We had a long weekend and I took to blog hopping and posting random musings – like this previous post on Nagapattinam with pictures of my family temple. While I was blog hopping I saw almost everyone showing off their cook books! After seeing Suganya’s Tassajara cook book, I had to muster some courage to show off my humble belongings! 🙂 . I have a modest collection of cook books. I gather most of my cooking knowledge from my mother and aunts, my friends and acquaintances and their mothers and patties, random people I meet on holidays like this person who cooks at a guest house in a remote hill station, chefs at marriages and functions at all kinds, cookery shows like that of Sanjeev Kapoor and now food bloggers and food websites. Having travelled throughout India, I have met a whole lot of interesting people and been introduced to their cuisine.
So here are my cook books with some memories. Hope you don’t find my narration boring! 😀
Just before my marriage, I was attending a Nirmal (a traditional art form) painting class, around 5 km from my home. I wanted to join the bakery course conducted in the same place. One day on my way back from the classes I lost my purse with around Rs.7! Rs. 7 in those days was a loooooooooot of money for a youngster. I was so upset that I created a scene after reaching home! My mother got scared seeing my crest fallen face and refused to send me to the class from the next day. I somehow convinced her and joined a painting class closer home, though I was pretty upset about not being able to attend the baking class. Since I was so keen to learn baking my Appa who travelled a lot as a part of his job at Telecoms bought a cake book from Manneys, Poona for Rs. 50. Yes 26 years back the book was only Rs. 50 !!
Woman’s Own Cook Book of Cake Decorating and Cake Making is a large collection of recipes published by Hamlyn Publishing, London. No author/s have been mentioned anywhere in the book. This book was my introduction to the world of baking. Though my mother baked eggless cakes in a round gas oven, I learnt baking and decoration from this book! For the rich fruit cake I follow the recipe from this book, omitting rum.
The other book I cherish is my handwritten note book which is a treasure house of recipes from my mom and aunts, with exact measurements and rare dishes! This is the only book I follow 100%, with no modifications to the recipes. 🙂
I am also fond of the Tupperware cook book in which some of my recipes were published. 😉
I have a few cook books by Tarla dalal – some of them are with my daughter now. I like her North Indian recipes – simple and practical. Supersoft naans with Navratna kurma is the first dish I prepared from her books. TarlaDalal comes across as a simple and lovable person in her cookery shows! 🙂
I would like to send this as my entry for “Show me your Cook Book” the event hosted by Nags (Nags, please do accept my entry even if it is 3 days late!:)
Read the Round up of all Entries Here
The \'yum\' blog 
thats so sweet of you., thanks a lot. i was just doing the round up!
Thanks for accepting the late entry nags! 🙂 latha.
I prefer hand written notes any day to the published ones. They have a lot of variety coming from various different authors and yr crazy concoctions. I am happy to have inspired you Maami. But looking at yr entry, I feel I should have written about my hand-written recipe book that I have maintained since early teen :).
Do include your hand written book suganya! So much of love and hard work goes into the note books!:)) latha.
I like moving with ppl who are down to earth and humble..:)…so dont pls MUSTER yourself,first of all..
Even I had sent her a collection of my books along with my hand written book,I treasure from my early teens,to my sis…but she restricted me to ONE..:(..
I love that hand written book of yours the BEST!..the arisi vadai and the murukku which starts with oru veesam padi…LOVELY!!!!!
Oh thanks a ton bharathy dear! I will post the arisivadai soon! 🙂 You see I always have Mugaraasi! 😀 nags has accepted all my books! that too late! 🙂
lathamma…thats wonderful to read…I can understand your passion for baking…thats awfully nice account of what happened…and you have your recipes published in tupperware cookbook..great….and nice to see your hand written book…this is indeed so nice entry!…thanks for sharing..
Thanks Sri! You are talking about a few recipes published? I am planning a series of cook books here! 😀 latha.
My blog has come after 10 years of moving cities and not keeping track of hand written cookbooks… yes, mine’s in plural… every city I’ve lived in, I’ve opened a new cookbook… just couldn’t keep track with 6 cities in 10 years. 🙂
Raaga dear, you do have a lot of interesting recipes! Now you have the blog to keep the recipes safe, where ever you move! 🙂 latha.
treasuring one’s hand written book is great.i too have one which has the way of cooking at my mom’s place i refer it when i need that taste
Thanks renuka! I know all of us passionate about cooking will have one! 🙂 latha.
parents are the best..i think nobody comes close to the love they have for their kids..the hand written notes are geat too…i have 2 books that are full of amma’s and paati’s recipes 🙂
Rajitha dear,do post recipes from your hand written book! 🙂 latha.
Awesome collection..
Thanks time pass! 🙂
What a sweet family you have. And you must have been a gifted cook early on to learn baking from a book.Your handwritten cookbook is a treasure. It should be in print so many cooks can enjoy it.
Thanks for the compliments emily! your comments mean a lot to me! Yes We are a very close knit family!:)) latha.
It was such a good read.
When i was reading the part of u loosing your money i felt so sad for you. True it was alot of money 7Rs that time.
And so thoughtfull of your father to buy the cake book for you
Nice to read about your cookbooks and see your precious hand written one.
You have wonderful array of cookbooks. Your blog itself is a paradise for traditional tamil nadu recipes.
Arisi vadai…I got it already form your book :)..My ma in law make almost the same one and calls Mor vadai..Instead of ulutham paruppu she adds kadalai paruppu that too for “Thalitham”..And adds pachamilagai for karam..
SPL HUGS TO LAKSHMI FOR WAITING FOR ME A WEEK AFTER THE DEADLINE..:)
Looking forward for the round up..
I started proper cooking just a few months ago.. and I maintain a diary for the recipes I learn and prepare everyday.. there are only 20 recipes now.. hope to fill up with more in future and may be after couple of years.. even I can blog about my cookbook latha aunty.. hehe.. thanks..:)
He he…That was a real humouros comment..I jus received….
I didnt postpone this post deliberately at all…Only yesterday it clicked that I could combine this for RCI!!!Nejjjjaaammmmaa!…The priority is always you, Lathamma…:D
Cool! Love that cake book. Special memories attached to it too. Still looks great!
Love the Tupperware book as well.I have a old Jindal women’s club book from Belgaum compiled with homely recipe, love it!:))
I love the handwritten book with recipes from family – those are usually the best! Not just fabulous recipes, but great memories too.
This is great. Loved your collection of books. I saw the tuppperware for the first time.
Great collection of cook books.
Love your write-up lathama. My mom has a hand-written cookbook too that was given by my grandma. Hope to get it soon from her.
hy nice collection of cookbook.
Your hand written cook book so reminded me of my mom’s cookbook Latha, it is so valuable na?! I hope to look back on my cookbook like that someday 🙂
Nice write-up and great collection Latha…
wow i am eyeing those collections:)
you got some lovely collections in there!
The hand written book is the most valuable of the lot, no?
I thought the same 🙂
What a superb cake making book that you have (almost antique!). I immediately checked amazon and they seem to have it there… may be I should buy it too:)
Nice collection and interesting recipes..
Do visit http://sugarcraftindia.blogspot.com
for seeing some of my work.
Thanks a ton Latha for visiting my site..Cheers.
Your hand written book looks the best Latha.In my opinion the recipies from one’s note book are the best because most of the times we note down the recipe after we taste the food and because of the memories attached to them.
And you know one thing Latha, I always imagine you the way you have described Tarla dalal , ‘friendly and lovable’.
Dear Mrs Lata,
I read that you have a blog from the fab site Indusladies. Happy that I finally go to see this fantastic blog site maintained by you, sad that it took me so long. I like the way you write the recipes. Looking forward to your cookbook, will sure buy multiple copies (I have many nieces, cousins and some student- nephews trying to cook). When possible, can you post an authentic recipe for Bisibele baath and Vangi baath? I have many recipes, but somehow nothing seems perfect.
regards
greattttttttt
I myselves am an iyenger and i love cooking and i love cakes (eggless).but dont know how to bake a perfect eggless cake..could you please share the recipes of sponge cake, chocolate cake and fruit cake??? I would love to learn from you and bake eggless cakes myselves for my family.