Nov 3, 2012

A Peek into my Little White Book

When I first started setting up home, my mom wrote me a collection of recipes in this little white book. It ended up containing not just recipes, but tips on a lot of things - ideal ratio of rice:urad dal for idli batter, how many whistles for cooking rice and paruppu and even some paththiyam recipes. It became my go-to guide for everything kitchen- and cooking-related.

Over the years, due to the geographic distance, all my mom's new recipes and tips were conveyed though telephone and I religiously copied it onto this little white book.
I have tested and adapted most of these recipes to suit my palatte - I prefer to cook relatively less spicy than my mom does.

This blog is an attempt to record all these recipes (once again) and immortalize it. Also expect to see some new recipes engineered by me. Apart from these, if I see a tempting dish on Pinterest, I try it out at home. The best of these recipes will also figure here.

While the content came from my mom, the motivation for this blog came solely from my husband. He kept suggesting that I start a blog to document not just the recipes but to also document my interest in arts and crafts and everything DIY. I have finally relented and here's my recipe blog. I hope to one day author a DIY blog as well.

Since this blog is mostly about the recipes from my mom, it only seems natural to talk a little about her. She is a self-taught cook. By her account, she didn't even know how to turn on a stove, when she was newly married. My dad being a practical man fixed the issue by buying two things : a month's worth of meal vouchers for two, to the nearest restaurant and a whole load of recipe books!

Like the proverbial ugly duckling, mom's cooking skills only got better over time. From the complex dum biryani to the simple poondu rasam, anything that she cooks has had a fan following in our neighborhood.

Fun anecdote that describes the importance of this little white book in my household : I once misplaced this book and was discreelty looking for it in the kitchen. When my husband learnt about it, he sprang from the couch and started searching for the book and didn't rest until he found it - this man does know where his next meal comes from :)


Just as every journey starts with a single step, this blog too shall start with a simple recipe.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Reana - I just wanted to let you know I have really enjoyed your blog. I have a little blue book so I can relate. I don't know how I can say this without coming across as insufferably snooty - but its refreshing to read an Indian food blog that has good grammar and spelling, doesn't ramble, shares really good recipes (kudos to your mum and you for those) and written in a fun, unpretentious way. I hope you keep writing - and I second your husband's motion about a DIY blog if this one is anything to go by :)
    Thanks,
    Ambika

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ambika,
    Thank you for your motivating comment.

    ReplyDelete

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