Usha’s Kitchen is all about experiencing the ease and simplicity of home cooking with an international flair right in your own kitchen. Home cooking refers to the traditional everyday culinary practice of preparing meals in your own kitchen using fresh local ingredients. International Home Cooking integrates the same traditional everyday cooking techniques using ingredients and recipes from around the world.
Usha’s Kitchen is a culinary haven of traditional Indian and traditional American recipes, and their union together producing a myriad of new recipes that evoke a sense of nostalgia and family warmth. These new recipes are where the world comes together on your plate to produce a new in-home dining experience like no other. From traditional Tikka Masala to fusion style Asian Cole Slaw next to a juicy All-American Burger, all recipes incorporate global ingredients or cultural inspirations while maintaining a connection to the flavors and spices characteristic of many traditional dishes abroad and here, at home, in America.
I am Usha Martin! I have been a full-time working mom for over 20 years. I like most of you enjoy mealtime especially when something tasty is for dinner. With two growing boys and a husband who all like to eat not just for eating sake but want to enjoy something that tastes good, I have learned how to juggle work and home while figuring out ways to put great tasting home cooked meals on the table most every night.
How does one do this you ask? Well, let me give you some of my family history and you will come to understand my kitchen mindset. I was born in America to two Indian born (from India) parents whose families are farmers in India. My parents immigrated here for a better life. I and my siblings are the products. My parents grew up in village homes in South India where everyday chores revolved around fetching water from the well to cook and bathe, starting a wood fire from a match stick over which to cook the daily meals, the men getting fresh local vegetables on their way home from work in the fields, while the women tended to hand grinding grains, milking the cows or in our case buffalos and preparing the meals. It was an all day exhausting affair. Somehow mixed in with all the work was a family who all had to pitch in and work together to get the days work done. When I visited my grandparents as a child, I remember distinctly the aromas that wafted from the kitchen, from the smoky wood burning fire, the spices roasting and blooming over the hot flames, to the lemons being cut and squeezed for fresh lemonade. Now, whenever I smell these smells no matter the place, it takes me back to that time and place when I was a child visiting my grandparents in India. Surrounded by family, good times and laughter, and of course the best tasting foods. It is these memories that I want to create for my family. It is these memories that remind you of love, home and family.
As I grew older and began life as a college student at the University of Georgia, it was in these memories that I realize how difficult life could be and how easy it is here to source authentic ingredients and daily fresh produce, to use our running water and gas to prepare and cook daily meals. God had given me a head start on being efficient and I just needed to realize it and use what he gave me to do what was would be so easy, comparatively speaking of course. Degree of difficulty is subjective based on perspective, experience, and abilities. To put it bluntly, if you think cooking is hard, try going to a third world country and see how they do things. It will change your whole perspective.
During my college years at University of Georgia, I had the privilege of having the opportunity to travel abroad across Europe with a Rick Steves travel guide in my back pack. I enjoyed the sites, sounds and of course got my taste of authentic foods in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France, and Italy.
As a young adult, I lived in Texas and Washington State which added a plethora of Mexican and Asian influence to my palate. It is with these experiences that I have learned to eat and love eating a variety of foods from all over the world and it is what has developed the palate that I currently have. Some of my favorite foods are Italian, Greek, Arabic, and of course Mexican and Indian. It just so happens that I love to cook these foods at home for my family and my family loves when I cook an ethnic variety from day to day.
While I occasionally enjoy a meal out when it is convenient, I find great culinary satisfaction in being proficient at cooking for my family and friends. I have better control over freshness and quality of the ingredients. I can control the amount of sugar and added fats customizing meals with our family’s health considerations in mind. Cooking at home is much more cost-effective as well as offers you the ability to cook a little extra for lunch the next day.
When it comes to the foods I choose to cook, I like what I like. It turns out that most people that eat my cooking like what I like too. I like quality not quantity but if I can have both, that is even better. Leftovers! I don’t read novels. I read recipes! I know how time consuming home cooking can be if you don’t know your way around a kitchen or if you don’t have a time tested great recipe.
I am here to tell you that you don’t need to be a gourmet chef to be a good cook. After sharing recipes for many years one on one, I decided to create this website where I share with you my knowledge, my recipes and all of my secrets to make every meal one to remember. After many years of creating and recreating recipes, I have compressed my 20 years of cooking experience into a library of recipes that are easy to follow and time tested. I have created shortcut products like Curry Starter and Tempered Spice Co. Spice Blends that I originally designed to help myself get food on the table in under 30 minutes. These food starters and spice blends are game changer in the kitchen!
Whether you’re a novice seeking a simple introduction to making your first chicken curry dish or an enthusiast eager to explore new flavors of the world, Usha’s Kitchen is your gateway to delicious possibilities. Join me on a gastronomic journey that marries the traditions of Indian cooking with the spirit of the American culinary experience resulting in a kaleidoscope of food and flavors night after night.