delicious hobby

i'm taking cooking lessons. from my mom and my grandmom.. its been my sunday ritual for the past month or so.. and im learning some nice south-indian dishes, esp. from my granma...

its really fun to cook actually, but my mom says i feel that way only coz its the beginning.. after a few years i'll get bored of it. that's probably true. but for now, it is a nice feeling to cook something different every week, and my family is waiting for what im going to make the next sunday, there's a discussion around it, there are some requests, frantic searching for ingredients, old notebooks with recipies scribbled in some unfathomable language.. its a fun event.. i get to take a break from the week-long regimen of "healthy-food".. and i can make out the family really enjoys it and looks forward to it as well. it kind of makes sundays into fun, family days.

i guess its true that the happiness of a home largely depends on the woman of the home. how well she maintains it and provides for the family. i mean, men can be responsible in terms of earning money and stuff, but when it comes to a happy, homely home.. its totally in the woman's hand. no offense to feminists, but im kind of proud of this talent that we women have.. and i think that we should really rejoice it. i know its hard for working women, to juggle everything, but i'd certainly like to give it my best shot.. until i get bored of it like my mom says.. haha!

another great thing about cooking is that its fun to cook for people who really enjoy eating. its like, if u try 10 different varieties, but the response is the same everytime (no response), you really dont feel like it. but for people who love food and appreciate a variety of flavours, its really worth the effort. cooking is a kind of service.. u dont cook for yourself, you never really cook for yourself. or even if u do, ur heart isnt in it. when its for someone else its always more fun.

so far i've learnt the following dishes:

• bagara baingan - this is a nice brinjal gravy dish i learnt from my grandma. but its a little tedious.
• china rice - again from my granny. sounds unusual i know, it think its her own invention. everyone in my family absolutely adores this dish. really yummy.
• sodhi - this is a typical south indian dish, its a kind of stew with vegetables cooked in coconut milk.. absolutely awesome. learnt it from my mom.
• vangi bath - or that's what i think its called. rice with brinjals mixed into it. i think its a kannada dish but im not sure. i love it.

going forth, i'll try to post recipies of some of the nice dishes i learn along with pics. hope it would be useful to somebody..