Meet the Chef... a little bit about me.
Namaste. My name is Shilpa. Born and brought up in the colourful, beautiful country India, I now reside in Melbourne with my family.
A techie by profession, my passion lies in cooking, photography, and travelling. I love to prepare food for family and friends, and most of all my biggest fans - my little kids and my food critic - my husband.
"Cooking is love made edible"
My little girl who is just three years old is a foodie by heart, just like her dad. She absolutely loves and enjoys eating and never hesitates in trying out new food. It is soul-satisfying to watch her lick her fingers after finishing her plate of food.
"I love having picky eaters and making more than one meal at dinner time," said NO.MOM.EVER.
My son is a very picky eater, just the opposite of his elder sister. There is nothing that can impress him easily. It is very difficult to make him try out new foods. He has a few favourite foods and doesn’t want to step out of it. Every time I try something new, I keep my fingers crossed that he will give it a try and like it. Cooking for him is the biggest challenge I have faced in my food journey.
"People who love to eat are always the best people" - Julia Child
My better half is a big foodie and he absolutely loves his food. He introduced me to lots of new cuisines and inspired me to try them out at home. Cooking for him gives me so much joy and happiness.
My Cooking Style
"A recipe has no soul. You as a cook must bring soul to the recipe" - Thomas Keller
My cooking style is mainly influenced by Indian cuisine - Karnataka (from where I am) and Bengal (from where my better half is). Staying strong to my roots, I try to simplify and modernise traditional cooking, along with trying a new form of culinary art.
Having lived most of my life in the beautiful state of Karnataka, I cook lots of regional food from the state. My main style of cooking is influenced by Mysore and the north Karnataka region. Living in Calcutta for a few years introduced me to a new culinary world apart from the Karnataka cuisine. Not only did I learn heaps of new vegetarian dishes, I learnt the art and science of cooking meat and seafood.
Baking Love
"A party without cake is just a meeting" - Julia Child
Back in time when my Ajji (grandma) didn't have an oven at home, she would whip desserts and sweets up and send it to a bakery near our home for baking. I can proudly say that love for baking is in my genes. After moving to a country I call home now, this love just grew more and more. Be it cake, cookies, pies or tarts, I am always in for trying it out.
I recently began my sourdough journey for my daughter. She was diagnosed with gluten intolerance and we had to put her on a gluten-free diet. I didn’t want her to miss out on her favourite foods because of the dietary requirements. Not only do I bake sourdough bread, but I have also incorporated sourdough into Indians dishes like paratha too.
If you have any suggestions or want any recipes or want to know more about me, write to me at [email protected]
Well, that's all about me. Come join me on my culinary journey as I cook, learn, master, enjoy, live, and love the art and science of cooking great food.
Sally
My ggg grandmother was born in Bellari.l in 1827. I’m Not sure if I have Indian DNA but I’m investigating it. I’m interested in the food from that region. Do you have a restaurant or can I book you to cook a traditional Karnataka meal for us?
Shilpa
Hi Sally,
Wow, that’s great. Thanks for sharing. No, I don’t have a restaurant, but I do plan to open a pop up/ food truck once my kids are older. I would be more than happy to plan a Karnataka meal for you, provide the recipes, list the ingredients, and where to shop for them. Please reach out at [email protected]
- Shilpa
Vera
Hi Shilpa,
Thank you for a lovely blog. I found it when I was searching for guidance on how to make fermented rice noodles, and I’d like to ask you a question. At what temperature should I ferment rice? My rice developed a rather pungent sour smell on the 3rd day of soaking in water (not sour like dosa or starter but really acrid) and after soaking in brine it now smells rather animalic, not really fruity and sour. That doesn’t sound right, does it?
Thank you for your time!
Shilpa
Hi Vera,
Thank you for your kind words.
Looks like your rice is over-fermented and is not be usable. My rice smells sour but definitely does not smell bad. I usually let the rice ferment in a rather cold spot (in my pantry). On average, 15-18 C is the max it goes. Also, the time taken for fermentation would depend on the quantity of rice too. You can try reducing the first fermentation by a day. Also, do keep an eye on the colour of the rice, especially after grinding - if it begins to get pink spots (which is mold).
With several factors like the season of the year, quantity, weather, etc., it could take a few trials to get it right. Hope this helps.
- Shilpa
Vera
Shilpa, thank you very much for a detailed response. I have since made another batch, and this time it was definitely better. The rice smelled sour but pleasant. The only problem was that my noodles came out mushy and I wonder if it's because I didn't steam the rice long enough or expressed it from the muslin cloth (I ended up using a finemesh colander, but may not have been fine enough). I'm nonetheless determined to try it again. 🙂 I will try with sona masuri rice this time (I used jasmine). Your guidance has been so helpful to understand different stages of the process.
Shilpa
Hi Vera,
I am so glad to know it worked well 🙂
I am more inclined to think the texture issue was because of either the rice variety or not using the muslin cloth. I have not tried the noodles with any other rice variety. But I had skipped expressing the rice through muslin cloth once and that had definitely impacted the texture of the noodles (mine was rather sticky). Also, rinsing the noodles after cooking is important to get that lovely gloss! As soon as the noodles being to float, transfer them to cold water and rinse them in fresh water 2-3 times.
All the best!
- Shilpa