Unlike many others who remember spoiling the broth as their first encounter with culinary art, Dahal rather has a more interesting story than just overcooking or undercooking the rice.[break]
“During my childhood, the rains would often bring dead fishes before my courtyards. We used to say that the fishes appeared from the sky. But the reality was they used to sweep along the fields through the courtyards,” Dahal went back to yesteryears to explain how he started cooking and added, “I had no clue how to cook fish. So my friends and I used to put the fish into a steel can and would let it burn into fire. Very surprisingly, in like about fifteen minutes, the fish used to come out like it had just been grilled in a microwave. That’s how I started cooking initially.”
Rather than calling himself a professional cook, Dahal prefers a survivor tag. He explained, “I don’t cook for luxury. I cook to survive.”
Brought up in a family where cooking was never a man’s job, Dahal never seriously took cooking until he started traveling.
He recalled, “Back in my days, to get to see a burger in itself used to be a big deal. All that ever mattered to people of my age was the regular dal, bhat and tarkari. So I was never fascinated with cooking delicacies because I wasn’t exposed to them.”
But his perceptions changed as soon as he started traveling extensively. He was exposed to dining culture where he saw many men donning the apron with butcher’s knife in their hands.
Soon, Dahal decided to start off with an omelet which turned out to be scrambled eggs. He didn’t give up and continued with his experiments until people started complimenting him for his cuisines.
Not that Dahal does not help his other half in the kitchen job, he is rather put away from the kitchen most of the times because his beloved likes to keep the kitchen free from the mess.
“He cooks fabulously but I’d like to prefer to handle the kitchen most of the times,” Mrs Dahal smiled humbly while Dahal countered, “I normally use many utensils and she likes to keep the kitchen clean.”
Among his friends, Dahal’s meat varieties are hugely popular, and whenever there is something extraordinary cooking inside the house, Dahal makes sure that his friends are there to celebrate the joy of dining together.
He neither follows cooking guidelines nor mugs up the recipe tips; he rather follows his instincts while cooking, and makes it right most of the times.
Just before Dahal was about to serve Chicken Barbeque, Coleslaw with Avocado Salad and Macaroni, his beloved wife sighed politely, “I’m really fond of the mutton curry that he makes.”
Did we forget to say that his barbeques, salad and macaroni were just too perfect and YUM?
The writer is Program Officer at the Indian Cultural Centre.
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