What’s Cooking? My Culinary Fiascos and Triumphs

Where it all started

From my younger days, I've been randomly obsessed with cooking—like a moth to a flame, except the flame is from a gas stove. It kicked off helping and being my mother's "Sous Chef" with the grunt work: manually wet grinding (ರುಬ್ಬುವುದು), pounding (ಕುಟ್ಟುವುದು), and dry roasting (ಹುರಿಯುವುದು). Soon I was her Gokulashtami sidekick, churning out Kodubale, thengina kaayi mithai and kadale kaayi mithai. When she got seriously ill during my engineering days, I stepped up—entered into the kitchen and it was no optional.

Kitchen jaunts have been my chaotic hobby ever since. I adore it, or so I tell myself. Traditional sweets and savouries? Nailed them—mostly (According to me). My carrot halwa once bowled over friend MS Mohan's family; his mom recollected and mentioned it for many years later.

Corporate Grind: Kitchen Exile

Corporate life as a young engineer? Forget cooking— I was too busy working in the day, studying evenings or lecturing at ICWA(I) and IIMM. My knife skills got a bit blunted.

Forced Bachelorhood: Survival Cooking (aka "Don't Die of Hunger")

I had three hilarious stints of solo cooking—necessity, not genius.

Gurgaon: Basic Survival Mode

At Climate Systems India Ltd., family stayed in Chennai for kids' school. I whipped up rice, sambar, rasam, Mysore Iyengar kolumbu (pacche kolumbu), and palya (poriyal for Tamil folks). Gourmet? Nah, just "edible." It was all about survival with comfort food.

Coimbatore: Tiffin Hero with Weekend Flair

Hansen Drives Ltd. gig—tiffins saved weekdays, but my khaara kadale puri weekends earned reluctant applause. "Not bad for a bachelor," people said.

Antwerp, Belgium: Accidental Chef

Now pro(ish), I fed crowds. Bisi BeLe Bath (Tripple B or BBB—my fancy acronym) wowed my colleagues at Sunparks in Lommel / Belgium. 

Pongal feast? Epic. Gokulashtami for Kirti Lele and Sumukh Guruprasad? Gold star. And for Sumukh's parents—Dr. DV Guruprasad IPS(R), my literary guru and author, and his wife Smt. Swapna? They survived! 

Cold winters turned cooking into my anti-stress therapy—cheaper than therapy and, warmer than snow.

Post-Marriage: Mad Scientist Phase

I fancied myself a kitchen wizard, experimenting wildly (wife now says I've retired and don't have that same passion—rude!). Those were Pre-YouTube era, I cooked Schezwan noodles (Indian style) and mastered Dahi Vada (Thairvade or Mosaruvade) from Anita's cousin Radhika. Raagi mudde with kaaL huLi? Father-in-law's guilty pleasure. Chaat staples like tikki puri and tomato puri? Still in demand from people like Rani and Keshava Das - bless their low expectations from me.

Thailand: Experimentation Explosion (Hits & Stink Bombs!)

Weekend family feasts peaked here—some triumphs, some biohazards. Tri-coloured masala dosay for Independence Day? Patriotic genius. Pineapple gojju and pallya bun? Closed Community (Partha's family and my family) -approved. But those podded beans? Kitchen reeked for days—like a fart from a dragon. I would, in hindsight say that Parthasarthy, Bhooma, and Sharanya, apart from Anita, Maithreyi and Anish, my brave guinea pigs, politely endured.

COVID Captivity: Baking Blunders to Glory

Locked down at Eagleton in Bidadi with MIL, BIL Madan, Anita, and me. Captive taste-testers! I pivoted to baking: pallya bun, khaara bun, baked nippattu. They ate it—stockholm syndrome? I also managed to bake thin crust whole wheat Pizzas and once for Srinidhi Uncle on his birthday!

Mischief from the Past

Those old days in 1980s, VV Puram "study sessions" with Amarnath and Sheshnarayana. They wanted separate coffee/tea. Lazy me mixed them (yes, both Tea and coffee decoctions were mixed together), sugared, milked, served with puppy eyes. "Perfect?" Half-nods. We're still laughing— My ingenuity!

Now: Signature Dishes (No Refunds)

I am still hooked to cooking. Favourites: Avare kaayi akki thari uppittu with shunti gojju/thambuli, Thai mango sticky rice, som tam, chaats, masala dosay. Kids in Hamburg/Nürnberg demand khaara kadale puri and veggie uppittu—I fish for compliments from them like a pro beggar. 

Chakravarthys love my Avare kaayi akki thari uppittu and masala dosay (their avare kaalu akki rotti owns me and is an annual pilgrimage to their home to have them).

MasterChef mesmerizes me—those pros make me feel like a kitchen clown.  I'm just glad my experiments haven't poisoned anyone or made anyone sick. "I cook as I am".

 Proudest moment? My Kids cook too—daughter Maithreyi teaches Indian food to Germans. Now that's talent, not my bean disasters.

Colourful Baked Stuffed Capsicum

Mango Sticky Rice

"THE Avare kaalu Uppittu"

Whole Wheat Pizza for Nidhi Uncle

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