Book Club Tuesday: Mumbai Modern

Processed with VSCO with f2 presetAs we ate this meal together, I was reminded of why we were really gathered here. The food, the laughter, and the tears were for my mother. She had just passed away. And this meal tasted as if my mum had made it. Tears flooded my eyes as a lifetime of memories, triggered by this food, rushed to my head and heart. Fourteen years ago, I had no way of knowing this was just the start of my food journey. (11)

Reading these words from the introduction to Amisha Dodhia Gurbani‘s Mumbai Modern: Vegetarian Recipes Inspired by Indian Roots and California Cuisine, it shows how deep the connection to food can be. It brings us together to nourish us and, food ties us to so many things — the crucial one being our memories. Continue reading “Book Club Tuesday: Mumbai Modern”

Book Club Tuesday: Well Seasoned

Processed with VSCO with f2 presetMuch of what cooking means to me has to do with joy — with the food, recipes, the process, and the final reveal as you plate the food and set it on the table for people to enjoy. Part of the delight is feeling grateful for the fact I can cook and have ingredients to do so. I think this is one of the reasons why I am drawn to Mary Berg and her cookbooks. And it’s not just me either — my daughter adores Mary Berg. For Katie, it began with Mary’s first television show Mary’s Kitchen Crush and then that love Continue reading “Book Club Tuesday: Well Seasoned”

Book Club Tuesday: To Asia, With Love

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It has been a decade since Hetty McKinnon started her salad delivery business in Surry Hills, Sydney, Australia. From the small kitchen in her home on Arthur Street, she would pack up her salad boxes and deliver them on her bike to the people who lived and worked in her neighbourhood. Through delivering nourishing meals to customers, she began to Continue reading “Book Club Tuesday: To Asia, With Love”

Book Club Tuesday: Ottolenghi Flavor

 

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Looking at the cookbooks released this autumn, there is a definite trend towards flavour — there’s Ottolenghi Flavor by Ixta Belfrage and Yotom Ottolenghi, Nik Sharma’s Flavor Equation, Bob Blumer’s Flavorbomb, James Briscione and Brooke Parkhurst’s Flavor for All, and Dan Kluger’s Chasing Flavor just to name a few. I think this flavour odyssey is about making the most with what we have to cook with and being able to identify ways to enhance the flavour of a dish whether it’s through the use of particular techniques, ingredients or both. Continue reading “Book Club Tuesday: Ottolenghi Flavor”

Book Club Tuesday: Community (Revised Edition w/ New Recipes + Stories)

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This book is dedicated to all the home cooks around Australia who turned my passion for salads into a global community. (Dedication in the new edition)

How I found out about Hetty McKinnon and her recipes was by word-of-mouth. Everyone knows that I am a cookbook enthusiast, which is great because people love to give recommendations on cookbooks I might enjoy. Word-of-mouth is good because Continue reading “Book Club Tuesday: Community (Revised Edition w/ New Recipes + Stories)”