Humans of Vish’s Little Vittles
‘Mumma, how do I make *insert the most basic Indian home cooked meal*?’ was the basis of many a conversations I had with my mom when I was studying in a different country missing home. Just like every other home cook, my mom usually responded with ‘oh, just add a little bit of this and a little bit of that and then it’ll look just right. You’ll know!!!’. These conversations did not phase me much since I knew my way around the kitchen. Until, I tried an online recipe that just did not taste like it should. Like home. I have been dabbling with the idea of creating a collection of recipes that I have grown up eating so that my friends from across the globe and all over can get a taste of my childhood.
I started on my journey to take accurate measurements of Indian home cooking earlier in the year, taking advantage of my time at home and proximity to my home cook and mom. Mahraj, our cook, has been with us since I was two. Initially, when I started measuring out every single masala, he almost pulled his hair. But I think (hopefully), after going through about a total of 50+ recipes day in and day out over the past several months, he is not annoyed anymore!
Developing recipes can be exhausting to say the least. At the end of a long day in the kitchen, comes the time to take photos. I really appreciate my mom for this. There were occasions when I was not the best person to say the least, yet she opened her wardrobe to give me access to all the textiles used on this website, provided valuable inputs, rummaged through storage for all sorts of old time-y serve ware and most importantly cheered me on with a big smile as I took photos!
Often I wonder where this obsession for food stems from. The answer lies in my food obsessed family of course! We usually start planning out our next meal while eating the current one and I love that about us. My dad, chachu (uncle) and bhaiya (brother) complain that they have gained a few pounds since this adventure began because of the constant flow of delicious food in the house. I do however think that my main obsession is rooted much deeper. My nani (maternal grandma) and fia (aunt) were absolute workhorses in the kitchen and I can only hope to be as skilful as them one day!
I love to cook all sorts of foods. In fact, one of my favourite shows growing up was Masterchef Australia. I loved how it went into the little details about cooking, making it easier for me to comprehend new techniques. However, since I am at home, non vegetarian and other global recipes have taken some what of a step back. I will be adding different foods from various parts of the world in the future, so stay tuned!
If you made it until here, you most certainly care about me or food or both. So thank YOU, for your interest and being one of the many humans of Vish’s Little Vittles!
