Culinary Queens

September 7 saw city women battling it out in the kitchen. Three cooking competitions were held as part of the Mahila Mahotsav at the Pune Festival. Participants were given ingredients and different themes by Mother’s Recipe at Yaswantrao Chavan Natyagruha. Each one put in her best to cook up something innovative and delicious.

Sunanda Kulkarni,50-year-old homemaker,was declared the winner of the Spicy Dish competition. For this one,participants were provided with a packet of pav bhaji masala,which was mandatory to use in the preparations. Kulkarni mixed spinach,jeera,rice flour and a little water to make a dough. The next step was to make a stuffing of cabbage,potato,onion,tomato,capsicum,sprouts,garlic,ginger,salt and the pav bhaji masala. The vegetable mixture was stuffed into polis of the spinach and rice flour dough,which were then rolled and steamed for about four minutes. The steamed polis were sliced,seasoned with asafoetida and served with a tangy sauce made out of tamarind and dates. “My husband and children don’t like to eat outside food,so I like to keep innovating with ingredients in my kitchen to cook tasty treats for them. Last year,I had won the Smart Cook award by Mother’s Recipe,” says Kulkarni as she adds,“This time,I won five liters of cooking oil. I am very happy that my efforts were appreciated.”

Another proud winner is Preeti Naikwadi,40-year-old homemaker who participated in all the cooking competitions but won the first prize for the rava sweet dish competition. “First,I made a sheera with rava,coconuts and dry fruits and formed modaks out of it. I did not add any sugar but used dates for sweetness. Then I made a basundi base and placed the modaks in it,” says Naikwadi,who is a regular participant at recipe competitions.

Fifty-one-year-old Vidya Gupte also proved her mettle in the kitchen as she was awarded the Mother’s Recipe Smart Cook crown. She came up with a simple yet tasty recipe of soya kheema. “My family cannot do without fish,and during shravan we sometimes have a very strong craving for non-vegetarian food! Soya caters to this craving without breaking any norms,” she smiles. Giving us a peek into the recipe,she adds,“I soaked the soya chunks in luke warm water for sometime and then squeezed it out and mixed it with fresh coriander and mint leaves. I fried onions till translucent with ginger-garlic paste and finely chopped tomatoes,to which the soya mixture was added with boiled peas. The kheema was garnished with chopped coriander.”