About the Author

Welcome to Niloufer's Kitchen

I frequently wonder how to refer to myself and how to relate to who I am. I consider myself both a student and a teacher. And now a published author. My curiosity and passion drive me to learn and absorb what most interests me. I consider myself fortunate to have learned so much from my mother, father, favourite aunt, and extended family, all of whom loved to cook and eat good food. Those who can learn from their children are more fortunate, and I am proud to be one of them. Magazines, television, cookbooks, and friends are all constant sources of food-related inspiration for me.

While I may not have been to a culinary institute, at least not as a student, it is a journey I am proud of.

 

Today I stand here as a Parsi Zarthusti, a part of a tiny community, a race almost small enough to be a tribe. Following the three tenants of Zarathustra—good thoughts, good words, and good deeds— we are ancient, and the many generations before me have left behind a rich heritage and food culture, which I shall happily share with all of you here.

Born and raised in Karachi, I started to bake when I was 8 years old. I taught my first solo class at 17, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It soon made me realise that it is a wonderful way to make friends; food shared is a special kind of experience. We moved to Dubai soon after I was married, where I managed to organise cooking demonstrations. This made my six years in residence enjoyable and memorable. My moving to Canada made my resolve stronger to start the same, my happy way of making new friends who all enjoy cooking as much as I do. Supporting fundraisers and their charities through my demonstrations over the years has made it most cherished.

 

Fortunately, my daughters enjoy cooking and eating, and my husband is my source of truth and inspiration. My mum was a baker par excellence who did not hold back on her critical analysis and pushed me to excel. My brother, who started me off on this journey with positive encouragement, continues to be my ardent supporter. My aunt Villie Fui who has taught me so much, by sharing her invaluable wealth of experience and knowledge, has been my strength to rely on, and I miss her with sincere affection. But nothing would have been possible without my dad’s real belief in me. The bribing, cajoling, and unconditional love that started me off on this journey, for which there is nothing but loving gratitude, I miss him every day, knowing that he is smiling down on me as he walks right beside me, enjoying this journey! To my childhood friends who have always believed in me, thank you.

 

Decades of cooking and teaching have led to the publication of my cookbooks. I had one successfully published cookbook in 2016, and I self-published a second in 2019, which has won me three Gourmand Awards and was shortlisted for the Guardian cookbook of the year. A third was recently published in India, which has won me two Gourmand Awards being the Best in a Series. My earlier experimentation with writing e-cookbooks continues to be available on Kindle via Amazon. This technological approach was made with the thought of keeping my young friends involved by giving them easy and affordable access to my tried and tested recipes.

 

I hope you get a chance to browse through my cookbooks and enjoy cooking from them too.