<p>Indian cuisine boasts of incredible variety of dishes and wide flavours.<br /></p>.<div><br />If the home has a heart, it must be the kitchen. <br /></div>.<div><br />From its warm confines come food and nourishment, sustenance for body, mind and soul.<br /></div>.<div>Who does not remember secret forays into this sanctuary of tempting delicacies during siesta hours and ferreting out snacks for afternoon feasts? </div>.<div>I well recall those occasions when I uncovered little that was palatable.</div>.<div><br />Nothing deterred, I embarked on rustling up something of my own. Those were days of iron stoves, fuelled by charcoal.</div>.<div><br />Small pieces smothered in ash were left smouldering for quick and easy relighting.</div>.<div>Heaping more pieces on the embers and fanning them vigorously made flames leap up.</div>.<div>Now it was time to place a bowl full of all the good things that one could lay hands on -- ghee, Ovaltine, cocoa powder, nuts and sugar—and stir the mixture until a rich and sticky mass was formed. Mmm... delicious!<br /><br />Of course it was always a case of eat now, pay later. However, no amount of scolding deterred me.</div>.<div>The early introduction to tasty delights is only a small taste of delights to come. Indian cuisine boasts of incredible variety of dishes and it is not surprising that we are surrounded by a wide and even bewildering combination of flavours and seasonings.</div>.<div>Almost every corner of this land has a speciality with a distinct taste and twist of its own. On my bookshelf is a cook book that is made up completely of dosa recipes.</div>.<div><br /> It showcases no less than fifty-two of them!</div>.<div>The kitchen opens an easy way to achievement.</div>.<div><br />With just a bit of enthusiasm and perseverance, one can turn out mouth-watering dishes.</div>.<div>No repetitive or lengthy practice is required. The work is completed in a short while and the results are there to be seen and enjoyed immediately.</div>.<div><br />What is more, when the dish turns out well, the stress and weariness involved in making disappears.</div>.<div>There is the added bonus of sharing it with others.</div>.<div>Kitchen is the nerve-centre of many happy occasions.</div>.<div>No celebration is complete without a well-laden table. Indeed, as one friend remarked the other day, one may well forget the name of the bride or the groom, but not the lingering satisfaction of a sumptuous meal, well served.</div>.<div>It is a matter of pride that in our country exists one of the world’s largest free kitchens.</div>.<div>Run by the Golden Temple in Amritsar, it feeds approximately 100,000 visitors everyday.</div>.<div>Called ‘Langar’, it ensures that no one goes hungry.</div>.<div>It welcomes and caters to all, irrespective of caste, creed and religion. The camaraderie that prevails here is both remarkable and admirable.</div>.<div>The kitchen is no doubt a place that satisfies hunger pangs, but how does it nurture the spirit?</div>.<div><br />Thousands of years ago, the Buddha, after a lengthy period of self-denial, learnt that one must eat to philosophise.</div>.<div><br />As an old song goes, ‘It is easy enough to titter when the stew is smoking hot, but it is mighty hard to giggle when there’s nothing in the pot’!</div>
<p>Indian cuisine boasts of incredible variety of dishes and wide flavours.<br /></p>.<div><br />If the home has a heart, it must be the kitchen. <br /></div>.<div><br />From its warm confines come food and nourishment, sustenance for body, mind and soul.<br /></div>.<div>Who does not remember secret forays into this sanctuary of tempting delicacies during siesta hours and ferreting out snacks for afternoon feasts? </div>.<div>I well recall those occasions when I uncovered little that was palatable.</div>.<div><br />Nothing deterred, I embarked on rustling up something of my own. Those were days of iron stoves, fuelled by charcoal.</div>.<div><br />Small pieces smothered in ash were left smouldering for quick and easy relighting.</div>.<div>Heaping more pieces on the embers and fanning them vigorously made flames leap up.</div>.<div>Now it was time to place a bowl full of all the good things that one could lay hands on -- ghee, Ovaltine, cocoa powder, nuts and sugar—and stir the mixture until a rich and sticky mass was formed. Mmm... delicious!<br /><br />Of course it was always a case of eat now, pay later. However, no amount of scolding deterred me.</div>.<div>The early introduction to tasty delights is only a small taste of delights to come. Indian cuisine boasts of incredible variety of dishes and it is not surprising that we are surrounded by a wide and even bewildering combination of flavours and seasonings.</div>.<div>Almost every corner of this land has a speciality with a distinct taste and twist of its own. On my bookshelf is a cook book that is made up completely of dosa recipes.</div>.<div><br /> It showcases no less than fifty-two of them!</div>.<div>The kitchen opens an easy way to achievement.</div>.<div><br />With just a bit of enthusiasm and perseverance, one can turn out mouth-watering dishes.</div>.<div>No repetitive or lengthy practice is required. The work is completed in a short while and the results are there to be seen and enjoyed immediately.</div>.<div><br />What is more, when the dish turns out well, the stress and weariness involved in making disappears.</div>.<div>There is the added bonus of sharing it with others.</div>.<div>Kitchen is the nerve-centre of many happy occasions.</div>.<div>No celebration is complete without a well-laden table. Indeed, as one friend remarked the other day, one may well forget the name of the bride or the groom, but not the lingering satisfaction of a sumptuous meal, well served.</div>.<div>It is a matter of pride that in our country exists one of the world’s largest free kitchens.</div>.<div>Run by the Golden Temple in Amritsar, it feeds approximately 100,000 visitors everyday.</div>.<div>Called ‘Langar’, it ensures that no one goes hungry.</div>.<div>It welcomes and caters to all, irrespective of caste, creed and religion. The camaraderie that prevails here is both remarkable and admirable.</div>.<div>The kitchen is no doubt a place that satisfies hunger pangs, but how does it nurture the spirit?</div>.<div><br />Thousands of years ago, the Buddha, after a lengthy period of self-denial, learnt that one must eat to philosophise.</div>.<div><br />As an old song goes, ‘It is easy enough to titter when the stew is smoking hot, but it is mighty hard to giggle when there’s nothing in the pot’!</div>
