Often I get complaints that I do
not give the exact recipe of the dishes that I make exceedingly well. The
normal rant – “We tried the recipe you gave us to the T but still it was not
appreciated like yours always are; are you lying about some ingredient or process?”
The truth is that the recipe just
serves as a guideline. I almost always tailor it to the audience I am catering
to except when they are too diverse. That is an art and mind you it comes
with getting the pulse of the intended audience’ palate just right and hours of
experimentation.
For e.g. I have friends who are
not averse to onions as long as they do not see it. Now, if onions are key to
getting the flavor and the recipe stated it as to be chopped, my friends would
be completely put off no matter how stupendo-fabulous a dish I made. So, I just mask
the sight and sometimes even the aroma of the onions with the other ingredients.
Result: That smile, generous
praise and of course request for this ‘right’ recipe.
Mom, you really taught me well by
never telling me the secret of your
fantastic dishes and making me slog to get my perfect result. Thank you, Mom!
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