First of all a big thanks to Swar for giving me this opportunity to do a guest post. Never thought I’d be asked to do one..ever!!! I have tried to answer all your questions as clearly as possible, hope it helps 🙂
So Nish…lets start w
ith basics..Why ‘cooking’?Well honestly i completely loathe cooking and anything to do with it. Then why a food blog…well, I was never into cooking from recipe books and our move to the UK left me in deep waters which meant cooking on my own. After being sick of ready mixes, eating out and ready to eat meals from the stores, I had no choice but to depend on the internet for recipes and cooking tips. I even needed youtube to show me how to cook rice. After about a year of struggling with recipes online, spending time searching over and over again for the recipes id tried before but forgot to bookmark, i decided to start a blog where i could pen down all those recipes i painstakingly found after thorough research online. In the mean time, I also thought i would atleast start enjoying cooking, but i still havent reached there as yet..But it has thoroughly increased my interest in photography.I still depend solely on my blog for all those tried and tested recipes 🙂
How did u master the art of baking? Tips for aspirants like me 😀
Well, baking came as a surprise to me…as in i realised i enjoyed it. My first experiments with baking has been with Betty Crocker mixes and i still used 2 somehow screw it up. I think baking is one of the easiest things to do, according to me, because it gives perfect measurements and procedures and if you follow it to the dot, it just cant go wrong. Ofcourse, the mixers and the oven do add to that, but I would say, follow the recipe without doubt and ud be pleased. I am no creative person and i cant add a tsp of this and a tsp of that and come up with splendid outcomes, so if i have a proper recipe to follow, Im the happiest. A husband who would eat anything and everything, would also help 🙂
Your take on food photography
and wat u think works best
Well like i mentioned, the blog did increase my appetite for food photography, if not anything else:)Even though i spent 2 years learning bits and pieces about photography in college, I still am clueless when it comes to taking good pics. I think i have evolved from the first few pics on my blog, but still i have a long long way to go. One thing i think works best is to not overcrowd the subject. I think cluttering causes distraction. As much as food styling looks fab, sometimes i think the dish on its own or probably some cutlery and a paper napkin thrown in would just do wonders….afterall its the food you are trying to capture and not anything else right???
The huge network of food bloggers – motivating or intimidating?
Hmm..good question…Well, motivating to a certain extent because I am inspired to try out some interesting stuff posted on blogs etc., but otherwise, I would say helpful because i depend solely on the internet to search for recipes and when i type in a dish id like to try, it just throws out a zillion options and food bloggers top that list because i always love to see the pictures and then decide if i should try it out or not. Probably not the right way to approach a recipe, but it works for me 🙂 On the other hand, Ive made some really good friends and would love to meet all of them some day.
How do u intend to take ur site further in future?
Oh im so bad at doing PR and all that jazz. I have seen so many bloggers out there who do so much for their blogs and ofcourse it pays too. But im just not one of those. Like i said before, I didnt start my blog to become popular, or make money out of it or anything…its just for very selfish reasons..it helps me:) Somedays Im even lazy to comment on blog posts or even take a picture leave alone write out an entire post. I dont want to be obsessive about the blog and get stressed out. I’ll see how it goes and what du know.. maybe someday il compile all the bull shit i write on my blog and make it into a book.
Here’s a super duper recipe from Nisha’s kitchen, easy and tasty if you have all the ingredients at hand. An excellent starter or a side to a main dish.
Stuffed Tomatoes
Ingredients
Medium size tomatoes- 3
Ricotta cheese- 4 tbsp
Basil pesto- 2 tbsp
Garlic cloves- 2 pods, finely chopped
Green peas- 3 to 4 tbsp
Grated cheddar cheese- 2 tbsp (optional)
Bread crumbs- about 5 tbsp or more
Salt and pepper- to taste
Olive oil- to drizzl

e
Method
Slice the tomatoes horizontally, scoop out the insides and dab with a kitchen towel to free it from all moisture.
Mix all other ingredients except the bread crumbs and oil and make a nice thick paste.
Check salt and add only if required. Season with pepper.
Scoop a few tablespoons of the mixture into each tomato shell and top with bread crumbs.
Place the stuffed tomatoes on a tray lined with baking paper, drizzle the olive oil on top and bake in an oven preheated at 200C for 20 minutes.
Change setting to grill mode on the oven and grill for about 6 to 8 minutes, or till the top becomes a light brown. Serve hot!!
Thanks a lot Nish! Hoping to see a book from you soon 🙂
Swarna, lovely guest post..Delicious recipe..
all thanks to nish
super
Wow is THE word.. amazing and beautiful pics .love the colors.would love to see more of her recipes in here and i am going to blogroll her .
That was quite an interesting post from Nisha … Loved that stuffed tomatoes too …
aww thanks swar…now i shud harass you to do a post for me 🙂
amma, nits and pavi = thanks
nish = hahaha thats too funny 😀 m going MIA!
Tomatoes looks super duper yummyyyy!!
lovely post interesting and unique
It's really awesome to read a blog like this..Nish is a very talented person. I hope to read more blog from you. Thanks for the recipe.
Great interview.The recipe looks delicious.I love the mix of stuffing for this one.I hope you won't mind,I'd love to guide Foodista readers to this post.Just add the foodista widget to the end of this post and it's all set, Thanks!
thanks all!! i hope nish is listening
Great interview! Thanks for the share!
This recipe is delicious, followed everything exactly. Make it several times a year and get rave reviews and requests for the recipe everytime!
WOW is the word. They're amazing and beautiful pics. Love the colors. Would love to see more of her recipes in here.
WOW is the word. They're amazing and beautiful pics. Love the colors. Would love to see more of her recipes in here.
hi