cooking adventures

Being a food lover, I thought it was only natural for me to try to embark on some cooking adventures. Here are the caveats for every recipe I publish in my blog:

• None of the recipes are my own compositions. I have improvised them to suit my visual impairment.
• All my recipes have been deployed in my kitchen and not in some lab. So, I don’t use weights and measures. The Konkani community in India is a relatively small community, known for its exquisite cuisine. They use what they call Dolya Andoz, meaning, judgement of the eyes. In my case, I use judgement of touch, smell, taste and if you may call it, a sixth sense, developed over many years of being the harshest food critic for my family and friends.
• My recipe may start off being of a certain nationality, but end up being in a totally different country. Remember, it is the mind that discerns countries but the tongue is a universal animal. Besides, during my cooking, I tend to get mischievous.
• I cannot tell you how many people my recipe will serve. I have a simple principle: If there are no leftovers, you either enjoyed the food(please do let me know) or you were hungry. If there are leftovers, you don’t have to cook the next day!

STIR-FRIED SUGAR SNAP PEAS

Ingredients:

• A packet of sugar snap peas, preferably from an Oriental store.
• Olive Oil - I use the light, extra virgin kind(I cannot understand how one can be extra virgin, when one is already virgin - more on that later)
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• Salt to taste
• A pinch of turmeric powder(optional)
• A pinch of asafoetida powder(optional).
• 1/2 tsp. or more depending on your burn capacity, of red chili powder(optional)

Algorithm:

1. Wash the sugar snap peas.


2. Cut the sugar snap peas into 1 inch long pieces, after cutting the ends and the spinal threads(that is what I call them). I have developed a way of removing those spinal threads. I start with one end, cut it partially and pull the thread off till I reach the other end. I repeat the same with the other end and the second thread. With practice, I have gotten to be good at it and get disappointed when the snap peas turn out to be spineless.


3. Place a deep-dish pan over high heat. Pass your hand over the pan to ensure the stove is on and the pan is well heated.


4. Pour enough olive oil into the pan.


5. When the oil is hot enough, throw in the mustard seeds.


6. Right after the seeds start dancing and sputtering, throw in the cut sugar snap peas.


7. Throw in the remaining spices and using a wooden spoon, vigorously stir-fry the snap peas for a few minutes until you are convinced(somehow) that all the peas are well-oiled.


8. Switch to medium heat and place the lid on the pan. Heat for a few minutes.


9. Take a peek into the pan and do the crunch-test by forking a piece and tasting it. If you are satisfied, turn off the stove and place the pan on a cooler area.


10. Enjoy it as a side-dish or as a quick snack.