Kitchen king

Cooking has never been my cup of tea. Only I know what it takes to prepare a cup of morning tea for myself and a couple of mugs of flavoured milk for the kids.

Cooking has never been my cup of tea. Only I know what it takes to prepare a cup of morning tea for myself and a couple of mugs of flavoured milk for the kids. I remember how my wife, when she was alive, used to pamper me with a refreshing cuppa every morning. But that, alas, is now just a memory. Now in Shimla as a single father of two kids, I have had to learn to cook.

For six months and a little more, I could not even gather the courage to step into the kitchen. Rolling out chappatis, cutting vegetables or boiling rice appeared to be almost super-human acts. Fortunately, mother had come over and I was happy to have her handle the household chores. Last winter, however, was particularly severe and mother was forced to return to Jammu along with the kids. It was then that I decided to train myself in the cooking department.

Traditionally, we are a strictly vegetarian family from Jammu8217;s predominantly basmati rice-eating belt. Making breakfast was fairly simple. I learnt to master the art of making a good paratha. Toast and dalia, too, were easily learnt. For lunch, I started turning out tasty kichadis 8212; and rajmah on Sundays.

By the time the kids returned to Shimla after their winter break I had already become a rather 8220;smart8221; cook, even if I say so myself. To their surprise, I began to pack their lunch boxes with varieties of stuffed parathas, laced with butter and, sometimes, tomato sauce. The feedback 8212; 8220;Wow, papa, what you made today was delicious!8221; 8212; was encouraging.

Then a new problem arose. My daughter, very innocently, wanted to know if I could cook uttapams. Her mother, I knew, used to turn out the most delicious uttapams, idlis and dosas. I maintained a silence over the remark, but did not give up. I searched for a few recipe books in and consulted friends. Finally, one day, I took the plunge: onion-tomato uttapams for the lunch boxes.

When I went to pick her up from school that day, my daughter exclaimed, hardly able to control her emotions, 8220;You are great, Papa. All my friends acknowledged that your uttapams deserve an A-Plus!8221; Then she went on, 8220;And tomorrow you will make poha.8221;

Time to consult my recipe books again, it seems!