18/02/2021
Hi, and welcome to my new account.
My name is Priya this is my story. I am originally from Zimbabwe, but I have been living in South Africa for the past ten years. I come from a mixed masala background, my mother is Gujerati and my dad is Punjabi.
Growing up I was surrounded by good food! My mum comes from a well-known family in Zim and they were famous for catering for our local Indian weddings. I always looked up to them as, from a young age, my mum and her sisters used to sit and make dozens of samoosas and rotis each week. I just could not understand this.
I used to absolutely hate going into the kitchen in my teenage years. I used to make every single excuse under the sun not to go into the kitchen. But my mother used to drag me into the kitchen by chasing me with her velan (rolling pin) till I gave in (she is probably going to laugh when she reads this). You know that scene from ‘Bend It Like Beckham’ when Jess was forced to learn how to cook aloo gobi. That was one of the first dishes that I was taught to make and till today, it is one of my favourite vegetarian dishes. Veges over chicken any day for me.
I always cooked because I had to cook and not because I loved it. Then lockdown happened and I found my love for cooking again. It gave me the opportunity to take time out for my self and cook not because it was a chore, but because it made me feel good and because others saw something in me that I did not see. It also gave me the opportunity to feed and make everyone around me fat.😂
I decided to take the plunge and start my naan business as it gave me something to do in my spare time. I pondered on what to call my small business for weeks and finally came up with the name, Namkeen-Like Naan Other. You ask why Namkeen?
Namkeen in Hindi means savoury snacks, and this showcased my style of cooking. Like Naan Other is a play on words, like none other. I do not follow recipes and I am one of those people that put a bit of this and put in a bit of that and voila, I have a dish (not intentionally).
To end off I dedicate my cooking to my late granny Lalita Ba, my mum and let's not forget my aunts as well. I am so excited and can’t wait to see where this new journey takes me!🙏