Spice cabinets are windows to other worlds. As an adult far away from my homeland, cooking has become a passageway back home. When I was a child, I hated going to Kerala in the summers because there was no cable in my parents' farmhouse. Now, I crave that solitude and the soft shade of coconut trees.
I'm not a great cook so I'm going to learn how to cook a few South Indian dishes while my mom is in town. Much like Madhur Jaffrey, I'm motivated by the lack of good Indian food in the Indianapolis area. My mum cooks from memory, guided by her taste buds. I'm used to tsp and oz not "a pinch of this" and "some of that". So, this cooking series has no measurements. It's like playing the piano by ear.
Check out our first recipe - Shrimp Curry.