I cook with Wine, sometimes I even add it to the Food

They say that SPARE THE ROD AND SPOIL THE CHILD. I was behaving like one spoilt kid and had not written for last 4 Months.

And that is only because, in the months gone by, I have not Cooked as much as I would have liked to.

My 2 motivations to Cook, my Wife, has been on a disciplined Diet and my Son, unbeknown to us, has morphed into a raging teenager who is convinced that showing any kind of love, affection and dependence towards Parents went out of fashion along with Bell Bottoms. That is something I am still coming to terms with. But I don't think I ever will!

So here I am, back to what I absolutely missed doing - COOKING and WRITING. The Belly rules the Mind and I am engaging both my Belly and the Mind in a competition to please the other in the hope that they primarily "MOTIVATE" and particularly
"OUTDO" each other.

Armed with this thinking, today I finally banished my apathy and spared myself from the Rod, but I did not spare the Cod. What transpired is a Grilled Cod Loin accompanied by a reduction of Red wine and Honey Sauce served with Salad leaves sprinkled with shavings of Parmesan Cheese and burnt Garlic Pods.

Food without Wine is like a body without aura, Wine without Food is like a shadow without a body, but both, when tastefully matched become a fine combination like none other to please ones Belly and Mind.

Which is why I cook with Wine and sometimes even add it to the Food.

I ain't done Cooking

NOBILITY is not about being superior to someone else. It is about being superior to YOUR FORMER SELF! In our quest for betterment, we end up pursuing the impossible task of wanting to be better than SOMEONE ELSE and thus risking spectacular failure.

Everything in this Universe has a Principle. When Milk is heated, it boils. When Water is frozen, it becomes Ice. When Steel is heated, it melts. When Glass is dropped, it breaks and when Coal is Polished, it transforms into a Diamond. No matter what, Water cannot become Ice when boiled, Steel cannot break when dropped and Glass cannot hope to become a Diamond when polished.

Just by sticking to their Principle, by realizing their weaknesses and diligently building on inherent strengths, they can completely METAMORPHASISE and become what others cannot duplicate.

A Problem is a Sand Paper for sharpening our life-skills and from experience, I can safely that the size of the Problem is inversely proportional to our ABILITY to solve and overcome it.

We just need to keep on working on enhancing THAT ability; through Meditation, through Thinking, through Reading, through seeking advise, through persistent efforts and last but not the least by having unquestionable faith that.... come what may, eventually we will find a solution.

Important thing about a problem is not just finding a solution, but its the strength and wisdom we gain in finding the solution and thus reaching another level altogether as a human being every time we solve a problem.

I find an opportunity everyday to become better than my former self and that is through cooking. No matter how often I may have cooked a certain dish, it can still be improved. The Roti can become rounder, the Naan can become softer, the Biryani can become tangier, the Dal can be healthier and I can be better. Than my former self. Each day. That is why I cook!

Good sense discovers Ways, Ignorance finds Excuses!

Breakfast is a notoriously difficult meal to serve with oomph and style, unless it is a lavish spread at one of the 5 Stars. But that's like being pushed into an Orgy when all one needs, is to just lovingly hold hands.

Starting the day with BF is the first chance our body has to re-fuel its glucose level also known as blood sugar, which is essential for the brain and is the main Energy source. It is also extremely important for Weight management as it curbs hunger and prevents binge eating later in the day.

Not eating BF, is like operating a device with drained Batteries. Its bound to die on you and then you will be dragging around a lethargic, tired, useless and dysfunctional piece of equipment all day long. That's like consciously bringing about and suffering in-adequacy by;

- forgetting to wear your pants
- leaving home without recharging the phone and
- driving the car with insufficient fuel

Eventually when the fuel runs out in the middle of nowhere, you discover that you can't call anyone for help because you are phone isn't charged. Nor can you get out of the Car because the Pants are not on!

I shudder to imagine how that day is going to unfold. Why then bring about such disastrous days by leaving the house without having BF and risk ruining your most valuable equipment = YOURSELF. Results of sustained abstinence from BF over a long period of time hit the body hard later in life.

People have conveniently convincing excuses for not having BF which is a deceptively MOST important meal the day, yet making BF is very simple. This French toast and Mango Milkshake didn't take more than 5 minutes to make.

INGREDIENTS : 2 Eggs, 1/2 Cup Milk, 1/2 Tsp Sugar, Salt and Pepper to taste, 1/2 Tsp Oil or Butter, 2 slices of Bread

DIRECTIONS : Preheat the pan, Mix all the ingredients together, dip the Bread slices in the Egg Mix and cook on the heated pan till golden brown. Turn over till the other side becomes crispy golden brown and they are ready to serve. Use the remaining egg mix (if any) to make an impromptu Omlette and serve on the side with Ketchup. Wash it down with Mango Milk Shake.

Then do a reality check and see your face in the mirror. I guarantee you that there will be a smile on your face which will be difficult to wipe off through out the day.

Its easy to make the simplest of things and jazz up the presentation to make them tantalizing. Don't skip breakfast by making excuses. An Excuse is a lie in disguise of a Time bomb which explodes much later when most unexpected.

You owe yourself a hearty breakfast to prepare the SELF to enjoy the nice day ahead. Allow good sense to Prevail, don't skip BF and deprive yourself of a smile that will last all day. Bon Apetite.

Take no Hostages, leave no Witnesses

If we resolve to give up Eating, Smoking, Drinking and Loving, we don't actually live longer......IT JUST SEEMS A LOT LONGER.

Ask the Italians. They are already complaining that their lives are way too short. Notwithstanding that they live beyond 70 and have the least incidence of Heart and Stress related ailments. Maybe its the Garlic or the Olive Oil or the Wine or just that THEY are the Mafia and it is Others who have to run scared of their lives from the Italians.

Italians are uniquely passionate and desperately impatient. They have even named their car to honor this trait. " Frenzied Italian at A Traffic-light " aka FIAT! They say give an Italian a Laundry list and he will set it to Music. Their lazy impatience and burning passion shows in the Food which I have savored and have also heard that it shows in the way they make love, which I have not.

Italians have a very special and unique way of pronouncing words especially when it comes to their Culinary creations. While we may not be able to pronounce Pizza or Manicotti or Mozzarella or Bruschetta as well as the Italians do, we can certainly endeavour to make it as well as they do. No harm in trying. I tried my hand at making Bruschetta at the risk of inviting the wrath of the Mafia.

INGREDIENTS : 4 Ripe Tomatoes, 4 Cloves of Garlic Minced, 1 Tbsp Olive Oil, 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar, 6-8 fresh Basil leaves chopped, Salt, freshly ground Black Pepper to taste, 1/4th cup Olive oil and 1 Baguette French bread.

DIRECTIONS : Prepare Tomatoes first. Chop them by hand to give it the authentic imperfect home-style look and put it in a Bowl along with Garlic, Balsamic Vinegar and 1 Tbsp Olive Oil. Add chopped Basil, Salt and Pepper and mix.

Set the Oven to preheat (if no Oven the just use the Pan to semi toast the bread). Slice the Baguette in diagonal 1/2 inch slices, coat one side of the slices with olive oil and place in the oven, olive oil side down until the top begins to turn golden brown.

Remove the bread from the Oven, align the slices on a serving Platter and layer each slice with the Tomato topping just before serving.

For Spice lovers, improvise with the Sauce. Grind dry red chillies with olive Oil and Vinegar. Add chopped Cilantro or Coriander for colour and body. Add Salt to Taste. You can even serve Cottage Cheese with it on the side.

To give it the final masterstroke of Italian Mafioso authenticity, make sure that there are no witnesses. Not while making food their way and definitely not when making love they way they do! Buon Appetito:)

T E M P T A T I O N S !

There are times, I must confess, I accept momentary Moral Bankruptcy by yielding to Temptation. I convince myself by saying " I am doing this just so that I can be in the good books of Temptation as I must not avoid it at all times, lest Temptation starts avoiding me when I grow old. Then there will be nothing to look forward to!

All good habits emerge from resisting temptation and that credits Moral Currency in one's Character account. Gosh how utterly abnormal and ahead of myself does this sound? Imagine life without temptations or an existence where one is able to resist all of them.

Food is my prime source of Temptation and no matter how much reason I try and apply I just don't succeed at all times. I may win the Set but only after conceding a few Games. When it comes to Pakoras, its GAME, SET, MATCH Pakoras!

To me Pakoras cannot exist in isolation. They embody three sacrosanct attributes; The Coating, The Object du Coating (Onions, Potatoes, Chili, Spinach, Baby Corn or other vegetables of choice) and last but not the least the CHUTNEYS. Its an amalgamation of these three Constituents which gives it the salacious power to break my resolve to nano-atom sized smithereens.

INGREDIENTS : 3 Potatoes, 3 Onions, 2 Cups Besan, 1 Cup Water, 4 Cups Oil, 2 Tsp Red Chili Powder, Salt to taste, 1/2 Tsp Ginger Garlic Paste and 4 big pods of Garlic.

DIRECTIONS : Heat the Oil in a Wok. Wash Potatoes and Onions and cut into thin slices. Add water to Besan followed by Salt, Ginger/Garlic paste, Red Chili powder and 2 table spoons of very hot Oil and make a batter of semi thick consistency (for the Pakoras to turn out Crispy). Dip each piece of Potato Slices and Onion Rings into the batter till fully coated and fry until crisp. Once done remove them and drain the Oil on Kitchen Tissue (that takes away a lot of the guilt). Once the Pakoras are safely removed from the Wok you will see particles of crispy leftover Besan still floating on the Oil. Quickly add the Garlic Pods and fry until light brown and then remove.

But we are not done. The Chutneys are yet to make an entry. Two Standard Chutneys are Sweetish Imli Chutney and a Chili Paste slightly watered down to reduce its ability to become a Rocket launcher. But the Magic is in the third chutney which is made out of the fried Besan bits and Garlic Pods which are mashed together and become a coarse concoction, which gives body and a unique taste when Pakoras are dipped in the liquid chutneys first followed by this coarse Chutney which fondly clings to the Pakoras. It also tastes delicious when these Chutnies are applied on bread and eaten with Pakoras.

I have relived a fantasy of Culinary debauchery as I wrote this. Imagine what must have happened when I had an encounter with these Pakoras accompanied with the Chutneys.

I do my best to avoid temptations, UNLESS I can't resist them. And in this case I didn't!

If it were not for the LAST MINUTE, I would't get anything done!!!

To think for too long about doing a thing becomes its undoing BUT the sooner we fall behind, the more time we have to catch up.

It's the REALIZATION that one is FALLING BEHIND which by itself (in most cases) works as the Starting Switch to stir us into taking suitable action.

I am the king of Procrastination. But only when it comes to doing things for Myself. I love it, but it does exasperate others. I still prefer to wait. Correction...... ' Procrastinate ' . This word possesses the innate competence to make Indecisiveness sound like a Virtue.

They say 'Things will definitely come to you if you wait, but you run the risk of inheriting the leftovers from those who have taken the effort to hustle ". I for one don't buy this or feel threatened enough to launch myself into knee jerk action mode. By Hustling you may get the best seat on the Plane but it may be the flight one shouldn't have taken.

Hustlers don't preserve themselves and very rarely last for the long term. No point in living life like a Shooting Star for that fleeting moment of glory.

Somewhere between HUSTLING and PROCRASTINATING lies the realm of THINKING THROUGH which usually gets smudged between our misplaced promptitude to do things or the laziness to adjourn tasks on hand. It does pay to read the small print, because in real life the Large print gives but the Fine print takes away.

When I have to do things for others, I tend to accomplish the tasks well within prescribed deadlines, which in official matters usually fall due on a Friday. I have also over the years and after futile attempts of chasing a mirage realized that it was only Robinson Crusoe who could get everything done by Friday. The mountain of work with Deadline as its Summit continues to be a tough climb for me.

But now its time for me to let go the lapel of Lord Procrastination and head to the Supermarket only than can I meet my most important daily deadlines which I look forward to. That of making BREAKFAST, LUNCH and DINNER!

Its not a Fad. That thing called Salad!

I don't always prepare Rich, fulfilling and Sinful meals. Occasionally SALADS come to the rescue and serve the same purpose as competently as a Multi Course Meal, while delivering healthier nutrients to our systems.

Salads don't deteriorate in intrinsic natural value of its ingredients by going through the nutrient destroying process called Cooking and they can be prepared with Vegetables, Fruits, Meats and Sea Food, individually or collectively and thus boast of the rare gift of being able to please everyone.

What Salad is to a Meal, is what Conscious Restraint is to life. The art of knowing what to SAY or DO. But MOST IMPORTANTLY when to stop while still getting the point across without diluting the effect.

Indulgence is natural to us Mortals. But RESTRAINT never harms. What can be deceptively destructive is SUPPRESSION. Anything in MODERATION has never known to have caused damage to anyone.

Salad works as a Starter as well as a Main Course and it doesn't have to be un-interesting or tasteless or deceivingly fattening due to the Dressings. Eating Salads with fattening dressings is like watching an adult Channel dressed in a Monks attire.

I am human, thus Indulgent by default. But luckily, enlightened enough to realize that be it Indulgence or Restraint, both can be fatal if practiced in perpetuity. I neither subscribe nor adhere to Moderation as the only way of Life, but I try to use that as a springboard of excuse for occasional dives into Culinary indulgences. And that's where SALAD MEALS make a grand entry.

A Salad successfully fulfills the demanding requirement of being HEALTHY, DELICIOUS, FILLING and NUTRITIOUS. All at the same time. This THAI GLASS NOODLE SALAD definitely makes the cut in terms of all the attributes, which, while confining themselves to the holy territory of Moderation, do flirt with the persuasive borders of Indulgence.

INGREDIENTS : Thai Glass Noodles, Vegetable Oil, Shrimps (Or Tofu and Mushrooms for Vegetarians), Salt and Black Pepper, Red Chillies, Lime Juice, Fish Sauce (Vinegar and Soy Sauce), Sugar, Shallots, Coriander, Celery, Lettuce and Browned Onions (optional).

DIRECTIONS : Let Noodles Soak in water for about 10 Minutes till they are soft, then add to the Pot of Boiling Water, reduce the heat to Medium and cook until the noodles are plump and Glass Like. Drain in a Colander and rinse with cold water and cut in 3 to 4 inch length.

Pour Oil in Skillet and when hot add Shrimp or Tofu, season with Salt and Pepper and leave to cool.

Mix Chili, Lime Juice, Fish Sauce, Sugar, Shallots, Coriander, Celery and Shrimp (or Tofu and Mushrooms). Pour over noodles and Mix thoroughly.

Serve on a bed of Lettuce and garnish with optional crisp fried brown Onions.

Go ahead. Try making it and eat it to your hearts content without ever stepping into the guilt laden territory of Indulgence or Gastronomic debauchery and still emerge with the same satisfaction and facial expression that these otherwise sinful acts would bring about. Bon Apetite!