Looking back at 2014.

2015 is three days away. Before we make new year resolutions let us look back at 2014. Wish you a 2015 full of magic, memories and madness.

Images: If you like any of the pictures on the blog and would like to use those please write to me. I put in hours of work behind each post and would love to share it with you but it would hurt me if  use those without my permission.Just ask! 

Food Revolution Ambassador Monthly Challenge: November 2014

Hello lovely people. It is that time of the month when I get to share the monthly challenges that we as Food Revolution Ambassadors aspire to do. 

October Challenges. Check. 
November Challenges. Check. 
Double whoa.

(I had so much fun attempting the October challenges, read my experiences here and jump right here to read how my tryst with making pasta from scratch made the entire world conspire in helping me mastering fresh pasta) 

If you are new here: At the beginning of each month the challenges are announced. These challenges are for inspiring the entire team and to make deeper connections with everyone (fellow food ambassadors, friends and family, anyone who wants to be a part of this challenge too), share our stories , whether we failed or conquered and more. The idea is to complete as many challenges as one can.

Challenge One: Slow Cooking! We live in a fast food world, but this month we’re asking you to slow things down, try out and share your slow cooked food recipes with us. 

I agree we are all pressed for time. There are household responsibilities that we can't look away from, children who we want to do everything for, work where we need to show up each morning, interests and passions that I think everyone in life needs to develop for sanity and give meaning to our lives and more. In between all this we need to feed our tummies. Feeding our souls isn't enough. So we begin to look for shortcuts in the kitchen and rightly so. Frozen peas, ready to roll out pastry, tomato purees all become our friends. They help us put a meal on table in under thirty minutes.

But sometimes it is nice to slow down things. Endlessly stirring that pot of risotto with music in the background is my favourite thing to do when the mind needs some calm. Have you tried it? Getting the oven ready to dry tomatoes that will be used across meals is another. The oven does the work here, slowly; while we get to enjoy the results.

The pleasant weather here at Dubai called for a slow cooked lamb and date tagine. I cooked it in pomegranate juice with mejdool dates for company. It was slowcooked and after three hours of being on low heat it was exactly what I had imagined; rich, sweet and sour. Tender too. We had it with spiced couscous sprinkled with generous quantities of dried barberries and an onion and pomegranate relish.

Challenge Two: N is for November, and nectarines, and nutmeg… we want to see your recipes for dishes beginning with the letter N or using ingredients with the letter N. 

A for Apple, B for Ball, C for Cat and D for Dog. This challenge for it took me back to my kindergarten class. Wasn't singing the alphabet a lot of fun? Only this time it was double the fun for it we were singing food. Sara and I often play this game at home and in the past I have had the kids loving this exercise in some of my food workshops when asked to name fruits and vegetables for each alphabet. So I decided to play this challenge with Sara.  N was a tough one for. She stopped at Nectarine. That is when I gave her a hint. Who do you like watching on TV, I asked. She rattled all the names that came to her mind. Siba, George and Gary, Ina, Jamie. Aannd I asked? N for! Nigella mamma. Nigella she screamed. I showed her the ingredient that matched the name. She was quite amused. How can she share her name with some seeds? :) May be one day we will come across seeds that are called Sara I laughed.

N is for Nigella Seeds: With Christmas around the corner I tested a batch of tomato and raisin chutney tempered with "Nigella Seeds". I also added ginger and red chilli powder for that little kick. I love giving edible gifts to all our loved ones on festivals and I am hoping this little jar of red garnet chutney dotted with black nigella seeds will make everyone around me happy. Trust me no store bought gift can ever match up to handmade love.

Challenge Three: Share your holiday traditions. Holiday season is almost upon and we want to know what your holiday traditions are and what food makes it to the table for your family gatherings.

My favourite challenge for the month. Celebrations, company and the customs. There is something so magical about the festival season. Be it Diwali, Holi, Thanksgiving or Christmas...I heart them all. Observing family traditions some that my parents made and we love to observe and some that we are creating for my little chefling each year.

Each festival comes with its own customs and rituals but certain tradition remains constant; making edible presents for loved ones, filling up our home with candles & flowers, setting up the "welcome table", making sure there is abundant home cooked food for everyone and that essential element; the spirit of sharing that for me translates into going overboard when it comes to dips, mezze, platters and fondues. That and more.

But what I love most about the festivities is seeing the happiness shining on my little girl's face, yet somehow reliving my own childhood memories.

Thank you lovely readers. For being there and motivating me to show up here; each time I a little voice in my head whispers hey is any one even reading this? For the kindest emails and messages you send me. For making Orange Kitchens a part of your lives. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. 

Eat real. Stay healthy.

Images: If you like any of the pictures on the blog and would like to use those please write to me. I put in hours of work behind each post and would love to share it with you but it would hurt me if  use those without my permission.Just ask! 

Diwali memories and eating fire crackers.

Three days to go and it will be Diwali. Diwali always evokes beautiful and cherished memories of childhood and home (especially now that we are far away from both home and loved ones).

Clay Diyas, mithais, strings of marigolds and mango leaves, rangolis, torans and more. Walking down the memory lane this Diwali (If you’ve grown up in India some of these will definitely take you back to your childhood).

• Helping dad fix the electric “ladis” (fairy lights) a day before “Dhanteras”.
• Going out with mum and dad to get a silver coin on the day of Dhanteras.
• Polishing the brass lamps and candle stands with “Brasso” till they begin to shine like gold.  
• Buying new traditional clothes way in advance for the big day. Silk saree for mum, a kurta for dad and lehengas or churidar kurtis for us. Matching bangles too.
• Going to the local potters to buy clay diyas (smaller ones for the whole house and one large one that mum would fill up with ghee to last the whole night long).
• While at the potter picking up a clay urli to float flowers and a few terracotta lanterns too.
• Debating on which Ganesh-Lakshmi clay idol was the prettiest and choosing that with mum and dad.
• Picking up mithai dabbas for all the loved ones and wrapping them up in shimmery silver and gold gift wraps those that flew and were so difficult to handle if the fan was on. Switch off the fan someone would say and that helped.
• Gifts too. Thoughtful ones. Ones that our parents knew would make our loved ones happy. Sarees and shirts for the help at home.
• Spending hours making detailed grocery lists with mum for all the mithai to be made; laddoos, barfis, namak pare and more. She made the list and we just hung around dreaming about the mithai.
• Waking up on Diwali morning and jumping out of bed to make a rangoli. Sometimes floral, sometimes geometric.
• Making tiny feet (“S” with five tiny dots for toes) at the entrance of the house and all the way inside (representing Goddess Lakshmi’s feet) just in case the Goddess lost her way.
• Visiting the phoolwali mandi to buy ladis of gendas and aam patte by the kilos. Some loose flowers and two garlands for the pooja too, mum would always say.
• Filling up all the vases and nooks and corners with flowers of all sorts and getting that sense of pride looking at how festive and gorgeous “our” home looked and felt.
• Filling up the plates with mithai and bowls with almonds, cashews, raisins and pistachios in anticipation of all the guests and relatives who would visit us during the day and in the evening.
• Setting up the pooja place. Cleaning that white marble slab in our living room till it began to gleam. Placing the Idols (but wash your hands first, we would be gently reminded). Thali full of diyas , kacha doodh in a silver katori, tikka with grains of rice and a few drops of water, sandalwood agarbattis in the silver agarbatti stand, dhoop shaped into a cone, khulle phool, mala and the prasad.
• Carefully filling up all the clay diyas with ghee and oil and putting in cotton wicks way before the pooja.
• Singing the aarti together while waiting eagerly for the pooja to get over so that we could run out and light diyas and burn fire crackers.
• Making sure each and every corner of the house, balcony, verandah, even the window sills were lined up with the diyas.
• Dad bending down with us to light them all after the pooja with candles that were lit from the bada diya in the pooja thali.
• Melting the rear end of the candle with a lighted one and then sticking it on the window sills.
• Getting disappointed and frustrated when the lit candle would die because of the strong breeze.
• Writing my name in the air with the phooljhadis.
• Jumping over the chakris.
• Feeling mesmerized by the gorgeous streaks of fireworks from the anars.
• Cautiously bending over to light a bomb and running away from it at the first sight of spark.
• Covering my ears with my hands as someone lighted up the red ladi of bijli bombs.
• Filling up those obnoxious toy guns with dot bombs and irritating the hell out of my parents with its high pitched sound.
• Lighting up those “saanp” tablets and strategizing on how to throw them in one over the other to make the longest snake. Oh it was so gross but we seemed to enjoy it back then.
• Awestruck at the sight in the sky. Glimmer, glitter, sparkle everywhere.
• Walking down the road with mum and dad and looking at all the houses sparkling due to the brightness lent by string lights and the gentle flicker of the diyas.
• Wishing it could look this festive all year round.
• Coming back home to mum’s scrumptious and traditional dinner of kali daal, allu gobhi, shahi paneer, lauki ke kofte, dahi bhalle and more.
• Eating countless mithais till our tummies began to hurt. Then popping in one more for it was Diwali after all.
• Tired. Happy. Content. Finally getting into our beds with a prayer on our lips asking for blessings and thanking someone up there for illuminating our lives with love and togetherness.

Did these take you back to your childhood and your home? What are some of your much loved Diwali memories?

As we grew up we became aware how children our age and younger were being forced to make fire crackers since demand for fire crackers swelled during Diwali and ofcourse the pollution it caused and slowly fire crackers went away from our lives. Strangely we didn't miss them. For Diwali was always much more than burning a cracker.

One sparkler for “shagun” remained.

From observing my parents, celebrating in the house that I grew up in, learning traditions that my parents passed on I started making traditions of my own with my partner. Sara joined us a couple of years later. Now I make mithais and plan our dinner, he fixes the lights and she makes the rangolis and the cards. Just like that the roles have changed.

This Diwali my little girl will wear her pretty lehenga with a tikka on her head. Sparkly bangles are a must she says. We will get that one sparkler for shagun and watch her write “Sara” with it and celebrate this festival of lights.

Wishing you all a very happy Diwali. Sparkle. Glitter. Shine.

Oh and just because we are saying no to firecrackers doesn't mean we won’t be having any. We just ate some “Firecrackers” and they were delicious and made my little chefling squeal with delight. 

Fruit crackers 

Ingredients

For the fire crackers:

• Water
• Sugar
• Cinnamon sticks
• Cloves
• Star anise
• Vanilla extract
• A squeeze of lemon
• One peach, peeled but stem intact
• One plum
• One apple
• One clove
• Squeeze of a lemon or any juice
• Chocolate ganache to dip (I make mine with 70% dark chocolate, cream and vanilla extract)
• Golden star sprinkles (or any other glittery ones if you have on hand)
• Piping bag

For the matchbox:

• Pretzel sticks
• Chocolate ganache to dip
• An old and clean matchbox

Instructions:

1. For the anar (flower pot sparkler): Peel the pear and poach it with some sugar, cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves, vanilla and a squeeze of lemon. Remember it to turn it around midways. Allow it to cool and dip it in chocolate sauce and sprinkle gold stars.
2. For the gola bomb(Round bomb): Poach the plum with some sugar, cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves, vanilla and a squeeze of lemon. Remember it to turn it around midways. Allow it to cool and dip it in chocolate sauce and sprinkle gold stars. Add the clove on top for the wick.
3. For the chakri (spiral sparkler): Cut round slices of apple and coat it with any juice you have on hand. This will prevent discolouration. Fill the piping bag with the chocolate sauce and make spirals on it.
4. For the matchbox: Dip several small pretzel sticks chocolate sauce and let the chocolate set. Line the inside of the matchbox with foil or butterpaper and transfer the “matchsticks” to the matchbox.

Boom.Boom .Boom. Enjoy your firecrackers. I can assure you these will light up any little girl/boy’s Diwali day.

p.s. If you’d like to make an edible gift with your little one then you might enjoy this post, here.

Images: If you like any of the pictures on the blog and would like to use those please write to me. I put in hours of work behind each post and would love to share it with you but it would hurt me if  use those without my permission. Just ask!

Food lessons from Dad.

My dad rarely cooked for us. The kitchen was completely my mum’s territory. They were both working so it wasn't that she had more time to cook but it was simply that she just loved being in the kitchen and he loved her cooking (way too much). Still does. We are always teasing him about this.

Regardless of that like from mum, I learnt some invaluable lessons on food from my dad, who I call papa. Some wonderful memories; a buffet table spread of delectables.

• If you have a couple of quick & solid recipes under your belt you will never sleep hungry. They may not be fancy or complicated but they should be able to provide you with comfort and warmth when you need it the most. They should also be able to fill up your little ones’ growling tummies till mum gets home. Dads’ listening?
• At any given time it is completely normal to have at least three litres of icecream, about hundred ice lollies and a thousand kulfis in the freezer.
• It is also normal to have the above in various combinations and permutations and call it dinner.
• The same holds true for chaat. Allu tikkis, golgappas, chole bhature are all legitimate dinners.
• When passing by a chaat place, always get all of the above packed for home. With mithai.
• When your daughter gets married and happens to stay close by, make sure that you go running to her with her share of the chaat and take the rest home to share with your wife.
• Making morning tea, filling up a water bottle and packing a lunch bag for your wife when she is running around fixing tiffins and dressing up for work goes to show that you love her,value her and respect her. All these gestures are way more precious than flowers & diamonds.
• Dividing and sharing work in the kitchen doesn't make you less of a man. It is what real men do. She would cook and he would wash. She would set up the table and he would put it all away. They still do.
• Telling (Read: Lying) your daughter that you loved what she cooked and actually finishing it while the rest of the family can’t even go past a spoonful of that weird looking concoction is unconditional love. Translated it means it may be the first time you cooked for everyone but is not the last.  
• Years later when she grows up and has a lifelong affair with food and cooks you the same thing again make sure that you tease her about her first time and enjoy a good laugh with the entire family :) It was Khaosuey that I made that summer (without even trying to find the recipe) and it is something that I end up making the most for my family & friends. Thank you dad.
• Porridge is always to be made in the pressure cooker. It is tastier and creamier. Also you somehow end up making an entire pressure cooker even though you set out to make just three bowls. Upside: You don’t have to make breakfast that entire week. Downside: You have to eat that very breakfast the entire week. Yes, that’s my dad.
• Picnics are an important part of growing up. Impromptu ones. Planned ones too. We went for a lot of picnics; carrying mats, a picnic set that is still there with dad and I plan to steal it one day, balls and food. It taught me that food tasted much better when eaten on grass and shared with friends.
• Even if you are a strict vegetarian you need to give your child the opportunity to try and the freedom to decide for herself. He doesn’t even eat eggs but I eat anything and everything that moves. The same choice should be given if you’re child decides to give up meat and the family eats meat.
• Stale chapathi crushed between the palms of your hand till it get reduced to a fine powder and then cooked with lots of ghee and sugar is divine. It is called Choori and making that alone gives dad the status of a chef. So does making large glasses of fresh juice; orange & pomegranate for your family every weekend.
• Simple meals are the best meals. Sometimes plain rice, yellow dal and pickle is all what you want and he taught me that such meals go a long way. Especially on days when you are really tired, want to put your feet up, keep your plate on your lap and eat quietly.
• There is also another kind of quietness. The one where you wipe your plate clean without even lifting your eye from the plate or stopping to breathe or talking; a sign that you have truly LOVED the food. However this only works sometimes. Most days his little women made sure that they were generously complimented and so was their mum.

Thank you papa for everything. For giving me the freedom to make my own choices in food and in life, for being there with me and encouraging me when I failed in the kitchen or at college or at work and for appreciating every little thing I have ever made.

Happy Father’s Day.

Sara was asked to write this little note at school as a part of her Father’s Day week. Here’s what she had to say about her superhero.

 Please note we all MUST wear crowns and tiaras in each of her artworks. 

Very Royal:)

A very Happy Father's Day to all the superheroes.

Images : Personal Album. While you enjoy reading this post with visuals.Please do not use them without asking. They belong to Orange Kitchens unless otherwise stated. 

In My Mother's Kitchen.

In my mother’s kitchen I learnt.

• That precious and pretty plates, shiny flatware and delicate china are meant to be used every day and not saved only for special occasions. Because each meal and each day is special.
• That the same holds true for cake. One shouldn’t wait for an occasion to bake one. Warm cake straight out of the oven turns the ordinary into extraordinary. And when you are baking it for a “real occasion” then you must bake two not one; for your family will finish one right away.
• That after the cake batter has been put into the oven it is sacrilegious not to lick the bowl. It is. Trust my mum. With your fingers. Till it has been wiped absolutely clean.
• That an organized kitchen is a stress free kitchen. Labelled jars and bottles, spices on one shelf, baking supplies in a separate basket, cookies cutters and cake tins sitting cozy in one drawer, sauces and condiments in another.
• That there can never be too many gadgets in the kitchen. Ha! And if you do happen to get those dirty looks from the rest of the family make a puppy face and they will make space for it in their cupboards (because there is a possibility that the kitchen is already full) and their hearts.
• That not everything is made with a recipe. Sometimes they are made with “andaaza”.  
• That making a healthy and yummy lunch box for your little one at 5 in the morning is not a chore. It is a privilege that comes with being a mum. Even if it is 20 boxes a week.
• That dessert should never be used as bait to ask the child to finish the meal. It is perfectly normal to enjoy dessert at the end of each of your meals.
• That as a mum you could be pure vegetarian but the kids must be allowed to make their own choices. Mine went one step further and learnt how to make it for me for I love my meat.
• That getting a new lunch box at the beginning of the new grade is something that most kids look forward to all year long. It translates into happy children, empty lunch boxes and full tummies. Sometimes the small things are the big things.
• That in every kitchen there should be one cupboard with healthy snacks for little kids to open by themselves when their mum is sleeping or away. She still has one.
• That their birthdays should be celebrated with homemade goodies. For nothing comes close to handmade love.
• That in scorching summers watermelon is good. And it’s even better when pureed and frozen in ice trays.
• That when tomatoes are in season one must make the most of the beautiful produce. Puree and preserve it for the rest of the year.
• That the same holds true for chutneys and jams. Making them gives you the chance to enjoy the vegetables and fruits throughout the year and lifts the simple chapati to a gourmet meal.
• That kitchen not only feeds the body and the soul but also heals. Turmeric is for bruises and burns, basil for viral infections, fenugreek for lowering blood sugar, cardamom for digestion and more.
• That watching food shows, even re-runs is a legitimate hobby to have.
• That writing down recipes in a diary is a great thing to do. You begin to see how your tastes have changed over time, how you have evolved as cook and of course the diary helps you capture all those scrumptious memories you have made through food.
• That there is both comfort and excitement when each festival is marked with traditions that you’ve made for and with your family. Holi with gujiya & nariyal laddos, Dussehra with jalebi and Lohri with chikki and moongphali and Diwali with dahi bhallas and more.
• That the spoons with long stems are for icecream sundaes eaten on irritatingly hot and humid days, that sporks are for soupy noodles for those bone achingly cold nights and tinny-tiny forks are for eating those cubes of fruits that she painstakingly cut each morning before she left for work.
• That orange and pomegranate juice straight out of the juicer somehow tastes better in a tall glass with some kala namak thrown in and a “tomato” soup that is actually a vegetable soup is best in ceramic kulhads for the soup warms your soul and the kulhad your icy cold fingers.
• That when you want to make curd in winters you must make your bowl wear your shawl and it will be thick, firm and well set in the morning.
• That dry fruits if stored in the fridge in summers will stay longer.
• That making a batch of garlic and ginger paste with a film of oil on top will make cooking a breeze throughout the week.
• That playing music in the kitchen lifts both your mood and the recipe that you are making.
• That having a tiny stool to stand on to take out those out of reach things and to sit down on when organizing that bottom most shelf is something that you can easily live without but should not.
• That a full fridge and a full pantry is a sign of happy and healthy family. Plus you are always ready for all the friends your child invited but forgot to tell you about.
• That weekends are not for quick breakfasts but for laid back brunches. At home.
• That to make the frothiest coffee you need 1 heaped tsp of coffee, ½ tsp of sugar, 1 tsp of milk, 1 spoon and lots of muscle power.
• That there are some days when a three course meal won’t do. It has to be moong dal khichdi with ghee, dahi, aam ka aachar and papad (one pot lentil rice meal with clarified butter served with curd, mango pickle and papadum). For you need the comfort and warmth of a hot bowl and nothing comes close to your mum’s khichdi.
• That come June, raw mangoes must be cut and marinated in the homemade masala and oil so that you have mango pickle to last you all year.
• That come October, carrots must sliced and cauliflower cubed and seasoned with spices to enjoy gobhi –gajar ka achar throughout the winters. Sometimes only with a plain parantha.
• That come late February, black carrots must be fermented so that you can enjoy kanji in early March.
• That cooking might be something you love but there will be days that you don’t want to look at your kitchen.
• And then you brush that feeling aside and do it because like love, love that is forever and not a passing affair, love that demands commitment. cooking a fresh meal from scratch is a commitment you make to yourself and to your loved ones for they matter. Health matters. Good food matters.
• For other days there is always “free home delivery”.

Happy Mother’s day to the best cook in the world.

I really hope that I can pass on the same love for food and family to Sara and together we bake lots of cakes and cookies, simmer lots of stews and make lots of casseroles. 

Also somewhere in her cooking there is a little bit of me. Just like my mum is there in mine.

My Mother's Day card came with instructions for a recipe inside it. A recipe my little chefling calls her own and made for her mamma all by herself. "A ruby cheesecake" as she calls it.

A very Happy Mother's day to all you lovely mums. 

Images : Personal Album. While you enjoy reading this post with visuals.Please do not use them without asking. They belong to Orange Kitchens unless otherwise stated. 

Orangey goodness at orangekitchens.

Growing up in India I did not observe Halloween (though in the last few years a lot of people have started observing it. Read: Partying).  

Things are a little different for Sara. Times have changed and over the years all of us have welcomed new festivals and rituals with open arms and ofcourse she is growing up in a country where she is blessed to have friends from mixed cultures and nationalities. She gets to observe and learn from each one of them and that does make me very happy.

And this year was her first Halloween.

Last evening when she went downstairs  to "celebrate" Halloween I wasn't expecting a four year old to understand that this day was not just about dressing up or about tricking/treating or carving pumpkins. It was about paying respect to and remembering the loved ones you've lost. Or how this day must have been particularly tough for families who may have lost their child. 

And I think for the time being I'd like to keep it that way.

For a four year old, it simply translated into all her friends getting together and trying to look scary. Infact, she didn't even want to look scary. She wanted to be a pretty witch with a good heart so that she could cast happy spells. And a pretty witch with a big heart she was. Now that I remember, she did mention that there was this one child who was troubling her and she was contemplating turning him into a spider:)

And ofcourse for her it also meant some candy and some more candy and yet more candy. 

For her mother, it simply translated into a child jumping off the walls because of all the sugar and in the process getting all kinds of chemicals and preservatives into her little body. 

Now I am definitely not the mum who will keep a child away from candy all the time. Every once in a while she is allowed one. But to let her eat all that was not something I was okay with. Each time in the past when she has asked for one I have gone ahead and told her scary candy stories and left the choice to her:) I am wicked, I know. But it works! 

And each time she made the correct choice I have asked her to join me in making lollypops at home containing real fruits and edible flowers. And that makes me like "the coolest mom ever". Ahem!

Read any candy or chocolate label and there you will find artifical flavours, artifical colours, glazing agents and more. Far more scary than the Halloween costumes.

She too wanted to eat them all. Glossy lollypops and candies.

So I let her choose one from her loot and offered to trade all of them for a good quality big bar of dark chocolate or a new book or a toy. It wasn't easy and took some serious convincing. But I won.

She chose the biggest candy and the book AND the toy. Clever girl.You can't fight all the battles,can you?

What did I give away to other children who came to me singing, Trick or treat, Trick or treat? 

Sweet Mandarins. Yes, I know, it sucks. And it ofcourse made me "that horrible aunty who was giving away oranges". I have to admit I did buy a pack of candies the previous day, but I didn't sleep well that night. I just could not. Especially in a city that is fighting both obesity and diabetes. 

So that evening I went downstairs hoping at least a couple of them will eventually give it a try. And later ask their parents for more if they did like it. Trust me, through my work in the last few months I have met kids who don't even know what a potato looks like. They do know what french fries are though. A potato, well we have never seen one, they say. Because they have never entered the kitchen. Which brings me to another one of my favourite topics, please ask your child to be in the kitchen with you. But that we will discuss another day.

And you know what, most kids were okay with it. Infact one teenager made my day. "Oh! I love oranges", she said. Mission accomplished.

Also they did make our home pretty. And made Sara and me smile, all day. All orangey:) She ofcourse wanted us to keep all of them forever until I politely pointed out to her that eventually they will rot.

And all it took was five minutes and a food marker. 

So that was our first Halloween. How was yours? Did all that candy overload make you giddy as well? I'd love to hear your views. And I need to say this here, I am not judging anyone here, I have a dessert at the end of each of my meals and so does Sara :) But we can all try, can't we?

And before I end, many cultures across the world have ceremonies that honour their ancestors and I hope last evening each one of you spent a minute or two remembering those beautiful people and those beautiful memories. I know I did sleep thinking of my grandparents. 

Images: Personal Album.While you enjoy reading this post with visuals.Please do not use them without asking. They belong to Orange Kitchens unless otherwise stated

Meeting George.

Time for full disclosure: Yes, I do go weak in the knees when I get to meet my Culinary Gods.

For some of you it may be a film star you’ve grown up watching, for another a sportsperson you NEED  to watch play live, perhaps a singer you’ve tried imitating when alone (imaginary mike included) or an author whose have every written word is in your library. For me, they are the chefs and cookbook authors who I not only watch completely awe struck on TV but who I also imagine are there with me in my kitchen each time I am looking for any kind of inspiration when it comes to food.

And this Saturday I was all smiles.

So when a little birdie told me that George was coming down to Dubai and was holding a master class and was also signing books, I was on a triple high. With me, there was an equally delirious 3 feet something who was ready to jump off the walls. So I did what all mature and sensible mothers do, requested the organizers to put Sara, Age 4 on the guest list. Ah..me too, please.

Master Chef Australia and George need no introduction and the times that he has not been a part of a particular episode, he has been missed by my little chefling, No George today, mamma? She would be really disappointed.

The show was aired weeknights back in India and my schedule was planned around it. 9’o clock movie on a weekday? You’ve got to be kidding! Thank you, but I am going to be sitting cosy in my pyjamas with a three year old sitting right there (with the entire contents of her toy kitchen on the floor and behaving as if she was one of the contestants). The poor husband had no choice but to join the duo.

So two starstruck ladies, with DH in row, who was babysitting the younger one till the time the masterclass was on, went off to meet George Calombaris.

The masterclass was lovely and George and his enthusiastic and very witty team had the audience completely engrossed. 

George spoke about food, his mum’s cooking, and ingredients he likes to work with, the two episodes that were recently shot here at Dubai and asked us to imagine Matt Preston in his three piece pink suit and a cravat which went from pink to purple in the Dubai heat in minutes! He was at his entertaining best. 

He also took questions from the audience. Truly an afternoon to remember.

We were taught a sweet and a savoury dish; sushi rice pudding (risogalo) with date puree and a short crust pastry and an almost too pretty to touch recipe comprising poached baby turnip, artichokes, golden beets with a celeriac puree and zucchini flowers. Sublime.

Ofcourse I got his cookbook signed and Sara took her little notepad for the same. 

Yes, I know I am grinning and let me tell you it stayed right there, all day. 

The little girl has a “what did you do over the weekend” kind of thing every Sunday at school and I believe she started with, “I met GEORGE!”

Her mum was saying the same words to anyone who asked her, so what did you do over the weekend, “I met GEORGE!”

David, Heston, Jamie, Nigella, Ottolenghi…are you listening? Two girls are waiting.

Images: Personal Album.While you enjoy reading this post with visuals.Please do not use them without asking. They belong to Orange Kitchens unless otherwise stated

Eat.Read.Love.

A few days back I turned a year older and my totally crazy sister made my day extra special by treating me to cupcakes that made my heart go flutter flutter.  I love to cook. I dream about food and for the past two years all that I have read about is food.

She got these melt in the mouth cupcakes  from a very talented young baker who was given a very specific design brief..ha) and the food enthusiast me couldn't have been happier. Thanks sis. With the cupcakes came a miniature coffee table book on my journey from my first ever kitchen experiment (Read:disaster) to all the happy memories of all the meals I've made till this date. I have no clue how many nights she spent designing and printing it but I definitely know the many many happy tears I shed while going through it. It talks about my idols in the food industry, quotes about my cooking from family and friends, my cookbook obsession, the unforgettable Masterchef episode in my life, forgotten family pictures where we are doing what we do best..EAT. Muaah to lil sis for giving me family celebrity status:)))

But coming back to the cupcakes...the buttery french vanilla frosting and the too cute to eat tops..ah!

Don't miss the detailing on the wooden spoon

 Fish and knife on a chopping board

 Tomatoes, anyone?

A sunny side up please...

 Gobble Gobble says the turkey

 Can't do without those oven mittens

 Chef's hat and a rolling pin. Noodles in a wok 

How cute are these?

Sara was as excited as me and declared that she would be eating the chef''s hat. Btw, some days back she chose her career. TV Cook mamma not a chef. Very clear. Well...the girl wants a little bit of glamour along with cooking...what can I say?

Images : Personal Album