Every few years, I invite readers and colleagues to contribute guest columns in the series Technology and my Hobby/Passion. Over a hundred contributed in the last decade on their birding, charities, cooking, music, sports and every other passion, and how it keeps evolving with technology. Click here and scroll down to read them all.
This time it is my nephew, Nitesh Mirchandani who lives in Morristown, NJ with his wife, Irem. Nitesh works for Birlasoft, a mid-size technology SI and leads business for their Life Sciences customers. Irem is part of Reckitt Benckiser’s Project Management team in the Supply Chain area. They love to travel and have a long bucket list of countries to visit. They consider themselves foodies! That's the two of them when they visited us in Tampa. We were at Boca, a farm to fork restaurant. With telemedicine, teleschool, tele-everything gathering momentum, they write about their experience with telecooking during our slowdown and lucky us, share plenty of recipes:
With all of us transitioning into and getting used to the ‘new normal’, having a routine is of paramount importance. Helps mentally, emotionally and even physically keep up with the nuances of doing everything from home. This routine has enabled almost everyone I know spending time on hobbies and that has been the case with me as well.
Cooking traditionally has been a hobby for me. An infrequent one. After a business trip or a typical day in the office, I have found cooking to be a great way to de-stress and to even focus and center myself. Inspiration for cooking comes from my mother, Sonu, who is a phenomenal cook. My brother, Alok, and I grew up raving about her meals. Even my father, Sunil, learnt cooking from her! As kids, my mother would take month-long trips to spend time with her ailing mother. My father would take over the kitchen. Years later, via email, they shared a brief cookbook with recipes that he had jotted down (Dhaba translates to a casual, roadside eatery in India)
Another inspiration is my wife, Irem. Besides being my soulmate, she also is the biggest fan of my cooking. Even the lousiest tasting dishes are lauded and complimented endlessly by her, like a cheerleader!
As we join so many others in flattening the COVID-19 curve, Irem and I decided to quarantine ourselves starting March 12th. We also decided to cook more at home. Usually, we only cook once a week or over the weekend. We rely extensively on our fantastic local restaurants in Morristown, NJ – dine in, take out and delivery. We have continued to give as much business as possible to restaurants like South + Pine and The Committed Pig who have converted their kitchen into a marketplace. They deliver groceries to us and leave them at our door – simple ordering process via email or a phone call. Win-win overall. We get fresh and organic produce, dairy and meat. The restaurants make money. Their employees continue to earn salaries and tips. Their suppliers and vendors make money. They have been very helpful with contactless delivery.
Whole Foods (via the Amazon app) and Instacart (Costco primarily) also have been extremely helpful with contactless grocery delivery. In the absence of live sporting events, I have found myself entertained tracking grocery orders, substitutions and additions on Instacart.
Amazon has been a lifesaver for pretty much all non-perishable pantry items. From EVOO to flour to rice to lentils to spices – the selection is endless!
Other technology comes in the form of websites with delicious recipes, such as – Food.com, Allrecipes and Delish . Plenty of inspiration also comes from posts/ videos on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. In addition to the typical kitchen appliances, we have added others that makes the cooking a whole lot easier like Instantpot, Vitamix and Digital Thermometers.
I have also been reading and trying to take a leaf out of several celebrity chef cookbooks – Bobby Flay, Salt Bae and Sanjeev Kapoor among others
With all this support, we have been able to cook healthy with fresh ingredients. Pretty much everything is cooked from scratch. Here are some of the dishes we have cooked in the last month and half that I am proud of. I hope they inspire some of you to try them yourself. I have linked to the recipe for each.
Lemon and Parsley Baked Fish with a side of green beans
Chicken Malai Tikka with a side of Tandoori Potatoes
Dal-Chawaal (Lentils and Rice) with a side of Zeera Aloo (Cumin Potatoes)
Gobi Paratha (Indian Cauliflower bread) with a side of Raita (Yogurt dip) –
Good old Cheeseburger with side of “fries” baked in the oven – inspired by The Committed Pig
Tandoori Fish with a side of Rosemary Potatoes and Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Turkish Kofte with a side of Rosemary Potatoes
Cauliflower Au Gratin (without the cheese) with a side of roasted peppers
Another role I didn’t mention that Irem plays is that of a Pastry Chef.
Here are a couple of her baked masterpieces
Chocolate cake with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream
Thanks to all the inspiration, technology and Irem’s taste tolerance, my hobby continues to grow. It could become a permanent passion in the future. Cooking every day has helped de-stress the entire day of ‘x’fh (x’ from home) i.e. work from home; socialize with friends, family, colleagues and customers from home; manage tasks and activities from home; lead people and self from home; sell value from home; deliver CX projects from home etc.
I am confident we all will get through these unprecedented times together and come out stronger. Stay safe. Stay healthy. Stay positive. And stay well fed.
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