Explorer of Experiences

I thought I'd write something special with Womens' Day just around the corner. Sometimes, you don't need to search far and wide for inspiration. It's right close to you. Look around you - a friend, a co-worker, a movie, a book, travel...inspiration can come from anywhere. In this case for me, my ever-smiling and oh-so-hardworking friend Keshia is an inspiration. And I want to share what makes her tick with you.    ‘Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously in it.’ This famous quote by Julia Child fits like a glove as the beginning to our interview with Chef Keshia D’souza. Currently Chef de Partie at Courtyard by Marriott Pune City Centre , she found cooking to be her passion at the tender age of eight. With over six years of experience in the kitchen, here she is in her Chef’s whites with a smile on her face and her affable personality already evident. How did your passion for cooking begin and what inspired you? I got the idea...

If you've gone through my blog, it may bemuse you that this is my second post on tofu. How much do I love eating it? A lot. And why not? I find it tasty, love the texture, and enjoy the variety. You heard me...there's variety even with an ingredient like Tofu - silken, firm, extra firm, fermented, flavoured, etc.  And this 'obedient ingredient' (as chef Roger Mooking would call it in his food show Everyday Exotic), is super versatile to cook with. Deep fry it and cook it with veggies in sweet and sour sauce, or make an evening snack out of it by toasting it on a pan with a little oil and drizzle with salt and cracked black pepper. Like me, if eggs don't suit, you then scramble up a tofu and add the other usual scrambled egg ingredients and you're set!  One of my favourites tofu dishes is when it is baked with peanut sauce. Pure bliss. A picture below to treat your eyes. Now that's a happy meal for me. Just a quick tip, give your tofu a boil in water fla...

Don't you wish you could go back in time just to truly appreciate where you were and what you were doing with your time then? I ponder about this sometimes. I spent two years in Melbourne. That city was a treat food-wise. I tried so many new things, experienced so many new flavours! Narrow lanes used to be dotted with little quaint cafes and the fruit and vegetable market lined with food carts, and it used to be but a pleasure to walk by, trying these treats on a free day.  Chinatown in Melbourne (image courtesy: www.victoria.aussietrueblue.com) But of course every major city has to have its very own Chinatown, Melbourne included. We had a community kitchen in the lodge we stayed at. Every night after classes, the group of Chinese girls and guys used to collectively cook in the kitchen - sharing their sauces and veggies, and thereafter eating together. Laughter from the kitchen echoed into the halls and I used to envy the sense of togetherness they experienced over food!...