Final reflection or wrap-up post on the EDTC 300 course.
My cooking journey
The word EDTC 300 is a class on Education Technology and Media. Just by looking at the word Technology, I thought this class would teach me how to use the screen in the classroom perfectly to students that students can learn by watching the screen. After I joined the class it was not just about the screen sharing for students I learned a vast more than I thought. This class taught me how to use digital tools/networks which is very much essential to school and society. We got to explore many social media apps but I only had Facebook. But I learned that there were many other apps like Twitter and TikTok.
This class taught me how to open a blog and post or comment on posts. Cooking was my learning project for this class. There were many South Indian dishes that I tried to post on my blog as a learning project. I like to number them and link them to my post with the video link,
The first learning project I made was idli a soft food that can be eaten at any time and any age group can eat it.
Week one Idli
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjblUomxFQo
Then weekly I had to post other cooking projects as follows;
Week two dosa
https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/dosa-recipe-dosa-batter/
Week three masala dosa
https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/potato-masala-aloo-masala/
Week four chutney
https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/coriander-coconut-chutney/
Week five tomato rice
https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/tomato-rice-recipe/
Week six upma
https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/upma-recipe-how-to-make-upma/
Week seven Biryani
https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/mutton-biryani/
Week eight Pokara
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vil9ipI595Q&t=1s
Week nine puri
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1LjJxMxCl0
Week ten chana masala
https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/chana-masala/
Week 11
https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/semiya-upma-vermicelli-upma-recipe/
Week12 wrap up post;
https://edusites.uregina.ca/fathimacooking/category/edtc300/
Finally, this is my wrap-up post on my cooking journey. Through this South Indian cooking journey, I found out that the cooking style was a flavorful and enriching experience to me.
South Indian cuisine, with its diverse flavors, Ingredients, and techniques, challenged me to step outside my culinary comfort zone and broaden my understanding of my own culture and tradition that was hidden from me, I came to know so much about South Indian cooking. The sites I used for this cooking journey are Swasthi’s Recipes sites I felt homely and it gave me a chance to try authentic food and flavours.
Thing I learned
I discovered unique cooking techniques, such as tempering spices like mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and curry leaves. Especially when I made chutney, I was very careful not to burn the ingredients. I had to set the dish on a very low flame to get good flavor and texture at the end of the preparation.
I learned time management and skill development. For recipes like Idli or dosa, I had to prepare or grind one day earlier for the fermentation of the batter. Which means I had to keep or set it aside for about 8 to 10 hours for fermentation. I gained patience and learned that only by fermentation brought the recipe with good soft food enriched in flavors and whole food to eat without sticking to the pan or any time of troubleshooting. Through this project, I gained a deeper appreciation for the history and traditions behind South Indian cuisine. Each dish tells a story of my diverse region and communities and their connection to food as a part of everyday life and celebration.
Challenges:
The challenge I faced was finding things like curry leaves or specific types of rice or flour to mix. I had to go to a superstore or order it in an Indian store like Regina Halal meet store and they would order it from their province like Bangladesh and let me know when it is ready for example for idli I had to buy only Idly rice I could not find at superstore or Walmart.
It was also challenging for me to achieve the perfect dosa texture or understand the right spice blend for masala dosa. The first time I burned then I learned from my mistakes. I had little frustration to learn it more perfectly. But finally, I tried a lot of dosas and the more I made I got in practice and finally, i got a good perfect idli or dosa.
My Growth:
This cooking project not only improved my cooking skills but also boosted my confidence in trying new things. It helped me to gain patience, adaptability, and open-mindedness in learning something new. I also realized that food is a universal connector. It gave me the opportunity to share my creation with family and friends. One time I also had a classmate comment on my blog stating whether I would take orders for Biryani. I was happy to see my journey that inspired my classroom to ask for orders.
Moving forward I plan to explore more recipes within south India and perhaps other parts of cooking from India like north, east, and western sides of cooking styles. I would like to try more desserts like payasam which like a milkshake, halwas with carrot with is carrot boiled in water and then added sugar and milk. There are many recipes that I am going to try. My journey is never going to stop even when this course is done.