An Ely teacher and food blogger has been keeping busy during lockdown by taking her cookery classes online.
Mina Joshi’s ‘Give Me Some Spice’ blog, on which she shares dozens of authentic vegetarian recipes, has proved a hit throughout the pandemic.
So much so that she’s been teaching vegetarian Indian cookery to adults via Zoom and Teams – two forms of online communication that she had never previously heard of.
With her classes becoming increasingly popular, Mina was joined by her blogger friend Nayna. The pair have since decided to set up a business by offering paid lessons - but they are still continuing to host a few free lessons for colleagues and friends.
Mina, who also teaches at Impington College and Witchford College with the Adult Education Scheme, said: “The pandemic has given us the time to find new strengths and we are really excited to share our journey.
“Our online cookery classes are now a positive success story as we have officially launched our Cook with Mina and Nayna Cookery Classes.”
Mina, who spends a lot of time trying out recipes, says her blog is “aimed at people who have never cooked food and also at the modern young boys and girls starting out in life and wishing to learn to cook”.
She photographs the meals at each stage and says her aim is to explain the cooking process in as much detail as possible.
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“During the time I got interested in cooking, there weren’t a lot of cookery books available for vegetarian Indian cooking,” Mina added.
“My parents were both good cooks. My dad was a self-taught chef and used to cater at Indian weddings in Kenya.
“My father-in-law too was a chef from Tanzania, and I learnt a lot of traditional cooking by watching both cook. I was always asking them for recipes and tips.
“They shared a lot of their cooking “tricks” with me. I am still a traditional cook and love sharing my East African, Indian and Anglicised vegetarian recipes with my friends.”
Mina describes her blog as being full of “quick and easy time-saving recipes - but it also includes the authentic traditional recipes as I feel that some of the old-fashioned dishes will never be made if no one passes on the recipes”.
The blog’s success has been a surprise for Mina, who says: “When I started this blog, I hadn’t even dreamt that so many people would be reading it.
“Cooking is only fun if you can share what you cook with people you enjoy being with. I feel very blessed that my family are very supportive of my hobby.
Lover of Flavours commended the blog by writing: “Just wonderful, I adore Indian food and cannot wait to have my tastebuds tantalised.”
Damyanti Patel added: “Teaching people to cook may be your passion, your hobby but is also a sewa. There are very few doing what you do. Keep up the good work.”
Learn more about Mina and her recipes via the blog’s Facebook, Twitterand Instagram accounts.
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