I Just don’t want to look back one day and think
“I could’ve eaten that”- Anonymus
That’s me.
Hi.. Im Anubhav . A very warm welcome to my little world “From bowl to soul”.
I am really thrilled to have you visiting my page.If you are on this page, wondering what this blog is all about, then this little place is where I’m sharing my passion for food- exploring, experimenting, and creating some fresh, simple, good food , and along with that ,sharing my experiences exploring this beautiful world..If you are looking for some basic Indian recipes, some royally rich Indian food recipes , or if you want to create something completely new with the ingredients you have in hand, you are at the right place..or better still on the right page !!
As I was born, brought up in India and have spent all my years till now in India, my recipes here will be a canvas of the food I have loved all these years and the food that I love now, recipes I’ve learnt from my mother , standing in her kitchen ,watching her create beautiful food, recipes I’m still learning from her and recipes I’m learning from everywhere around me everyday.
This blog is about sharing the recipes, that tell a story of the summers we had ,at my naani’s home in Agra, (City of the Taj Mahal), the home we will remember all our lives for the magical time we had there, the home where we spent the most beautiful summer vacations of our life, starting our day with the breakfast of yummy paranthas , sausages and salami with homemade ketchup( I know this one is complete surprise for any regular Indian family, but we loved it) , then helping my nanaji (maternal grandad)collecting wood for the tandoor (oven) to make the most amazing missi roti’s with homemade white butter, pickles, fresh mangoes, and cold buttermilk, and ending the day with the most delicious chicken cooked by the ladies of the house. I say “we” , because that time is and will be as magical for all of us in my family who have been a part of those memorable days. In my blog you will find me mentioning about this time again and again , as I have such a strong emotional connect to this place. Beautiful life, Belle Vie.
There will be recipes from across different parts of India, those that I learn from my family and friends, read in magazines, cookbooks, internet, tv.. or whatever and wherever I can grab some good recipes from.
I would love to share with you the knowledge of using various food ingredients, the goodness of fresh local organic food ,useful tips for the kitchen and other related things , the knowledge that I have gained over the period of time from my parents, grandparents, elders, family and my friends .
I’m new to blogging ,or even writing for that matter, and I’m not a perfect cook either .But the thing that has brought me here is my connection with food , that has been quite strong since my childhood. Thanks to my mum and dad- she being a great cook, and he being a great connoisseur of food, we had the perfect blend at home. Me and my brother both inherited their genes, to have always always been interested in home food , healthy eating, and curious about recipes and all kinds of food and stuff related to food.Though that does not stop us from relishing all kinds of street food as well.
As a child and till the time I was married I was never into cooking, but kitchen was my favourite place always!!! The aroma of food, the sizzling of tempering, the whiff of food, the smoke from the chimney have always been soooo soooo inviting to me. Yes.. I love food, but cooking was never something that I was passionate about or something that I wanted to do.Then how did I end up here writing about cooking,food, and sharing recipes!!!
So here is my story…
My interest in fashion led me to learn Fashion designing and I started my career in the Apparel industry working around beautiful clothes , learning the strings from manufacturing to production to shipping of the beautiful garments. Though a very stressful job, I loved my work as it gave me an opportunity to be around the things I love, meeting new people, travelling and learning new things everyday, but yes it did demand all my time and energy. After 10 years of working, and when my daughter was almost two years I reconsidered my priorities and decided to take a break from work to spend more time with Aahana (thats my little ones name).At the same time my husband had to move to UK for a project. So we joined him and our little family moved here to Warrington( a town in Cheshire , England), and its been 3 years now.
My daughter, the household work and my interest in exploring the new town and countryside kept me busy all the time. These 3 years gave me a lot of time to look back, think, travel, explore and experience. I had new perspective of looking at life.Tough at times, but it has been a completely different and a beautiful experience staying in a new country, learning about the culture, heritage and food.As much as I’m fond of the spicy food, the milder British food did not let me down. The foodie in me loved the new British menus well, laid down by life on my table.I loved the Fish and chips, the roast dinners, yorkshire puddings, minced pies, scones with cream and Jam, the carrot cake and the list goes on….
But one thing that kept calling me back to India (other than the family of course) was the Desi Food.Ohh!! I realised how much I missed and loved the Indian Khaana. So on my first trip back home, when I met my mum I wrote down most of her recipes in a notebook, and after coming back I started trying and cooking all the recipes. After much trial and error ,and calling her back and forth to discuss the recipes, I was able to create something. I kept trying , became a little more confident and started to experiment more.Everyday there was a new creation. From there started my journey and my trysts with cooking.
Update 2019– Imagine being back to studies! Yes, after a gap of almost more than a decade i am back to pursuing my Masters in fashion. I won’t say it’s easy.. With a child, her studies, all the housework, cooking, blogging ,and managing the social media, i feel a little lost at times. But I am holding strong . It’s been almost 8 months and i managed ok.
Now in 2020 ,amid coronavirus , a lockdown, being away from all the family in India (and flights are suspended with us having no option of travelling to meet our family ), homeschooling , and my assignments its not getting any easier, but i am no way giving up ????.Keeping my fingers crossed.Wish me luck !
Update 2021, I finished my post graduation with Distinction! Phew.. That was hard amidst the most challenging circumstances , and an exceptionally turbulent year in the history . But i’m glad i managed and succeeded!
And what brought me to blogging…
I am soooo bad at remembering recipes, that even if I have cooked a particular dish 5 times, I still can’t make it the sixth time without referring to the recipe. All my mums recipes are written down in a notebook, which in 3 years has lived its life and is turning to tatters now. And online recipes.. don’t ask me!!! Oh…. I make them once, and the next time I can’t find the same recipe.. it takes me ages to find it again online. And there are certain recipes, that I just create with all the leftover stuff I have, and sometimes(yes not everytime.. I make mistakes.. and lots of them) they turn out to be really nice that, everyone demands for it the next time.. and lo and behold!!! I don’t remember what all had gone into it!!!Isn’t that bad..
I had to.. had to.. correct this.I thought of writing down, organising, and keeping all the recipes in one place.This brought me here to this platform, where in addition to writing down and organising my recipes, I could even have the joy of sharing all my experiences-good or bad, with so many like minded people.
This thought was really exciting, and I started writing down and compiling all my recipes. Along with that, the hidden photographer in me ,also peeped through from within , and I realised how much I enjoy taking and editing pictures too. So my journey from fashion, to being a mum, to all things food, has been and is quite exhilarating.I wish the same for you too.
I hope that you like reading all my experiences, and trying all my recipes, as much as I enjoy this whole experience.
Come join me in my journey . My interest in food, and cooking using fresh simple ingredients with vibrant colors and flavors ,hopefully will tickle your senses and find its way into your heart. I hope you enjoy your time here!!