The Great Indian Review of Books

My nostrils still hold the smell of spices. It seems, memories make you wander but end up bringing you back to the same place. I was very fond of my grandmother. I remember how, during my childhood, I used to accompany her to the kitchen, only to watch how she cooks. There were so many layers of perfection in her hands, there was something unique about her kadi patta tadka, she spilled perfectly on the curd blended in Beetroot. The precision in her cooking was admirable. She made me taste all the dishes she made. She somehow felt that I had a knack for flavours. The tradition I loved the most with her was learning to dry the mango pickle on the terrace. Now when I look back I feel happy to carry her legacy of cooking forward, and now as a Chef I understand the worth of traditional flavours even more. And cooking is a generational wealth, which can be written down as an experiential reality only with love. “When you cook, not only should your stomach be full but your heart too. Food sho...