- For some reasons , unknown to mankind , it was called “Elegant Rasoi Sikhiya ” , roughly translating into Learn to cook “Elegant Recipes” . It never failed to crack us up . Elegant? Seriously?But , what it unwittingly did , was bring the family closer . We learnt some good ,( Moong dal dosas ) and some forgettable ( subzi kadhi with tamarind water , Eeks!!) recipes from that small , paperback sized book . Even the pages consisted of newspaper material . Those ones that remind one of cheap , B grade novels , sold by railway vendors.Yet , it taught me some difficult (and parliamentary ) Punjabi words. Allowing me to show off my newly learnt alphabets , to my fawning parents-in-law . Once I cooked some paneer with some carom seeds , a culinary crime , as per my carom- hating father-in-law. The blame was laid squarely at the cook-book’s doorstep , and the dish never mentioned again.When my Mom-in-law had to leave for foreign shores , she carried a copy with her , so impressed was she , with the book . Some where along the various movements of households , the book disappeared . But the memories remain.
