Spices - What To Expect

Hello/Hujambo/Namaste/Hola/Bonjour!

I realize you're here because you want recipes and not more words, but before we get there, you should know what to expect from this space.

So, the first thing I want to delineate is how I plan to go about this. If you've followed my Facebook earlier, you'll know that I've been cooking and posting pictures for quite a while on there.

• I'll start off with old recipes - I've got pictures for the final product (at least) and at this stage it's easier to just put those out first.

• At the time I was cooking without thinking about officially/properly blogging about it, so I was not meticulous about jotting down every detail with the first recipes- more on what this means for the blog will come as you read along - but I also want to assure you that I will improve henceforth. Better pictures, more specifics on things like quantities and yield.

What is 'healthy'?

• The definition of 'healthy' is, honestly, arbitrary (i.e. random). I'm still on the journey to decide what does/doesn't qualify and how 'balance' fits into this whole mix…and there's actually a lot I have to say on this topic, but don't worry, I won't force that onto you right now. It'll make for an entirely separate article which will come soon.

• I will say this though - I avoid recipes with added sugar, and if I have no choice but it asks for, say, 4 tablespoons, chances are I'll add one (see note on that later)

• I also don't use things like cream in cooking.

• On the avoid-list are also white flour and deep frying.

Photo by Jannis Brandt on Unsplash

Cooking Times

• These recipes are mostly going to be quick (30 minutes being on the longer side), but a decent proportion will also involve prep work like soaking and cooking lentils in the cooker beforehand. I've honestly never factored it in because in an Indian household these things are so commonplace that they don't feel like they even count.

• Some recipes are going to be longer, either because they're just fancy or because I was taken in for a surprise myself or because they'll be for 'stock' items (like granola) that will then stay for a long time and make for a quick meal/on-hand ingredient multiple times over.

• On baking times - I've realized that 'proper' recipes give you an estimate, at best.

• Ovens are of different wattage and things like that make a difference

• So don't insist that something should be cooked because Aditi said it would be cooked by then.

• Use your judgement.

• Sometimes you might have to use your taste buds too…

Ingredients and Equipment Used

• I live in Kenya (*waves at international viewers, doubly so at the ones whose surname isn't Vakil*) and either we simply don't get certain 'exotic' ingredients, or they're ridiculously expensive…and I refuse to believe that they're absolute necessities.

• So these recipes will feature local ingredients most of the time. Or I'll tell you how to make homemade versions of 'fancy' ingredients.

• A few things like chia seeds will also feature, but don't stress about it if you don't have access to them.

• I use the oven and a blender quite a lot. It's a limitation if you don't have access to one, but I will try to see if it can be worked around.

Photo by Alison Marras on Unsplash (blender)

Photo by Dewang Gupta on Unsplash (oven)

Quantity of Ingredients

• I've cooked intuitively, estimating how much I need by considering how much 'yield' I expect from the ingredients when I get down to cooking, and unfortunately this is going to reflect in the initial lot of recipes. As I said, I wasn't keen on details, but I will improve henceforth, and as for the things I'd already cooked, you will get a decent estimate of proportions, at the very least.

• For the same reason, I don't really provide serving sizes and 'yields' in the recipe. I'll need you to be smart and make the call yourself.

• This is also why my 'baking' is sketchy. It's often said it's a precise science, but precision in the kitchen and my temperament aren't very compatible.

Photo by Bank Phrom on Unsplash

Types of Recipes

• Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. And desserts are my next favorite food group (I make no apology!), so don't be surprised with the disproportionate number of recipes of that kind that you'll see here. Also, breakfast foods can be eaten at any time, so…

Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash

• A lot of my 'healthy' desserts feature bananas. I haven't gotten behind using dates for much sweetening yet - so if you're anti banana (and anti-cinnamon too, by the way - though that can be omitted without much consequence except missing out on its yummy taste and blood-sugar stabilizing effects…), I'm so sorry. I'll try to find you alternatives, maybe. But this is meant to be about the things I cook with a focus on feasibility, and bananas are frikkin' perfect.

Photography and Plating

• I apologize that I'm doing this. I know I should be 'professional' and make no excuses, but I feel like if I started stressing about the photography of foods, I'd have a huge problem.

• I'm a big believer of 'if you're doing it at all, do it right', and what that would translate to here is 'so try to become a top-notch plater and photographer' - so I'm not saying I'll never learn, but there's nothing I can do about the from-up-to-now pictures either.

• Frankly speaking, my energies and efforts are not all centered around building a brand as a professional chef, and my intention with sharing these recipes was never anything other than to help others see that healthy eating is doable and give them ideas on how to do it

• Therefore, for all the trying I'm promising to do, I'm also going to advise you to Google for better ideas if you're looking to beautify your insta-space.

Photo by Grant Ritchie on Unsplash

• Also, plating takes up a lot of time (for me at least). In the interest of keeping it real, I'll freely admit that on a day-to-day basis, I do not go about trying different configurations to make a pretty plate.

Caution

• The 'problem' with me is I've developed a taste for non-spicy and somewhat bitter things (yes, I'm still Indian - with the sweet tooth to prove it, but spices? No thanks.)

• There's a very high probability that something with half a spoon of sugar will taste as sweet to me as something people might need 4 spoons for.

• Also, you're not likely to get stuff that's spicy from me. But feel free to add chili powder and red chilis - I'm sure they'll do the trick

Photo by paul morris on Unsplash

• You'll see me advising you to 'hack it' quite a bit - it's not an excuse (trust that I am shameless enough to call myself out on when I'm making one of those)

• I don't feel like cooking should feel like a mechanical thing, it should be fun - and fun for me involves having a bit of flexibility and being able to experiment and see what comes out of it. And when things don't work out, it's fun to try to fix them (so satisfying when you succeed!), or they make a great story.

• Don't worry though I won't offer recipes to disaster (which is why I won't shut up about not baking avocado…)

Aaand it's a wrap! (Was that pun intentional? Maybe. Maybe not. You'll never know). That's all I can think of for now; as and when more things come up I'll post them.

Photo above by Kira auf der Heide on Unsplash

Photo by Christine Siracusa on Unsplash

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