The Mahendru RemedialsA cookbook by Pragya Mahendru

Good or bad, in honour of my dad.

So my dad, Vimal Mahendru, is a preachy sort of person. A highly respectable man, he has achieved a lot in life.

But when it comes to his parenting, he turnes to what I call, his ‘famous quotes’. I remember so many times when he sat me down and had an intense conversation with me.

Talking to me about the difficulties of life. He would always end with one of these epic statements.

Till the time I was in school, I agreed to whatever he would say.I thought, “If Dad’s saying it, it must be true.” But when I got a little older, I started questioning a little more. It turns out I don’t really agree with a lot of things he says. But no matter what, I have to give

him credit, he raised me pretty well.

This set of recipes portray my approval to what my dad believes in.

Thanks dad.

The worst kind of humor is the one you make on other people. The best kind of humor is the one you make on yourself.

Ingredients-1 microwave Act II popcorn.

Method-1. Open from plastic covering.2. Place in microwave, and lay bag flat. 3.Turn it on !4.Stop once there is approximately 5 seconds between pops. {you’ll just have to experiment with this part, and see what works best with your microwave}.

Sociable

The worst kind of humor is the one you make on other people. The best kind of humor is the one you make on yourself.

I am never awkward in social situations and I am able to make conversation with almost anyone. I don’t mind being the ‘funny guy’ anytime.In my opinion, Act II popcorn has the qualities of a sociable person because of the experience around eating it. It is always shared with someone. I also associate popcorn to entertainment, thus its apt for me.

If I don’t take charge, the outcome can be good or bad. But if I do take charge, I am atleast able to influence the outcome.

ProactiveIngredients for vanilla ice cream-10 cups heavy cream,5 cups whole milk, pinch salt, 3 cups sugar, 3 vanilla beans, 24 large egg yolks

Method-1.Combine the cream, milk, salt, and 2 cups of the sugar in a large pot. 2.Split the vanilla beans down the middle lengthwise andadd them to the pot.3.Place the cream mixture over medium heat, and bring up to a simmer.4.Combine the egg yolks in a large mixing bowl.5.Gradually add the remaining 1 cup of sugar and continue to whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved and the eggs are thick and pale yellow; about 6 minutes.

I see myself as a ‘lets do it’ kind of person. I get excited on the smallest ideas. In my opinion, vanilla ice cream is a proactive kind of dish because it is used as a base for all the other flavored ice creams. Once the vanilla custard is made, fruits, cocoa and other enhancers are added to make new flavors.

Lets do it!

The one thing common between Manmohan Singh and you is the given time. Its what you do with it that matters.

Some tricks for making the best Korean noodles.1.Always make in 1.1/2 cups of water.2.Don’t experiment with it. It is awesome.3.Don’t let it dry completely. The soupy part is the best

Deliver on time

When people say they love maggii, I say, “You haven’t tried Korean noodles!” I think these packaged noodles demonstrate my idea of delivery because of all the times I have wanted to eat it. When I am working on a project and have absolutely no time to cook a proper meal or to go get something, I turn to Korean noodles. They never let me down. They are easy to cook and taste amazing.

Low men talk of people. Middle men talk of events. High men talk of ideas.

Ambitious

Ingredients for Pita pockets-Humus, hung curd dip, salsa, soya tikkis, pita pockets bread and lots of vegetables.

Method-1.Slice the bread in half to get an open pocket.2.Toast till a little brown.3.First add all the vegetables the soya tikki.4.Top with the humus, salsa and hung curd dip.

Since childhood, I have always wanted to do more, to go a step further. I like to experiment with the idea that I will never be able to reach the limit that I have set or myself. In my opinion, this recipe for making pita pockets demon-strates how laborious a dish can be. From the enormous ingredient list to the preparation time, this is what they call an over achiever dish!

I stick to things. I don’t know why, but I do. I can’t always experiment with what I like. It might look like an odd choice, but for me chana hua dahi is something I have always eaten just the way it is. I have never eaten curd in its solid form nor have I never eaten any form of raita. I stay away from dahi vada as well. I think it’s a loyalty issue.

Life is about experiences. How will I ever know what is good if I don’t know what is bad. You must experiment for a reference point.

Anti Experimentation

Best way to eat chana hua dahi-1. Always make with fresh home made dahi.2. Use about 75% solid and 25% water part of the dahi.3. Eat chilled.

I don’t think I have ever agreed with my dad on this one. Why in the world would you ever want to eat something that’s not amazingly delicious? Taste is what matters the most. I have never had just boiled vegetables. That is so boring. It is something that he eats on a regular basis. I have chosen palak ka pakora just to prove a point. Take your usual sad palak and jazz it up by frying it. The difference is unbelievable.

Don’t be a slave of the 2.5-inch muscle in your mouth. You eat to live. You don’t eat to live.

Ingredients for ‘palak ka pakora’-Besan 1 cup, Water 1/2 cup, garlic, chopped coriander, green chilies, chat masala to sprinkle, palak leaves without stem, oil

Method- 1. Add besan and mix water little bit at a time till the mixture is of coating consistency.2.Add rest of the ingredients except chat masala,and mix well.3.Dip each palak leaf in the mixture so that it gets properly coated with besan on both sides.4.Quickly put it in the hot oil and fry on medium heat , turning so that it gets golden brown on both sides. 5.Sprinkle chaat masala and serve hot with ketchup or mint chutney

The 2.5-Inch Muscle

If someone paid me money for every hour that I’ve slept, I would be a millionaire.I absolutely love sleeping. I have never let work come between my sleep and me. I think that gulab jamun has the traits of sleep because of its ‘heavy food’ nature. I loved eating gulab jamuns just before I slept. Sitting in my cozy bed under the quilt, gulab jamuns were perfect. Hot and warm, they gave my stomach a good nights sleep.

Ingredients for gulab jamuns-1 cup Carnation Milk Powder, 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 2 tablespoons butter -melted, Whole milk

Method-1.Make the dough by combining the milk powder and butter. Add just enough whole milk to make a medium-hard dough. Divide the dough into 18-20 portions. Make balls by gently rolling each portion between your palms.2. Slip in the balls into the hot oil from the side of the pan, one by one. They will sink to the bottom of the pan, but do not try to move them. The balls must be fried very slowly under medium temperatures. This will ensure complete cooking from inside and even browning.3.Add in sugar syrup and enjoy

You have your whole life to sleep. Don’t waste your time on sleep.

Sleep Is My Life

I don’t agree with my father completely. I think its more situational based. I would know more about somethingthat I am more closely related to than someone who has just heard about it. I consider caramel custard to embody this notion of mine because my mom makes it the best. There is no fancy restaurant or any great chef (who’s I have tasted) that even comes close to what she makes at home.

Ingredients for caramel custard-4 eggs, Milk 450 ml, Sugar-12 tbsp, Vanilla essence

Method 1.Heat milk with 9 tbsp of sugar in a saucepan and let it dissolve 2. Beat 4 eggs. Keep stirring the milk while adding eggs to it 3. Take an aluminum steaming custard pudding vessel . It should be dry and add 3 tbsp sugar and melt it on very slow fire till it turns brown and caramelizes . 4. Pour milk mixture to it. 5. Put enough water in pressure cooker such that the it is just below half of the vessel . 6.Pressure Cook for 3 whistles on high flame and 20 minutes on low flame. 7.Keep in fridge to chill

A person who is older, who has more experience in life, will always know how to handle a complex situation better than you will. You must always go to them for advice.

Expeience?

I don’t really want to talk about this one. I’m not really proud of it. I consider golguppa to have traits if a sore loser because of their instant nature. There is only one specific perfect time when they can be eaten. They will die and fall flat in your hands if you keep the water in them for long. Without the water, they crush and crack so easily. I would say that they are stuck up with big egos!

There are 3 kinds of people in the world- Who make mistakes and don’t learn from them , who make mistakesand learn from them and those who learn from others mistakes. You should aim to be the third kind.

Gol guppas aren’t really something you cook at home. You just eat them from outside or get them packed for later. So, places to get the best gol guppas- 1.Haldirams, new delhi.2.Kamla nagar market, new delhi.3.Haus khaz market4.Lajpat nagar market

Sore Loser

So my dad, Vimal Mahendru, is a preachy sort of person. A highly respectable man, he has achieved a lot in life.

But when it comes to his parenting, he turnes to what I call, his ‘famous quotes’. I remember so many times when he sat me down and had an intense conversation with me.

Talking to me about the difficulties of life. He would always end with one of these epic statements.

Till the time I was in school, I agreed to whatever he would say.I thought, “If Dad’s saying it, it must be true.” But when I got a little older, I started questioning a little more. It turns out I don’t really agree with a lot of things he says. But no matter what, I have to give

him credit, he raised me pretty well.

This set of recipes portray my contradiction to what my dad believes in.

Thanks dad.

Good or bad, in honour of my dad.

The Mahendru RemedialsA cookbook by Pragya Mahendru