What do food pictures in magazines do to you? Make you suddenly hungry, go slurp and reach out for a food app at the cost of making your wallet lighter? It had a different effect on 30-year-old Neha Kumari, a BTech in Information Technology, who has been working as a software developer for Oracle for the last nine years. Though Neha is not a trained cook or a blogger, the food pictures and recipes in magazines like Grihshobha and Meri Saheli prompted led her to blogging. Armed with cooking pans and plans, she plunged herself into the overcrowded blogger arena. And, it’s been three years since she started and both her love for blogging (saltsugarnspice) and food, as well as the number of her followers, is burgeoning.
Who introduced you to blogging?
I was always interested in blogging but was busy with other things. After marriage, when I came to Mumbai, I started doing work from home and had some extra time on my hand, so I started cooking regularly and experimented with new dishes. That's when I realised I need to pen down those recipes. The blog was born from my passion for food. I love sharing new recipes that I learn or easy traditional recipes which I feel more people should know about or try. Slowly, that passion grew stronger and now I do get projects from that.
What gave you the impetus to start a food blog?
Whenever I try something new or make something nice the first thought which comes to my mind is that I need to share this with more people. That was what inspired and pushed me to start sharing my recipes. I feel that even if one person tries my recipe, my aim is achieved.
What is your culinary expertise?
I still don't feel like being an expert in any way, but having said that, I enjoy making traditional and fusion and desserts. I am also fond of easy-to-make Bihari recipes.
At what age did you first step into the kitchen?
I think I was around seven or eight years old when my aunt taught me to make tea and chapati. I remember making a full-fledged meal for my dad and brother when I was 13. Since then whenever my mom was away I used to cook one meal all by myself and then help my dad with other meals. Now, I cook for my family.
What was the first dish you cooked for your parents?
It was for my dad as my mom was away. We were eating boring food for a few days, so I made bread pakoda, chhole and puri. I was around 11-12 then. My dad still speaks about that incident — I got so tired after all the cooking that I slept without cleaning anything.
Were there any cooking disasters that you would like to share with our readers?
(Laughs) When I started baking, I experimented a lot and one of the recipes resulted in stone-hard biscuits you could break someone's head with. There was another one recently where I wanted to make chocolate bark, but ended up making truffles as the chocolate seized after adding one of the ingredients.
What is your favourite dish you like to make?
I love making laddoos of any kind. This Diwali, I made around 10 kg of besan laddoo and atta gond laddoo at my in-laws' place. Also, recently, I have developed a liking for baking and middle eastern dessert.
What's your favourite dish that your mom cooks?
That is a difficult one because there are so many things I love. But if I have to name just one it has to be lauki ka kofta. The trick lies in the spice mix that she prepares and also they are grounded on a mortar and pestle.
Does your blog specialise in any kind of cuisine?
Fusion, mostly as that is what I love to make. But I also try to post a few traditional and lesser-known recipes so that they are not lost.
How has the pandemic been for you? Did you face any problems?
On the contrary, it helped me as I was stuck at my mom's place and I got ample time to work on new recipes and spend time honing my photography skills. That was the period where I also realised my interest in making sweets.
What has been your most successful post?
My most successful post was a very simple recipe of mawa gulkand laddoo, it has been tried by over 50 people. It was the simplicity of the recipe and the beautiful pink hue of the final product which attracted most of the audience.
Describe your writing process, from concept to publishing...
I always work on my recipe idea as the first step and create a rough draft of the whole procedure along with ingredients. Then I try the recipe a few times myself before publishing it or sharing a video of it on Instagram. Also, one needs to add lots of notes on minor details like the colour or texture we are looking for, also the possible replacements if there are any as part of the recipe.
Recipe:
Litti Chokha
Litti filling (Sattu mixture):
1 cup Sattu (Roasted channa powder)
1 medium size Onion
3-4 Garlic cloves
1 Green Chili
2 tbsp Mustard Oil
¼ tsp Nigella seeds
½ tsp Carom seeds
1 tbsp Lemon juice
2 tbsp Coriander leaves chopped
Salt (to taste)
3-4 tbsp Water
For the dough:
2 cup Whole wheat flour
2 tbsp Ghee
½ tsp Carom seed
½ tsp Salt
Water to knead
Recipe:
In a bowl, add all the dough ingredients, except water and mix them well. Add water slowly and knead a semi-soft dough, cover and keep it aside for 30 minutes. Finely chop onion, garlic and chilli. Add all the filling ingredients except water and mix them well. Add water (1 tbsp at a time) and mix — the mixture should just hold its shape when pressed.
Aloo baingan bharta
Ingredients:
1 small Bharta Brinjal
2 medium size Potato
1 large Tomato
1 medium Onion
4-5 cloves Garlic
2 Green chillies
2-3 tbsp Coriander leaves chopped
2 tbsp Mustard oil
Salt to taste
Method:
Roast brinjal and tomatoes on open fire or in an oven. Boil the potatoes. Peel brinjal, tomatoes and potatoes once they have cooled. In a bowl, add all the three and mash them.
Add chopped onion, garlic and chillies. Then add rest of the ingredients and mix everything.
Coriander chutney
Ingredients:
1 cup Coriander leaves
1 large Tomato
5-6 cloves Garlic
2 Green Chilli
Salt to taste
Method:
Grind all the above ingredients into a smooth paste. Serve on the side with the dish.
