CHOMP SIZED LIFESTYLE

I’ve been obsessed with food since I was a little kid. My family was worried. Why does he always think about eating? My teachers were worried. Why does he always talk about food? The fish in the Arabian sea were worried. Is he coming for us today?

If I hadn’t had a long career in the communications business & in mental health, I’d have most definitely opted to be a chef. Now I don’t claim to have visited too many Michelin Star restaurants nor am I particularly fancy with the things I cook or prefer to eat. Give the half Punjabi in me a Rajma Chawal with ghee & Carrot pickle or give the half Maratha in me – a piece of fried Bombay duck & Varan – & I’ll probably sing you a song you’ll wish
you could forget.

As a child, during certain Hindu religious festivals, my grandmother would often instruct that no-non vegetarian food was allowed inside the house. I’d instantly pick up a little plastic stool from the kitchen & go plant myself near the elevator (technically outside the house) & demand an egg (sunny side up). I thought I was being pretty clever about.

I loved the sight of butter melting on an aloo paratha. The promise of Chicken Manchurian made me want to pounce on the waiting staff of Chinese Restaurants imagining that they’d do a battle style tackle & I’d suddenly be Jackie Chan. I was 8 years old.

I once had a bet with my boarding school’s mess hall incharge that I could wolf down 15 chapathis if he’d only give me some Mango Pickle. Yup, that stuff counted as contraband is you were sharing the same food with 120
other kids. Rations were the way it was done. I’ve even once made a meal out of toothpaste when a savage Geography teacher decided to lock me up in the dormitory to teach me a lesson for talking too much about food & not letting me have dinner. Interesting times.

In 2012, I started gaining excess weight due to the many TV dinners & frozen meals I was having. Once, someone once told me that there too much bacon in my diet. Having moved to a new country (with zero cooking skills) – I didn’t know what to do with myself. Thankfully, I finally discovered cooking through Youtube.

I started experimenting with curries in my buddy Richard’s kitchen & nearly burned his whole place down one time. Richard would continue to be gracious & I was tenacious about my ‘Curry King’ ambitions. I would settle for nothing less. Over the years, I learnt how to make a mean Mutton Curry with whole spices & eventually moved on to make rice & slow cook pork as well (inspired by how Filipinos do it).

A friend asked me once – if I ‘eat to live’ or ‘live to eat’ & I responded by saying ‘Depends on what’s inside the fridge that you’re willing to heat’.

I love smoked meat as much as I’m passionate about cheese & chilli oils. I’m no chef but I do enjoy my time in the kitchen a fair bit.

Through my blog, I hope to share with you my passion for food through some tips, recipes & inspirations – so you can embark on your personal chomp-athons!

Welcome to my – Food Blog