The Cooking Bug

I've mentioned somewhere in an earlier post how much I hate cooking. It's true. Atleast it used to be. My mom's an amazing cook. Especially, since dad used to be in the army, mom used to look up all kinds of recipes for all the parties that were hosted by us. Back then, you had to rely on TV, magazines and cookery books. No internet to make life easier for you. My mom has this giant diary which has all the recipes chronicled by her in the last 25 years. And it has these awesome recipes in it. My mom is the main reason I'm such a big foodie. Back when I was in school, my mom used to make something different for me every single day. No same old fare everyday for me. My friends used to literally beg me to invite them home for lunch/dinner. Continued all the way till college.

My mom's the kind of person who's always looking for new recipes to try out. She herself gets bored of eating the same thing too many times. And my mom has tried almost all kinds of cuisines that there are. But recently, my mom's been quite busy with work and seems less and less inclined to cook, unless it's for guests. Then she gets all excited. Now, this is not good news for a foodie like me who ends up with a different craving every day. My mom's solution: if you feel like eating something, learn to cook it yourself.  Initially, i wasn't very impressed with the idea. But, as time passed, and I was eating my favourites less and less, I thought I might as well give it a try.

I refused to cook the things my mom usually makes at home. Instead, I wanted to try all the interesting recipes in her diary. And that's what I did. I've learnt quite a bit in the last month or two. And at the cost of sounding narcissistic, I think I'm quite a decent cook (credit goes mostly to my mom's recipes). I haven't yet messed up a dish, which I'm quite proud of.

Soups are a favourite for me. Not the horrible Knorr or Maggi ones in the market. I like soup that's been cooked from scratch. Today, I made Cheesy Cauliflower soup. Found it in mom's diary and it's super tasty.

Ingredients:
1 medium cauliflower
1 medium onion sliced
15 gms butter
1 soup cube
3 cloves
1 bayleaf
Salt, to taste
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp corn flour
1 cup milk
1 cube cheese, grated
20 gms paneer, crumbled

Method:
Fry the onion in the butter till pink. Add the cauliflower florets, cloves, bayleaf, soup cube, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. (I normally just leave it in a pressure cooker for about 2-3 whistles)
Remove the cloves and the bayleaf, and let it cool. (I wrapped the cloves and bayleaf in a tiny piece of cloth and put in the pressure cooker. Makes it easier to remove it. Mom's idea :P)
Blend it in a mixer till smooth.
Let it boil in a pan again.
Mix the cornflour in the milk.
Add the cornflour mix to the pan while stirring constantly. You can add a little water if its too thick.
Let it cook for about 5 minutes.
Take it off the flame and add the cheese and paneer.
Garnish with coriander.

Serves 4.

I'm too lazy to get up and find the diary. So, I've just written it in my own words, as I remember it.