Tuesday, May 17, 2005

This time it's a food blog!

So here I am, with my own food blog. I wonder if I've bitten off more than I can chew (to coin a phrase - not!). Well, only time will tell. I've dabbled with the odd recipe or two when I was younger and living in India, but never really picked up any interest in cooking - I mean, why bother? My mom, aunts and friends' moms were always there to provide great food. And if that wasnt enough, there were all those dozens of eateries in Chennai, ranging from roadside stalls with mouth-watering food, to the swanky "foreign" ones offering everything from pizza and pasta to enchiladas and sushi.

That comfortable situation changed a bit when I left India for Singapore, but things were not too bad because I could still access authentic Indian food while having my pick of South-East Asian and European food... even though said pick was restricted rather more because I'm a vegetarian. The drastic change in circumstances came about when I moved to England - all I could get was "balti" or "tandoori"... and not particularly authentic either.

Food from other parts of India is mostly unknown in all but the biggest city - that would be London. And I dont live in London. After a few months of serious craving for genuine samosas, idlis, dosas, kootu, sambar ANYTHING South Indian, I decided that the only way to go was to learn how to cook all those things. That, to put it in a nutshell, is how I began to develop a serious interest in cooking. And now I have my own food blog - advanced indeed!

I dont mind cooking non-vegetarian dishes for my husband, but it's always a case of "will-it-be-edible-or-wont-it" because I dont taste anything during the cooking process or even after. My husband is the guinea pig - and so far I havent killed him, so I must be doing something right! I'm always on the lookout for vegetarian food, preferably healthy (even though my cravings are for the non-healthy but oh-so-tasty fried snacks and foods)... I love fusion cooking and trying out new recipes. Or at least tweaking someone else's recipes to suit my tastes... and that is what these recipes here are going to be. Tweaked recipes, Shammi style.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Food, food, food...who can ignore it? Not me, for sure. All the best with this blog too, Shyam, and will keep in touch here as well! :)

Shammi said...

Thanks a lot, Ravi :) I've kept this blog hush-hush (except for when I forgot to change my name & blog address when I left a comment on YOUR blog!) but maybe I should make it more public... as in make an announcement :)

anusharaji said...

you are about to finish 4 years of food blog and u still leave me a lovely comment. thats strange. thx for making my day though.

V.i.s.h said...

Its been 5 years since you started this blog...and I must say it has been a wonderful journey...I lived with recipes from your blog while I was in US...Now even after coming to India I still follow your blog...have been a silent spectator all the while...My sister got married just a month back and moved into a new home just last week...I shared your blog with her...and thought I would drop a note to you too...Keep giving us more recipes...

Cheers..!

Shammi said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Shammi said...

V.i.s.h - Thank you! This is possibly the very nicest compliment I've ever had. Thank you so much for the encouragement and positive vibes - it's always lovely to get both! :) Please wish your sister a very happy married life on my behalf. If she has any questions about any of my recipes, I'll be more than happy to reply!