A Pinch of Passion and a Sprinkle of Love

Anyone can learn to cook. There are a dime a dozen cookbooks and Youtube videos that show you exactly what to do, down to each and every specification. But given all that, not everyone can be a Julia Child or Nigella Lawson. Behind every delectable and memorable meal that makes one go ooh and ah, is a burning passion that stems purely from the love of bringing ingredients to life. 

I have always been passionate about food from a very young age. I used to love hanging around the kitchen with my mum and aunt, both amazing cooks. It didn’t matter whether I was watching Startrek, Spiderman, reading Nancy Drew or playing with dolls, I would drop everything and run into the kitchen the minute I smelt something mouth-watering. I was lucky to be the first one to try the delicious curry that was being made or the cutlets or baked goodies. Family members used to joke saying I lived to eat and to be honest, that is completely true.

I used to love sitting on the kitchen platform watching our maid make the perfect round ‘full moon’ soft and puffy chapatis on the tawa. The smell of freshly made chapatis has always been so intoxicating and the minute it was ready she would give one to me. Nothing is more heavenly for me than a garam garam roti with Amul butter on it! Just writing about this is making me hungry now.

Tasty food has always had a total pick-me-up effect on me. I use the word tasty because it has to have the right balance of salt, spice and flavour. It could be veg or non-veg, I don’t care as long as it is flavourful. I could be in the worst mood possible but give me some yum biryani or a juicy burger and fries and I’ll instantly feel better.

I loved the way food always brought family, friends and neighbours together. Before Google and Youtube came along, friends and neighbours would share their family recipes with each other— especially if they belonged to different religions and cultural backgrounds. That is how my mother, being a Catholic, learnt to make Biryani or Puri Bhaji and Masala Dosa to mention a few. She in turn would share the recipes of her amazing East Indian Bottle Masala and Goa 

Recheado Masala. All those women were truly passionate cooks who enjoyed sharing food with people and exposing them to different cuisines.

No passionate cook cooks solely for themselves. They cook to share their passion and work with others. It is this act of sharing that drives them and it is the same thing that drives my love for cooking.

Since I loved food so much, I learnt to cook at a very early age. It came naturally to me since I was so familiar with ingredients and being around kitchen equipment my whole life. Sure, I did cut and burn my fingers a lot, and initially, some of the food was a disaster, but I was always encouraged to keep at it.

I was always in awe of my mother’s food. I wanted to prove to her that I too could be a good cook and in a way earn her respect. I also loved seeing that nod of approval on the faces of my family. It was such a high!

I still remember how sad I was when I made dal for the first time. It was a disaster as it was too watery. I was so ashamed, especially because I was given the correct instructions and I messed up the most simple dish in the world. After that, I swore to learn to make the best dal and although it may not be restaurant standard, whoever eats the dal I prepare now loves it.

As a chef, I believe that food isn’t only a reflection of who you are but also of the way other people have influenced you. Ever since cable TV hit Indian shores, I used to love to watch cookery shows, especially the fun ones like Yan Can Cook as he was such an entertainer. Nigella made cooking look sensuous and effortless. But the man I simply loved and was mesmerized by was the late Anthony Bourdain. I loved his shows, his zest for life, for travel, his eagerness to try anything and everything. He had a real passion for food that inspires me to date but I doubt I would be willing to eat everything he bravely tried. 

So, after watching all my favourite chefs on TV and my mother and aunt in real life, I learnt to cook food in my own signature style. I love food made with few ingredients because the hero of the dish shouldn’t be overshadowed by the spices. Like take for instance lobster, crab or salmon for that matter, it is so delicious and flavoursome by itself and needs very few ingredients to enhance its taste yet many people destroy it by cooking it with spicy masalas. This is not to say that I don’t cook food with spice, in fact, Vindaloo, Sorpotel, Tandoori Chicken and Biryani are some of my signature dishes.

My passion for food shifted to baking some years ago and the reason was my daughter. She always urged me to try my hand at baking which I would shy away from. I found baking to be too structured, unlike cooking. While in cooking it was following your heart and palate style and throwing in spices for good measure, with baking you couldn’t fool around, everything had to be weighed and precise. I personally found that boring.

When I cook I just toss in the powders, add a dash of this and that, taste a little, add again something else. It’s fun. Baking on the other hand is a different ball game, it brings the serious side out in me. Anyhow this time around to gain my daughter’s approval instead of my mother’s, I tried my hand at a simple sponge cake. And Voila! It was soft, light and buttery. Even I couldn’t believe I made it. The look of “Good job mama”, was so heartwarming. I felt like I won an Oscar!

After that day I never looked back. From baking savoury pies to lemon tarts, biscuits, chocolate cakes, cheesecakes and more; I had a new passion.

While I love trying my hand at new dishes there are certain things that I steer clear of, one such dish is my aunt’s legendary mutton chops. Even though it is a fan favourite at home and we rarely get to eat it since we live in Goa and she in Mumbai. There’s no way that I could recreate the dish exactly the way she makes it. The reason her mutton chops are so legendary is that she is the one making them. I truly believe that it is the magic of a particular person’s hand that makes a dish. No two people can recreate another person’s dish because it is the love and passion that goes into it that makes the food amazing. That being said I think that knowledge should be shared, whether it’s with recipes or tips and tricks on anything in life. 

Cooking and baking for my family and friends makes me the happiest. To see their eyes light up when they put a spoonful in their mouth makes me feel full and satisfied. Knowing that the passion I put into my cooking can make someone else happy, tugs at my heartstrings. I hope my passion for food someday allows me to have my little cafe & feed people with dishes that have touched the palates and hearts of the ones I love.

Written by Joanne Albuquerque

A lover of the universe and a die-hard optimist who believes that everything happens for a reason, even the unpleasant stuff. That doing random acts of kindness can heal the world one deed at a time. I believe that what’s meant for you will find its way, there’s no need to chase after anything. And there’s nothing more attractive than a grateful heart.

Week 22, June 2021