The chronicles of a kitchen queen

CHENNAI: From a child who used to hide vegetables, she hated, under a plate to becoming the reigning queen of South Indian cooking, and a household name in most of our kitchens across the country and world, culinary connoisseur Mallika Badrinath has come a long way. The author of 25 cookbooks, who is one of the judges at the Super Chef Chennai 2018, a competition held this weekend by Madras Cosmopolitan Ladies Circle 38, speaks to us about her eternal enthusiasm for cooking.

“I have never claimed to be a born cook,” says Mallika who was raised in a joint family in Salem. “But, observing my mother and aunts make some amazing dishes, gave me an insight into some secrets. So, I am a firm believer of knowledge that is passed down — it’s very precious and any type of knowledge is to be shared. That’s why I make sure that my recipes have even the simplest steps explained clearly,” she shares. For instance, if a regular cookbook asks you to simply pour ghee into a sweet batter, Mallika’s cookbook specifies the exact time and instructs when and how it should be done. “For beginners, every step is a Herculean task.

So, I feel it’s my duty to help them get the best results!” she says. In 1988, she published her first book — 100 Vegetarian Gravies — and that, she says, changed her life completely. “After marriage, I began collecting recipes from my mother’s and aunts’ cookbooks. Later, I realised that I had a handful of such books, which I then segregated under different topics,” she recalls. With her chartered accountant husband by her side, Mallika published 1,000 copies of the book. Within three months, the books sold out and an ecstatic Mallika took it up as a challenge to collect more recipes, experiment different combinations and innovate new dishes in the process.

“My idea was to write and publish one book every year. Now, I have 25 books to my credit and I think it was a success because it was made presentable, understandable and userfriendly,” she says, pointing to how the book can be placed conveniently while cooking.

“From the way the book is bound, to the tips that are simple and easy to follow...I try all the dishes on a trial-and-error basis!” Eventually, publishing houses approached Mallika, and she also began receiving offers for cookery shows on TV, which became a big hit. She also introduced several South Indian women to the concept of cooking in a microwave and oven.

“I bought my first oven in Singapore way before it became mainstream in India. So, many weren’t aware of it and after I published my book on microwave cooking, there was a sudden increase in the sale of ovens here,” she says. Like any regular cook, this kitchen queen also had her fair share of kitchen disasters, but, she also knows every trick to set things right. “For instance, a hard Mysore Pak can be ground and made into amazing ladoos,” she smiles.

Job satisfaction is the key to her success and the ‘arusuvai’ queen is working on a specialisation book series which will talksabout preventive care for anaemia and cancer. “There are several mothers, young girls and older women who follow me. So, I feel conscious about my social responsibility. That’s why I also have been doing in-depth study and lots of research on nutrition,” says Mallika, who has a degree in home science. “I will not let our traditional South Indian dishes fade away. At the same time, I want to create awareness among youngsters about eating healthy.”

The preliminary round of Super Chef Chennai will be held on Feb 3 and the final event on Feb 4 at
The Park. For details visit www.superchefchennai.com or call: 7358323467