15 weeks of Spices and Mix Kitchen - SMK
What started as an excuse to cook for people has entered into its 15th week and no one can be more shocked than me. The number of people I have fed, the emotions I have gone through or the endurance my body has shown - there are no words to describe them.
When I posted the menu for the first week I didn’t expect the overwhelming response I received. It was the first week of March and we were in the pre-lockdown era. Covid-19 was in the news but still not dominating the news cycle. There were way too many orders than I had anticipated and since it was the first week, I committed the most number of blunders. If you don’t know yet - I went to a culinary school, received my diploma in Chef de Cuisine, worked in fine-dining french restaurants in San Francisco and San Diego - so I have had my fair share of experience in working under stressful and high pressure environments. But this was something totally different and unexpected.
I had to cook at least 3 perfect Indian dishes everyday for multiple people 5 days a week and take care of the whole operation from start to finish BY MYSELF! This included creating the weekly menu, getting all the grocery, figuring out the work plan everyday and last but not the least, cleanup later at the end of the day after everything was done. There is no one to correct my mistakes, no one I can ask for suggestions if I get stuck somewhere, no one to help me if I get tired. And if there is one thing about me, it is that I have set high expectations of all the food I cook. I am not proud of all the dishes that went out that first week but those 5 days helped me learn a lot about myself. It taught me the limits I can push myself to and what I am capable of. Then we were hit with the web of Covid-19 and the lockdown was announced.
My orders dropped significantly for the next few weeks. And since we were all in shock with everything happening around us, I didn’t mind the drop. It helped me focus on my craft and the quality without worrying about the number of orders. I realized that in order to master Indian flavors, I need to start with the basics. I started formulating my plan of steps for all kinds of work in the kitchen, no matter what I am cooking. Instead of trying to cook fancy things, I started paying attention to perfecting simple everyday basic recipes and how I can cook them differently and add my own flavor and touch to it. I started to think about how I could sustain this in the longer term instead of just the present.
Indian food requires multiple preparation steps for even a single dish and since I was managing everything on my own, it was important to keep a track of everything I was doing on any particular day. I needed to do this so that I can make improvements or recreate the same taste again and again in a consistent manner. “If I cook daal this way today, would I be able to recreate the same taste tomorrow, or few weeks down the line?”, “How can I limit number of steps required for a particular task?”, “How do I prioritise my tasks if I am cooking multiple things at the same time?”, “Is there any way I can group the preparation required for multiple dishes?”...the list went on and on. All I knew was the only way to improve was to not sit and think about it but dedicate countless hours to my craft and learn from my mistakes. There were no guidelines to follow so I had to create mine!
After those initial few weeks I started seeing a pattern in the way I work. There was less mess in the kitchen while I was working - that means I was dedicating less time on cleanup. I had formulated a rough plan for everyday work. Not to mention, there were also less injuries - well my forearms are covered with permanent tattoos of burn marks but that's for a different day. I had a different prep list everyday based on the kind of things I am cooking and on the number of orders I would get. I started keeping a note of all the recipes I was cooking everyday so that I can recreate the same/similar taste in the future. My goal has always been to provide the best quality food and as fresh as possible and that is why I plan to finish my orders closest to the pick up time - that meant cooking all the food in a limited number of time. The number varied from 6 - 10 hours. And since I am not good with taking breaks, that meant standing for those number of hours everyday and being best at all times because there was absolutely NO ROOM FOR ERROR. I knew I had to be completely focused every second I work in the kitchen. And music made that possible for me!
Here’s how I start my work on any given day. By noon, I have an idea of the total number of orders received for any particular dish. I check the inventory and prepare a list of ingredients. I then decide if I have to go and shop (AB helps with this!). I start with a rough plan of action for the day and create a prep list. Some factors I consider are: 1. Number of orders of a particular dish, 2. Pickup times, 3. Average time required to cook each dish, 3. Grouping similar tasks. Before I start to work on my prep list, I put on my headphones and start the music on a loud volume - genre varies from 90’s Bollywood music to Ben Bohmer to Lo-fi, depending on my mood that day. Music helps me to focus on my task at that moment and nothing else. If I am not disturbed by external noises, I work faster and in an efficient way.
I think it’s also important to talk about the joy I felt in these past 15 weeks. The feeling of the last order being given out everyday, feelings everyone shares after tasting my food, the trust complete strangers are putting in me to cook their food - this joy was something that I have never experienced before. I believe that food touches your soul. And that is what I strive for everytime I cook - that my food should touch the soul of every person eating it. They should enjoy the food. It should be memorable. Everytime!
I have been the happiest, professionally, in these last 15 weeks that I have ever been in my life. I have tested and pushed my boundaries - both physically and mentally. I feel very lucky and fortunate to have touched the lives of so many people. Just the thought that I have made people happy through my food gives me immense satisfaction and gratitude. I am doing something that I love everyday and it's improving my craft. I have found a totally new (but not unexpected) side of my husband (AB) that I am absolutely loving. He has tirelessly spent hours everyday washing all the dishes after I am done when I have not even asked for it. He has given me foot massages everyday. He has given me confidence whenever I have doubted myself. And most importantly, he has helped me realize how it feels when you treat your passion with respect and work tirelessly towards it. I am in the kitchen everyday, working 6 - 10 hours on an average, cooking for people the food I love, the way I want to and making them happy. I couldn’t have asked for more.
Below are some of the highlights of the 15 weeks of SMK:
1. 77 stuffed parathas in a day - Aloo Paratha, Gobhi Paratha, Paneer Paratha, Onion Paratha, Mix Paratha
2. Close to 50 momos first time I ever attempted momos - Veg Momos and Chicken Momos fried, steamed or prepared in a tandoor way.
3. Cooked 11 dishes from scratch in a day: Bharwa Baingan, Chicken Mughlai, Paneer Mughlai, Chicken Masala, Achaari Aloo Gobhi, Bean Carrots Poriyal, Lauki Chana, Dhaba Daal, Black Masoor Daal, Puris, Basmati Rice, Omelette.
When I posted the menu for the first week I didn’t expect the overwhelming response I received. It was the first week of March and we were in the pre-lockdown era. Covid-19 was in the news but still not dominating the news cycle. There were way too many orders than I had anticipated and since it was the first week, I committed the most number of blunders. If you don’t know yet - I went to a culinary school, received my diploma in Chef de Cuisine, worked in fine-dining french restaurants in San Francisco and San Diego - so I have had my fair share of experience in working under stressful and high pressure environments. But this was something totally different and unexpected.
I had to cook at least 3 perfect Indian dishes everyday for multiple people 5 days a week and take care of the whole operation from start to finish BY MYSELF! This included creating the weekly menu, getting all the grocery, figuring out the work plan everyday and last but not the least, cleanup later at the end of the day after everything was done. There is no one to correct my mistakes, no one I can ask for suggestions if I get stuck somewhere, no one to help me if I get tired. And if there is one thing about me, it is that I have set high expectations of all the food I cook. I am not proud of all the dishes that went out that first week but those 5 days helped me learn a lot about myself. It taught me the limits I can push myself to and what I am capable of. Then we were hit with the web of Covid-19 and the lockdown was announced.
My orders dropped significantly for the next few weeks. And since we were all in shock with everything happening around us, I didn’t mind the drop. It helped me focus on my craft and the quality without worrying about the number of orders. I realized that in order to master Indian flavors, I need to start with the basics. I started formulating my plan of steps for all kinds of work in the kitchen, no matter what I am cooking. Instead of trying to cook fancy things, I started paying attention to perfecting simple everyday basic recipes and how I can cook them differently and add my own flavor and touch to it. I started to think about how I could sustain this in the longer term instead of just the present.
Indian food requires multiple preparation steps for even a single dish and since I was managing everything on my own, it was important to keep a track of everything I was doing on any particular day. I needed to do this so that I can make improvements or recreate the same taste again and again in a consistent manner. “If I cook daal this way today, would I be able to recreate the same taste tomorrow, or few weeks down the line?”, “How can I limit number of steps required for a particular task?”, “How do I prioritise my tasks if I am cooking multiple things at the same time?”, “Is there any way I can group the preparation required for multiple dishes?”...the list went on and on. All I knew was the only way to improve was to not sit and think about it but dedicate countless hours to my craft and learn from my mistakes. There were no guidelines to follow so I had to create mine!
After those initial few weeks I started seeing a pattern in the way I work. There was less mess in the kitchen while I was working - that means I was dedicating less time on cleanup. I had formulated a rough plan for everyday work. Not to mention, there were also less injuries - well my forearms are covered with permanent tattoos of burn marks but that's for a different day. I had a different prep list everyday based on the kind of things I am cooking and on the number of orders I would get. I started keeping a note of all the recipes I was cooking everyday so that I can recreate the same/similar taste in the future. My goal has always been to provide the best quality food and as fresh as possible and that is why I plan to finish my orders closest to the pick up time - that meant cooking all the food in a limited number of time. The number varied from 6 - 10 hours. And since I am not good with taking breaks, that meant standing for those number of hours everyday and being best at all times because there was absolutely NO ROOM FOR ERROR. I knew I had to be completely focused every second I work in the kitchen. And music made that possible for me!
Here’s how I start my work on any given day. By noon, I have an idea of the total number of orders received for any particular dish. I check the inventory and prepare a list of ingredients. I then decide if I have to go and shop (AB helps with this!). I start with a rough plan of action for the day and create a prep list. Some factors I consider are: 1. Number of orders of a particular dish, 2. Pickup times, 3. Average time required to cook each dish, 3. Grouping similar tasks. Before I start to work on my prep list, I put on my headphones and start the music on a loud volume - genre varies from 90’s Bollywood music to Ben Bohmer to Lo-fi, depending on my mood that day. Music helps me to focus on my task at that moment and nothing else. If I am not disturbed by external noises, I work faster and in an efficient way.
I think it’s also important to talk about the joy I felt in these past 15 weeks. The feeling of the last order being given out everyday, feelings everyone shares after tasting my food, the trust complete strangers are putting in me to cook their food - this joy was something that I have never experienced before. I believe that food touches your soul. And that is what I strive for everytime I cook - that my food should touch the soul of every person eating it. They should enjoy the food. It should be memorable. Everytime!
I have been the happiest, professionally, in these last 15 weeks that I have ever been in my life. I have tested and pushed my boundaries - both physically and mentally. I feel very lucky and fortunate to have touched the lives of so many people. Just the thought that I have made people happy through my food gives me immense satisfaction and gratitude. I am doing something that I love everyday and it's improving my craft. I have found a totally new (but not unexpected) side of my husband (AB) that I am absolutely loving. He has tirelessly spent hours everyday washing all the dishes after I am done when I have not even asked for it. He has given me foot massages everyday. He has given me confidence whenever I have doubted myself. And most importantly, he has helped me realize how it feels when you treat your passion with respect and work tirelessly towards it. I am in the kitchen everyday, working 6 - 10 hours on an average, cooking for people the food I love, the way I want to and making them happy. I couldn’t have asked for more.
Below are some of the highlights of the 15 weeks of SMK:
1. 77 stuffed parathas in a day - Aloo Paratha, Gobhi Paratha, Paneer Paratha, Onion Paratha, Mix Paratha
2. Close to 50 momos first time I ever attempted momos - Veg Momos and Chicken Momos fried, steamed or prepared in a tandoor way.
3. Cooked 11 dishes from scratch in a day: Bharwa Baingan, Chicken Mughlai, Paneer Mughlai, Chicken Masala, Achaari Aloo Gobhi, Bean Carrots Poriyal, Lauki Chana, Dhaba Daal, Black Masoor Daal, Puris, Basmati Rice, Omelette.