The Best Chef in the Whole world

The Best Chef in the Whole World.  -Part 2

After the usual delay from the due date Rohan made his appearance at 6.07 in the evening on 26th September 1989.The parents were delighted .Aditi beamed, her face a picture of pleasure and for once no frown on her face. Vasanta, who had a lot faith in astrology, was in the seventh heaven as she had a fellow Libran in the family. Raja was delighted with the little fellow but secretly scared at the thought of having to hold the baby and having to change the smelly diapers

In India the nurses shoo you off after giving a brief glimpse of the baby’s genitals. In Greenville the nurse refused to disclose the sex of the baby till all legal formalities had been complied with. She had no hesitation in allowing us to hold the baby. Raja was slinking away when Vijay called him and handed over the baby to him. Raja was terrified of dropping Rohan but he was warmed by the baby's  cute smile. Raja did not have the heart to hand the baby back to Vijay. Aditi saved the situation.
Aditi screamed   “Hand the baby back to dad.  You are going to drop my little brother.”

Vijay celebrated by smuggling in bottles of champagne and ice into the hospital where it was stored in the bathroom. We had to make do with bagels and cheese for a bite. Back home it was a busy time but Raja coped well as he had to learn to organize himself and standardize on the food. No more innovations came when he was in Greenville.

Raja and Vasanta returned to Madras very happy with the little help they were able to give. On the way back they stayed for a few days with their son Sekar in Los Angeles. Raja’s attempts to try his new found culinary skills was a non starter due paucity of cooking vessels in Sekar’s apartment. Raja’s euphoria with his new found culinary skills did not last long. Rashly he decided to write the exam on American History in spite of the fact that he had not done any serious reading or preparation.  He was confident that his first hand experience of America would help him through. The exam paper was itself was on subjects which were familiar to him. He expected to get an A grade but just got a pass grade. He went to his professor and complained. The professor knew him quiet well and agreed to check up. A few weeks later he told Raja that if he had corrected the paper he would have given good grades. Raja should stick to the traditional method of answering instead of writing new things which the examiner did not understand .Raja did not make the same mistake again.

Vasanta told him not to go to the kitchen and make a mess. He got a little rusty. Fortunately for Raja his trekking activities came to rescue. Raja and his trekking friends went on treks regularly two or three times in year. They carried their own provisions and cooking utensils. The chief of the group, Nat, looked after the cooking. On the next trek Raja mentioned his newly acquired talent hoping to be upgraded from the dish washing chores. This could be quite unpleasant in the cold hilly terrain. Nat asked him to cook the rice. Raja being used to the rice cooker in Greenville where he just had to put the rice and water and switch on, made heavy weather of it.
Nat- ‘Raja -I am glad you are getting interested but there are a lot of practical things you have to pick up. I will take you under my wing and teach the basics of with which you can cook anywhere. After that I will tell you basic rules you have to follow if your marriage is to survive the fact that you are a better cook than you wife and also to see that you are not relegated to the kitchen when the cook does not come.’

Raja had a tough time for nearly a year before he was declared an acceptable cook. He was now confident of making Pulav even in the Antarctica. He also learned a few tips from Nat on how a good cook should behave himself on the domestic front.
a) Never reveal your cooking abilities to your wife. If by misfortune she happens to find out make a mess every time you are in the kitchen.
b) Never enter the kitchen when your wife is around. Treat it as enemy territory.
c) If you are asked to make a dish for your grandchildren make your wife do the chores.
d) Never write down or reveal your recipes. If forced leave out the vital ingredients or give wrong amounts so that the dish ends up over salted.

It is not difficult to become a cook if you put the effort but to become a chef is another matter and it took a few years before Raja was able to advance. Aditi and Rohan were making annual trips to India. Grandmothers like to think that they know every thing about bringing up children and frequently comment on their children’s lack of knowledge. When the children grew to a certain age their appetite grows exponentially. The grandmothers forget this very often. The result is a lot of yelling or sulking and thumb sucking when the under fed children’s blood sugar drops precipitously. This happened often with Aditi and Rohan .Vasanta at her wits end turned to Raja for help and made him responsible for the breakfast feed of the children. Invited inside the kitchen Raja took off and soared to great heights in culinary skills. He realized that children are finicky in their tastes and the first hurdle to cross was to find a flavor to tickle their palate. Next was to develop a nutritious food which filled them up without being a junk food. The result was Double Decker Cheese toast made with four different types of cheeses, with olive oil and a touch of butter, freshly ground Tellichery pepper and fresh herbs. The golden cheese toast had a spray of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkling of parmesan on top. This was a hit with the children. Then the children had the famous 3Bs for afternoon tea. Details of 3B are not available except that it was a crunchy snack. Raja followed the golden rule of not writing down recipes and being evasive when asked.
Aditi and Rohan came to India every year during their holidays. The highlight of their visit was the breakfast with the Madras cheese toast and BBB for tea. They were joined in the fan club by the new Madras grandson -Vishwanath .The job of making the classics for three was a getting a bit tough when Aditi decided her figure was more important. In one of the moments of savoring and licking the toast Rohan shouted   ‘Thath is the greatest chef in the world’.
Vishwanath   ‘In the WHOLE World’
This was a rare instance off unsolicited honor from the bottom of their hearts. This honor did not come easily and without murmurs from the traditional culinary experts. Ambika, a nutritional expert had to be convinced of the food value of the Madras cheese toast. Vasanta felt that Raja was a charlatan with shallow knowledge. The youngsters shouted them down.


When in the mood Raja would whip up the most original and flavorful dishes in a jiffy. LTTE Tiger Prawns with gun powder sauce is a classic. Snake gourd stuffed mint flavored minced New Zealand lamb and sautéed in hand pressed sesame oil is a winter favorite. The Petra banana finished with the color of Petra stones is a summer favorite  The praise was always muted from the rest of the family for fear of offending Vasanta who herself was gifted in theoretical culinary knowledge. This muted praise has turned into wholesome praise when the fruit compote was presented at the table and was polished off in no time. Kamini surreptitiously found that the sauce used was old balsamic vinegar and a rare sherry. The proportion remains a secret. .


Raja dedicates this story to Aditi, Rohan, and Viswanath and to the philosopher culinary expert Nat who honed his skills in the cold hills of Kodai.

January 2008

 

Comments

[Kamini]

Too good! My mouth is watering reading about all these delicious foods!

[Maiji]

Very good. Next time I visit Vasanta and yourself, I look forward to a treat of your double-decker cheese toast. I can smell it even now from this distance.

[Ambika]

As you can see, you are getting into deep trouble here.

Periamme has already invited herself over!

[Aditi Dandapani]

Superb piece, thath! you truly are a wonderful chef. You really, really should consider writing down some of the recipes, including the delicious cabbage rolls you made during the summer

THANKS aDITI .mY DAY IS MADE.
LOOK FORWARD TO - 'GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS' -your mom will tell you about it

thath