81-113 Today’s Cooking

Nandarani calls Krishna 81-83
After engaging the servants, Mother Yashoda became anxious to see her two sons. Turning toward the goshala and seeing the servants carrying milk from there, she says, "Oh milkmen! Is Krishna coming?" Someone answers "No, not yet." "Why is he so late?" Mother Yashoda replies.
Another milk-carrier says, "Krishna is feeding soft grass."

But another milkman exclaims, "No, Krishna is with the sakhas and watching the bulls fight for the cows."Meanwhile, Yashoda ardently requests Raktak who is eager to serve: 'Oh lad Raktak! Quickly go to the goshala and fetch Balaram, Madhumangal and my restless Gopal!"

Today's Cooking 84-86
Next Yashoda enters the kitchen and tells Balaram's mother: "Oh Rohini Devi! Let me see what you and Radha have made today."To answer, Rohini repeatedly praises Radharani's cooking skill. Then she escorts Yashoda to a large, purified vedi filled with numerous new-cooked preparations that are kept in new earthen pots."Hey Sumukhi Yashoda! Radha is expert! Just look at the payasa (sweet-rice) she made that is cooling in this large clay pot it is bright and refreshing like the moon."

Rasa-tarangini Tika:
Radha's payasa is compared with the moon for its color and coolness. And the cooler payasa is, the better it tastes. So payasa is prepared before the other items and kept in a clay pot.

87
"Hey sakhi Yashoda! Look! I've made the nourishing, soft and delicious dish called samjaba and put it here in this clay pot."

Rasa-tarangini Tika:
Samjaba is made from boiling milk, white flour, sugar and various flavorful spices.

88-109
"And look! Here are many varieties of shashkuli (rice cake) made from bananas, coconut and cream. You may see! Here are the tasty sweet known as piyushgranti, karpur keli and amrit keli all prepared by Radha; no one can make such sweets as these! Look! By churning moistened mung dahl and masa-dahl, four kinds of batak (dumplings) were made; two types are salty, and two are sweet. Over here are twelve kinds of amla (chutney) made from tamarind, hog-plums, amarula and mangos. By using these four ingredients, three varieties of each were made-adding mung dahl dumplings, adding a little sugar, and adding a lot of sugar."

Just see! Moca (the banana flower), mankocu and panikocu (roots that grow in the ground and in the water). gourds, pumpkin, potatos, along with darasha (lady fingers) were all cut into circular pieces and fried in ghee. Then everything was dumped in a sweet sauce made from mung dahl paste.""Have a look at these wonderful dumplings!" says Rohini. 

"Some are made only from chickpea flour and fried in ghee, and the rest are filled with moistened whey and amla. Here are cakes made by boiling chickpea flour, mashing it, and then frying it in ghee with ground coconut and spices some are soft, and others are hard. Many preparations are made from fruits and vegetables using various spices like jayaphala, cinnamon, teja leaves, gurutvak and rasabasa etc."

"Oh sakhi! Oh auspicious Yashoda! Radha made the dish called rayata with yogurt, squash, pumpkin, jyotanika and rajika seeds. And look! Here are Krishna's favorite baka flowers and kanchan flowers simply fried in ghee and mixed with yogurt. Over here, two types of flowers were fried in ghee and made into dumplings, adding yogurt and here are patola fruits fried in ghee. These are squash pies made with arum roots, sagara roots and potatos. Some are mixed with juta leaf powder or cabika (a hot spice)."

Radha has made mouth-watering dugdha-tumbi (milk and squash) adding sugar, cardamom and black pepper. Then using khira (instead of milk), she made khira-tumbi also. Here is another dish made with large turnips cooked in ghee with dhatriphala seasoning, yogurt and sugar. And using kad-bael fruits, another variety was prepared. We cooked banana flowers and large squash, adding yogurt and sugar. This cooling dish has a sweet and sour taste.

"Just see the different kinds of shak (spinach) that Radha prepared. Here is nabita shak, methi shak, satpuppi shak, mishi shaka, potola shaka, bastuka shaka, bitunna shaka and marisa shaka-their taste all defeat the pride of nectar. Ripe tamarind rasa and unripe mangoes were added to kalmi-shak and dark nalita-shak to make a delicious sour shak preparation."

Rohini continued: "Oh sakhi Yashoda! Today I made three types of dahl with mukustaka, mugda, and masa that are like a nectar well. Because the dasis thoroughly grounded the wheat flour and the white flour together, I was able to make these light capatis that are round as the moon. I've washed the rice, bound it in a cloth, and placed a full pot of water over the fire. When I see Krishna returning from the goshala, I'll start to boil it. Oh Yashoda! You can relax-all of the preparations came out wonderful!"

110
As Yashomati glances over all of the fragrant, nicely colored and mind-enchanting dishes, she becomes overjoyed! Thus, she inquires: "Oh Rohini! How did you make such a marvelous feast?"
111
Rohini, being amazed herself, replies, "Although the ingredients are ordinary, the divine flavor and sumptuous quality of this cooking has reached the highest excellence simply by Radhika's unique skill!"
112
Yashoda observes, "As Radha prepares the rice, lowering her head in shyness from hearing her own glories, she is covered in perspiration from the stove's heat." Thus, Mother Yashoda melts with affection and orders a dasi to fan Radha.

Rasa-tarangini Tika: After Radha finishes the cooking, she sits down to rest a bit. Then a manjari removes her cooking apron and uses a soft wet cloth to wipe away Swaminiji's perspiration. Radha's dasis ardently fan her with palm leaves. Then Dhanishtha brings a cool sharbat drink, and says, "O priya sakhi, take this to refresh yourself." As Radharani sips the sharbat, her eyes close in meditation of Shyamasundar. Then a dasi offers pan.

113
Next Vrajeshwari goes to the milk storeroom and is delighted to see many types of other edibles prepared by her maidservants. So, becoming more anxious than ever, she goes to the front gate to personally call Krishna.