Oh! There is so much to do. How will I do? I hope it comes ok. I don’t know why I take such a long time to do it when that is the simplest thing according to everybody. I just hope I can do it well and with little time this time”. This is the sort of anxiety I feel when I plan to do this particular task. You are wondering what it is? In typical KBC style of Amitabh Bacchan, “Agar aap exam ke bare mein soch rahe hein to aap galat hai”(If you are thinking about exam you are wrong), “agar aap kuch confession ke bare mein soch rahe hein tho aap galat hai””(If you are thinking about confession you are wrong), “agar aap mere office ke kaam ke bare mein soch rahe hein tho bhi aap galat hai””(If you are thinking about my work at office you are still wrong). This task which makes me anxious, gets me nervous, brings me restlessness is none other than making chapathis.
“Making chapathis?” that’s the question mark on your face. Yes, making chapathis; soft ones, round ones has been a question mark to me from time immemorial. Oh, I shouldn’t lie, well not exactly time immemorial but for the past 4-5 months, the reason being I never tried to do one before that. My actual hands -on experiment in cooking started with my marriage. I had started with dosas and other Konkani recipes of different varieties and amazingly but true, all of them had come out quite well to my own surprise! My husband used to always bug me before our marriage although jokingly, asking me if I knew to prepare some dosa or some dish. I knew nothing at that time and had taken it as a challenge to prepare all those things he used to bug me with and feed him once I am married. So, now you see why I didn’t do chapattis when we were back in India ; that was not in the list of items he used to bug me with!! After coming to UK , the initial 6 months passed by in changing trains and managing time that there was neither time nor energy to try anything new. After shifting to London , I did make some futile attempts to make chapattis but easily gave them up following disastrous results. I was content to use the ready made thaw and eat Shana parathas.
The problem started when one of my colleagues a south Indian girl got engaged to another colleague a north Indian guy. She started making chapattis for him although she wasn’t used to them and had shared my opinion earlier that it was a difficult job. I don’t know why, but this part of me did not want to accept that I made bad chapattis. I didn’t see any reason why I should fail in this simple task. Yes, that’s when I made up mind; I am going to master the art of making chapattis.
The first thing I did was search for atta, Pillsbury or Annapoorna atta which my mom used. Unfortunately I could find only huge bags of them not less than 10kgs. I couldn’t buy bag of 10 kg. It would be like buying a brand new Mercedes E-class with a learner’s license. I had to buy something smaller which suited my L-board, like a second hand Maruti zen. So, I went to the Tesco and brought a 1.5 kg bag of Shakthibhog Atta. Now, the name itself was quite repelling, ‘shakthibhog’. I don’t understand why people name stuffs with such weird names. “Anyway, how does the colour of the car matter when you are learning”, I thought and went ahead with the plan. My chapattis came out nice, round as moon, soft as sponge. But………….. only before I put them on the tawa. Once cooked they were ok to be eaten immediately, bad after sometime and worse the next day. My mom, MIL suggested a few ideas, but all in vain; If only one needed equipments in the gym to exercise the jaw muscles, I would have become a rich woman by now owning a wholesale chapatti production unit. I wonder why the health conscious civilization hasn’t come up with such an idea yet.
When I am after something I do not give up easily. If A can make nice chapattis, B can make nice chapattis, why can’t C make nice chapattis? Off course she can! I changed from maruthi zen to Indica. I got a new brand called Natco. The name sounded better. With a new brand I wanted to try a new trick. Where can I find a new trick? Being in software industry for 4 years now, my mind by default went to Google, the beautiful manifestation of internet technology. I googled for ‘How to make soft chapathis’. Aah! There I find so many answers. First thought that came to my mind was “Wah! Chaitra you are not alone…many have faced this problem”. With the tricks googled out, I started driving my tata Indica;
Fuel the car and lubricate the engine parts before you drive, said lesson1; I kneaded the dough by applying a bit of oil in addition to the regular salt, flour and water. Keep the engine in running state said lesson 2; I kept aside the kneaded dough in a warm place for some time. Start driving smoothly said lesson 3; I rolled the chapattis carefully; Apply breaks only when necessary said lesson 4; I applied flour while rolling the chapattis only when it was absolutely necessary; Avoid humps and dents on the road said lesson 5; I flattened the chapattis evenly. Do not stop abruptly said lesson 6; I put the chapattis on the already heated up tawa. Always park your car in a proper parking area said the last lesson; I kept my chapattis covered.
My chapattis are ok now. But I am not stable enough to get rid-off the learner’s license. Generally my mood, spirits get reflected on the quality of the chapatti, not to exclude the luck. I still cannot say I can make soft chapattis with confidence. So, the day I plan to make chapattis, as the time approaches I will be in this agitated nervous state just like the time before the exams. I do not know why I consider this as something I need to achieve. But I am not ready to accept failure yet. I will follow the advice my mom used to give us when were small, ‘Marali yathnava maadu, marali yathnava maadu’
“Making chapathis?” that’s the question mark on your face. Yes, making chapathis; soft ones, round ones has been a question mark to me from time immemorial. Oh, I shouldn’t lie, well not exactly time immemorial but for the past 4-5 months, the reason being I never tried to do one before that. My actual hands -on experiment in cooking started with my marriage. I had started with dosas and other Konkani recipes of different varieties and amazingly but true, all of them had come out quite well to my own surprise! My husband used to always bug me before our marriage although jokingly, asking me if I knew to prepare some dosa or some dish. I knew nothing at that time and had taken it as a challenge to prepare all those things he used to bug me with and feed him once I am married. So, now you see why I didn’t do chapattis when we were back in India ; that was not in the list of items he used to bug me with!! After coming to UK , the initial 6 months passed by in changing trains and managing time that there was neither time nor energy to try anything new. After shifting to London , I did make some futile attempts to make chapattis but easily gave them up following disastrous results. I was content to use the ready made thaw and eat Shana parathas.
The problem started when one of my colleagues a south Indian girl got engaged to another colleague a north Indian guy. She started making chapattis for him although she wasn’t used to them and had shared my opinion earlier that it was a difficult job. I don’t know why, but this part of me did not want to accept that I made bad chapattis. I didn’t see any reason why I should fail in this simple task. Yes, that’s when I made up mind; I am going to master the art of making chapattis.
The first thing I did was search for atta, Pillsbury or Annapoorna atta which my mom used. Unfortunately I could find only huge bags of them not less than 10kgs. I couldn’t buy bag of 10 kg. It would be like buying a brand new Mercedes E-class with a learner’s license. I had to buy something smaller which suited my L-board, like a second hand Maruti zen. So, I went to the Tesco and brought a 1.5 kg bag of Shakthibhog Atta. Now, the name itself was quite repelling, ‘shakthibhog’. I don’t understand why people name stuffs with such weird names. “Anyway, how does the colour of the car matter when you are learning”, I thought and went ahead with the plan. My chapattis came out nice, round as moon, soft as sponge. But………….. only before I put them on the tawa. Once cooked they were ok to be eaten immediately, bad after sometime and worse the next day. My mom, MIL suggested a few ideas, but all in vain; If only one needed equipments in the gym to exercise the jaw muscles, I would have become a rich woman by now owning a wholesale chapatti production unit. I wonder why the health conscious civilization hasn’t come up with such an idea yet.
When I am after something I do not give up easily. If A can make nice chapattis, B can make nice chapattis, why can’t C make nice chapattis? Off course she can! I changed from maruthi zen to Indica. I got a new brand called Natco. The name sounded better. With a new brand I wanted to try a new trick. Where can I find a new trick? Being in software industry for 4 years now, my mind by default went to Google, the beautiful manifestation of internet technology. I googled for ‘How to make soft chapathis’. Aah! There I find so many answers. First thought that came to my mind was “Wah! Chaitra you are not alone…many have faced this problem”. With the tricks googled out, I started driving my tata Indica;
Fuel the car and lubricate the engine parts before you drive, said lesson1; I kneaded the dough by applying a bit of oil in addition to the regular salt, flour and water. Keep the engine in running state said lesson 2; I kept aside the kneaded dough in a warm place for some time. Start driving smoothly said lesson 3; I rolled the chapattis carefully; Apply breaks only when necessary said lesson 4; I applied flour while rolling the chapattis only when it was absolutely necessary; Avoid humps and dents on the road said lesson 5; I flattened the chapattis evenly. Do not stop abruptly said lesson 6; I put the chapattis on the already heated up tawa. Always park your car in a proper parking area said the last lesson; I kept my chapattis covered.
My chapattis are ok now. But I am not stable enough to get rid-off the learner’s license. Generally my mood, spirits get reflected on the quality of the chapatti, not to exclude the luck. I still cannot say I can make soft chapattis with confidence. So, the day I plan to make chapattis, as the time approaches I will be in this agitated nervous state just like the time before the exams. I do not know why I consider this as something I need to achieve. But I am not ready to accept failure yet. I will follow the advice my mom used to give us when were small, ‘Marali yathnava maadu, marali yathnava maadu’
Marali yathnava maadu--> Try and try until you succeed
Chapatti--> North Indian bread like food stuff
atta-->wheat flour
MIL-->Mother-in-law
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