What do busy, successful folk cook?

For the Tiwaris, cooking is a family affair. When sisters Bhavika and Shraiya were growing up, the kitchen was the bustling centre of this joint family. "But we never got the chance to experiment with recipes, as they were heavily guarded by our mother. Also, we were little and would end up dirtying the kitchen," recalls Shraiya, 29. Years went by and the sisters, originally from Uttar Pradesh, got busy in their respective professions. While Shraiya moved to Pune a year ago, Bhavika, 24, who is a lawyer, stayed back with the family in Mumbai. "But somehow, both of us took out time to cook vegetarian recipes. I was with mom, so she taught me the basics, and I used YouTube to better some of the preparations. Shraiya, on the other hand, was living alone in Pune, and had just started to cook there," Bhavika shares.

But it was the Coronavirus-led lockdown that proved to be a game changer. "For the longest time, I have been posting pictures of what I cook. My friends and family always ended up asking for the recipes, but I didn't take it seriously until the lockdown was imposed," Shraiya says. This was when the sisters decided to launch The Ladle Story on Instagram. "The lockdown turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it helped me realise my passion for cooking. While it was Shraiya's idea to start the page, we both try to post at least one new vegetarian recipe daily," Bhavika adds. Most of their recipes are easy to execute.

Shraiya and Bhavika

Keeping in mind their challenging and time-consuming full-time jobs, they thought they'd share their learnings with an audience of young successful professionals. "Since I am a doctor at a government hospital, I barely get a few hours free in the evening, and the easy recipes come handy. Bhavika tends to cook the more elaborate dishes," Shraiya says.

All the posts shared on the page feature healthy living and eating hacks. "We want people to get inspired and switch to self-cooked meals. Why order in all the time?" Bhavika asks, to which Shraiya adds, "We cook on a whim, using ingredients that are easily available."

To Follow @the.ladle.story, Instagram

Veg Momos

Ingredients
For dough: 1 ½ cup maida/plain flour, ½ tsp salt, water for kneading and oil for greasing
For stuffing: 3 tsp oil, 3 clove garlic [finely chopped], 1 inch ginger [finely chopped], 2 chillies, ½ cup onion, 1 cup carrot [grated], 2 cup cabbage [shredded], ½ tsp pepper [crushed] and ½ tsp salt

Method
Prepare stuffing by heating 3 tsp oil and sauté garlic, ginger and chilli. Add onion and sauté on high flame. Add carrot and cabbage. Stir fry on high flame. Add pepper and salt. Stuffing mixture is ready. Pinch a small ball-sized momos dough and flatten. Dust with some maida and start to roll using a rolling pin. Roll to almost medium thin circle. Around 4 to 5 inch in diameter. Make sure you roll from sides and keep the centre slightly thick. Place a heaped tbsp of prepared stuffing in the centre. Start pleating the edges. Press in the centre and seal the momos forming a bundle. Heat a steamer and arrange them in the tray without touching each other. Steam them for 10 to 12 minutes or till a sheen appears over them. The momos can be paired with chutney.

Vermicelli Custard

Ingredients
½ tsp ghee/clarified butter
½ cup of vermicelli/semiya
4 cups of milk
¼ cup of sugar
2 tbsp custard powder, vanilla flavour

For serving
1 pomegranate
1 banana
½ apple, chopped
2 tbsp nuts, chopped

Method
In a pan, heat ½ tsp ghee and roast ½ cup vermicelli. Roast on low flame until the vermicelli turns golden brown. Keep aside. In a large kadai, heat four cups of milk, let it boil. Add in roasted vermicelli and give a good mix. Add ¼ cup of sugar and mix well. Boil for 7 minutes. In a small bowl, take 2 tbsp custard powder and ½ cup of milk. Mix well while making sure there are no lumps. Pour in custard slurry and stir continuously. Cook until the milk thickens and turns creamy. Transfer custard vermicelli into a large bowl. Cool completely, and refrigerate for two hours. For serving, take a tall glass, add chilled vermicelli custard mixed with pomegranate, apple and banana. Top it up with nuts and a few pomegranate seeds.

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