Creativity With Food – ‘Cookasmic’

I date back my culinary journey to my childhood. I was born in Old Delhi and the streets there are filled with sweet, sour, spicy, oily, milky, savoury experiences. Almost everybody is a foodie there. When used to be given five rupees, I used to prefer buying Baalo baba ki Aalu tikki or Cheta ke chole kulche to chocolates  or candies. There was also noodles and patties available at a shop a little further down and towards Aryasamaj galli, there was also banta bottle and Daulat ki chaat, faalseb, Kulle ki chaat, bedmi aalu, brown kalaakand (brown kalakand is caramelly and chewy).  Ooooof, the list is endless.

My grandmother would coax me to get ‘Kadhai ka doodh’ (Milk boiling on a huge cauldron) in the winters sometimes. I used to be this one little girl in a crowd of these tall men hovering around the milk shop with my eyes fixed at the acrobatic talent of the milk man. He would pour the piping hottttt milk from one kulhad (clay glass) to another and then finally, he would scoop out this big fat layer of malai (cream) and top the milk with it. And when he didn’t scoop out a fat layer, I asked him ‘Babaji, woh vaali malai daalo’ (uncle, put cream from that side) pointing at the fattest malai. The men around would laugh at this sight.

I am a theatre artist and an educator by profession but have always loved hosting friends for dinners and lunches. This lockdown gave me a lot of time to fulfil my cravings and experiment. I very instinctively started to find out ways to be able to make the food that I had eaten once or twice before or the dishes I have eaten a lot while living in various places like Bihar, Indonesia, Bombay, Singapore etc.

I made Vietnamese rice paper rolls, Kimchi, Injera, Ginger beer, Appams, caramel candies, carrot cake, dim sums, pan fried dumplings, red bean soup, and many many dishes. My favourite till now has been ‘Mochi’.

My business with preparing Mochi is in a very nascent stage. I have a long way to go, lots of constant hard work to make it work. I know that I enjoy the expression on people’s faces when they eat it. I love it! In my following articles and videos, I will bring to you some great recipes.

I am using the word ‘cookasmic’ to name my YouTube channel and Instagram page right now because the process of cooking is orgasmic for me. By orgasmic, I don’t suggest it’s of sexual nature but renders creative outlet and fulfilment.

Note: To know what I am talking about, subscribe to my YouTube channel, ‘Cookasmic’ and follow me on Instagram @cookasmic.