Is a meal only about the right mix of ingredients, or is it much, much more?

In Tamil, Ammi is short for Ammi Kallu, a traditional South Indian stone grinder. The word ‘Ammi’ also embodies warmth, affection and unconditional love, expressed in a multitude of ways, most certainly through cooking. This cookbook is about cooking for one’s family and friends as much as it is about eating with them. The 108 recipes curated in this book represent the diversity and depth of South Indian and Southeast Asian cuisines with a good measure of bakes and grills thrown in. As one gets drawn into Prasanna Pandarinathan’s delightful family food stories and the culinary journey of her mother Nirmala, one realizes that the recipes are simple and easy to cook, peppered with a dash of unforgettable memories.

Laughter, togetherness, endless chatter and, above all, love are the secret ingredients of each recipe, put together lovingly and painstakingly by a doting daughter to honour and preserve the amazing legacy of her mother. A granddaughter’s proud proclamation of the ‘world’s best chicken curry’ and a husband proudly distributing his wife’s sweetmeats among his friends are a few awards and recognition conferred upon a few dishes.

Ammi is an anchor for heritage, tradition and nostalgia of love and loss. Through sumptuous photography, long-forgotten stories and anecdotes, this intimate cookbook takes you on a journey, unfolding memories of the vibrant kitchen of Prasanna’s mother.

Try out the recipes and rustle up your own memories!