Food of the Soul.

Few pleasures are as soothing and productive as cooking. Usually, when the word ‘cooking’ is thrown out to the general public, tired homemakers might shake their heads in denial, or let out a moan of exhaustion. The faces that light up, which are a select few, are the ones that truly enjoy cooking, rather than terming it as a ‘chore’ in their daily lives. These select few may include homemakers, too.

I, personally, love cooking. I don’t need an excuse. It’s a relief, an escape from the daily rush-rush routine of life. It feels wonderful, too. When you step into the kitchen, and browse around to select the perfect pan or tawa, or wok to cook your delicacy. The rush of earthly smells you inhale when you open your vegetable cabinets, to pick out fresh veggies and ingredients to make up your foodie paradise. The tough choices between using oil or butter, as both have their own unique emulsions to every morsel.

When you turn on the gas, hearing the tick-tick-tick of the auto stove, and placing your pan above it with perfect precision—not too much on either side. As you wait for it to heat up, thoughts of seasonings and garnishes and flavors flow through your mind—which one to use as an added flavor, or a core ingredient.

Finally, the pan heats up to the perfect degree of heat. You cut a tiny knob of butter off, and set it free onto the hot surface, watching it glide freely around the inner circumference of the pan like an ice skater on an ice rink. If butter is not your way to go, you pour a good teaspoonful of the oil that you like; there are so many choices. Be it, olive oil (virgin or extra virgin), peanut oil, sunflower oil, groundnut oil, and coconut oil…each with their own unique personality. You pour it around the surface, and, lifting the pan, tilt it on all sides so as to emulsify every corner. You let it take its own time to heat up.

When you know it’s hot enough, you chuck in your choice of vegetables, or meats, chopped, diced, roughly cut, or however you like it. You watch it simmer away in the pan, its aroma slowly wafting about your kitchen. You stop and breathe, coating your senses with the delicious smells. Stirring the contents of the pan about, you observe the beautiful and varying colors of the foods. Green, red, pinkish-white, with their own individual tastes, coming together in perfect harmony to produce an outstanding dish to blow away your senses. You watch the peas as they transition from pale green to verdant, suddenly, as though they’re alive, bursting with sweetness. The turning of the onion from purplish-pink to a sweet, light pink inside the pan, as if evolving from flavor to flavor.

They morph into their roles like a caterpillar into a butterfly—maturing in size, shape, color, and flavor. Truly, change is nature.

You stir away in the pan, until you decide its time. Time to add the salt, the ever so important ingredient which adds depth and momentum to every dish, and whatever seasoning you like to be sprinkled on top. Even they have their own world. Pepper, oregano, thyme, basil, rosemary, sage, mint, and so many more. All of them wonderfully delicious whether used fresh as an aromatic, or dried to sprinkle on top of a prepared dish.

You then serve the preparation onto your plate and carry it to your most comfortable spot. You curl up, and devour the dish with your eyes first. Picking up a morsel with a spoon or a fork, you put the heavenly mixture into your mouth, coating it with the various smorgasbords of flavor and texture.

It is then when you know, that food is not only of the body, but also of the soul.

It nourishes not only your body, but also your mind. And you are taken on a different journey with a different destination, every time.

-Rhea Sugwekar.

Thursday, 9th May, 2013.