Cooking as meditation

Lockdown has been a unique experience for us all. The Covid-19 global pandemic brought many things to a halt and struck deep at the roots of us as social animals. But we found ways and means to interact, survive and thrive.

For many of us, the lockdown meant more time at home and the opportunity to dabble in cooking, a frontier that was best avoided for the most part. I was one of those who realized how much fun and therapeutic cooking could be.

Not only did it bring out the culinary animal in me, but it also helped unleash my creativity. Thanks to the world wide web even a novice can cook with a degree of expertise – there are just so many online recipes and videos. The trick is to use all that is out there, give it your own unique mischievous twist, add a dollop of common sense and a basic knowledge of chemistry and you land up creating something quite special.

When I started my cooking spree from breakfast to lunches and dinners to even the odd evening snacks at times, I realized the myriad soulful connections and emotional benefits of cooking. I am a multi-tasker and the problem for such people is that mind chatter never stops. Cooking surprisingly helped me break my mental workouts by making me think in one direction -  to ensure a new tasteful dish emerged every time. Cooking transformed me as an individual. It helped me plan, sort, arrange, prioritize, bring in a sense of ownership and responsibility while bringing out the innovation inside of me.

Cooking turned out to be like meditation with the eyes, ears and mind open and alert. It took away all the insecurities in my head and helped me focus with confidence and clarity while easing my mind, body and soul. The result of this effort was something new, delicious and relished by my family. It filled me with feel a sense of respect, gratitude and appreciation for everyone who must have cooked some food for me my entire life so far.

Cooking helped me fight anxiety and stress besides having a calming effect. Today, I believe, this experience has made me a far more evolved and capable human being.

Aloo Paneer Masala
(Without onion and garlic)

Ingredients

• Cottage Cheese (paneer) -250 grams
• Boiled potatoes (Aloo) -2
• Bay leaf (Tej Patta)-1
• Cinnamon (dalchini)-1 piece
• Cloves (laung)- 3 pieces
• Coriander (Shaniya) seeds - 8 to 10 pieces (mildly crushed)
• Cumin (jeera) seeds- 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder -1/2 tsp
• Dhania powder- 1 tbs
• Jeera powder -1 tbsp
• Red chilli flakes-1/2 tsp
• Red chilli Powder (Kashmiri)- 1tsp
• Whole jeera- 1 tsp
• Ginger (finely chopped) - 1tsp
• Tomato (nicely chopped) -1
• Capsicum finely chopped -½
• Garam masala powder- ½
• Pav bhaji masala powder – ½ tsp
• Salt and sugar - to taste
• Milk- ½ tsp
• Oil as needed
• Ghee/butter as needed
• Water as needed

METHOD

Slice and dice paneer and keep aside. Peel the potatoes and cut them into medium size pieces.

Heat a vessel, add oil and sauté the tej patta, then add dalchini, laung, crushed dhania seeds, cumin seeds and chopped ginger.
Let them splutter and then add the potatoes and roast them with little oil till the sides become crispy brown and keep all of this aside. Add a little more oil. To that add chopped tomatoes and capsicum and sauté till they become soft. Now start adding turmeric powder, dhania powder, cumin powder, few red chilli flakes, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, pav bhaji masala powder, salt, sugar and continue to fry by adding little oil and ghee/butter. Once the masala begins to look cooked, add the potatoes and the whole sauteed masalas and ginger and mix well. Now add water and milk and bring to a boil. Now add all the diced paneer and let it simmer for some time, add water if necessary. Finally, garnish it with fresh coriander leaves and serve.

Home-made Pav Bhaji

Ingredients

• All-purpose Maida: 500 gms
• Milk - 1 cup
• Sugar- 1 tsp
  Dry Yeast- 10 gm
• Salt -1 tsp
• Butter – 2tbsp
• Oil, water as needed

METHOD

Take a bowl, and add milk, sugar and yeast. Add maida, salt, oil and water and knead till the dough becomes soft. Now add butter and continue to knead and then cover the bowl with a cloth and keep aside for three hours at room temperature. Once the volume increases then knead it further and start making them into balls. Put them in a greased tray and brush or sprinkle little milk and wrap them again. After 30 minutes, bake them in a preheated oven at around 190 degrees till they turn golden brown. Brush with butter on top to give the pav a glazed shiny appearance.

Now cover with a wet cloth for some time allowing it to cool and then take them out. Your pav is ready. Before serving partly cut, warm them on a pan with butter and serve.

Bhaji

Ingredients

• Potatoes (boiled) -2
• Few pieces of cauliflower, carrot, capsicum and green peas
• Cinnamon (dalchini) -1 piece
• Clove (laung) -2 pieces
• Coriander (dhania) seeds - 8 to 10 pieces (mildly crushed)
• 1 teaspoon cumin (jeera) seeds - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
• Red chilli Powder (Kashmiri) -1 tsp
• Kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) - 1 tbsp
• Ginger (finely chopped) - 1tsp
• Onion (finely chopped) - 2
• Garlic (finely chopped) - 2 flakes
• Tomato (finely chopped) - 1
• Pav bhaji masala powder - 1 tsp
• To taste salt and sugar
• Oil as needed
• Cornflour - 1 tsp
• Ghee/butter as needed
• Water as needed

METHOD

First, take potatoes, cauliflower, carrot, capsicum and green peas and boil them. Then chop ginger, onion, green chilli, garlic and tomatoes into fine pieces and keep them ready.

Now take a pan, add little oil, splutter the crushed dhania seeds, jeera seeds, dalchini, laung. Then add ginger, garlic, green chillies and onions and sauté them till they become golden. Now add the chopped tomatoes and stir till they become soft. Add salt and sugar and continue to stir. Add turmeric powder and pav bhaji masala along with red chilli powder. Now add kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaf) and continue to stir. Finely chop potatoes and add them and continue to stir. Then add the boiled vegetables by slightly mashing them. Now add water and ghee and continue to cook, add some cornflour for the liquid to thicken.

Garnish with coriander leaves and some lemon juice. Throw in some more fresh chopped onions on top and enjoy with the pav.