I believe that cooking and the love of cooking is something that can be shared and passed down through generations. I come from a family that really appreciates good food and our family celebrations invariably revolve around food. Both my parents are pros in the kitchen. My maternal grandmother too, was an exceptional cook and most of her recipes are family favourites.
Without any professional training, I am a self-taught cook. Cooking is a creative exercise, where I critically think and brainstorm over a recipe. I also derive a lot of pleasure in researching recipes, and learning about how to get the most out of my ingredients. However, most often, the recipe is merely a guideline, as I cook intuitively and rely quite strongly on my senses; mainly my sense of taste and how things look and feel, just like my mother did before me. I initially discovered a love for cooking and baking from my mother; we cracked eggs, mixed cake batter and lined cake tins together. Then, I used to watch in awe as she iced cakes with deft and precision. She’s still my main sounding board to troubleshoot kitchen queries and brainstorm recipes.
Similarly my daughter, Miss Podi Hands, helps me and learns from me in the kitchen. Food has a lot of nostalgia attached and for me, cooking is now a process of creating memories and sharing food with the people I love. Thus, this blog is inspired by my daughter's desire to learn and my desire to preserve and document our cooking adventures.
- Erasha Hettige/Amma -
