Friday, February 29, 2008

My first experiment in kitchen


I was around twelve years old , when my Amma was hospitalized for two weeks for an Ayurvedic treatment .
"You are my responsible daughter, ! always help Appa and take care of your younger brother.", Amma spoke these words to me as she waved us goodbye.

I was suddenly feeling grown up , and felt the whole responsibility of the house hold on my shoulders..

I bossed around the house, as if I had a tough time juggling between, school and housekeeping... while it was my father who managed the whole situation.

One day I decided to launch into the kitchen , with a women's magazine "Vanitha" ...This magazine featured many appetizing recipes. I wanted to show Amma how grown up I was , and how I have lived up to her expectations...
I followed the recipe as per instruction...but things were getting harder with time...I was not able to stir the wok with one hand and pour the broken wheat with another...the vegetable broken wheat upma, formed lumps ...shattering my hopes.. I did not loose heart.. I poured in more water ..then more broken wheat.. then more water....the amount was increasing ...I had to stop when the whole wok was to the brim.
In order to cover up my folly , I garnished the contents of the wok with , grated coconut ..

Appa , came into the kitchen and congratulated me on my venture.
I gave him an artificial smile , and warned him not to taste it as it was a gift for Amma.

I packed the contents of the wok in a vessel and took it to the hospital..when I entered her room, there were two more people from the adjacent room chit chatting with her..Appa proudly told Amma , that I had made something special for her.. and I had to give her what I made.. Amma's two friends also wanted to taste it..I knew it would taste horrible ..and felt like hiding under the bed.I held my breath prepared for the worst reaction....
As Amma took her spoonful I waited for her to spit it out.. but to my surprise she ate it.. and tried more...
" I am so happy that you made this for me.. I was getting bored of the hospital food..." Amma said with tears in her eyes..
Then I knew for sure that it was not the upma I made which made her eat more , but her love for me..

Here is a broken wheat upma for you.. but this is not the one I made for my Amma.I have forgotten that recipe:)

Broken wheat Vegatable Upma

what you need:

broken wheat 1 cup
onion 1/2 cup chopped
vegetables of your choice(beans, carrots, green peas , cauliflower) 1/2 cup
mustard seeds 1tsp
cumin 1tsp
urud dal 1tsp
shredded ginger 1tbsp
green chillies 2-3
curry leaves 1 sprig
grated coconut 1/4 cup
coriander leaves for garnish
lemon juice 1 tsp
water 2 cups
oil for seasoning
asafoetida 1tsp
salt to taste

Method.

heat oil in a wok , add mustard seeds, cumin , urad dal , curry leaves, ginger and green chillies and asafoetida.Add onion and fry till translucent. Add in the vegetables and stir well. Mix in the broken wheat and stir till it starts browning.. meanwhile boil water in a separate vessel. Add in the boiled water , while stirring the contents of the wok,... Add salt to taste and stir well.. keep closed for a few minutes . garnish with lemon juice, grated coconut and coriander leaves...

Have it as it is hot or with any Daal or sambar !
This goes to WBB Healthy eats hosted by Suganya.

20 comments:

FH said...

Great story! How can you forget your first ever recipe for that dish girl? ;D
Upma looks good, I made it once,liked it. It's good of you to atleast you tried to make something for your mom. Even it didn't tasted that good, I bet she was very happy with what you tried to do. I am mom too, I would be proud if my kid does that to me as well!:)

Lakshmi said...

food with love and affection tastes always better..am touched with your story..by the way been having kitchen disasters for the last couple of days

Finla said...

Such a nice touching story.
I think i would be proud too if my daughter did what you did for your mom

Bharathy said...

Cute and touching story at the same time!..
I second Asha here!:)
(Love the first pic...esp the lighting effects ;))

Uma said...

Wow, you are such a caring daughter. Your mom should be proud of you. The upma is mouth-watering. Very nice entry.

Suganya said...

Love is the first ingredient in any recipe. You got that right :). Are those purple bits onions or eggplants?

Anonymous said...

Now my belief in responsibility becomes more firm after reading your incident...it can really work wonders and you have really shown the way...its so many times we start a new venture with so much apprehensions in mind & at the end, we come out with all applauses...the recipe seems mouth-watering...lovely!

Susan said...

Looks so good, Nanditha, but I am puzzled what broken wheat is. Is it ground like flour or is it like rice or pasta? And I have the same question as Suganya: Are those pretty purple bits eggplant?

A sweet story, as per your usual.

Nanditha Prabhu said...

asha,
thanks... but seriously i forgot the recipe:)

backpackker,
:)...kitchen disasters are not new to any kitchen.

happy cook,
you girls are making me feel good , even after i served my mom that stuff:)

bharathy,
thanks * hugs*

uma,
welcome here .. and thank you!

suganya,
those purple bits are not onions or eggplants... they are violet cabbage.:)

flyingstars,
but mine was a total disaster...though it was a venture of a 12 year old...

susan,
broken wheat...is something like a semolina...it is also called cracked wheat.you will surely find them in indian stores...my dad even used to boil it in milk and water... and have it like porridge.. it used to taste real good.
and the purple bits are cabbage:)

Unknown said...

Hello Nanditha..
I used to see your name around on other blog comments, and wanted to visit my namesake blogger, somenow, this is the first time, I've reached your blog, via the Healthy Eats event. This is such a cute story...the first time I did something major in the kitchen was when my dad was admitted for some problem and my mom was with him...i remember carrying casseroles with rasam rice and curd rice, and I felt as if I had spent hours in the kitchen :)

Glad to catch up with you finally!

Maddy said...

the food of every bachelor - rava, gothambu and aviluppuma...brings back memories..

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