Sangamithra (My Inspiration Series)

Instagram is a platform where you discover passionate foodies everyday. Sangamithra is definitely one among them.

She is a certified Nutritionist, blogs at MyEverydayKitchenRants and also for the love of fresh herbs, she has setup a beautiful balcony garden at her apartment.

Her IG feed is a mix of traditional SouthIndian cuisine recipes along with other international cuisines as well. Also her food pictures gives you the essence of a typical hearty homecooked meal which we all can relate to.

The things that inspire me the most are

1. Innovative recipes
2. Food photography
3. Knife skills
4. Foodpuns
5. Informative posts
6. Baking Experiments

Also being a nutritionist herself, she never adds any fancy jargons or label her dishes like healthy, gluten free,diabetic friendly,low carb unnecessarily 🙂

Here is the detailed Q & A with Sangamithra.
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1. Were you a foodie since childhood? Who is your inspiration in your family when it comes to cooking?

No, I wasn’t really a curious foodie. I liked the scientific part of food and hence went on to study food science and nutrition. As clichéd as it may sound it’s got to be my mum. Plain reason being she was the only one whom I saw in action day in and day out whipping out yummy food despite being a busy working mum.

2. When did you start experimenting in kitchen? Share any interesting memory of your first successful/failure attempt in kitchen

I started to practice a little when I knew I was going to get married .My husband is a big foodie and I had the responsibility to keep his tummy happy. Sambar was my go to recipe when I started to learn cooking and tried quite a number of variations all of which thankfully came out well. Cooking anything non – vegetarian is a herculean task for me. I was the odd one out in my family full of meat & sea food lovers. Even today I stick to cooking only chicken and have a strict no sea food in my kitchen policy.

3. When you go on a vacation to Chennai, what is your favorite thing to eat out? It may be Biryani or road side Corn Soup or molaga bajji as soon as you land what do you crave the most?

To be honest the first thing I crave for when I land in chennai is my mum’s food especially her chicken biryani. I love chaat and Bengali sweets and will go to great lengths to find the best ones when in chennai. I must mention about the fabulous jangiri at Agarwal sweets in sowcarpet which is unlike any of the South Indian jangiris I have tried so far. Food in chennai is all about reliving memories for me. I remember when I was little my grandfather used to buy me this colourful balls like Bengali sweet called raspberry from archana sweets in T.nagar which was a strong favorite.it resembles a dry rasagulla only more colourful. Since archana sweets closed down I make it a point to go down to agarwal sweets who do a similar version of raspberry just to relish those memories. This is just one example

4. I see that you are a Nutritionist. How does having a degree on food helps you in making or planning your day to day menu?

I’m a spontaneous cook and I don’t really plan my daily menu. For instance, Something I see on Instagram might inspire me and I will go ahead and try to make it my way with what’s stocked in my fridge. But I make conscious choices when I shop for ingredients and in that way I think my degree has been a big plus.

5. Is there any disadvantage of knowing too much about details food? Like unknowingly do you ever think about calories when you look at a particular dish?

Oh! lots of disadvantages. My brain and heart carry out two different conversations in my head at the same time when I’m longingly looking at a sauce bottle on the grocery shelf. Sometimes I wish I knew less than what I know now or even be completely ignorant. It’s beyond calories and the field of nutrition is pacing alongside with the food industry to reveal its true colours. Like I said more than calories it’s all the other nasty additives, preservatives, stabilisers etc that scare me.

6. Any 3 popular myths about Carbs that aren’t true?

Myth 1 : Carbs make you put on weight

Fact : Carbs directly do not contribute to weight gain. It depends on what type of carbs that you choose to include in your diet. Choosing whole grain options,trying to include a Low GI carb variety and portion control will help to maintain an optimum height -weight ratio. Any meal that you consume must be balanced and giving carbs a 30% share on your plate will work for weight maintaining diet plans.

Myth 2 : Carbs are not an ideal post workout food group

Fact : Though the norm of consuming protein rich foods after a workout for muscle recovery is strong, you cannot miss the fact that quality carbs are needed for energy replenishment. Post workout, both carbs and protein work together to repair muscles and provide energy. However avoid eating bulky carbs after a workout and stick to fruits as a quick carb pick me up.

Myth 3 : Eliminating rice,noodles and pasta is sufficient enough to go on a Low carb diet

Fact : Apart from the above said carb sources, sugar in all forms is a hidden culprit in all processed foods. I will suggest reading labels on food products before buying them to actually see how much sugar is hidden in them and how many calories they contribute. Your digestive system will rather be happy on a controlled Low carb diet consisting of whole grain pasta, brown rice and other sustaining carb sources than to go on a carb elimination diet.

7. Coming to your instagram feed, I love how it is a combination of both your experimental dishes & the classic ones. What is your source of learning new stuff?

Thanks. I read a lot of food memoirs and food magazines. I love to take a peek at what other people are thinking about food and how they treat ingredients and cook them in a certain way. Moving to Singapore combined with a bit of travelling to other SE Asian countries gave way to experiencing new cuisines which has made my palate more refined. I’m more open to trying new food and experimenting new techniques and particularly interested in reading food driven travel, food history and food writing. Binge watching food shows is also one of my indispensable learning source.

8. Any favorite blog/youtuber/cookbook author whose work you adore the most?

There are a lot of people in the food industry whom I adore for their work. Rachel Khoo is one of my absolute favourites and Rick Stein for his style of narrating and cooking heart-felt food. Matt Preston for his non pretentious way of writing about food and his super homely recipes. Not to forget all the avid instagrammers/ bloggers who are continuously coming up with something interesting everyday including yourself

9. Love the tone and mood of your food pics. Which camera and what App you use to edit the pics?

Thank you. Most of the time I’m just looking to put up a decent picture on Instagram and I rely heavily on natural lighting to get a good shot. I hate clutter in a picture and try to be minimal when it comes to styling. I switch between an I Phone 6 and my trusty Sony Xperia C3. I use Vscocam to shoot and edit pictures.

10. Your roasted veggies pictures tempt me the most. What is the best way to roast a vegetable? What is the perfect seasoning on them?

I love roasting vegetables mainly for the reason that it brings out a new flavour dimension. Root vegetables and those which contain less water in them are perfect for roasting. The classic salt pepper, olive oil and whatever spice you fancy. I use gram masala or curry powder for an Indian touch. The key is to roast them at a constant temperature that your oven is compatible with. I set it anywhere between 180-200 degree C for a minimum of 20 minutes.

11. Hows the food scene in singapore? If you have to suggest a perfect hangout place for foodies what would that be?

Singapore’s food scene is diverse and multi cultural. You can find an array of local specialities, native delicacies coexisting with western cuisine, fusion food, crazy food combinations, you name it. If you would like to have a taste of the local culture, it is best to head to what we call Hawker centres or Food courts where different stalls sell food, drinks and desserts from a range of cuisines.

My Favourite hangout will be a Kopitiam (or a coffee shop in Malay) where you get local Kopi or coffee, kaya toast ( toasted bread slices slathered with coconut jam and with a slab of butter wedged In-between )& soft boiled eggs.

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Thank you so much Sangamithra for your wonderful, informative answers. Loved it! Also thanks again for letting me use your pictures. Keep inspiring us with your food pictures. Blog more 🙂

If you would like to follow Sangamithra on any of the Social Media platforms, check the links below :

Blog :

My Everyday Kitchen Rants

Sometimes calm & Sometimes chaotic
www.myeverydaykitchenrants.wordpress.com

Instagram :

Sangamithra (@myeverydaykitchenrants) • Instagram photos and videos

Nutritionist, Food Blogger,Nocturnal snacker.
Singapore//044
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