I grew up in a society where men shopped for groceries and women did the cooking. Sounds very familiar, doesn’t it? While it was not uncommon to see women also shopping for groceries, men’s entry into the kitchen was considered taboo.
As a child, however, I have seen my father cook on several evenings — especially when my mother felt lazy or unwell or was sulking. Over time he became an expert in making rotis and delightfully-simple curries. But if visitors happened to ring the bell while he was still kneading the dough, he would hastily wash his hands and scrub them clean before meeting them. We kids — my younger brother and I — would be under instructions not to let it slip before the guests that he had been in the kitchen.
Those days people socialised by simply dropping in at other people’s homes, most often unannounced because the telephone was still out of the reach of the common man. This unexpected arrival of family friends instantly set right the atmosphere at home: father would return to being the man — someone who never entered the kitchen — and mother would come out of her sulk and prepare tea; samosas and jalebis would arrive from the nearest sweet shop. The evening ended on a joyous note.
Today, I would be only too happy to open the door for guests with sticky hands. Unlike my father, who sought to conceal his ability to roll out the perfect roti for the fear that he might be ridiculed, I believe in letting people know I can cook so that they think I am a complete man. After all, years of experience have taught me that the way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach.
Let me share the recipe of a dish that I think I can prepare well, in the hope of spicing up your weekend — and spicing up mine with some praise:
Six hard-boiled eggs;
paste of 3 large onions and 2 green chillies, blended with 3 spoons of ginger-garlic paste;
3 spoons of garam masala;
half a spoon turmeric powder;
half a cup finely-chopped tomatoes;
2-3 bay leaves;
finely-chopped coriander leaves;
salt to taste.
In a generous amount of mustard oil (100-150 ml), fry the eggs till they acquire a golden-brown coat. Keep the eggs aside and in the same oil, fry the paste along with garam masala and turmeric powder on low flame for 10 minutes. Add the eggs and tomato to the paste and fry for two more minutes. Pour two cups of water, add the bay leaves and salt, place the lid and let the contents simmer for about 10 minutes. The egg curry is ready. Garnish with coriander leaves.
If you use boiled potatoes instead of boiled eggs, you will get spicy dum alu that will go very well with puri, roti, paratha — even bread.
Happy Women’s Day!
