For our second Food Blogger Spotlight, I’m very excited to have with us one of today’s most talented and prolific food writers: Monica Bhide. Besides blogging over at A Life of Spice, her work has appeared in publications such as Bon Appetit, Food and Wine, and The New York Times, as well as several iterations of the yearly Best Food Writing anthologies. Monica has also written several popular books about Indian cooking, including her most recent, Modern Spice: Inspired Indian Flavors for the Contemporary Kitchen.
How has Monica developed a reputation for being such a wonderful writer? The answer is simple. Do you see that gorgeous smile in the photo above? Well, her writing smiles like that as well. If you’re interested in learning from this fabulous lady, you should check out her Intro to Food Writing e-course!
Please welcome Monica, as she gives us a peek into her cooking and writing life.
1 – We all have staples that we couldn’t live without. What three ingredients do you *always* have in your kitchen and why? I’m not talking snacks like chips and hummus, but rather ingredients you use all the time in your cooking.
The most important ingredient in my pantry is imagination! I realized long ago that the reason I love to cook is because cooking lets me be creative and have fun. I like to play, and in order to do this well, I let my imagination be my guide in the kitchen (and having a sense of humor about the results doesn’t hurt either!).
I will give you an example – a few months ago, we ran out of eggs. The kids love eggs in the morning. I opened the pantry and found baked beans. I remembered a cousin had told me how to spice them up, so we made “scrambled baked beans” for breakfast – butter, sliced onions, green peppers, tons of cilantro and beans – all the same ingredients I use for making scrambled eggs, but with beans instead. It tasted great, we had fun and we now laugh about Mom’s Bean Scramble.
2 – Imagine you moved to the smallest apartment possible – a shoebox, really – and you only had room for a single cookbook. Of all your cookbooks, which one would you keep? Why do you love it so?
Ohhhhh…. this is a hard question. I would keep Julie Sahni’s Savoring India. That book has inspired me to no end – I love the recipes, the photos, the spirit. It is the book I turn to when I am having a bad day in the kitchen because it always makes me smile. The book has such great oomph.
3 – When you’re looking for new recipes (or creating one of your own), what is your number one priority? What makes you pick one recipe over another?
I always look for interesting ingredients or commonplace ingredients used in unique ways. Unless I am testing for magazines and companies, I rarely follow a recipe exactly. I add a pinch of this and a pinch of that when I am cooking; I have tried to curtail this habit when I test for my books, because sometimes I forget what I added! Recipes do provide a guideline for me – a blueprint of sorts. I love to read them and learn from them, but prefer to build my own creations.
4 – Blogs have the potential to be so many things, from personal journals to outrageous adventure reports. What is the most important thing you put into your blog, and what is the most important thing you get out of it?
I hope people come to my blog because they enjoy my writing and my recipes. The most important thing I get out of it is the interaction with my readers. I love reading comments or getting emails from readers who have read something of mine and want to talk about it. Isn’t that what this is all about?
Thanks, Monica, for the wonderful interview!
Here are a few of my favorite posts from A Life of Spice:
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What a great interview! I love Monica, and her writing too.
Thank you!
Stephanie, Monica, great interview! Couldn’t agree more about being powered by imagination (and a willingness to fail, not just discover winning combos). One of the reasons I like Kim O’Donnel’s “Eating Down The Fridge” initiative is that it creates so many “impulse” moments and clever quick thinking. ps Mom’s Bean Scramble sounds delicious. I can see it as a easy way to use up any leftover steak, chicken, or pork, too.
Thanks, Carrie! I haven’t heard of Kim O’Donnel’s “Eating Down The Fridge” initiative. I’ll have to check it out – care to share what it’s about?
It is always a pleasure to hear from Monica. Not to mention cooking her amazing recipes.
Indeed. Modern Spice is a great addition to my cookbook collection. You have it too, right?
I’m a big fan of Monica’s. Nice to see her here!
Yes, I was very excited that she agreed to the interview.
Having just stumbled on “Modern Spice” by chance in a local bookstore, now I’m seeing Monica everywhere (why does that always happen?) Her cooking style really appeals to me, and I’m looking forward to working my way through her book.
You’re cooking your way through her whole book? That’s pretty awesome.
Thanks for this introduction to Monica and Life of Spice. Modern Spice sounds like the perfect Christmas present for my daughter who loves Indian cooking.
Oh! I’m sure she’ll love it. It’s a great book.
Thanks for a great interview. Monica shows us that cooking is so much more fun and truly an art form when you add your imagination to the ingredients.
Thanks, Sheryl
great interview, Monica and Steph.
Delighted but not surprised to hear Monica say her cooking is powered by imagination.I had the chance to write about Modern Spice over at Wandering Educators, and her essays in the book are even better than the recipes.
Kerry, if you want to post a link here, I’d love to read the post.
Loved the interview. Made me look at recipes at little differently now, which is always good. Scrambled beans, who knew!
Yes indeed. I’m going to have to give the scrambled beans a try.
Steph,
here’s the link. don’t know how your comment section feels about html so just leaving it in plain text
http://www.wanderingeducators.com/books-film/books/book-review-modern-spice-inspired-indian-flavors.html
Thanks!
and I see it turned it into a live link.
liking the bean scramble idea, too, having spent a lot of time In Scotland and Northern Ireland where beans are usually part of breakfast. a cross cultural staple, I see.
Loved your review – how did you end up writing for these folks? Are you a teacher?
Monica said: “The most important ingredient in my pantry is imagination!” I love how this transcends any creative act, but I particularly appreciate it as I am what I call a novice in the kitchen. Maybe I need to start thinking (imagining) I’m a bit more than that when I stand before a stove!
Thanks, Stephanie and Monica!
It’s such good advice – really, creativity in the kitchen is the only thing that keeps me going. I see my cookbooks as training manuals that build skill and savvy, and then away I go on my own.
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