I recently became obsessed with learning how to cook quick, healthy, Indian food that tastes good. I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area eating hotdogs, Burger King, and pimento loaf at lunch time but always had a multi-course Indian dinner at home, courtesy of Mom. Roti, raita, chawal, dal, subji. My mother and late father had a fairly traditional relationship. He worked outside the home, and she took care of the house and family. They both insisted we eat fresh, home-cooked Indian food for dinner, while lunch was used to explore the American way of life.
After spending a few years away in the whirlwind of corporate travel and NYC, barely ever firing up our stove, my husband and I are back in the Bay Area and have started a family of our own. My first motivation to learn how to cook was our pediatrician. Her advice on feeding our then one year old-”Feed her whatever you eat.” To which I resisted, “But Indian food is spicy,” really thinking, “We don’t pay attention to how we eat and probably eat out more than we should.” Her quick response, “Take out the baby’s portion before you add the spices.” She was right, our eating habits had to change.
My next source of motivation was my husband. A die-hard carnivore. His Christmas present to me was dinner at a vegan restaurant called Millenium, and a gift-wrapped array of vegetables including brussel sprouts and an eggplant (not a bad present for Christmas considering we’re Hindu [albeit more spiritual than religious]). He had decided to give up all meat, except for fish. I guess the official term is a pescetarian.
I have always wished I could cook Indian food, and I have finally decided to make it happen. With my husband relegated to dish duty, I’ve been running through about 80 recipes with my mom (who is also here in the Bay Area) and mom-in-law (who lives in Bangalore, India), tweaking to suit my desire to cook in healthy manner and testing to fit a busy schedule (I work outside the home).
As for the blog, I have waited a long, long time to join the blogging world. I used to run an Asian American webzine called STIR in the late 90s, but until now, didn’t have the desire or inclination to commit to writing regularly. And I do have to say, I loved the movie Julie and Julia, it was a fun little source of inspiration (I hope Meryl wins the Oscar).
More tomorrow on how I plan to use the blog to share recipes (because I don’t think the world needs yet another Indian recipe site).
Can’t wait to see some Gujarati recipes! About spicy food & kids: My parents would always make me non-spicy portions of their food, and as a result I actually couldn’t handle spicy food for much of my life. My palate for chiles just never developed. Only within the past few years has my tolerance for chiles increased. And thank goodness for that. When I started cooking for me and my partner, I quickly discovered that chiles are key in Indian cooking – they give it that special kick, that flavor catalyst that bumps up the tastiness quotient! So with your daughter, as she gets older, you might try to slowly incorporate back chiles into her food.
Hi there SavedByTheBay,
I’m actually not Gujrati, but often get confused for one (I think my name is not a typical Punjabi name). The main difference that I know about Gujrati recipes compared with other North Indian recipes is that they sweeten their main dishes with a bit of sugar. You bring up a key point, I’m going to try to focus on one style of cooking and technique so if anyone is inclined to use the blog to learn how to cook with me, he/she will not have to grapple with a wide variety of instructions and spices.
I also agree with you about introducing chilies to our daughter. We already try to feed her adult food with a bit of yogurt to reduce the hot spices…not a bad trick for adults as well! Thanks for your post!
Hi, Just dropping by to say welcome to the food blogging world. I’m excited to see what recipes you share with us. My husband and I love Indian food, and I’m always looking for new recipes to try and the more traditional and authentic the better. I hope you share some of the stories behind your dishes too
Hi there,
Thanks for the note. The coolest part of this project is all the encouragement I’ve received. Since I’ve been working on the recipes, my coworkers are constantly sharing stories, food, and cookbooks with me. I sincerely believe Indian food is not only good, but good for you and the environment (most stuff has very little packaging). I love your site and adding it as my first blogroll
[...] as I mentioned in my earlier post, it was the birth of my daughter that made me realize how important food is. Every little morsel in [...]
Taste and convenience dictated what I consumed which was also easy to do as a guy. Now with a kid I am terrified of what she puts into her mouth. Your comment about the pediatrician suggesting that your kid eat what you eat is spot on. That is what made me change my eating habbits completely. Now I am part of the label reading club and have no soda or chips at home…trying to live a healthier life. Anyway, excited at your endeavor and having some indian background I am eager to try your recipes easy indian
Thanks so much for the post. I am hoping to actually shoot videos with each recipe. I think there are certain nuances in Indian cooking that I’m trying to tackle. It is a very different experience than baking which is straightforward and practically scientific. Congrats on improving your eating habits and great to see how kids can change us for the better! Thanks for your post…please feel free to add your email to the subscription box on the top right of the page for updates…or just check back
So glad to read your blog, I am a native SF’er too! So glad to be back in the bay area after years in LA.
your site looks amazing.
Hi…
I saw this really good post today….
I was looking for eating related notes this was superb
I was looking for cooking related notes this was helpful
[...] take out-dinner, I decided it was time to learn how to cook. You can check out my first entry, A Journey Into Indian Cooking for, um, my journey into Indian cooking. My videos are about having some fun (even though I [...]