Who am I?

Photo Courtesy: Kankana of Sunshine and Smile

In the beginning there was a little girl who enjoyed food especially the ones her amma (mom) and achi (grandmom) cooked, ate their food as if she starved for days together; an excellent food critic who never ever participated in the cooking process; comments on even the mildest mistakes in cooking (less salt…too much salt...too much oil!!) She grew up thinking that women who cook all the time have nothing worth doing in life but little did she know that she would be a different person when she turned twenty. That’s when her passion for cooking began and it has been on the increase since then. And that girl is ME!!!!!!

Blog:

Spices and aroma is a humble attempt to share my love for Indian cooking. This is my canvas where I paint the different colors of tastes. For a girl born and brought up in a typical Southern Indian household, the word spices and its aroma evokes a lot of cherished memories from the kitchen. This space will carry recipes of authentic Indian dishes, of-course a lot from my mother's, mother-in-law's and grandmother's kitchen and their cooking tips and tricks to survive the trade. I am experimenting on healthy cooking and different cuisines as well so you will find a whole lot of good menu ideas here. Most of my recipes are the ones I have grown up eating and I am tweaking few recipes with local produce and ingredients. Being a typical foodie and a cook, I give importance on the freshness of the ingredients used. I love to shop in my local farmer's market every week. There is no harm to shell out couple of more dollars to get the nature's best and its a great way to support the community. 

Me with my mother

Me:

My dad gave me the name Vijitha which means "A Winner" in Hindi. I was born on a beautiful day in August in India and have spent my wonderful school and college days there. I am blessed with wonderful parents who have taken me around the globe and that gave me opportunity to taste different cuisines and learn new cultures. My mom and L aunty are the best cooks in the whole world and they are my gurus in cooking. I take cooking classes over phone in the wee hours and they are so patient to guide me in a step-by-step manner. My cooking experience began on a full spell during my student life. I graduated my Master's in Molecular Medicine. I am a molecular biologist ( life science researcher) by profession and an ardent food blogger / free lance writer by passion.

I am now living in the San Francisco area of California with the most adorable person "S", my husband and "Junior S", my son. They are my great source of support and inspiration for every step I take in my life. Thanks buddies for not letting me fall when I stumble, for the lovely moments in our lives, for making me smile when I am blue and for always being there for me. I am blissfully married to a wonderful family and have been blessed with supportive and friendly in-law parents. 

Weight loss journey:

I have been on the heavier end of the scale since childhood. I wasn't obese but I was chubby and during college, I went on diets that annoyed my mother.I did lose some weight but they came back right away. Later in early 20s like any other bride, I hit the gym, ate healthy Indian foods and lost close to 20 pounds for the wedding and then the weight gain was back. During pregnancy, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and that's when an alarm rang in my head and started to eat right. I began to give importance to calories,low glycemic foods, whole grains like quinoa, buckwheat. I ventured out in the market, bought local produce and came up with Indian inspired recipes with the ingredients I got in hand. When my baby was 6 months old, I started with South beach diet and in 3 months, I lost close to 20 pounds and I am still on the weightloss journey. I am planning to get rid of another 30 pounds by the end of 2012. Wish me luck and reach out to me for cooking ideas. I will be more than glad to share my tips, struggles and story with you.

Writing and photography:

I do freelance writing work. My article has been published at Deccan Herald daily, Indian National Newspaper and The International Indian, a Dubai-based magazine. I started with Sony cybershot and moved to Nikon D3100 recently. Since I love photography, I end up capturing every moment around me. I am learning a lot about it - aperture, ISO, shutter speed, post processing. :-) I hope I show some improvements on the pictures I take.

I am sure that we are not experts in cooking and if you guys have another way to cook it better, do let me know. I am available for restaurant, product and cookbook reviews.  Contact me for further details.

Email: spicesnaroma {at} gmail {dot} com

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Thanks for stopping by!