“I try my best to eat healthy, and avoid greasy food,” he says. He knows how to prepare varieties of vegetables as he has experiences of doing so, many times, and tries to make any dish with as less spices as possible, as he thinks it isn’t good to include them all the time. “If I hadn’t taken care of things like that, I would have had many reasons to worry about my health,” he says.
Bogati loves eating, and he loves cooking even more. He is zealous when it comes to cooking, as he wants everything to be perfect. “I need to have the right amount of ingredients, prepared in the way I think, and executed and eaten in the way I want,” he says. Unlike people who are alright with gathering the most basic ingredients to make quick snacks, he takes his time and puts in a lot of effort to prepare a dish. “You eat with your eyes, and I like food that not only tastes good, but also looks equally good. I think cooking is an art and should be treated that way,” he says.
That is probably the reason why he thinks that one should be extremely patient when one’s in the kitchen. “It isn’t something that you can learn overnight. You need to know the workings of each
Clutter free cooking
and every component,” he says. He has been cooking ever since he was in the fifth grade, and used to go in the fields and gardens to get the herbs and ingredients to cook food. That has made him realize that cooking can be a religious ritual, something that can bring in a sense of peace.
Hence, the eating out culture these days bothers him. “People these days surrender to the food from restaurants, and in doing this, are choosing an easy way out. They are denying themselves the pleasure of what could have been a great experience,” he says. He boasts of knowing the nuances of culinary art, and is happy to flaunt his skills all the time. Recently, however, he hasn’t had much time to cook as much as he’d like because of work and other obligations.
Nevertheless, cooking and interesting kitchen stories haven’t left his memories. From preparing overcooked rice to making yummy pork delicacies, he has lived through it all, and intends to keep at it for many years to come.
(As told to Sachi Mulmi)
Fried chicken wings and leg
Ingredients
Chicken 1 kg, legs and wings
Hot water to submerge
Turmeric 1 tsp
Onion 1
Lemon 2
Coriander leaves a small bunch
Oil 200 ml
For the paste
Cumin seeds 1 tbsp
Ginger 50 gm
Garlic 6 pieces
Green chili 4
Cardamom 6
Methodology
• Clean the chicken first, and submerge it in hot water for a minute, then dry it and take off the skin from the legs.
• Marinate it in the turmeric powder and leave it for a while.
• After that, take a big bowl and mix the chicken with the paste that was made earlier, and cover it with a lid for a good 15 minutes.
• Pour oil in a pan and heat it for a while, then deep fry the chicken in low heat, so that the spices don’t burn.
• Once you’re done frying it, apply lemon juice in the chicken so that it mixes well.
• Cut the onion and coriander leaves in small pieces and mix it with the chicken.
• Your dish is ready to be served.
(Serves 6 people)
Niguro ko tarkari
Ingredients
Fiddlehead fern (niguro) a big bunch
Garlic cloves 6 pieces
Turmeric powder 2 pinches
Salt 1 ½ tbsp
Methodology
• Clean and cut the fiddlehead fern carefully and into small pieces. The length of the fern makes a difference in the taste of the curry.
• Pour oil in a pan and heat it for a good minute.
• Put the garlic and fry it until it turns brown.
• Put the fiddlehead fern in the pan and mix it well, so that it blends well with the oil and the garlic.
• After a minute, put the turmeric, again mix it well, and after half a minute, cover it for around one and a half minutes.
• Take the lid off, put the salt, mix, and cover it again for one and a half minutes.
• If it is too dry, you can add a little bit of water as well.
• Serve hot.
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