Post-Haitus Post

Hi all

I wanna share my experiences with you all after 3 years. If interesting, you can be regulars ;)

My First Curry - Tomato Curry (Basic version)

I cooked Tomato Curry as my first curry with just bare minimums...

Apparatus used:

1. Non-stick pan/tawa (one suitable for cooking curries, not the flat one for cooking chapatis/dosas)

2. Cooking Oil (just enough for the 2 onions to get a little brownish-ly fried)

3. Onions - Medium size - 2 Nos

4. Tomatoes - Medium size  - 2 Nos

5. Red chilli powder

6. Salt (I used Tata Salt, the brand I know)

Procedure followed:

1. I cut the onions and kept it aside then cut tomatoes and kept it aside.

2. I added some oil in the pan and heated it for 2-3 mins on medium heat.

3. When the oil is hot (Don't touch... try something else... :D ), I added the onions and fried them for 2 mins...

4. Then added some red chilli powder and continued frying on low heat. 

5. Later I added tomato pieces into pan and stirred.

6. Added some salt and continued stirring for 1 more min. (add in small quantities only. If it is less, can be added later)

7. I put a lid over the pan and let the heat be medium.

8. I checked the taste after 7 mins. It was hot, so I added a little more salt. And closed lid.

9. After 3 more mins, I checked taste and felt it was OK. I looked good too.

That's it. Switched off the stove; moved the curry into a plastic container and went to cook rice...!

Final touches:

I had earlier bought Priya tomato pickle and Bombay Mixture along with yoghourt (Onken is a good brand; my friend said so. Truly, it was nice!).

Conclusion:

As you can see from pic above, I had a satisfying lunch prepared by myself, after many days of reaching London.

Sandeep started cooking

... and when I landed up in London on Jan 4th, 2012, I never thought that my life would change in many ways...

One of those, worth sharing, is that I was pushed to cook for, who else, myself...! 

Yes, I was dead frightened with the very thought of me cooking...(the image of me cooking.. aaaarrhhh!!!). Near and dear also said, why take risk, as they know, I never cooked anything in my life... (making Maggi 2-min noodles is not considered 'cooking'...)

But a dear friend believed in me and said that cooking is not a difficult task... 

Oh yeah, really...? If so, I said I will, initially.

But when the time came for me to cook, only thing I cooked was plain rice... in a microwave... (Don't ask me If I ate that rice...) Had to watch a couple of videos on youtube.

And then, I finally resolved to do something.... I WILL COOK. With or without Taste...!

Next thing I did was, over a period of 2 weeks, to start buying all those kitchen 'apparatus' that I would require for cooking a single meal/day.

I learnt few basic things and began cooking with (my fav) Tomato curry, then Egg Curry and then Tomaro-Egg Curry... and then so on and on and on...

(Absolute) Beginner tips:
Take out some time from your busy schedule, for shopping... Don't buy in a hurry.
Buy for 2-3 days in mind and in limited quantities (Perishables do perish, quickly..!)
 ...and if you are shopping alone in a new shop/store, you might very well buy a Re 1 thing for Rs 5...! It happens...
...and over a period of time (and with lots of shopping experience at various shops/stores), you will become a better buyer...! Trust me...

I don't want to preach/teach anything here but share my cooking adventures, for people interested in such stuff.

The title of the blog might sound funny, but I am happy with this one...!