Bound by a recipe and passion for cooking

kitchen mates

It was just last Sunday when the chimney at Tituraj Kashyap’s house emitted a whiff of bhut jolokia (world’s hottest chilli) and the neighbours were left in a frenzy early morning.

The culprit, however, was neither the owner of the house nor his better half (who is a brilliant baker) but his friend Bidyut Bohra who is an expert at preparing pork in bamboo shoot with herbs and of course the infamous red chilli. On the occasion of International Friendship Day, meet the new age friends who plot, plan and play their culinary tactics inside each other’s kitchen over special dates!

“He was preparing the same pork dish last Sunday,” says Kashyap who is himself a foodie and a cook since early childhood. “Of course it all started by seeing my parents. Both are brilliant cooks and it is courtesy to them that I developed my passion for cooking. But when I shifted to Delhi from Guwahati, I started cooking with friends,” adds the 33-year-old corporate communication expert, who continued his cooking expeditions even after two in his three-member gang got hitched and started living in a different place.  

Kashyap informs how he, his friends Bidyut Bohra (a banker) and Rakttem Sharma (a chartered accountant) still plan for days when they can meet and whip up their magical recipes. “While I am good at cooking mutton, Bidyut cooks amazing pork while Rakttem is a master of dal,” informs Kashyap revealing their plans to cook some pork sausages and pulao to be savoured over long conversations. 

With time, friends grow old and their bonds grow stronger. But often one feels odd just sitting and chatting. So some of them take the initiative to get up and venture into the kitchen and enjoy the experience of not just munching but also cooking together. 

“The house that we chose has a big kitchen, only because all our friends often intrude to cook their own version of a particular dish,” says 38-year-old Smita Srinivasan talking about her Bengali friends. “One of them cooks brilliant butter chicken in red chilli and another, named Sudipto Biswas, prepares chicken curry in Bengali-style. We (Smita and her husband) are called in when they crave for beef,” she says with a smile as the mouth starts watering over mention of numerous dishes being cooked in one kitchen like a community feast!

“They just get up in between talking and start cooking. The menu is at times pre-decided if the chicken needs marination, but it is also resolved on the spot depending on what the majority wants to eat,” says Smita as her husband, Biju Ummen, a marketing manager, not much of a foodie but loves to cook, adds shyly, “I am good at making beef, but I like fish so I am learning it from my friends.” Come winters and the rooftop of their house is abuzz almost every other day with barbecue.

For others, like 29-year-old and newly-married Meghna Malik, it is more about trying different cuisines when friends come over. “During our last get-together, I prepared roasted Lamb Chops in Rosemary and Lime, along with baby roasted vegetables. For dessert, chocolate ganache was my choice,” says Malik who depends on books and mobile applications for new recipes every time. 

“We take turns among us friends and leave the host to choose the cuisine. After all, the main agenda is to catch up with buddies and what could be a better reason to try different foods and different cuisines?”