Are you looking for recipes that do not require slogging in the kitchen? If you think biryani and tikkas are tough to cook, Easy Recipes from Mads’ Cookhouse is a book for you. A mixed bag of recipes using ingredients available in your pantry. Home cooking has never been this easy.
My mother, Madhu Bindra, is an interior designer and someone who loves to cook and feed. No surprises that she recently launched her food blog, Mads’ Cookhouse, where she shares easy to cook home recipes. Her first cookbook is out now as a part of the Blogchatter Ebook Carnival.
We got talking about something we both love… food!
Ritu: Welcome to Bohemian Bibliophile, mom! Please tell us more about your book. What should the readers expect?
Madhu: I have always believed that cooking is often less complicated than it is made out to be. I love cooking and sharing recipes. My book includes day-to-day as well as special occasion dishes that are easy to recreate. Due to the lockdown, ingredients are not easy to come by. My recipes use those that are already available in your kitchen.
Ritu: When did your passion for cooking begin?
Madhu: I have a foodie family that loves to eat. My mother enjoyed cooking and I picked up cooking skills from her. My father too enjoyed good food. My husband and kids always tried out new dishes and asked me to recreate them at home. I have just polished my skills over the years.
Ritu: There are so many great recipes in the book. Which one is your favorite/one you cook most often?
Madhu: It has to be Kettle Chicken. It is a family favorite enjoyed by over four generations. I love idli and jackfruit biryani too. I am waiting for the lockdown to end to get my hands on some jackfruit. Most of the breakfast recipes in the book are those we cook often.
Ritu: Is the book fit for a newbie? What recipes would you recommend to someone who is just starting out?
Madhu: My book is perfect for newbies. I have simplified the complicated recipes. Chicken tikka, paneer bhurji, roasted potatoes, vermicelli. There are so many they can try out.
Ritu: What did you enjoy most about the publishing journey?
Madhu: It has been a longtime dream to publish a book. But what I enjoyed most was cooking all the dishes and bring them to my readers. There were a few I hadn’t cooked in a while. And some that I had to innovate thanks to the lockdown.
Ritu: How do you stay inspired to create new recipes?
Madhu: I love to cook. Most of my free time is spent checking out cooking videos, going through my recipe books, or experimenting in the kitchen.
Ritu: How did you get into blogging?
Madhu: That would be my daughter who was after me to start blogging. The response was overwhelming and I am so glad I joined this community.
Ritu: Your blog name is quite interesting. What is the story behind it?
Madhu: My two elder sisters have always called me Mads. My younger brother calls me Madhouse. It is a combination of the two. When I was thinking of a name for my blog, the combination worked perfectly. The other names were just too plain.
Ritu: You are a septuagenarian. What is your advise to those who want to get into blogging?
Madhu: Go for it. It’s never too late. And it is really rewarding.
Ritu: What are your future plans?
Madhu: I want to share more recipes and write more books. I am already planning my next.
Hope you enjoyed this little chit-chat with my mother. Her cookbook, Easy Recipes from Mads’ Cookhouse is now available on Amazon Kindle. Grab your copy today.
About Madhu Bindra
A food enthusiast, Madhu Bindra is a young septuagenarian who loves to cook, feed, and eat. She is notorious for increasing waistlines and decreasing will power. She cooks up a storm in her cookhouse and her home always smells delicious.
An interior designer and an army wife, she believes food should be simple and easy to cook. She shares secrets from her kitchen (and those of her mother) on her blog, MadsCookhouse.com.
May 27, 2020 @ 9:05 am
This interview post surely will help those who want to start their carrer as a author, inspiration always comes from other people stories
Thank you So much
Dr. Renu Arora
June 9, 2020 @ 5:57 pm
That is so true, Renu. Thank you.
May 27, 2020 @ 5:02 pm
Wow, this is such a sweet interview… I loved reading the recipes during the challenge and now looking forward to this book!
Also, this is an inspiration to people of her generation to turn to blogging and sharing their knowledge. My love and best wishes!
June 9, 2020 @ 5:57 pm
Thank you so much, Ninu 🙂
June 8, 2020 @ 11:39 am
This is so wonderful. I love your mom’s spirit that got her to start her blog and then publish this book. The lockdown has got us all cooking, what with the maids being away. Shall check out her blog rightaway. The book seems interesting too. Incidentally, my sister was grappling with kathal biryani recently. Perhaps she needs to take a look at this :-).
June 9, 2020 @ 5:52 pm
Thank you for the love, Tulika. Mom is indeed quite a lady 😊. Please do share the book with your sister. Mom’s version of the kathal biryani is quite easy to make.