South Indian food can be intoxicatingly heady...... or overwhelming, depending on individual perception. The fact that I grew up being constantly assailed by smells of roasting cumin, simmering asafoetida, mustard seeds popping and curry leaves blistering in hot oil, from neighbouring kitchens, probably predisposed me to a passion for South Indian flavours. On any day, I would take them over the more well known and less assertive ones of North Indian cuisine.

food photography 101 tip no 1 - ...

Sometimes you just want it easy. That was the mood dictating yesterday's lunch.

Now, I don't usually give peas a chance. Really....did you think I would resist? They're round, tiny and have this tendency to roll around the plate, adroitly and annoyingly giving the tines of your fork the slip each and every time; the Frank Abagnale of vegetables. I know, I know...you're supposed to squish them against said tines then lift them to your mouth, but, I don't mix eating and exercising. I've been ...

I found myself alone at home yesterday - a very rare occurence for me. I can't remember the last time I was alone, since I got married and became a mother. It was a treat to potter about the apartment, doing exactly as I pleased, listening to Jeff Buckley, Ella Fitzgerald and Antonio Carlos Jobim, singing along at the top of my lungs, without eyeballs rolling left, right and centre, while sipping a little wine, just before lunch, in between the laundry, ironing and scrubbing.

Of course I l...

Pierre once told me he often "forgets" that I dwell in the tropics and keeps imagining, though he knows where I live, that I inhabit colder climes. Silvia is curious to know what I eat when no one is looking. Both are foodie friends and while I've had exchanges about food and sometimes, life, with both of them, neither, as far as I know have met or cyber-spoken to each other. These two seemingly disparate yet related remarks from two very different people, got me thinking about something. T...

I made these egg free, low cholesterol, lacto-vegetarian, dairy-restricted [ have I got your attention yet? ; ) ] brunch bites for my husband yesterday. We didn't feel like joining the Valentine's Day throng and falling victim to inflated restaurant prices, so, a lazy and langourous day spent almost entirely in bed was how we marked the occassion.

These delicious savoury rolls, filled with grated parmesan and topped with a tomato half, not only make a very tasty and satisfying brunch nibble...

There are times I'll bet, when like me, you feel like the inside of a garbage bin. Days, maybe even weeks of eating anything that crosses your path, the first thing you see when you open the fridge door, or two-thirds of your pal's taco chips, if she still dares to open a bag when you're within sight. I usually feel this way post Christmas and New Year's, after all that wanton and mindless feasting and will almost always repent slowly and painfully for the first 2 months or so, of the new yea...