This is just a sample menu to give you an idea of the types of dishes the host cooks. Your menu will vary according to seasonal availability.
Sambar (lentil and tamarind based stew with country vegetables)Rasam (peppery soup of puréed tomatoes, spices, and tamarind or lemon)Vegetable poriyal (sautéed vegetables with regional spices and freshly grated coconut)Rice or handmade dosas (crispy South Indian crepes)Badam kheer (a creamy, cold dessert made of ground almonds, milk and saffron) or Payasam (dessert made from milk or coconut milk, sugar or jaggery, mixed with tender coconuts, bananas or jackfruit)Attention to detail is Jyashree's signature cooking talent. She still follows the traditional way of cooking and uses authentic, traditional vessels and organic country vegetables to prepare South Indian Iyer cuisine, which is vegetarian by definition. Her ammamma (mother's mother) taught her that the smallest detail has the ability to elevate simple, everyday dishes to the level of masterpieces. Jyashree would watch as her grandmother prepared gulab jamuns, an elaborate dessert that requires hours of patience and skill, from scratch and as she steamed idlis (a simple traditional South Indian breakfast staple) to perfection. Her grandmother would line the idli batter with homespun muslin cloth to give it an extra texture, the kind of additional detail that has long been abandoned by most cooks for the sake of efficiency. Jyashree focuses on these small touches to bring an extra element of care and refinement to her cooking.
She says, "Now when I cook, I don't just use her years of experience and favorite earthen pots that have passed down from generation to generation in the household, I also think "what would ammamma do?" And so when you sit at my dining table, I'd like to think you'll meet some part of her too - a feisty feminist and homemaker whose way of life shaped me in her mold."
Jyashree lives in a comfortable home with her husband and their three beloved dogs. They look forward to welcoming you to their table and sharing their South Indian culture and cuisine with their guests.
"Food in my house is not just something we eat - it is a central part of our life and relationships."
