When I was a tiny lass( around ten or eleven),many moons ago,I would always ask Nani whatever I wanted to know 'cos Ammi was always busy,with housework and what have you.
So…one day Ammi is out shopping and I say to Nani,that I want to surprise Ammi and cook some dal.Ok,good idea says Nani,and helps me measure and wash some masoor dal and leave it cook.
Now,I am running to and fro checking that it’s not burning.Then I notice that the water level is low,so I say to Nani…‘Nani,paani kam hai kiya karoo?’.
Nani says…‘tora sa **pakka **hua pani daal do..kaccha na daalna’…‘Teek hai’ say me.Then I’m thinking ,what on earth is pakka hua paani.Anyways I put a pan of water on the stove and leave it to boil.After ten minutes (dal almost jal gaay), Nani says ‘beta,paani daal diya?’…me says ‘nay Nani,abhi pak raha hai…aur kitni dair pakaoon???’ …
To this day I am stiil asked…‘Baji kitni dair aur paani pakaay’…
So…over to you guys.What are your embarassing (sp?),mishaps or accidents when learning to cook.
Two days after my wedding , I saw my FIL sitting alone at the dining table waiting for one of the daughters to prepare him breakfast .. I thought i will do it ..so i went to the kitchen and started making tea … when it came to the chai patti , i couldnt find it anywhere … then suddenly i saw this little bottle with black patti in it … I sniffed it , and it did seem like patti to me .. so I added like 3 teaspoons into the water and prepared the tea and the rest of the breakfast ..
He took a sip and said , beta , chai is garbar … later I found out that i had mixed grinded onion seeds thinking it was the patti … .. i was so embarassed …:no:
I was 12. My mum asked me to cook rice. Just plain white boiled rice. I boiled it, remembered to add some oil (so the rice didnt stick) and vinegar (so the pan didint darken).
After about 15 mins I decided it was a good time to put the rice on 'dum' I didn't drain the rice as I didnt think I had to. So I just added some zeera and some butter cos I had seen my mum do that, put foil over the rice and left it on a low heat for 20 mins.
The rice were all mashed up and loads of water still remained. My sisters laughed at me, I cried and my mum sat and ate them in silence.
I couldn’t think of one but CB’s anecdote reminded me…although I think I have posted this before but anyway this is by far the most embarrassing one.
I was cooking for the first time after shadi, making kheer, I thought it was a safe bet as I had made it a million times and it never went wrong. So anyway, when it was ready I was so happy with myself as it turned out very yum..perfect texture, perfect color,perfect meetha, perfect taste…and then I decided to add some Kewra water in the end for some aroma, I have no idea to date what I was thinking cos in went not one,not two, not three but five teaspoons full of kewra (you all know we need only a few drops) and even then my hands weren’t stopping, my mind panicked and I literally pulled myself away from the kheer.
And no it didn’t stop right there! yup read on.. instead of rescuing it by removing the kewra that was still floating on top, I quickly stirred the whole thing in I was almost in tears.
It was like I was possessed or something… but my in-laws are so very sweet that they were all-praises for it… A kheer reeeking of kewra, I couldn’t eat it myself but they did..
wait i still dont get it...what is "pakka huwa paani"?
Yup,like masi said it's basically boiled water.My nani said to put boiled water in the dal rather than cold from the tap.However,because she said 'pakka **hua pani'**...I took it in it's literal sense,and started to 'cook' the water for goodness knows how long...lol
Before I start to cook now I always boil a kettle of water...
Masi , how i dreaded making my first sweet dish after the wedding .. I knew i would do something similar to you … she asked me if i knew zarda .. I was like :no: … then she asked me if i knew gur wala chawal … me said :no: … then she said beta jo ata hai bana do … and FIL said , beta stay away from onion seeds … ohhh it was so embarassing … fet like a total loser …
^LOL that was so funny CB...i know my most embarrassing moment is impatiently awaiting me as im positive it will happen right after im married in a few months inshallah. lol! ill be sure to share it.
Masi , I know … I ended up making koftay ka salan … My SIL who got married one day after me , she was coming over for her maklawa and her inlaws were coming so we got busy in the kitchen and eventually and thankfully the attention got diverted
…
.. that was really funny actually Charmed 
(you all know we need only a few drops) and even then my hands weren’t stopping, my mind panicked and I literally pulled myself away from the kheer.
but my in-laws are so very sweet that they were all-praises for it… A kheer reeeking of kewra, I couldn’t eat it myself but they did..
…
poor guy must be fearing kahin onions ki kheer he na mil jai 
… My SIL who got married one day after me , she was coming over for her maklawa and her inlaws were coming so we got busy in the kitchen and eventually and thankfully the attention got diverted 