'Health resides on the dinner table' (IANS Interview)

By Vishnu Makhijani
New Delhi, Sep 7 (IANS) Archana Doshi donned an apron at eight to help her mother in the kitchen, trained as a software engineer and then junked that to establish a hugely successful food and recipe platform that actively promotes mindful cooking and healthy eating with its advanced features like weekly meal plans, catering to special dietary needs like diabetic meal needs, lunch box needs and more. It is accessed by 10 million-plus users every month as it takes forward her credo that "health resides on the dinner table".

"My love for food and cooking started at a very young age. At the age of eight, I put an on apron and began cooking with my mother and have never looked back," Doshi told IANS in an interview of her book "30 Meal Plans From Archana's Kitchen" (HarperCollins) which, apart from its 150 recipes spanning various regional cuisines, also provides valuable tips on topics like important food groups, eating mindfully, mindful eating practices, portion control, the katori diet for portion control and kitchen essentials.

"Even though I was formally trained in software engineering, my heart remained in food. Over the years, as I cooked for friends and family, the single most problem which they would share with me was they found cooking too difficult and intimidating. I would listen and tell them, 'It's not difficult, just start experimenting with ingredients and things will slowly start falling into place'. I realized it was easier for me to say that and harder for them to do," Doshi explained.

Losing her job in the 2001 dot-com bust after two-and-a-half years of working as a software engineer, in fact, came as a blessing in disguise as it enabled her switch careers and build the "Archana's Kitchen" website with the primary aim of enabling cooking to be easier by way of recipes and videos which can be accessed anywhere around the world.

"Everyday, I dream and work towards empowering people with skills for easy and effortless cooking which will enable them to lead a healthy life. I strongly believe that health resides on the dinner table," Doshi maintained.

"Archana's Kitchen" provides the world with credible DIY solutions, empowers people to easily cook nutritious food through its recipes and videos enhanced with rich content like quick healthy breakfast ideas, dinner ideas, lunch box ideas, party menus, festival recipes and much more.

Here, for example, are just two of the 30 meal plans the book has to offer:

Huli soppu saaru (tangy curry with fresh greens), badanekayi palya (crunchy and spicy green brinjal stir fry), methi carrot jowar thepla (fenugreek, leaf carrot, spiced millet bread), tomato onion cucumber raita (vegetables in spiced curd), rice with ghee.

Khatta mag (green moong dal in yogurt curry), ringna no olo (spiced smoked brinjal), sev tameta nu shaak (fried gram flour vermicelli in spicy tomato curry), bajra na rotla (pearl millet flatbread), lacha pyaz (pickled onions), gud and chaas (jaggery and savoury buttermilk).

The weekly meal plans are immensely popular on a platform where users are given ideas on how they can plan their weekly meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

"Meal plans led to planning every individual meal and how to plate it and make it wholesome and yet delicious. And thus began my quest to nail the problem of over-eating and food-related diseases. I began my research and personal practice on mindful and portion controlled meals and found huge benefits from not just reduction in weight but ability to not eat right for good health," Doshi pointed out.

Thus, the book was born out of this personal practice of portioning meals into small portions keeping in a balanced nutrition.

"Having such a wide exposure to cooking various cuisines every day, oftentimes I would find myself pairing dishes across various cuisines and making a delicious meal. Each one of the meals you find in this book is what I have cooked at home for my family. And yes, there are so many more combinations and plates which I guess will see the light of volume 2 of this book - hopefully one day," Doshi said with a smiley.

Is there any reason she has chosen only vegetarian recipes?

"I am personally vegetarian and cook only vegetarian dishes for my family. It keeps us light, refreshed and satiated," Doshi said.

Has she noticed a trend away from non-vegetarianism to vegetarianism?

"I would think that is purely a personal preference on the diet one prefers. What I truly believe that is important is - no matter which diet you follow, keep in mind the quality and the quantity along with mindful eating practices," Doshi maintained.

How important is home-ground masala against the packed variety? How much of  the flavour is lost in the latter? How often does she use the home-ground variety?

"I would score a 6/6 for a home ground masala at home, baring a few key ingredients like turmeric, chilli powder, pepper and salt - I roast and grind all my spices and masalas. There is certainly a very huge flavour difference in using fresh masala and whole spices.

"Having said that, sometimes convenience does beat the charts for easier cooking, so do go ahead with the experiment with homemade and store bought and you will personally strike a balance that suits you the best," Doshi said.

What next? What's her next book going to be on?

"The next book is on my favourite topic of packing wholesome and delicious meals for kids - school lunch boxes. I want to spread the message and the need to un-junk for a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle," Doshi concluded.

One more reason for going to school - enlightening your classmates about the 'ghar ka khana' your mother rustles up!

(Vishnu Makhijani can be reached at [email protected])