Describe a Meal/Dish or Food Item you Know How to Cook- IELTS Cue Card

and explain how you cook this food menu/dish. 

Sample Answer 1

First things first, I am a terrible cook. But I can tell you about that one time I tried to cook Maggi. It was during my college days. In my room at the hostel, we used to have an induction cooker brought by one of my roommates. It was a strike day, and there was not much food in our mess. I was hungry as hell, and there was no one in my room as they had all left for home during the vacation. I decided to stay back as I have some assignments to complete. Seeing there was no way to get some food, I tried a hand at my cooking abilities.

There was this pack of Maggi noodles that my friend got free with something that he bought. I took it and read the instructions carefully listed on the back of the noodles pack. So, I took some water in a steel bowl and heated it in the induction cooker. After the water began to boil, I put the Maggi Noodles and the spices that come with it. I gave the noodles and the spices to mix well. Finally, I had hot Maggi noodles before me. I was overjoyed that I had mastered it.

Since then, I have tried making noodles at home in the evening and would serve them to my parents and my brother and they all give me a good response. So that’s one dish I know how to cook. The confidence I gained from making it for the first time has made me interested in cooking and now I am looking forward to making new dishes. Cooking the entire day’s meal for my family is my ultimate dream once I have finished learning their favourite ones.

Sample Answer 2

I’ve always been passionate about cooking right from my childhood. It is a fun way for me to relieve stress after a hard day at work. So, here, I’d like to talk about a dish/ food item that I know how to cook.

I can cook almost anything and nail it on the first try. So, recently, I invited my friends over and cooked Paprika Roasted Chicken. Believe it or not, a chicken dish is definitely a crowd-pleaser. The drooling paprika roasted chicken is a very easy and quick chicken recipe that calls for only five ingredients, including a whole chicken, sour cream, butter, paprika, lemon juice, honey, and salt to taste.

Well, cooking is something that I inherited from my grandmother, who was a professional chef and owned her restaurant, where I learned how to cook. She used to teach me a variety of non-vegetarian, vegetarian, and baked delicacies whenever I visited her on weekends. In order to cook this chicken, I need to marinate/ rub the chicken with paprika, butter, lime juice, and salt and keep it aside for an hour in a roasting tin. After that, I need to bake the chicken at 222 degrees Celsius for an hour by basting it from time to time with lemon juice and honey. Later, I’ll have to mix the residue of juices with sour cream and pour it over the roasted chicken. Finally, Smoky-sweet Paprika Roasted chicken is ready to be served, and it can also be paired with any creamy dip for maximum indulgence.

Vocabulary

• Baste

Meaning: to pour liquid fat or juices over the meat, etc. while it is cooking
Eg: The chef basted the butter over the BBQ chicken.

• Relieve

Meaning: to reduce or remove (something, such as pain or an unpleasant feeling)
Eg: I watched motivational videos to relieve stress.

• Drooling

Meaning: to secrete saliva in anticipation of food
Eg: Jack was drooling for a smoked BBQ chicken.

• Marinate

Meaning: soak (meat, fish, or other food) in a marinade.
Eg: The chef marinated the chicken with fiery hot sauce.

• Residue

Meaning: a small amount of something that remains after the main part has gone or been taken or used
Eg: Professor poured the residue in the beaker.

Part 3 Follow Up Questions

1. Tell me about the types of food that people eat in your country.

Well, the food in India is as diverse as its multi-ethnic culture. The exotic delicacies in my country are marked by the subtle uses of herbs and spices that tantalize the taste buds. In addition, each state in the country has its specialty foods, each with its own flavour, taste, and cooking method. For example, North Indians typically eat chicken, meat, and lamb; South Indians create cuisine with spices, herbs, and vegetables; West Indians eat staple foods; East Indians prefer proteins and carbs such as fish, egg, and rice.

2. How are the eating habits of people now in your country different from their eating habits in the past?

People’s eating habits have highly changed with the changing environment over the past few decades. Traditionally, people in my country relied upon home-cooked food, such as steam rice, bread, wheat chapati, along with vegetable curry or pickled vegetables. However, in the recent several decades, there has been a significant shift in the way people consume food, as they have adopted eating packaged, frozen, or canned foods.

3. How healthy is your country’s food?

Of course, Indian food is nutritious, as it typically contains healthy natural protein, good carbohydrates, nutritional quality, natural herbs, authentic homemade spices. Moreover, most Indians prepare their food in hygienic circumstances, ensuring that it is both nutritional and flavorful. As a result, traditional Indian cuisine has a diverse spectrum of nutrients in a well-balanced amount.

4. Why do you think different cultures have different table manners?

Table manners are the basic principles of etiquette to be followed while eating, which may involve the usage of utensils and how a person eats at a table. Table manners are observed differently in different cultures worldwide to make eating with others enjoyable and social. However, because each culture has its own unique cuisine, it becomes challenging to eat it with the same etiquette. As a result, people from different cultures consume a variety of dishes, each with its own set of table manners. For instance, a person in China will not eat Hakka noodles with their hands; instead, they will use chopsticks to eat them.

4. How may eating habits change in the coming decades?

Eating habits will inevitably change in the future. Over the years, we have witnessed a change in people’s eating habits. Similarly, there might be a change in the coming decades too. People will be busier than now, with no time to cook or eat healthy foods; they will depend on frozen foods and canned foods. Apart from that, there’s a possibility that these people might rely upon fast foods instead of traditional food items.

5. How has technology changed the way we prepare our food these days?

Well, the world of technology has progressed substantially throughout time, having an impact on people’s daily lives. In reality, technological improvements have revolutionized how humans prepare food. It has fostered a plethora of modern cooking appliances that can assist people in quickly and efficiently preparing their meals. In addition, these cooking appliances have the potential to retain the nutritional value of food when preparing meals. For instance, Air Fryer, Smart Oven, Bluetooth Sensor, and meat temperature are extremely convenient to use. Because of their effectiveness and user-friendliness, these technologically advanced appliances will be the future of cooking, catering to the needs of individuals who have hectic schedules.

Vocabulary

• Delicacy

Meaning: a food that people like to eat because it is special or rare
Eg: The restaurant offers mouth-watering delicacies.

• Etiquette

Meaning: the customary code of polite behavior in society or among members of a particular profession or group
Eg: Everyone needs to learn basic dining etiquette.

• Chopsticks

Meaning: each of a pair of small, thin, tapered sticks of wood, ivory, or plastic, held together in one hand and used as eating utensils, especially by the Chinese and the Japanese
Eg: Jack used chopsticks to eat sushi.

• Inevitably

Meaning: as is certain to happen; unavoidably.
Eg: A high dosage of medicines will inevitably cause side effects.

• Retain

Meaning: continue to have (something); keep possession of
Eg: The teacher informed the students to retain the secret information.