G - Novice in the kitchen

By Kanika G

Copyright 2016 by Kanika G

Website:

https://sites.google.com/site/kanikagebooks/

Tania loves cooking. She helped mama make pancakes, when she was only 3 years old. Over the years she has helped mama create a number of nutritious, wholesome, tasty masterpieces.

But masterpieces are not easy to create. A lot can go wrong along the way. There is an engaging story behind each recipe, as Tania learns the many little things that have to be just so to make a recipe a success. Read on to be entertained and then and you can try them out with the help of your favourite grown up.

One Sunday morning, Tania woke up grumpy. Mama asked her what she wanted for breakfast, but Tania just sulked, sitting on the corner of the sofa.

"Would you like to help me make bread pudding for breakfast? " Mama called out from the kitchen trying to cheer her up.

"I love bread pudding." Tania shot off the sofa and made a bee line for the kitchen. "But won't it take a long time to make?"

"Not if my idea works. You know the chocolate mug cake we make in the microwave?"

"Yes. You use ground oats instead of flour, that makes the cake very fluffy. I love that cake." Tania smacked her lips.

"I think we can make bread pudding, in a mug, in the microwave too."

"That is a great breakfast idea. I can have my egg, bread and milk all in one tasty, easy to make, pudding. Sounds yummy."

Mama smiled. "Don't get too excited. Let's see how it turns out."

Here is the list of ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon castor sugar
• 1 slice of whole wheat brown bread
• 1 tea spoon vanilla essence
• 1 teaspoon butter
If you want it chocolate flavoured, leave out the butter above, and use the following to make a chocolate paste:
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoon castor sugar

Mama fetched a large ceramic coffee mug. Tania took out a loaf of brown bread, an egg and the milk carton from the refrigerator. Tania cracked the egg on the side of the mug and put it in. Then mama added the milk, sugar and vanilla essence, while Tania tore up the slice of bread into little pieces.

Tania vigorously beat the mixture in the mug with a fork to make it frothy. Then she dropped in the bread pieces, one by one, and let them soak for half a minute. Again she stirred the mixture with a fork till all the bread was blended in to a smooth batter.

Mama was about to put the mug in the microwave and later spread the butter on the hot pudding, but Tania had an idea. "Mama can we make it chocolate flavoured? Please ..."

I suppose we could. Let's try it out. Mama melted the butter in the microwave and mixed in the cocoa and sugar to make a thick chocolate paste. Tania poured the chocolate paste in to the mug with the batter and stirred the whole thing together with the fork again.

Tania put the mug in the microwave for 2 minutes. Mama and Tania watched the already firm pudding rise an inch above the top of the mug. Tania recalled, that they had used a smaller, tea cup to make the chocolate mug cake, the first time, and the batter had overflowed and made a big sticky mess in the microwave. Since then mama always used this large mug, to make cakes in the microwave

Soon the bread pudding was ready and Tania was enjoying a delicious breakfast. It was so tasty, that Sonia ran off with a couple of pieces from her plate. Tania's mouth was stuffed, so she could not speak, but her frown was quite eloquent. Mama laughed. "Don't worry Tania. I'll make another one in a jiffy for Sonia, and you can take some from her."

Tania loves yoghurt. Mama makes it at home everyday, and Tania has a bowl full after dinner every night. When Tania was a baby, grandma gave mama, her secret recipe for strawberry yoghurt. During strawberry season in spring, when it is already quite hot in Bombay, Tania enjoys this refreshing and delicious, yet healthy dessert. She insists it is nicer than strawberries and cream, because the yoghurt gives it a tangy flavour.

Tania has learned to make it on her own with a little help from mama. As soon as mama brings strawberries home from the market, Tania gets to work. Strawberries don't last very long, but fresh strawberries are just heavenly. Tania gathers together the ingredients. Here is the list.

• Fresh yoghurt made from 1 litre of milk (The yoghurt should be refrigerated as soon as it sets, to prevent it from getting sour)
• 1 or 2 tablespoons castor sugar (as per taste)
• 24 fresh strawberries
• 1 pomegranate

Mama took out the pomegranate seeds. Tania tried to help her, but it was more difficult than it looked, and Tania squirted herself with magenta pomegranate juice, that later turned purple. Thank goodness she always wore an apron in the kitchen! So her pretty yellow dress was spared.

Tania washed the strawberries thoroughly with drinking water and cut off the leafy green tops. Mama cut the bigger strawberries in to 8 pieces each, and Tania cut the smaller ones in to 6 pieces each.

Tania vigorously mixed the yoghurt and the sugar. Then mama added in the pomegranate seeds and chopped strawberries, and Tania gently mixed in the fruit. The yoghurt was now a lovely, bright pink colour.

Tania and mama left the strawberry yoghurt to chill in the refrigerator. After dinner, she helped mama serve it in the dessert bowls. It was delicious.

Sonia did not like yoghurt, so she was eating chocos, a chocolaty cereal, for dessert. She accidentally dropped some of her chocos in to Tania's dessert bowl, when she tripped over her blocks.

The chocos gave the dessert a chocolaty taste and a nice crunch. It was the perfect topping. Tania sprinkled some chocos on mama's and papa's strawberry yoghurt too. Everyone loved it.

The next time Tania visited grandma, she told her the story of Sonia adding chocos to the strawberry yoghurt recipe. "Accidents often result in the best discoveries." Grandma said sagely and wrote down Tania's tweak in her recipe book. Grandma's secret recipe just got a whole lot better.

Tania was fed up with roti, dal and vegetables for dinner everyday. She longed for a change. She asked "Mama, can we have something more interesting for dinner tonight?"

Mama thought for a moment. "I have some spaghetti, I have been planning to make for sometime. We could cook it together."

"Yes! Yes, yes. I love to help with cooking. So what do I do?"

Here is the list of ingredients:

• 5 large tomatoes
• 250 grams whole wheat spaghetti
• 3 small cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon butter
• Salt to taste (can be added later if it is less)
• 1 teaspoon powdered or freshly ground pepper

Mama was rummaging through the kitchen cupboard for a large saucepan. "Please get five large tomatoes from the fridge." She said to Tania. "We need to boil them."

Mama filled the saucepan with water. Tania put the tomatoes in, and mama set them to boil. As they waited for the tomatoes to boil Tania asked, "Mama, why are we boiling whole tomatoes?"

"After a tomato boils for a few minutes, its skin splits. Then it is easy to peel. We put the peeled tomatoes in the mixer and make a smooth pure. The skin is too fibrous and does not blend well in the pure. That is why, we take it out." Mama let the tomatoes boil for a few minutes and then turned off the stove. She poured out most of the hot water.