Some wise guy once said "Good cooking is like a good painting. It can only be experienced, not explained". But Dr. Lekshmi Nair begs to differ. She believes cooking food is as enjoyable an activity as eating. With two books boasting of 220 recipes each running into 3rd edition within four months of its publication, a super successful culinary programme being aired on television regularly, an outdoor catering unit which can serve upto 2000 people at one go, umpteen demonstrations at various countries captivating a wide range of audience, and recently being the brand ambassador for a reputed brand of packaged food... all being the multihued feathers on her cap, one cannot but agree with what she says about food and cooking. Though happiest when wearing her chef's apron and toque, labelling Dr. Lakshmi Nair just as a well known cook would be an under-estimation & grave injustice to her varied skills. This multi-faceted personality is also a business woman, who manages her outdoor catering company called Caterina & cookery institute since the past 12 years; a lawyer, with 1st rank in LLM and a doctorate in law to her credit; a professor, who coaches her students to participate in International Arbitration Competition in between her lectures at Kerala Law Academy; and a TV personality, with her share of loyal fan following for her weekly cooking spot named ‘Magic Oven’ in Kairali TV. She is also an expert in constitutional law.
What sets Lekshmi apart is her no-frills approach to cooking. The natural & casual tone of her TV show is something her target audience relates to. A hands-on chef that she is, Lekshmi is involved in every aspect of the show right from deciding the recipe to actual demonstration. Born to (Dr.N Narayanan Nair) and (Mrs.Ponnamma Narayanan Nair), juggling multiple roles is something that comes naturally to her - be it managing the show or handling her two kids (Parvathy Nair) & (Vishnu Nair) or testing new recipes on her ever supportive husband, (Nair Ajay Krishnan).
Though proficient with different cuisines such as North Indian, Chinese, Italian, Thai, Mexican, Continental etc. her forte is conjuring up traditional Keralite dishes in its authentic taste and flavor. So what is the secret ingredient for the perfect dish??? 'Passion', she quips. 'You ought to like what you cook..and serve it with love too'.
Please visit
http://www.lekshminair.co.in/ for more information and download some of my favourite recipe.
Thanks all!
Lekshmi Nair
