What Else Can I Eat?

A typical conversation in my kitchen:
“Mum, what can I have for breakfast?”
“Umm, toast?”
Silence
“Cereal?”
“MUUUUM!”
“Phulka, bhujiya and achaar?”
“I’m not that hungry. What else?”
“Spiced avocado on toast with a poached egg and cold coffee?”
“Yes please!”

Just like Cinderella dreaded the midnight hour, I dread midday during the holidays. That is when Boy Child surfaces and the above scene is enacted daily. Barely has he finished breakfast, when he will ask “What’s for lunch and what are we having for dinner?” Not wishing to disappoint him I tether myself to the cooker. It’s a good thing that these days I actually enjoy cooking and do not find it a chore. However, the journey has not been easy.

Many cooks say that they grew up in a cooking environment or that they have always liked cooking – I cannot say that. As a teenager, growing up in a Marwari household in Mumbai, I never set foot in the kitchen. I assumed that I would always have a team of helpers to cook for me - just like my mother had.

However, life had other plans. After I got married and settled down in the UK I had to learn to cook. Initially, the dishes were acceptable, but that sweet spot was missing.

There is nothing more intimidating than having friends over for dinner for the very first time, and mine are a very formidable bunch. All splendid cooks churning out exquisite dishes at the drop of a hat. One of them even asked her husband if he wanted to have a bite at home before coming to our place!
That night I knew I had to learn to cook well.

I have been gathering recipes ever since that distressing dinner and this book is a collection of those recipes that I have created, improvised or learnt from family, friends, books, blogs, various websites and magazines.

I spent the early years of my marriage eating all kinds of different cuisines. Now that I am older, I love the dal, phulka, sabji, meal. I can eat it day in day out, but Boy Child can’t stand it. Indian food is off the menu, and when he is hungry, my suggestions are met with “What Else Can I Eat?” until he gets a satisfactory reply.


So, welcome to What Else Can I Eat - a book written for Boy Child for the times when he misses my cooking. I hope he uses it to recreate some of the dishes that he grew up eating.

To the rest of my family and friends – thank you for teaching me how to cook.