About

I’m Jayanthi, and I love to cook. My mother and grandmother were great home cooks and they inspired me to record their recipes and as I grew, I began to add my own special twists to those recipes to make them something memorable to eat. I belong to a family of Palakkad Iyers, and our unique style of cooking made me want to share with my readers so that more people could know about our traditions. I also have a passion for gardening which comes from my father. In my apartment, we now grow various fruits and vegetables which I love to use in my cuisine. My favorite part about cooking is when the dish is complete and the wonderful aroma wafts around the house and then eating the delicious food of course!

The recipes I share have been passed down from generations, each one making their own little tweaks to make the food taste even better. Our ancestors never wrote recipes down, but they fondly taught us how to cook. I want to preserve those recipes so that many more can know about them.

I generally cook vegetarian dishes of Palakkad cuisine. But I also like making food from Bengali, North Indian, East Asian and Continental cuisines.

For my cooking, I love using traditional mud pots and soapstone vessels. I believe they add to the authenticity of the dish. Iron kadhai and skillets are very important for daily cooking too.

Through my blog, The Merry Skillet, I want to share information about Palakkad Iyer cuisine, Garden table recipes, and much more.