My experience in cooking

My experience in cooking…..a part of my application for job…..

After serving 40 years Comprising one year as a Sales representative in vicks.

..and ..over 32 years as Officer in a Public sector

Bank in various capacities I have experience as salesman and aseasoned banker

Now it is time for me to search for some job after my retirement due IIMsJune, 2007.My google search…etc through Naukhri.com/Monsrterdot.com/Job .com etc provide large number of jobs in variousfields/industries in India and abroad. But more often that not theemployers requirements range from IT Professionals, Chartered accountants, Cost accountants, Company secretaries, Attorneys, etcwith sufficient experience in the filed.

It was at this point I have my considered view/opinion that I should

include my experience in cooking in all my applications.

I state hereunder my experience as a cook before marriage and after marriage.

I have no formal academic training/experience in cooking except I cansay I hail from Palghat which as produced many cooks, crooks andcivil servants.

As family inheritance/legacy I always mention my mother Annapoorni who was a recognized very good in cooking

throughout her life time by all her contemporaries and children as

well. Some of her preparations so tasty like filter coffee chakkavaratti pazhavaratti,Urundakozhambu,adai,avial,dosai,godhumbu dosai,vella dosai ,etc can not becopied by anybody till today. Of course she has lifetime experience incooking being the mother/daughter in law of large families.

Then there were special preparations like paal payasam Aandinuravu,

Aayushhomam….vadai,idli,uppittu, etc on Aavani avittam and then

the ney paayasam made on the occasion of Bagavthi sevai etc.Those

days we hd no gas stoves electric cooker etc but everything prepared

using vessel/uruli using mannu aduppu using firewood burring as the

heating source.She had capacity to make good food and please all her

children and all relatives .She has left a legacy on some of her a

offspring and many of her children aren’t good in cooking…..

I had necessity to enter the area of cooking in my personal interest and

for my survival. It was in 1970 I was working at Mariammanahalli in

Karnataka a rural place with no Brahmin hotels , Saravana Bhavan

etc..there.I had to prepare my coffee, food, etc and consume it .I had

written a letter to our Sister Lakshmi who had sent me a long letter

giving ideas/clues in the subject which I started following

systematically. Her letter was quite informative as it contained minute

details like quantity of water to be added to milk, the amount of salt,

chili powder , etc to be added in making rasam, sambar, etc.Initially I

purchased necessary vessels, tools like knife,cheena chatti, plate,

vessels for making samabar, rasam, etc and the Bharath Brand

kerosene stove along with match box, one mathu for curd churning.

Also was with me one filter coffee paathram…

I followed the instructions given by Lakshmi as below;

1.In the morning buy ¼ liter cows milk not buffalos milk from the

milkman in a vessel

2.Add half a tumbler of good water to dilute it as pure milk is dense

and hard to digest etc

3.Boil water ..1 cup in a small vessel…keep the idukki or say holder in

hand remove it from stove after fully boiled. This boiled water use only

for mixing with coffee powder in filter.

4.Put 2 spoons Robusta coffee powder bought from Coffee board in

filter vessel

5. Add boiled water hot over till and the filtered coffee powder

decoction stard trickling down

6.Now boil the milk with water already added

7.Add decoction from filter to milk, add 2 spoons of sugar and sir with

another spoon.

7.Coffee is ready

Drink coffee feel its flavour and say

Idu filter coffee, Nallayirukku.besh besh

Again don’t waste the used coffee powder in filter instead add second

dose of boiled water and prepare coffee as usual and serve it to

unwanted guests as it will be of poorer taste.

Now it is the procedure for making koottan/rasam/ say

samabar.

First get necessary vegetables like tomato,ladies finger,ptotato,

chembu,pumpkin,drum stick etc.

Wash the vegetables for some like potato.carrot remove the skin using

knife.

Thereafer cut them into smaller pieces small enough to enter through

the mouth.

Take a vessel with ½ liter of pour water

Add sambar powder 2 spoons,20mg of common salt.

Keep the vessel on oven for cooking say 10 minutes till the vegetables

are fully cooked.

In the side keep a small vessel with tamarind soaked and squeezed in it

.

While the rice being cooked in cooker lower pan keep on the upper

pan one vessel with water and 4 spoons thuvaram paruppu for

cooking.

Before cooking of rice wash the rice, remove the stone add water 21/2times by volume the quantity of rice being cooked.

Thereafter add the tamarind juice to cooked vegetable in liquid ,add

the cooked thruvam paruppu, add asafetida, turmeric powder,

coriander leaves and the final work is porichukottal…..that is frying in

thengai ennai kadugu and Ulutam paruppu both very little quantity

…add to the total samabar under preparation and keep it in aduppu

for getting mixed up and make it tasty.

By trial and error somehow I gained experience in the art of cooking

and making items like satham, coffee, sambar, paayasam,avil

uppuma,etc before marriage.

After my marriage in 1974 I got on the job intensive training incooking and some of my preparations are:

Filter coffee

Tea

Sambar

Akkara vadsal

Puliyodarai

Elavadam

Adai;Aviyal

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While I was in Quilon during 2000 I used to add cashew nut in

samabar as cashew nut was available in plenty there. It had a special

taste too…although may be banned now as cholesterol.

Of curse I had experience for another 2 years in Bombay while I was

staying in Andheri and Borivli adding up to my experience in

preparing food.

Perhaps the experience I gained I certify myself to be good and use a s

a trump card as I can always say I know cooking. Also as and when

my wife is away from home I can try my expertise, cook good food and

taste.

THIS IS MY EXPERIENCE in …. Cooking……

LET ME SEE IF IT IS OF ANY VALUE IN MY