Re: Enjoying your own cooking.......
funguy n ahmadjee.. you guys could be mean and sweet at the same time.. Appreciate whatever she cooks, makes us feel better! :-p
by the way how does cooking works with mothers-in law since every household has different taste and a different background.. i dunno what would i do if my MIL started teaching me cooking.. is it tough?!?!
Re: Enjoying your own cooking.......
Gem - always cook small portions. Cook vegetables such as gobhi, aaloo, palak etc. Always cook ahead of time and give the haandi some resting and settling time before serving. Get used to pressure cooker if you are into meats. It's a good idea to cook mets with little water in a pressure cooker and just add the whole aftermath into a sizzling pot of oil with spices. Also, whener you add tomatoes or onions, make sure they are well coarsed and almost puree form. And last but not least, add fresh cut cilantro to all the dishes.
Re: Enjoying your own cooking.......
^ nice.. thank you!
may i ask why to cook ahead of time.. i mean shouldn't the food be served right away..or more likely, this is what i have seen most of the time.. so why do you emphasize on cooking before hand, i feel like there must be something very beneficial behind it! Share that!
what if you dun like to eat meat at all and teh smell drives you crazy but hubby is such a gosht-khor.. what would be the best option?
once i was short on time and i blended everything together taht is oniion, garlic, ginger, and made a paste to bhonofy just to lessen the time to wait for onions to turn golden.. is this ok to do or does it affect the taste?
cilantro is religiously must in our family so that eases the pain somewhat!
Re: Enjoying your own cooking.......
eeek shahreen would kill me to ruin her thread... i MUST open another thread for these suggestions.. shall i?!
Re: Enjoying your own cooking.......
FG, very good tips.
GTG, cooking with MIL is a challenge. Most, if not all, MILs believe they are the gurus of cooking and their way is the best way. If your own cooking skills span from boiling eggs & serving tea than a mentor is always nice to have. My wife finds solace in the fact that she can tell my mother on how to bake Pizza, make Lasagna or deserts like cheese cake.
I have noticed that it all depend on their moods. If they both are in a good mood they enjoy cooking together and helping each other out. Otherwise they think the other is hogging the kitchen.
Though I have to make it clear here that whatever I cook, even if it is on the grill, which my mother has never used, I get the worst reviews from her. And this is from the days in Pakistan. My mother is in her late 60s and me being the youngest helped her a lot in house hold chores when all my siblings went away for studies or got married. Still, she would usually find something wrong with everything I did, from dusting to my cooking.
Compared to me she treats my wife like a princess.
Re: Enjoying your own cooking…
^
hehe…
my hubby gets that treatment …n i love to see these scenes:devil:
khayr…GTG …i’ve cooked with my MIL…the key is …‘just observe’ 
u know what was the first dish i was asked to cook …‘karaylay’ :o
but somehow they turned out right n now whenever i’m there karaylay r my domain
i let her do whatever she likes (frankly speaking she’s quite right most of the time) but i try not to contradict …i simply omit those parts which i don’t like . while i’m cooking alone!..
she cooks tasty food …but simple dishes …for roasts/pizzas/ cakes …she just leaves me in the kitchen …my younger SIL is interested in learning though …when something gets approval /is liked …she comes in kitchen n we cook it together …(thats their way of showing appreciation)
Re: Enjoying your own cooking.......
Gem- the cooking process doesn't stop as soon as you turn the stove off. As you know energy can be stored, and in the case of cooking, it is stored in the ingredients and the pot. It takes at least 15 minutes to an hour for all the build-up heat and steam to evaporate.
I am not sure if you have noticed but most vegetables, palak, gobhi and aloo taste better the next day. I am not sure exactly what's the sciend ebehind this but it works every time.
Pressure cooking meat should take care of the smell issue.
Re: Enjoying your own cooking.......
^^ Fungy- first congrats on actually gettin married n second maybe u two can create meals together.. that way she can pick up on ur culinary skills.
OOh i totally agree with the food tastin better the next day.. especially pulao, briyani, nihari n ofcourse sabzis.. i think all the flavor in these dishes secretly parties at night in the fridge...
p.s i liek the location answer under ur nick.. hehe.. atleast ure not in denial like other men ahem ahem
Re: Enjoying your own cooking…
funguy
let’s just hope she exists for real. Not that I have any doubts.:nahnah:
Re: Enjoying your own cooking.......
ahmadjee: since my hubby is the youngest one as well so i might expect the same from my MIL for him.. as far as i m concerned she knows me since my childhood and also my kitchen skills that is equal to zero, so i think she won't be very strict on me.. oh well, i always have my sis jetani there for back up or for bribing to cook for me! i hope it will work out well.
Afia baji: karelay, now that was a "bitter" start..how did you get that bitterness out?? did you soak them in salt water for a while or just washed them a night before and left it there to drain the water which simply takes out the bitterness as well!
Also you were expert in baking and stuff, so you got through it.. but i doubt that it will work in my case or i might end up taking cooking classes before rukhsati :$
funguy: wowwww now i know the secret behind the taste of leftovers...i am going to share this with everyone in my family and would be considered a mini asghari( a sughar grl, i think).. thanx alot! meat in pressure cooker tip is great, but i think i need more time before getting into that...oh by the way, i m still expecting a few wedding pics.. shall i keep my hopes high?!?!
Sajal baji: how are you doing..how is ishaa janu?.... seems like i 'm in your ignore list, am I? :(
Re: Enjoying your own cooking.......
gtg
hugs
what are u talking about girl? I luv u soooo much.
I am still vacationing so that's why u don't see me online. Hopefully I will
catch u soon.. Take care till then. Oh and u can always drop
an email or something.:)
Re: Enjoying your own cooking.......
Actually i enjoy my cooking when it comes to non-vegetarian food or the vegetarian food that i like. When i have to cook vegetables that i don't like myself for others, i don't even taste them and they are not so tasty for others.
Re: Enjoying your own cooking…
hugz :sigh of relief:
i didn’t rrealize that you were still in VA until aunty yasmeen told me last nite, so my bad! i was telling her how beautiful Armaan is and we were talking about you guys for a while!
i have been planning to visit you but something always comes up no matter what… oh by the way i will be visiting aunty yasmeen every saturday for cooking lessons, so please come over some day saturday for a chit chat since i haven’t talked to you for long!
Re: Enjoying your own cooking.......
Oh I really hope to see u soon. Have missed u sooo much.
How long are u gonna be taking the lessons for?
Re: Enjoying your own cooking…
It’s like working in a cake shop … the last thing you wanna do when you clock off is eat a cake. Man I need to start working in a Chippy 
I’ve been told I’m a fab cook, but hardly ever eat what I make (usually too tired, as I only cook about once a year :o )