My name is Srilatha. Aka Sri, Latha, Lats, Mom, Amma, Mimi (to my daughter's puppy, Kashew)...
I live in the US with my husband of 30+ years. We have two children. Our family is vegetarian/vegan.
I love to cook and am pretty picky about the quality of what I put out, write a blog on being middle-aged and an empty nester, and have worked in the IT industry (with a couple of breaks), for about 26 years.
A little background on my own culinary journey:
When I got married and came to the US at age 26, I barely knew how to make rice. A strong addiction to my mom's food and pregnancy-induced cravings motivated me into learning how to cook. My cooking is inspired by my amma, grandmother, and friends who adopted our young family when my babies were little. I also heavily depended on the 3 volumes of "Samaithu Paar" ("Cook and See") by Meenakshi Ammal, who created her books for the young women in her family, decades ago. What a trailblazer she was!
I am not a professional chef, and don't claim to be better than anyone out there. Cooking and feeding people is my way of expressing love. And what better way to show it than to leave the recipes my family has enjoyed, for posterity!
Bon appetit!
RASAALA: WHAT AND WHY
When we became full time empty nesters about 5 years ago, I started to get random texts from my kids asking for recipes of rasam, or chole, or black bean enchiladas, or pasta salad. I found myself sending long detailed recipes in texts frequently and one day, my kids suggested I should publish all my recipes. And, Rasaala was born, in concept. It started as a book, and has evolved over a couple of years, into an actual website.
I am not an extraordinary cook. I am not a professional chef. I am just a mom who cooks for her family, so many of these recipes are probably what everyone makes in some form in their kitchens. Then why this website, you ask? As I said earlier, it's to pass on my recipes to my kids, and hopefully other starter cooks, to help them in their culinary journey. I am still learning, and as an empty nester, I now have more time to experiment and evolve my own style.
My Inspiration
I cook mostly for my family - Raj, my husband who will eat anything I cook enthusiastically. My children Sandhya and Aditya, and now my son's girlfriend Allison, who is vegan, and a wonderful artist!
Husband
Guinea pig #1. AKA husband
My firstborn and her doxie
My baby!
Ad’s girlfriend
Navigating This Site
Recipes
All recipes, by course and cuisine, including basic steps like making rice for every beginner chef View More.
Wanderlust
Profile and review of various vegetarian friendly places we have found in our travels View More.
Pantry
Contents of a pantry, where possible, in 5 languages, including a starter pantry View More.
Resources
Useful kitchen tools necessary for an efficient kitchen, and links to useful websites around the world View More.