The Karwar Palate – Coconuts, Chillies & much more

The Karwar Palate is a recipe book that captures the vibrant soul of Karwar Cuisine in addition to some beautiful Food Photography.

Author Sudha Kamat shares her culinary journey along with a treasure trove of her familial recipes in her cookbook, The Karwar Palate.

The book consists of over a hundred recipes that will tantalise the taste buds of the chefs and readers alike. It explains in simple step by step over a 100 authentic Karwar Cuisine recipes.

The thought that I should record these recipes was first suggested by my children way back in 2006. Both are big time foodies and they can smell a failed dish from a mile away. That’s because they take after the typically Karwari Saraswat side of the family. They are known to be staunch followers of the philosophy ‘Live to Eat’.

So I began writing down recipes in 2006. But the effort never really took off until after Radhika’s marriage in 2015. She flew to San Francisco with her husband, who is also a foodie. Answering her questions over the phone, I realised that it did make sense to write down whatever I had mastered over decades.

I finally decided that it was not such a bad idea after all. I dug out my old recipe notes to make a compilation.

Some traditional Karwari foods and other styles that I have perfected over the years. This has helped me pass off as a good cook with family and friends. To introduce as much precision as possible, I cooked each dish again and again, recording each step methodically.

I realised how in mundane matters – such as everyday cooking – there is a wealth of detail, seemingly obvious and simple, but in fact so elusive and complex. I hope the Food Photography inspires you as well.

Small things make all the difference! I hope I have captured some of these nuances for all of you who yearn to become good hosts and homemakers.

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