Remembering" Srila Prabhupada "- Cooking

04-07-2005, 11:48 AM

May 9 and May 10

Today, Prabhupada was master of the kitchen. We had no
brains, no common sense, but our merciful master still
took the time to instruct us. When Prabhupada saw the
amount of vegetables cut up for cooking, he said it
was enough for fifty men, not eight. Prabhupada sat on
a chair and directed all the cooking. He tested the
rice and the dal, to see if they were soft. Then he
cooked chapatis. Prabhupada commented that only a lazy
man could not cook. He told the story of a lazy man.
There was a king who decided that all lazy men in his
kingdom could come to the charity house and be fed.
Many people came and they all said, "I am a lazy man."
When the king told his minister to set fire to the
charity house, everybody but two men ran out of the
burning building. One of the two said, "My back is
becoming very hot from the fire." The other man
advised, "Just turn over to the other side." The king
then said, "These are actually lazy men. Feed them!"

May 10
Today we were instructed in the art of cooking new
rice. First we mixed ghee with the grains, then added
two parts water to one part rice. After the rice had
been soaking for one to two hours, we cooked it on a
low flame. Each kernel turned out individual and
perfect. Gopinatha, Yadubara and I all cooked; and
Prabhupada found everything very tasty. Tomorrow,
Yadubara alone would cook. In this way, we would all
cook so that even if one man was absent, things would
go on. After we had practiced for several days,
Prabhupada would teach us to make other preparations.
Thus far, he taught us to cook rice, dal, chapatis,
neem baigan, louki, and badi charchari.

- From the TKG's Diary by HH Tamal Krishna Goswami
Maharaj

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