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With the onset of food content on social media and multiple cooking content creators taking over the food space, we’ve let some of the wisest guardians of traditional food knowledge fade away into the background; and this includes our mothers, for whom ancient cooking wisdom was a phase of life that they adapted to, unlike it being a choice for the most of us. We’ve seen our moms adjust the spice and salt levels in curries or save rice from being overcooked or repurposing sour milk into paneer many a times, so it is only fair that we make a compilation of these precious pearls of wisdom, on the occasion of Mother’s Day.
Altering Recipes For Personal Tastes
While the concept of a recipe might be the same at its core, with varying palettes to cook for over the years, family recipes would have evolved into being just right for the people who’ve always enjoyed eating it. Most mothers do not really accustom to the usage of spoons or measuring cups and go ‘by eye’ to know how much of spice or how much of an ingredient’s flavour is enough for a dish. Adding their own personal touch to dishes makes each preparation distinctive to the tastes they’ve loved and see their families enjoying as well.
Under-seasoning Food Versus Over-seasoning
Whether it is salt, sugar or chilli, we’ve always heard our moms say how it is better to start small instead of being ambitious all at once and ruining the chances of coming up with a perfect dish. While seasoning food is crucial to highlight flavours, it is also necessary to not overdo any kind of seasoning, unless those are the tastes you’re looking for. Irrespective of how much flavour you might be able to add to food, balance is crucial in knowing that the secret to good food is just enough seasoning.
Clean As You Go
Perhaps the most demotivating part about cooking family meals is the amount of washing up those piles for later. But if you’re efficient, cleaning up chopping boards, pots and pans as and when you’re finished with a dish, is a great way to reduce the load of cleaning up you will have to take on after the meal. Besides, who doesn’t want to be spread out on a couch and dose off instead of slaving at the sink, scrubbing pots?
One Pinch Sugar/Salt
The one thumb-rule most seasoned cooks in the family follow while cooking is to add a pinch of sugar to savoury food and a pinch of salt to sweet food for balance of flavours. Sugar brings out the tartness and umami flavours in a dish whereas salt is one of the best ways to highlight sweet or bitter ingredients in dessert. It is also a great way to save your dish from being over-salted or too sweet to the point that it isn’t palatable.
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Simple Food For Sickness
You might be down with a flu and craving doughnuts or chaat in bed, but all moms know better when they say that the best remedy for sickness is a bowl of khichdi or soup. Eating light when being down allows the body to recuperate quicker and eases the digestive system, thereby letting the body fight bacteria with more energy, while you rest and take some time off.
Invest In Quality Cookware
All those Bollywood movies where you saw the bride taking piles of utensils to her husband’s home weren’t really lying, when you think about it. Heirloom vessels are sturdy and built to last and let’s be honest, when have moms shyed away from adding and expanding their cookware collection? That said, buying cookware that is seemingly expensive but good for health as well as longevity in the kitchen, is more economically viable as well as good for your bodies. Buy pieces that prioritize function but also look good at the dining table when served from.
Taste While You Cook
Perhaps one of the biggest open secrets our moms never talk about is this – taste each component of your dish or meal as you go so you know better how to go about building flavour and making adjustments, when needed. A mother’s cooking is almost instinctive and they are firm believers in ‘going by taste’ to check if a dish needs a bit more garlic or coriander or if the halwa needs more sugar. Cooking intuitively might seem ludicrous to some but there is no denying that it is the secret to mom’s cooking!
