Sat, 27 06:55 Clock New Delhi February 27 February - am very sorry in my kitchen. No, really. I am. My wife, friends and relatives think I'm more than a blue ribbon. As I argue, my father-in-law always made it clear to see that in Indian father retains the right to his favorite son-in-law (from the fact that I am his only son makes laws — ): "No, no, Samar, you are a gourmet, it is embarrassing and amazing, because I know I am not - an excellent cook. My kitchen is like a mechanic at the roadside violin and tinkering. A little this, a little. A twist of it here, a tower. You throw it together and hope that the engine fire. What I am is a Jhatka or cook jugaad that indefinable quality Indian somehow make things work on whatever is available. I do not know most of the married men to cook, but I do because (a I) like to eat (b) I love my family and friends, as she (c) I love my wife (very, uh) excited when I Koch and (d) I love my kitchen, I was - not rich, but - as happy and healthy. Blame it on my education. I grew Paya (a spicy soup made from goats' feet or hooves) for breakfast in the Deccan eat that hot, dry heart of the Indian peninsula, which today remains a land of black soil, bhanamati delay and the local black art of black magic. It was the 1970s, a slow, sleepy time tomorrow as yesterday, and counting the ball or your sheep to walk on the dusty streets highlights.I for a day ticket was a sheep, my brother and unimaginative, I called Curly. We had a cook who makes the most delicious biryanis (I suspect, a Curly ended after we parted with Tears), with, horror, river fish, and made Goan curry oh yes, Palak (spinach), which we swallowed with water. As you can see, I come from a family who are still fighting with vegetables. My father says, as some, but my mother, my brother and I always stayed with the type of meat. Everything that lives, we si nd ready to try for dinner. People often ask me: Cooking is not difficult? Not really. The key is to adapt, modernize and stumble and triumph. Secret no. 1 Learn to use what you have to concentrate on the game that I made one of these stoves Patiala - the grill or oven baked, you touch surfaces with bare hands or buttons risk. First you need to tense the Get It Started, a task: You get on your knees and open the grill or the oven door, just in the dark (why did not the engineer of the gas contained in Patiala on how to integrate a light bulb?) . Turn the knob to set fire to race a match, and we hope that it will not escape the anxious and vaguely in the vicinity of a number of holes, according to the shake. Of course, the game still flickers, the flame of the struggle for life and soon all that remains is a trail of smoke from the tip. The only sound now is the hiss of gas. No reason to panic. Remain "The gas escapes! Screams of the woman, a wonderful woman who is not otherwise been calm. Turn off the gas, even though the instruction booklet says that you are happy, there is no danger of an explosion in a minute (the is, how long does it take to turn it twice). I must admit it's a little hard to remain calm while you are on our knees, while rummaging repeatedly with a box game with a hiss of the gas near your ear .'ve During the 18 months we have had this area of the kitchen, I put the oven with grill, and once each. One autumn night, I had oven and four burners on. We were invited 12 people to dinner, then I realized that dinner was not really. I was a little blurry around on the details of a cozy evening with a dose of Old Monk. Two dozen people show for dinner unannounced am not discouraged, but as you can imagine, there was much shaking of the hands, hopping and cursing goes, as I always played with buttons gas super-chau d . Damn engineers gas Patiala. Normally, each say: "good food". Even if he is not, you are in, such as family and friends be surprised to be awarded just because you have cooked. Can in a restaurant, my wife is a terror, calls for the director, but a little broccoli under-done. At home, she smiled and said softly: "Oh, I love it. It's so crisp." This is not an act, the food tastes better when in fact a loved indeed. In the spring of 1990 I started seriously cooking on a hot plate on the floor when my house was only one bedroom and a bathroom on a terrace. The tomatoes and onions, which were scattered between my T-shirts, and for two years, I do not anything other than eggs (of every conceivable kind of omelette), sausages and kebabs. Every Sunday my friends flocked there to be happy experiences. Even apparent today, when I'm by far the most competent, fried chicken around the edges sometimes black, as are the first fish looks pink, a leg of lamb dry. Because if you're buzzed, it is difficult to kneel down, always keep an eye on the stove to keep. If Patiala (or Italian), gas stove, you scared, keep the stove. All you need is a modest OTG (Oven Toaster Grill, is my 15 years, and the rock), or simply a heavy saucepan. Never blame your tools. Secret no. 2 Identifying a few favorite ingredients and learn to know my family - like all the others that I know of the Konkan coast of Maharashtra and Goa - I can not imagine a fish out of Kokum Curry: dry, tart fruit skin of an almost exclusively along the west coast. I've never run a kitchen without a stock of Kokum, even if I lived in the United States for two years. In December last year I even took kokum to Copenhagen to convince my host for a week to get me a discount of $ 1,000 in exchange for some Goa fish curry. Nothing could be easier and more enjoyable. It was likely a bit more complex to get home: my grandmother - si e died, God rest his soul - to ujours used fresh coconut, and now my mother is doing the same. Goa curry fish can become very complex, with lots of grinding and pounding of spices, onions and vinegar. But I do not know many people who have time and patience to have to go through this complexity. All curry really need is Kokum, a can of coconut milk (yes, yes, I agree there's really nothing like coconut milk, freshly squeezed, but you have the time? "I do not) and fresh fish. The result is that my version of Goa fish curry is a universal success, something that my friends always ask what I can produce almost no notice. Can you easily find fish delivered homes in many parts of Delhi and Mumbai, which is very simple. But if you are not available, try to stay on the market. I'm usually a man in the morning, but I'm happy, sometimes jump out of bed and take a trip to my earlier fishwallah at INA market in Delhi. I feel like a kid in a candy store. I can not buy everything, but I love all the fresh fish watch, scanning and newcomers in general, who buys, what to see. My fishwallah stocks a variety of seafood for its incredibly diverse clientele: karimeen for Malyalis, ilisha of Bengal, calamari for the Italians. Our own lives will meet this weekend in unctuous little paradise smelly. So, you learn so few elements to be known. . Smelling Feel. Pick some spices and see what happens when you roast or fry. The woman, a vegetarian, and after a nervous start, I played on his belly (heart, of course), monitoring, with this formula. For that I thank my favorite spices (cloves, pepper, sesame seeds and cardamom) and my wok. Stir-fry in a wok is perhaps the simplest, tastiest, most nutritious and crisper, such as vegetable mix. Most do not skipped more than 10 minutes, once the ingredients are combined. I still can not eat more than me, but hey, the rewards are immense. Page 1 | 2 |.