyDeleteOh I definitely should! Mmm. That was fabulous. We stopped making that cake, for some reason :(
ReplyDelete