Kaal Chakra

24. पाककला

पाककला  - Meaning 'the art of cooking'                      
                               *******
Dwarka

Panchami, Chaitra Shukla Paksha, 5000 BCE

Despite having joked about the royal head chef taking offence about her not eating all of his carefully prepared dishes, Lakshmi was still a little cautious when she entered the royal kitchens in the late afternoon. She had just remembered that Jambavati and Satyabhama, who were pregnant, were craving something new to eat and she had resolved to make something from her time for them.
However, she had not decided what to make, for she wasn't sure what ingredients were available currently. So basically, it was a tradeoff between what was available and what she could actually make.

"Oh my goodness," She gasped as she took in the kitchen for the first time. The large, rectangular chamber was an Indian chef's paradise.

It was so enormous that it couldn't even be called a chamber for it spanned over several hundred square feet with imposing pillars dividing the room into numerous sections. Exactly opposite to the main entrance, a set of doors stood, leading to the kitchen backyard. Tall windows were strategically built into the walls, letting air and light in.Workers, both male and female, weaving their way through the different sections, carrying on their work.

"Rajkumari?" Came a timid voice and she snapped her head in its direction. A young girl of about fourteen stood beside her, seemingly nervous.

"Yes?"

"How may I help you?"

"Can you show me where the pantry is, ...?"

"Aruna, your Highness. Please come this way."

The workers stared at her as she was led to the backside of the kitchen where the pantry was located. But she resolutely kept her head high, smiling at everyone as she passed them. She knew she had the shorthand here; just because the royal family and their inner circle had accepted her as their own did not mean that everyone else will do so. She was aware of the fact that many were cautious of her arrival, not knowing what meaning to take of her sudden appearance. 

"Well, it does help that Krishna is on your side, doesn't it?" Her subconscious commented and she grinned, nodding to herself. 

"The pantry, your highness." Aruna's voice filtered through her thoughts and she looked around to find herself in a cold spacious chamber made entirely out of stone. Rows and rows of stone shelves lined the wall, displaying a variety of ingredients. Some familiar, some entirely new.

"Shall I fetch you a basket, Rajkumari?"

Upon hearing the question, Lakshmi gave a distracted nod in reply as she ran her gaze around the room, taking in all the items present. When her eyes fell on some kind of flour, her eyes lit up. She could always make some pasta! She had already made handmade pasta once and she knew she could make it again. The only challenge she had was making something sweet which nobody knew about. Her skills in desserts only extended upto kheers and halwas and she was sure they were well known in this timeline.

While she was pondering on the same, some fresh coconuts caught her eye. She gasped and clapped her hands in delight.
"Coconut barfi, it is!" She exclaimed to herself, rushing to pick them up.

"Aruna?"

"Yes, your Highness?"

"Which sweet dishes are made by the cooks using coconuts?"

"Well, there is payasam and modaks," Aruna replied, utterly bemused at her question and jumped when two heavy coconuts were dropped into the basket that she was holding.