menus

onam sadya

What was I thinking! It is easy to say that it will be cool to prepare ഓണസദ്യ but it is something else to actually execute it. Picking the items to put on the menu was straightforward since most of it had to just boil. Organizing the steps for each dish also worked out well. The part that I expected to be fairly easy was the hardest – the plating. Food that is traditionally served on a banana leaf, while seated, and served by a train of people doesn’t translate easily to a couple of service folks walking around with ceramic plates, and 50 times around! I should apologize to the volunteers that helped that day.

Shoutout to the YouTube channel Cookd for their thorough overview of the recipes.

cypriot

I came back from an inspirational cultural trip of Cyprus in May 2022 and wanted to share those flavours. I was cooking after a very long break and realized I stilled had a lot to learn. Thanks to Samir for a smart idea with the eggs. Salt can be added but not removed. The tahini pie failed mostly because I’m not so good at dealing with a sensitive oven; but watermelons saved the hot day!

indian

This day taught me a lot about trust and leadership. When you trust someone for their experience you do so because you know that they have things under control. However, when you are the captain of the ship you are still responsible for everything that happens aboard. Remember to always taste everything before it leaves the kitchen, even when it is made by your mentor!

dutchman

Transformations are fusions. Becoming a Dutchman was a big day that needed just as big a celebration. I did so by fusing everything I was with everything I was to become. Indian food presented with the Red White Blue of the Dutch flag and Dutch food presented with the Saffron White (Blue) Green of the Indian tricolour.

lockdown delivery

2020! Oh, 2020!
Tankstation had to close its doors following “the great lockdown” made necessary by COVID-19. The kitchen, however, couldn’t close; there were people that depended on it for sustenance or it was the best food they got to eat or they just wanted to show their support. I headed the kitchen one Tuesday to bring some homely Indian food to people’s tables.