Comments on: Indian Moms Cooking: No Recipes, No Measurements, Just Instinct

By: Dave Rowley

Dave Rowley — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:13:35 +0000

What a wonderful gift–to be able to cook like that. I’m sure it’s simple (but not easy) to replicate though: spend a lifetime cooking for people you love and putting your whole being into it.

By: aDeeb

aDeeb — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:50:53 +0000

Dude, nothing beats our food!
Nothing ever goes close to tasting as good as food cooked by our mother.
Instincts are what keep us alive and make us better.
There is only so much knowledge can do.
aDeeb´s last blog ...web: Threadsy.

By: Dave Doolin

Dave Doolin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:36:02 +0000

I cook the same way, to taste.

But I’ve been cooking for myself for a long time.

And it’s funny, because one of my Indian friends cooks this way too. She just throws stuff on the stove and goes!
Dave Doolin´s last blog ..Antti Kokkonen – When it has to be done right

By: srinirao

srinirao — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:18:53 +0000

@Moon: You know exactly what I’m talking about. That drives me nuts

By: Moon Hussain

Moon Hussain — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:12:12 +0000

Srinirao,

I’m a Pakistani and this is pretty funny to me. You’ve got it down perfectly: if I ask for a measurement, my mom will pour the spice into the palm of her hand and say something ‘bus itna’. Haha.

It’s hard to replicate those recipes… probably comes with time. I”ll never be able to cook awesome foods like my mom. Now you have my mouth watering!
Moon Hussain´s last blog ..My Three Pronged Approach To Creating My First Niche Website

By: srinirao

srinirao — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:44:04 +0000

@Sabera: Glad to know there is a good resource out there for those of us with complete lack of culinary talent can turn to when attempting Indian food.

@Mighty: Yes they are

By: Mighty

Mighty — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 01:37:58 +0000

Moms are the best cooks! They have the magic ingredient that’s just so difficult to replicate.
Mighty´s last blog ..Are You Independent or Free?

By: Sabera

Sabera — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:11:37 +0000

I relate to this post so much! I could say the same things for my mother. After I started cooking for myself, I would try and remember what my mother did at home but could never achieve the depth of flavors she manages to. In my Indian food blog, I try and make my recipes as structured as possible but I know that the best results come from cooking often and really getting a feel of the dish you want to make before you get the perfect result.
Sabera´s last blog ..Channa dal & patties

By: srinirao

srinirao — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:35:22 +0000

@Eduard: You would think there is no instinct, but after a while you just do what you do very naturally. I don’t think much about what I write now. When I surf, I find that it’s hard to teach somebody because so much of it is done based on instinct.

@Jenn: Glad you liked it Yeah I would imagine most of it based on sensing and instinct. I haven’t spent enough time in the kitchent to attempt any variations on anything. I just follow the instructions, hence the reason I can’t cook like my mom .

By: Jenn Sutherland

Jenn Sutherland — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:56:05 +0000

I love this post, and it’s definitely something I hear often after people eat in our home and then go home and cook the same recipe after I post it to the blog. Cooking is like jazz – there’s a structural foundation of skill, a framework within which you create, but after that – it’s all sensing and tasting, adjusting as you go to make that perfect dish. I now write notes as I cook so that I can write the recipes up later with a reasonable amount of accuracy, but it still comes down to getting comfortable in the kitchen and making your own riffs to make that dish perfect for you. Maybe not exactly like Mom’s, but good in its own right.

(And I’d love to have dinner at your Mom’s house.)
Jenn Sutherland´s last blog ..Chewy Oatmeal Cookies…Gluten-Free