About

Hello and Karibu to my Jikoni.  My name is Sandhya, fondly known to my friends as Sandy. This blog is a diary of my adventures in home cooking, travels and the fun times I have shared with my friends and family. I have a love for all things home made and a special interest in Indian Vegetarian cuisine.  I invite you to join me as I write about what is cooking in my Jikoni, from simple everyday meals to attempts at adding  a slight twist to a published recipe, experiments with baking and vegetarian cuisines from around the world.

My Jikoni, the Swahili term for “kitchen” is my space for creativity.  Our first kitchen was probably my favourite because it led to a private backyard. I lived with my husband and sons in Dar-es-Salaam Tanzania at that time and we had some good times in the small but functional space. Our backyard was peaceful and was designed to nurture. Living in a country that had a warm sunny climate our garden yielded vast amounts of lemons, limes, mangoes, coconuts amongst other fruit and vegetables and I grew accustomed to using these fresh ingredients in our everyday cooking.

Having relocated to Charleston, South Carolina some 15 years ago, I found myself with a bit more kitchen space and soon enough, just as it was in Dar-es-salaam, my jikoni became the most used room in the house.  This is where my husband hangs out with me over a cup of tea in the morning or a beer after work often making a salad or dessert whilst we discuss our daily events.  My Jikoni is also where my sons and all our friends hang out.  When we have company no one really sits in the living room, NO, they are all around the Jikoni, talking to the cook and enjoying the freshly prepared snacks with a beer.  I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!    

The Jikoni is great for gossiping, cooking, drinking and eating.  We are able to have some good parties here and the space is filled with fun, creativity and laughter. It is my favourite room in the house apart from the master bedroom which is my first favourite but I won’t be discussing that here J

So what do I really like to do when I am not cooking?  I am a mom, a grandmom and a working mom! I run a liquor store here in Charleston and that pretty much takes up most of my weekdays.  When I am not working or cooking, I indulge in romantic novels, movies gardening or being photographed – well I married a photographer!!  You will see a lot of pictures on this blog as I share my adventures, stories and recipes with you.  In our household, the camera is never out of reach. Apart from being photographed, I love to be surrounded by friends.

This blog is a passion and a hobby of mine.  I make the dishes as I and my family like them.  Few of the things that make me a confident and good cook that I am today are circumstances and criticism (mostly). I will try and recreate some of those famous mogo (cassava) dishes amongst other popular Tanzanian fare and I hope they will transport you to the beautiful seaside picnics.