Indian food recipes by Food Geek, Former Lawyer and Grandmother of 3. Below is a Q&A style About me.
Let me know (using our contact form below) if you have more questions about me or have suggestions about the site. I’ll be sure to respond!
Thank you for visiting StoriesOfSpice.com !
Q: Tell us more about yourself
In a sentence, I am a mother, grandmother, lawyer, former jewelry and garment designer, entrepreneur, a foodie & chef by passion!
I grew up in Bombay (now called Mumbai) along the coast and was spoiled by my very open minded parents. I fell in love with my husband while I was in school and he patiently waited for me to finish up law school. He was this dreamy architecture student who would come watch me play volleyball!
I have had multiple careers – was a lawyer, a legal officer in a bank in Nairobi (Kenya), designed and started my own clothing line for kids (based on fun items my own daughters wanted growing up) and this branched into an Indian-western fusion line for women.
When I moved to the US, I was interested in power tools and sanding and for a while I worked with framing. My coworkers loved my food to the point where I ended up starting and running a few delis. Now that I have cut down on my businesses, I devote most of my time to volunteering, expanding my culinary repertoire and taking care of my grandkids! I believe food is joy and I wanted to share my knowledge and passion … hence stories of spice was born.
Q: What is your favorite Indian dish?
Anything with seafood! Living along the coast of the Arabian Sea, seafood was a part of my family’s daily menu. Freshly caught fish and shrimp marinated with Indian spices made for delicious finger licking meals. My sheer enjoyment of seafood from an early age has not diminished over the years. It’s still my favorite whether fried or a curry.
One of my favorite dishes is Masala fish
Q: What is your favorite North American dish?
I am a foodie and love all foods! I’m open to anything that expands my palate. One soul favorite is homemade chicken pot pie. It is a classic comfort food for me and I enjoy it in the winter months sitting by the fireplace The flaky crust, the tender chicken and creamy fillings constitute an irresistibly tasty complete meal in itself!!
I’ll soon share my favorite recipe for homemade chicken pot pie!
Q: Who is your favorite chef?
History repeats itself – my mother did not know how to cook even after she got married just like me. My father was her tutor and very soon she learned to cook like a pro. Since my mother took over the cooking she inspired me so I should say my mother is my favorite chef. She not only learned from my father but also she made dishes spontaneously with whatever was available in the kitchen at the time.
Her dishes were simple and delicious and hit the right spot. If I needed a recipe she was always ready to teach me hands on or over the phone.
Making left overs into something new was one of her classic creations.Today I cook whatever I was taught and have added more to my list.
Q: What is your favorite Mumbai street food?
This is one of the most difficult questions to answer as I love them all with a passion. If I had to select a gourmet dish from a five-star restaurant Versus street food I would go for the latter hands down. Growing up it was a must to stand on the road side to have Pani Puri or Dosa or veg sandwich and finish it with a glass of sugar-cane juice. It was something if I didn’t have I would feel my day was not complete.
I used to get reprimanded for eating road side unhealthy food when there was a good spread of homemade delicious food. Home food was always good but Pani Puri and Dosa topped the list. Till today I have to make these snacks at home and have it at least once in a day to feel my day is done.
Strange but true.
Q: What is your most memorable food experience when on vacation?
The most memorable food while on vacation makes me go back to our Turkey trip in 2015! We did a 10 day tour of multiple cities in Western Turkey including Istanbul, Antalya, Izmir, Ankara as well as Cappadocia – its a beautiful country with awesome food, very friendly people & just amazing amount of history!
The food that made a niche in my heart is the Turkish breakfast. Their omelet or Menemen consisted of roasted tomatoes, onions, peppers and herbs mixed with eggs. It was served with an array of cheese, olives nuts and different kinds of bread butter and jams. It was truly a feast not only to the the eyes and heart but straight to the right spot in the stomach!
What else would you like to know about me? Please use the form below to let me know. Happy browsing!