Yesterday I reached home at 9 p.m. to find that father-son-and-daughter had finished off the yam fry (which got overcooked and almost looked like mashed yam with a sprinkling of chilli and oil in it) and buttermilk curry I had painstakingly prepared (the yam leaving me with two itchy palms) for lunch and dinner. I had calculated that the serving would see us through dinner too, but I was in for a shock. I should have been pleased that it denoted the success of my culinary venture, but at that late hour I couldnt be less than irritated. The marinated fish needed thawing, the milk for the kids remained frozen and to top it I had to think of some vegetable to make.
"You could have at least taken them out of the freezer," I grumbled to hubby who had come in over an hour before me.
"How am I expected to know. You could have phoned me and told me," he countered.
I decided enough was enough and went off to peel potatoes. That is the easiest dish I can think of. Potato fry. Other than salads.
Topped it with mom's coconut chutney powder and curd to go with the steamed rice. And fish fry. Out of fish thawed without defrosting. I dont like defrosting non-veg and making my oven smell like a butcher's table. Like many Tamilians who dont like to store anything other than milk in their freezers. It pollutes their house to have chicken in their freezer on a pure veg day. I mean they eat n-v only on certain days of the week. Which means I cant serve my maid without asking, "Do you eat fish today?" And she enlightens me with, 'Today is Amavaasi (full moon) day, so no non-veg' or 'This is the month of whatever, and no nv the whole of this month'.
***
Another long day at work. I better think of what to cook for dinner now itself. And not expect to see anything left of the French beans and sambar.
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2 comments:
Ok, i want to understand the no-veg thing and oven but I couldn't follow-- could you explain again when you get a secand. Why do you have to prepare the maids food? couldn't she do that? --Sorry they ate all your dinner I know thatcan be maddening when you have to prepare so late in the day
I generally dont cook/defrost fish or chicken in my microwave oven - an inherent Indian abhorrence/fear that my oven will retain the stink of non-veg stuff whatever deodorising I do later. Come to think of it, a predominantly vegetarian city like Madras has made me a bit conscious of taking my fish and chicken. A Brahmin colleague once told me that taking n-v makes your body odour/sweat stink of it. Not that it will stop me from having fish, even for lunch in the office.
Does that answer your query?
The present maid is only a substitute babysitter until I find a live-in cook-cum-au pair. She does only the laundry and house cleaning, no cooking. I provide her lunch since she is there from 12-7 pm. She is reluctant to serve herself, so I have to do the honours! And once I forgot and she almost went hungry that day - until I called and alerted my hubby who comes home for lunch.
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