23 September,2017 06:07 PM IST | Mumbai | Phorum Dalal
What's it like to hang out in the kitchen of food blogger Ankiet Gulabani who's been shortlisted by a New York magazine for Best New Voice award?
Ankiet Gulabani
We ring the bell at the Gulabani residence in Khar on an overcast September morning. Twenty-six-year-old Ankiet Gulabani, donning a chocolate brown apron around his neck, is cooking Sai Bhaji for us. His mother, Hena, is helping with chopping and while he simmers onions and throws in aubergine, carrots, potatoes and tomatoes. Greens and split chana dal will follow next.
Ankiet Gulabani making Sai Bhaji at home. Pics/Tanvi Phondekar
Blogger's take
The amateur cook, whose blog Belly Over Mind made it to the final list of Best New Voice category by New-York-based Saveur magazine, is cooking his maternal grandmother's recipe. "We are serving it with date rice that most Sindhis have forgotten. And, that's my focus - to bring the cool back into home cooking," says Gulabani, throwing in the regular palak, khatta palak, methi and sua (dill) in that order.
In June, Kainaz Contractor of Delhi café Rustom's suggested he submit his entry for the prestigious awards (the results of which will be out on October 2). "I thought Indian blogs don't win. To even be featured among finalists is huge," explains Gulabani, who studied literature from Brunel University, London.
"I would even cut recipes from magazines like Femina and Savvy for my mother to try at home. I always had an inkling about what I wanted to do," he says.
On his return from London, he joined BBC Good Food India in 2014 where he got a chance to learn all about recipe writing. He worked with the magazine till it folded up in 2015.
Cook it up
In January 2016, after a short stint at Eat Post, Gulabani launched his blog. The demographic of his traffic ranges from 24 to 35 year-olds. "So that new cooks don't lose their way around recipes, I make it a point to add detailed pointers. Some of them don't know what it means when I say onions turn translucent, and some have no idea how to tell their oil is splitting," says Gulabani, who also takes on food styling and social media projects for hospitality clients.
While we wait for the Sai Bhaji to cook, Gulabani shows us his fridge, which is a treat for the senses. We dip into home-made lime caramel sauce, strawberry balsamic, kewpie mayo, and a fiery XO sauce.
At home, Hena confesses they all know more about food thanks to him. "He serves us a dish and tells us to taste it. Saying it is nice won't suffice. Is the sugar okay? How is the texture? Is it crunchy enough? We get grilled!"
Going by his elegant table top pictures, you'd assume he has a fancy studio set up. But, he works out of his bedroom, using natural light and table top sheets he picked from Mumbai's streets. "I take pictures using my iPhone," he signs off.
