Pandemic Kitchen

 Year - 2020

Knock-knock..

Who?

Covid!

😨😰😔

World at a standstill.

And the previous two years are synonymous with above expressions. We all had near or far acquaintance with this miniscule virus. For the unknown, viruses are the connecting link between living and non-living things. (In simple words, viruses are non-living till they enter a living entity). And this, so called connecting link, broke all the connections amongst human race. It was bad. It is bad.

As all the coins have heads and tails, in the same way, this pandemic had other side of the coin too.

This article will share how coronavirus toggled the kitchen and life of common people, with a pinch of (salt) humour, which otherwise is true😀.

The lockdown started with a pin-drop silence on 25th March, 2020 morning- roads empty, shops closed, malls shut, schools closed and maids off. Only place bustling in every home was "kitchen" because, now, Ghar ka khana became topmost priority.

Virus was on a search for the people with less immunity. Everybody was worried from inside, as their immunity report card 📑was about to come. Mobile chit-chats and gossips were replaced by Covid enquiries, immunity boosting suggestions and recipes of kadhas.

Cinnamon, black pepper, clove, ginger, turmeric, honey- all had a merry. Suddenly, they were in excessive demand. And as we all know, 'excess of everything is bad', around July 2020, I read some news in a newspaper- "Many people complaining of liver and gastric inflammations after consuming kadhas to prevent Covid." Having such warm (by their inherent nature) kadhas, especially in scorching summer season was not a right decision. But everyone, especially in India, is a home-made ayurvedic doctor, by default😀. (I am not against Ayurveda. I too practise it for some basic ailments.) But, these ayurvedic professors are so full of conviction, that you start believing our true doctors are wrong and they are right😃.

Vitamin C and Vitamin D became top priority. Sources of these two foods were studied with more dedication during Covid than during science exam in school. Remember the chart of Minerals and Vitamins, with their sources and deficiencies in the science book?

And silently, between all this, it was a "Mom" who was most concerned about feeding the high immunity food to her family. But only immunity building foods? Nah...As much mommies were concerned about the health of the family, in the same way, they did not want anyone in their home to miss the restaurants. (Only a mom can understand). This gave rise to our own Pandemic Chefs in every home.

Covid shut the restaurants but not the moods and taste buds. (Oops! The ones who got Covid certainly lost taste and me too, in March'21 !!!). Whats app status in the initial days of Covid were either filled with Covid updates or some really delicious treats. Few of them, which I spotted the most were - Dalgona Coffee, Matka Kulfi, Jalebi, Ghevar, Chole Bhature, Designer Cakes, Gol-Gappe, Chinese platters, Grilled Chickens, Chilled Smoothies and what not? Oh! my mouth is already watering. Yours too????

Similarly, I too got carried away and tried my hand at some of them. Let's have a look-

Kulhad Wali Kulfi

(Like Matka Kulfi. It came out to be really yummy. Perfect during scorching summers.)

Home- made Jalebi

(Haha..The best shaped jalebis were kept on the top for a delicious picture. It was tough and tricky. Hats-off to jalebi wale bhaiya. When I saw the recipe online, there were so many tricks involved, like the texture of batter, temperature of the oil and good fermentation.)

Oreo Biscuit Cake

garnished with crushed almonds and pistachios

(Now, this one was easy. Many of you must have tried it. What's special in this? This was my 5-year-old daughter's first cake.)

Choco- Vanilla Cake

(Beautiful floral cake recipe shared by a friend. Baked, not in an oven, but inside a pre-heated pressure cooker. Not pressure-cooked, of course.)

Ghevar

A traditional Rajasthani sweet cake cooked in the month of Shravan

(Slightly over-cooked though 😬 but it was still sugary-delicious. Kids loved it, for it was a home made crunchy donut (doughnut) for them, as it has a hole in the center 😄.)

Home-made Chinese Platter

Hakka noodles, with Sauteéd vegetables and a soup

(This one has become my favourite. Huge repeat value. I have cooked it multiple number of times since 2020. Guests have obliged too.)

Grilled Chicken

with Rice, Cooked beans and Veggies

(Now this was a restaurant miss. I mean, we used to order it from a restaurant, healthy with a protein punch. One day, I thought of replicating it. And yes, I did it. Though all the elements take good amount of time to prepare, but its worth a great dinner. )

So, that was it from my kitchen. Though, I tried my hand at some more recipes but couldn't find the pictures. However, I would like to share the dishes by other pandemic chefs too- my sister, some cousins and friends. Take a look-

Barbeque Paneer

   

Coconut Ladoos by a friend

Our humble Upma

(What a look!!)

Gol- Gappe

(Mouth-watering, indeed!!)

Chilled Watermelon Twist

Pandemic Cooking - Collage by a friend Anjeli

I believe, 'pandemic kitchen' was a real time example of silver lining amongst the dark Covid scare. It was a ray of sweet happiness when world and mind were looming in the covid sadness everywhere. We should always try to find a positive distraction whenever the gloom arrives. This remembers me of a song 'Ik Banjara Gaye..'  from an old movie- "Jeene ki Raah". Two lines from the song-

"Zamane walo, kitaabe gum mein, hasi ka koi fasana dhundo...

Agar jeena hai, zamane mein toh, hasi ka koi bahana dhundo..."

And ultimately, its a mom, who knows best about how to keep her family smiling.

But...

Now...

One question...

Why the pandemic kitchen was closed during second and third lockdown? 

Why mommies? Were you bored or tired?

I think it was an announcement by WHO (as read in newspapers) that covid cannot be transmitted through cooked food😉😀. And the restaurants again opened.....outside food came inside our homes...

But mommies, keep cooking some yummy delights every now or then. You need not be great cooks for that, for the food cooked by moms only requires love for taste and warmth for a cherishable food memory.