The Paste

Lord Brahma sat in deep thought.  He had a piece of human clay (Let's call it "G" for convenience).  What to mould?  Madame Curie had been done already.  Sarojini Naidu, over.  Agatha Christie, over.  Jhansi Rani, finished.  Simran, Jyothica, Madhuri Dixit - still around.

Suddenly, another piece of  clay ("L" for convenience) disturbed his reverie.  "What do YOU want" asked the Lord.  "Oh Lord", said L,  "I need a special gift when I am born".  Fast losing His patience, the Lord thundered "What is it?".  The timid clay whispered "Lord, anything I cook must be tasty".  Her question gave Brahma an idea - "why don't I make G a fabulous cook?" he thought to himself.  In his excitement, he misheard L's request and in the hurry to get back to moulding G, He granted L her wish - "Alright alright...I grant you the boon that anything you cook on earth will be pasty".

Years passed.  G grew up to make Gobi Manchurian and Chinese fried rice when she was not in the mood to cook.  L grew up in another town, making pastes in her kitchen, as blessed. As destiny would have it, G and L met in their third decade of existence and became friends.  Like the crow who got stoned by passers-by for trying to mimic her friend the cuckoo, L hoped to be inspired by G  in the kitchen.  Despite the boon.

So one day, G posted a recipe for Cabbage Rice.  Not knowing what else to make, L decided to get adventurous, despite her established history of pastifying food that were not meant to be pastified.  G assured her that "soak the rice for half an hour and fry nicely along with the vegetables" will make it un-mushy, forgetting that it was L she is talking to.

L, the recipient of the special boon from Lord Brahma.

So, with that promise, L followed the recipe, word for word. After two whistles, the cooker opened to exhibit rice, uncooked and separate from its water, like the water on a lotus leaf.  Feeling sorry for the family, L let it cook for four more whistles.

Brahma had the last laugh.