Tomato Blues – About The Author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A little bit about My love for food, me and my life-

I was born and brought up in Coimbatore, a city that falls in the Kongunadu region in Tamil Nadu. Coimbatore is known for its Siruvani water, warm people and delicious rustic Kongunad special food.

Many people assume that Kongunad food is mostly meat based. But having lived in Coimbatore all through my childhood, I can assure you that there is nothing as delicious as a bowl of warm Arisi Paruppu Sadam or some creamy Pacha Payiru Kuzhambu.

I graduated in Law from Bangalore. And during my stay in Bangalore, I also learned a lot about Karnataka cuisine, their love for Bisibisi Thindi ( hot hot snacks), the subtle sweetness in all their curries and rice bath that gets served for breakfast.

My five years of college life in Bangalore was where i discovered my love for food for the first time. Inedible fare at my accommodation made me realize that cooking is a life skill that everyone should master.

I married my husband as soon as I graduated. And when I tied the knot, not only was i a newly wed but also a novice cook. I was someone who did not know to cook much except dosa, idli and instant noodles.

When my life began at Vadodara, a small city in Gujarat, which again is known for it farsaan, friendly people and harsh summers, I learned a lot about Gujarati food.

The Gujarati Thali replete with farsan, desserts and rotla is always an awe inspiring meal for me. This is the reason why you will find Gujarati recipes here on Tomato Blues.

Less than a year of being married and I discovered that i enjoyed cooking food and that i loved experimenting with flavors too. And there has been no looking back since then.

Our brief 8 year stint in Singapore opened a world of options in Asian cuisine. From Sriracha sauce being just another condiment at the grocery store aisles to learning that silken tofu and Tau Kwa are complete lessons in themselves, I had an enriching experience in this small Island.

Even though vegetarian food is hard to come by in Singapore, I have been adventurous enough to explore the local fare.

How Tomato Blues Happened

One sunny afternoon, my husband, Praveen had a eureka moment after relishing his lunch and pushed me to write down my recipes on a blog. And that s how Tomato Blues was started. It is my husband who chose the name Tomato Blues.

And it is Praveen, who is still the driving factor on days when i m uninspired,frustrated or just sad because i m either unable to create content or my content doesn’t seem to be doing well.

But delving deeper, the main focus of Tomato Blues is vegetarian food. Vegetarian food has often been touted as dull and boring. I want to break the stereotypes and change this. Tomato Blues was born out of a need to explore the nuances of vegetarian food.

When I started this space, i never imagined that my learning journey would be so flavorful. It is my passion and fondness for feeding people that drives me to create new recipes and perfect classic ones. And when people come and tell me that they tried my recipe and it was a hit, i consider that as my biggest success.

Over the years, our goals have evolved. From perfecting traditional indian recipes, giving a twist to classic ones and developing fusion food, we have come a long way.

The years have seasoned me and now, i believe making cooking simple for everyone irrespective of their culinary skills is my mission in life.

I also believe that the world needs to see much more than Dosa, Sambar and Paneer Butter Masala in terms of Indian food.

My Blogging Journey

I began Tomato Blues in 2011. It has been almost a decade now and  even though I have taken a few breaks and there have been long spells when i have not written anything, i have never been able to stop making delicious food.

I guess I can now safely say that I have found my way back to blogging and I hope to churn out delicious content. And while I do that, you can treat yourself to 500+ delicious vegetarian and vegan recipes on Tomato Blues.

What can you find on Tomato Blues?

I come from a Kannada speaking family but our ancestors migrated to Tamil Nadu. So my cooking is a mix of both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu cuisines.

Because of my childhood in Coimbatore, i also cook a lot of Kongunad region dishes. Likewise, thanks to my lovely Gujarati friends, i have learned quite a lot about Gujarati food.

So we can say that Tomato Blues is an one stop place for Karnataka , Gujarati and Tamil cuisines. After our move to Singapore, we started thinking  beyond curries and rotis. So you can also find our love for noodles, ramen, thai food and such.

Now in Germany, life has become all about semi-homemade treats, leveraging what is available easily in the supermarkets and quick and wholesome meals.

I have always been someone who finds baking therapeutic. That makes Tomato Blues a blog where you’ll find healthy baked treats.

My Goals

Every time I tell someone that I am an Indian, the question always follows- ” so, do you cook Naan and Paneer Butter Masala often? 

Indian food is way beyond Naan and Paneer. Every state in our country has its heirloom recipes. It might seem like a bold statement but states like Tamil Nadu, where I come, every district has its specialties.

The way we eat in India is inspired by what produce we find easily. The easiest example here is the usage of different oils. Kerala uses coconut oil because it is locally made. Maharashtra s pick is peanut oil. And so does Gujarat. Up in the east and north, mustard oil is indispensable.

My goal is to tell the world that India has so many culinary treasures. They are not limited to Naans, Biryani, Idli and Dosa. 

Brands I have worked with

It is very important for me to work with only those brands that align with my values. I have been blessed to be a part of some lovely meaningful campaigns in the past and these include –

• Developing recipes with Instant Pot Singapore
• Working with BruMate Singapore
• understanding and creating an awareness about non toxic cookware in collaboration with Zishta Traditional Cookware
• Creating festival content for OKI brand oil in Singapore