Biryani vs Sambar

The aroma of perfectly blended Indian spices filled every corner of the house, accompanied by the chatter of the occupants. Rasheeda's father, the MasterChef, cooked Mughlai biryani in a large handi. He placed a lid on the handi & sealed it with dough so that rice & meat cooked perfectly. Rasheeda's mother overlooked the cooking of other dishes. Rasheeda added fried cashews & raisins into the rice kheer & stirred it. She heard the doorbell; while wiping her hands on a kitchen towel, she walked to the door. She thought it's high time, answered the door & enquired, "What took you so long?" Kanika stood at the door with a smile & wished "Eid Mubarak."

Kanika followed Rasheeda into a large dining hall. A variety of ingredients, vessels, cooking items & numerous other things occupied the dining hall. Rasheeda introduced Kanika to her family & they exchanged pleasantries. Kanika made her way through the jungle of items & settled into a chair. She noticed that the whole house was bustling with action. It seemed chaotic, yet organised & well managed. Amidst this chaos, Rasheeda's sister managed to provide Kanika with freshly squeezed orange juice. Rasheeda remarked, "On Eid, the whole family contributes to cooking. We are halfway through; hope you aren't hungry." Kanika replied, "Oh don't worry, I had a late breakfast. I am good for now." Rasheeda handed a few cucumbers & a peeler. She said, "Go ahead & peel them for salad." Kanika was happy to help.

While the biryani cooked, MasterChef turned his attention to the salad. Kanika watched his knife skills with rapt attention. He chopped onions finely; it was impressive & feast to the eyes. He looked up at Kanika & asked, "Do you cook?" Rasheeda knew what came next. She had encouraged Kanika to learn cooking several times. Kanika had dismissed the idea; she preferred eating good food & taking a long nap after it. Rasheeda stood behind her father & watched the drama unfold.

Kanika casually replied, "No." He said in a raised voice, "I started cooking at the age of thirteen; you are into college & still don't cook?" Kanika swallowed hard & looked at Rasheeda for rescue. Rasheeda tried hard to suppress her laughter. He continued to question, "What will you do when you have to relocate to another city for a job? How about when your mother falls sick & can't cook?" Kanika had no choice but to sip orange juice & listen to the lecture. That day was her first-ever cooking lesson. From then on, Kanika was a regular at Rasheeda's place. She learned fine chopping of veggies, famous Mughlai biryani & plenty of other dishes. While Kanika mastered cooking, her younger sister Suparna excelled in mixie chores & stuck to it. Kumudini was glad that her elder daughter Kanika had picked up cooking. She encouraged her younger daughter Suparna to cook. However, Suparna was happy to assist far from the stove & close to the dining area.

While Kanika sipped hot tea, Kumudini said, "Do you know what happened when Suparna visited this year?" Kanika asked eagerly, "Oh, please tell me it is some hot gossip. I'm craving for some." Kumudini replied, "No gossip. Suparna has learned cooking through YouTube." Kanika lost interest in the conversation & went back to tea. Kumudini remarked with pride, "Other day, when your brother wasn't well, she made soup with Broccoli." Kanika cringed & commented, "Broccoli? Yikes! I can't digest such healthy food." Kumudini continued, "Other day, in 15mins she cooked aloo sagu (potato stew) with gram flour." Kanika almost spat tea & coughed a bit. On recovery, she thought, "Gram flour in sagu?" Kumudini added, "I almost forgot. On a Sunday, she made sambar for dosa. It was as good as the sambar from a restaurant. You missed it." Kanika pondered, "Ah! Sambar? Restaurant-level?" Kumudini was unstoppable, "Other day, Suparna's mother-in-law had called. She was praising Suparna's sambar & dosa."

Kanika stopped drinking tea & studied her mother, who went on & on. She questioned with curiosity, "Amma, I have been cooking since my college days. I was pro in biryani, learned it from the Masterchef. Also, I helped you during all the festival cooking. Not once have I heard you praise me or my cooking. Suparna made soup, sagu & sambar. All veggie dishes & you cannot stop praising her?" Kumudini casually replied, "You always cooked, so there isn't anything new to talk about it. Suparna learned cooking after getting married, that too after going abroad, through YouTube. It was so unexpected from her."

Suddenly, Kanika felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She clutched her stomach & spoke with pain, "Amma, my stomach hurts!" Kumudini asked in a worried tone, "What happened?" Kanika replied, "I feel like someone kicked me in my gut. For the first & the only time sambar has managed to beat biryani."

Take Away: Cooking is a survival skill. The impeccable timing to learn cooking & the art of presenting it to a conventional audience is priceless.