Of memories and food

While a simple home-cooked porridge reminds us of sick days, a chocolate cake reminds us of celebrations. It is all about memories and food,” author Michael Swamy, who is also a well-trained chef and food critic, tells Metrolife.

“From exploring the spicy flavours of Moroccan food to indulging in Italian culinary treats or even our regular Indian porridge, comfort food is full of memories, always in trend and makes you feel good,” he adds.

Inspired by a chain of extremely popular restaurants dotted across Delhi, Swamy has co-authored Cafe Delhi Heights’ cookbook Comfort Food: Small Bites, Big Treats with food stylist and cooking expert Mugdha Savkar.

“Indians have become more experimental in their choice of appetisers, main-course meals and desserts, whichever gives them comfort. This cookbook promises to encourage all food enthusiasts and aspiring chefs to try out 80 easy-to-make recipes at home for friends and loved ones,” says the 47-year-old.

Savkar adds, “Culinary trends get updated and outdated every few months but the only trend that never goes out of date is ‘comfort’. Comfort in food is sought after by every single people regardless of age, diet fads, nationality and class. This book celebrates that very comfort.”

From over 150 dishes, the duo narrowed the count to 80, with each recipe being tried and tested in the kitchen. He says, “We have taken dishes from across the world like Juicy Lucy Burger or the evergreen tandoori fare, and tweaked a bit to suit the Indian palate and readers,” points out Swamy.

He feels that recipes and “entire journey of cooking” needs to be preserved in the written form. “I feel it is important to leave behind a legacy. A recipe is a tagline. That is how the future generations would come to know about distinct varieties and their importance,” he mentions.

But how does he see the rising number of cookbooks? “Yes, there are numerous cookbooks but what is happening is that there are many which are unauthenticated and their content is under searched. And not a single recipe is tried, which is a shame,” he says.