Penning My Fairytale

Cooking Made Them Steamy

Since Umeed had started learning basic cooking, she began with simple recipes like making a basic omelette, boiling rice, preparing milk coffee, and so on. Her motivation to become a good cook stemmed from her desire to show her love and affection to Farjaad by preparing meals with her own hands. Umeed understood that cooking was not just about the taste of the food but also about the effort and care put into it. She followed recipes, watched cooking tutorials, and practised her cooking skills regularly to improve.

Despite being an amateur in cooking, Umeed was determined to make a special and professional meal for Farjaad. She wanted to surprise him by preparing his favourite dishes, so she chose to make Biryani and coffee tiramisu. Umeed knew that it would be a challenging task, but her love for Farjaad encouraged her to give it her best.

To ensure she had all the necessary ingredients and equipment, Umeed instructed the driver to bring everything she had seen in the cooking tutorial. She wanted to follow the recipe as closely as possible to achieve the desired results.

With determination in her eyes, Umeed embarked on her cooking mission. She gathered her hair and tied it up in a ponytail, ready to face the challenges that lay ahead. Rolling up her sleeves, she prepared herself for the task at hand. Umeed took her time with the chicken washing, meticulously rinsing each piece under cold water. The process seemed to drag on, taking her a whole hour to complete. She experienced moments of frustration and discomfort, but she persevered, reminding herself of the end goal.

With the chicken washed and ready, Umeed moved on to marinating it. Although marinating the chicken seemed relatively easier compared to the previous task, the spices presented a bit of a challenge. She found herself getting confused with the measurements and which spices to use. However, she didn't let that deter her and proceeded to marinate the chicken to the best of her understanding.

Since Umeed had prior experience with baking and making desserts, she decided that once the biryani was done, she would prepare the coffee tiramisu. She wanted to make sure the main course was cooked to perfection before moving on to the dessert.

After an hour of cooking preparations, Umeed finally reached the critical stage of frying the marinated chicken. This step posed a significant challenge for her, as she lacked experience working with hot oil. The sizzle of the oil and the thought of handling the high temperature filled her with apprehension. She took extra precautions, carefully placing the chicken into the hot oil from a safe distance, ensuring it didn't splatter onto her.

Unbeknownst to Umeed, the washing and marinating of the chicken had consumed much of her estimated cooking time. She had anticipated finishing the meal an hour before Farjaad's arrival, but her plans were disrupted by the extensive chicken preparation. Meanwhile, Farjaad returned home and immediately inquired about Umeed's whereabouts from his servant.

"Umeed kahan hai?" he asked.

"Sahab, baji kitchen mai hain" the servant replied.

"Kitchen mai kiya kar rahi hai?" Farjaad questioned.

"Sahab, Baji ne kaha hai aj woh khud ap ke liye khana banayin gi" the servant explained.

Upon hearing this, an instant smile lit up Farjaad's face. However, just as he was about to proceed, a scream echoed from the kitchen. Farjaad's heart raced as he hastily dropped his laptop bag, his concern for Umeed overpowering everything else. He rushed towards the kitchen. He found her standing near the stove, her hand burnt from the mishap. Without a moment's hesitation, Farjaad reached out and gently held her injured hand, his touch conveying both worry and affection.

"Kiya hua Umeed? Tum theek to ho?" he asked, his voice filled with genuine concern.

Umeed looked up at him through her pain-filled eyes and whispered, "Ap? Ap kab aie?"