I just fell in love with the book reading these lines. Over time the ache in heart for her parents was filled with the pungency of coriander seeds, the sweetness of cinnamon and the bite of fresh chili peppers. I love my kitchen and cooking is like a therapy for me. I loved the way the main characters in the book take refuge in their kitchen.

The author brings out the beautiful culture and practices of Kerala with the help of the main characters in the novel – Sudha, Ayah, Devi and Kashi. Her descriptions about VishuKani, Onam, Pongal and Diwali are very fascinating. I really liked the Diwali part where they make clay lamps by themselves every year with the river clay. A perfect eco-friendly diwali. :-)

Her book brings out the navarasas (nine moods) of Meena’s childhood life and along with that the six tastes of food too. I was raised in a small town under the lap of western ghats which is 62 miles from Kodaikanal. The book took me back to my childhood memories. I felt nostalgic when reading about drinking the fresh tender coconut juice, eating raw mangoes, fresh jackfruit smell, drinking water after eating gooseberry and the idli batter making process using the traditional aatukal. (An old stone mortar and with a pestle). This time I took a picture of this aatukal in my native. And here it is. I wish I can go to my native now.

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Aatukal

What I liked about the book is

  • The beautiful description of typical rural Indian life.
  • The Hindu mythological stories retold in a very simple way.
  • Each and every chapter has both kitchen and day to day tips like applying oil in your hands before peeling jack fruit to avoid the stickiness or having hot water soak for cramps etc.
  • And of course her authentic recipes. They are for sure kids friendly with less spice but with great taste. I tried a couple of her recipes, lemon rice and tea stall style potatoes. And they were yummm and the pictures are here.
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Lemon Rice and Tea stall style potatoes

A delectable read about beautiful kerala, the culture, the authentic recipes and the stories behind each and every recipe.