Biryani looks beautiful in photographs because of the rainbow colours in it. Most of the food looks appetising because of the photography skills of the photographer. The angle, the light, the props and the composition is what makes it truly a feast to the eyes. Professional photography involves a team of photographers, food stylists, art directors, prop stylists and their assistants. To take one good shot, hundreds of rehearsals are performed and kilos of food are also wasted.
Back then, camera was a luxury that only rich could afford. People were very careful, kind of stingy on removing pictures, they would click only the important shots (mostly group family pictures on vacation to some place, or at important family functions). They bought film rolls to capture memorable moments and had to go to film studio to get them developed. Normally they clicked B/W photographs. Food products was only done by professionals, mainly for advertisements or for cookbook covers. Very obscure indeed. A round dish with the spokes of grains radiating from the central hub of sliced mixed vegetables/meat in different shades of grey in the bed of darker grey leaves, it was certainly not drool worthy at all. But if you still drooled then you probably had tasted the colourful Biryani at home. It suggests that, as far as everyday food tastes go, the past is a strange place.
Things have changed for the better. Thankfully. Food photography has improved our cooking skills. It offers us curious pleasures. By sharing our photographs on social media on blogs, Facebook, Insta, it inspires us to cook food, style them, it improves our aesthetic standards. Even though in reality, they might have tasted awful but still, our imagination plays wonders. We love colours and art.
But then, there is Home Chef Priyanka Pani, who not only clicks amazing pictures but also churns out colourful tasty food in her kitchen
Priyanka Pani (of MyDidi’sKitchen fame) is a business journalist by profession and an experimental cook during leisure hours. During Pandemic, she got a chance to pursue her passion for cooking. It all started with the new normal of work from home due to Covid lockdown. She started entering the kitchen more often and posting those pictures on social media. She also started doing Insta lives with food bloggers and entrepreneurs. This was when the entrepreneurial bug bit her and she started ‘MyDidi’sKitchen’ to serve clean and hygienic home-cooked meals to people during the pandemic.
The venture was also created to help her house-help earn some extra bucks during the pandemic. She started on August 11, 2020 and the journey has been quite exciting for her. She has recently quit her job to largely focus on her home kitchen and to build a women-centric tech startup.
Priyanka Pani specialises in cuisine from her home town Odisha. She also specialises in salads and restaurant style food cooked in a homely manner. She runs a multi-cuisine home-kitchen.
When asked about her first experience with something exotic in food, she is reminded of her food memories in Siberia. “I always thought Siberian food would be bland and would consist of meat, Vodka and Potatoes but I was utterly surprised with the use of plants and fruits in their daily staples! I had some really exotic berry based drinks (strangely not Vodka based). The food is quite flavourful.” She beams. “Most unforgettable dish that I have tried so far is a bear meat, again in Siberia. I wouldn’t eat it ever again but I tried just to gain experience.” She continued.
Nevertheless, she still misses her mom’s food, who is a specialist in “jugaad” cooking. Her mom can use very simple ingredients and churn out something outstandingly delish.
Her most unforgettable memory lingers around San Francisco when she was there, few years ago on her work trip. “I was in San Francisco on a work trip and outside my hotel there was a quaint little café, there was a huge rush. So I decided to explore it. The café was run by a Chinese couple and specialised in typical American breakfast. Initially I wasn’t very keen to try but was lured by a signage that said “buy one pancake and get unlimited coffee”. So I decided to sit there for a while and have some coffee. It was pretty chilly outside and I ordered one big portion of pancake, cream and scrambled eggs. Trust me, I have never had such good pancakes ever in my life. I ended by eating two plates and spend some good two hours reading a book!”
She is happy to share the recipe of vibrant Pink Curd Rice
It is a very simple, yet flavourful and colourful dish. Priyanka loves colours in her food and hence tried to give a twist to the plain Curd Rice
1. Blanch 1 medium size beetroot for 2-3 mins.
2. Keep it aside.
3. Take 1 cup of curd.
4. Add grated beetroot to it.
5. Mix it well.
6. In a bowl mix 1 cup cooked rice and the pink curd.
7. Add some salt.
8. In a pan, heat oil. Add mustard seeds, let it splutter.
9. Add hing, dry red chilies, curry leaves and some ginger.
10. Saute it nicely.
11. Pour it over the pink curd rice.
12. It is ready to serve.
She will soon go live on food delivery platforms. Follow her on Insta @my_didis_kitchen or website link mydidiskitchen.in
Priyanka Pani can be reached on her Watsapp at 96190 66627
