And Everything Nice

These recipes are not for ‘first time’ cooks. These are different ways to do some of the things we do often. Some are self indulgent experiments. All have been tested on family, friends and pets. Some didn’t make it and are obviously not included.

My greatest challenge is to remember what went into a dish. I rush to write ingredients and methods and timings because even a day later it will be impossible to repeat what was done.

Every family has a great recipe. They just don’t know which one it is. There are so many wonderful meals shared at the table – we discount the importance and meaningfulness of these moments. Music is equally evocative of times and moments in time…

At dinner at Buena Sera – a cozy little Italian restaurant at Black Rock – I asked my friend Rebecca – “If you were to pick a favorite family recipe that means a lot to you what would that be?” – She could not give me an answer. We talked about Yorkshire pudding in England – but Mark’s chili recipe would probably win hands down. So, here we go… “No”, I said, “What I mean is a meal that you enjoy as a family –cooked at home” And I still wait for that special recipe….

Our lives are influenced by where we live, who we live with and all the experiences we share with everyone we encounter on our journey. 

Sugar and Spice

What happens when you grow up in a house which centers around food? A blog like this, I guess. For many years I was woken up with the question, “What egg would you like for breakfast?” We were very fortunate to have mum who always turned out fresh tasty and delicious meals day in and day out. It didn’t matter if there were two at the table or twenty. The table was set, food was served and enjoyed by all.

My favorite snacks were served to me when I came back from school as I sat on the kitchen counter. Lentil fritters, chickpea pancakes, puffed rice snacks or the humble cheese toast. Then as the evening meal got going, smells of the spices enveloped the kitchen. Even though I never cooked anything but deserts and soufflés, when I did start cooking it was those smells that direct me to the right spices, how long to cook them and when it ‘smells right’.

Indian cuisine is very evolved but it’s not all ‘tandoori chicken’ and ‘palak paneer’. Food at home was very varied. Lentils, veggies, chapattis and a fresh salad were on the table for every meal but we could go a few weeks before we got a repeat. Dinners were more ‘western’ with meats, salads and bakes. Dad loved kitchen gadgets, experimented with Japanese food and made the best waffles in the world. Sunday mornings and he was off to the market, with me in tow of course, buying the freshest fish, live crabs and always a couple of little tropical fish for my tank. The extended family would arrive and the bar was then open for shandies,  bloody marys or whatever took everyone’s fancy. Cooking, cooking and more cooking. Crab curry, Pepper chicken, prawn pulao, always a dal and lots more. Never the same and always too much. Mellow evenings sobbing and laughing through a bollywood movie. Life was so simple and yet so full. Memories that drive each meal that comes through our kitchen today. Tastes that our girls will remember when they grow up.