Dawat Dil Se can be translated as “Entertaining from the heart” or even, “Feast from the heart.” My focus and goal for this food blog is to share a variety of different recipes including family recipes, traditional Hyderabadi cuisine, Amercan-Indian fusion and really, just international cooking with my own little twists and freshly ground spice mixtures!
I would like to mention a few things about Indian cooking-at least the way I learned from my mom. There is no such thing as “fast, easy and delicious.” My recipes take time and attention to detail. For me, the end result is worth every moment spent chopping, marinating, preparing, stirring, tempering, frying, grinding spices and every other step involved in bringing these delicious, mouth-watering recipes to the table. I hope you will feel the same way too!
Yes, along the way I have learned some short-cuts, tips and tricks that help lessen the total amount of preparation time. However, for most of my traditional dishes, low and slow cooking time is a part of the process. This ensures tender, moist meat and poultry dishes, delicious and thoroughly cooked vegetable dishes and curries, and everything in between cooked to perfection!
In the past twenty years of my cooking journey, in various kitchens and environments, I have learned from some amazing people and wonderful cookbooks (which I not only collect, but read, highlight and take notes in!) In the year 2000 (when I was 19 years old and just married), the Food Network provided some major inspiration and cooking goals. The Barefoot Contessa show and Ina Garten’s expertise, to date, is one of my solid cooking and entertaining foundations. Before that, it was exposure to intense, aromatic and sumptuous traditional Hyderabadi and Indian cuisine with my mother as my first mentor and guide in the culinary world (and even now, in my books, the most amazing cook).
So here is to bringing y’all my love, joy, immense passion for food, cooking, entertaining, and gathering and spreading smiles in abundance. Thank you for joining me as I start my food blog and as I continue to grow, master and share with those interested, what I have learned along the way.