Welcome to my Curry House!
Hi and welcome! This is where I share my simple, everyday recipes, all made from scratch. I am really happy to have you here.
Who am I
I am Dr. Urmila, a biological research scientist by profession. Currently, I live in Freiburg, Germany (the beautiful region where the famous Black Forest cake originated!) with my loving husband and our naughty, wonderful little son.
I love cooking and absolutely everything related to food—whether it’s classic cookbooks (The Joy of Cooking), captivating novels (The Mango Season), brilliant movies (The Lunchbox), or high-energy TV shows (Chopped). For me, cooking is therapeutic. No matter what kind of day I’m having, a little time spent in the kitchen always lifts my spirits. Eating is so much more than just nourishment; it’s about the comfort, connection, and memories created when food is shared with family and friends.
My Culinary Journey
I actually started cooking out of necessity. When my mother was put on bed rest due to a health issue, I had to step in as the only other female in the house to feed my dad and two younger brothers. Taking my responsibility seriously, I leaned on years of being a keen observer in my mom’s kitchen, and cooking quickly came naturally to me.
However, it truly became a passion when I moved away from home. Browsing recipes, collecting cookbooks, and inviting friends over for meals became my favorite pastimes. In fact, the major part of my long-distance calls home always revolved around food!
My cooking style is heavily influenced by the regions where I grew up and the culture I married into. Additionally, living in and traveling through several countries across Europe, the United States, and South Asia has inspired me to experiment with a rich variety of cuisines.
The Taste Test: My husband is my biggest critic and ultimate troubleshooter. He is the one who tries, tests, and approves every single dish. Family and friends always get a taste before a recipe ever finds a permanent place here on the blog!
The Evolution of the Blog
A few years ago, I began sharing my recipes on a discussion forum. My friends loved the simplicity of the dishes and how easy they were to replicate, which sparked the idea to start a dedicated food blog. A couple of months later, I launched Sweet and Spicy Corner.
Recently, I made the big leap from Blogger to this self-hosted WordPress site! While the blog temporarily came to a standstill with the birth of my son and the beautiful, hectic responsibilities of motherhood, I am finally ready to jump back in and continue this culinary journey with you.
Why “My Curry House”?
Everyone has their own interpretation of a “curry.” For me, it represents two things:
- The Heart of the Meal: It is the comforting, saucy concoction I use to mix with my rice or scoop up with my flatbreads.
- The Element of Variety: It is the curry that makes each meal distinctly different from the last. Growing up, the constant question after every single meal was always:“What’s the curry for the next meal?”
Curries can be simple or complicated, wet, dry, or semi-dry. They can span from Indian and Thai to Japanese. My fascination with them grew even deeper after marriage; I discovered that several curries in my family and my husband’s family share the exact same name, yet look, taste, and are prepared entirely differently (Sambar, Erisseri, and Avial, to name a few!). I can’t wait to share these unique variations with you.
I truly believe that a strange new dish to one person could easily become another’s ultimate comfort food. You can follow the recipes here exactly as written or use them as a starting point for your own kitchen experiments. Either way, I am sure you will find something here to love.
So, I warmly invite you to join me on this culinary journey. Let’s have fun, experiment, and create delicious memories along the way!
