About me

About Chitra’s Food Book: My 17-Year Culinary Journey

Vanakkam and Welcome to Chitra’s Food Book – an Indian Vegetarian food blog dedicated to Indian recipes, Eggless baking and Global Cuisine.

II’m Chitra, the sole creator, photographer, and voice behind Chitra’s Food Book. Since 2009, I have been on a mission to prove that “Anyone Can Cook.”

My Journey: From “Ratatouille” to Chitra’s Food Book

My journey began in 2009 with a simple Blogger site titled Ratatouille – Anyone Can Cook. In 2013, I transitioned to my own domain and rebranded as Chitra’s Food Book to better reflect my personal identity. I kept “Ratatouille” as my tagline because it was suggested by my husband Sendhil and perfectly captures my philosophy: with a little guidance, everyone can create magic in the kitchen.

My Culinary Roots: Nellai & Tanjore Traditions

Born in Tamil Nadu and now residing in Bangalore, my cooking is a beautiful blend of two distinct traditions:

  • The Nellai Influence: My mother’s authentic Tirunelveli (Nellai) recipes are known for their perfect balance of spice and salt—the gold standard I strive for.
  • The Tanjore Legacy: My mother-in-law introduced me to the flavors of Kumbakonam and Tanjore. From her, I learned the art of “zero waste” and how to transform simple leftovers into delicious new dishes.

How I Became a Cook

Surprisingly, I never entered the kitchen before marriage! I was focused on my studies and social life while my mother-in-law handled the cooking. I began by simply standing by her side, watching her methods and jotting down notes.

It was only after my daughter was born that I took up cooking full-time. What started as simple basics evolved into a deep passion for traditional South Indian, North Indian, and International cuisines. Once I mastered the stove, I ventured into Baking, specifically specializing in eggless cakes and cookies.

My Process: Authenticity in Every Frame

I believe in “Step-by-Step” transparency. Every recipe you see here is tried, tested, and critiqued by my husband, Sendhil—my only food critic!

  • Photography & Video: I use a Nikon D5100 to capture the real textures of my food.
  • Editing: I personally edit my images using Photoshop and Photoscape, and my video tutorials are edited in Filmora and Inshot.
  • Evolution: I am constantly updating my 17-year archive of recipes to ensure they meet modern standards and include video guides for beginners.

My Philosophy

I focus on South Indian Vegetarian Cuisine, with a special emphasis on healthy alternatives like millets and traditional rice varieties (like Poongar rice). Whether you are a beginner looking for Bachelor Recipes or an experienced cook looking for “Festival Specials,” there is a place for you here.

Why You Can Trust My Recipes

In an era of AI-generated content, I take pride in being a real person with a real kitchen. Every recipe on this blog has been:

  1. Cooked and Tasted: Tested multiple times in my own kitchen in Bangalore.
  2. Documented with Care: Photographed by me to show you the real texture and color of the final dish.
  3. Refined by Experience: With 17 years of blogging, I understand the small nuances that make a recipe succeed or fail.

Recognition and Community

Since 2013, I have been honored to be recognized as one of India’s top food bloggers and have been featured in several leading newspapers and magazines. This wouldn’t be possible without the love and support of readers like you. Your comments and feedback are what keep me going and brighten my day.

While I haven’t published a physical cookbook yet, I consider this website my living “Food Book”—a gift for my daughter’s future and a free resource for you. Your comments, emails, and feedback are what turn this hobby into a joyful community.

If you try a recipe, please leave a comment—it truly brightens my day!

What started as a hobby for me – and a way to record recipes for my daughter’s future – has turned into something much bigger. Through blogging, I’ve gained a wonderful community of encouraging and supportive friends. When I receive appreciation emails and comments from readers about my recipes, it fills me with joy and motivates me to continue sharing more.

If you try any of my recipes and enjoy them, I would love for you to leave a comment on the recipe page or send me an email. Your suggestions for improvement – both in terms of the recipe and my blogging style – are always welcome as they help me grow as a cook. A big thank you to all my readers and friends for your continued support and encouragement. Thanks for taking the time to read about my journey!

You can contact me through mail : chitra.ganapathy@gmail.com

My Social Network

You can find and follow me on

facebook , twitter,  Instagram , Youtube, Pinterest to stay connected.

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51 thoughts on “About me”

  5. Raji

    Your blog is really helpful, especially during this festival season.. Am one of fond of cooking , generally all traditional items and now started trying new items as well.. Keep posting in your blog. Once again thanks. Raji

    Reply
  6. meena

    Hi Chitra,
    Thank you so much for stopping by my blog and for those lovely words.
    I have spent some time reading ur recipes and found so many recipes I would love to try and u have an awesome space.Really appreciate the perfection with which u have done the Kerala menu.
    Do keep in touch.

    Reply
  11. Unknown

    Hi Chitra,
    Glad to meet you.. I too agree with you “anyone can cook”. U have a great collectin , enjioyyed going through few of them. Would keep dropping.
    happy to follow u. Would b happier if u reciprocate. lets stay in touch..

    Reply
  13. Anonymous

    Hi there Chitra!!!!

    Your blog page is quite impressive and it’s just too perfect for our project. I don’t know how to catch your attention but hopefully you could spare me a minute to read this message

    It is noticeable that there is a great number of tasty recipes on your blog and we would like to suggest you to have a look at the “Top Food Blog” section on our recently launched site, the http://www.mytaste.com . Our site is a search engine that gathers all the best recipes from all major worldwide blogs and websites in one place.

    We would like to give you an opportunity to add your food blog to the list and have your recipes indexed on our site, all you have to do is add your blog URL here: http://www.mytaste.com/add-your-food-blog

    Our project is the second biggest worldwide when it comes to recipe search, and it’s already live in 37 countries, including countries in Europe, Asia, Middle-East, Australia, South America and South Africa. We deliver thousands of visitors to food blogs daily. Some of the top food blogs receive at least 20,000 visitors from us on a weekly basis.

    This is something you can do to make your blog more visible and be exposed to a lot of people in United States, Canada and around the world; this can help your blog page to get more visitors and increase traffic.

    You help us, we help you.

    Hopefully your food blog will be up there in the top!

    Reply
  15. D. Sekharan

    Hi Chitra Maa, I am 68 years old retired person. I like cooking. Other day I tried your recipe “ENNAI KATHRIKAI KOZHAMBU’. It came out very well and every one liked it. Funny part is I never tasted Kathrikai in my life. Thanks.

    Reply
  17. Unknown

    Hi chitra, it was really nice to go through your blog and your recipes. Loved reading and the way you presented everything is awesome. You have learned cooking to such a level that now you share recipes with others. All the very best. Keep cooking…keep writing…

    Reshmi

    Reply
  22. Badhri Narayanan

    Hi Chitra Mam,

    My wife is also from Bangalore but with her native being Salem.Its been 6 month that we have married. She is a very good cook. Have won many competitions as well. She is interested to start a food blog. It will be really great if u suggest me how to proceed with that, which i m planning to surprise her for her bday…..

    Reply
  24. Ezhil Ramalingam

    Fantastic, Chitra !! Your journey to Foodbook is fabulous !! I’m a great eater and my wife is a great cook !!! Definitely we will use your treasure of recipes !! All the best and God bless you !!!

    Reply
  32. Rengarajan

    Awesome blog! Very well written. Tried many recipes and sweets. Turned out well. When I email with silly questions the author answers it fast. Keep up the good work.
    Regards,
    Rengarajan.

    Reply
  35. Unknown

    Hi Chitra,
    Congrats, just saw your site in Google and tried Vanilla & Chocolate cup cakes. Result was so good. Inspired by the recipe & started reading fully your site and about me. Very well planed food book. So many good, new, innovative recipe… really its a treasure. Keep Cooking and Keep writing. God Bless You Dear.

    Reply
  37. PPTLS

    Hi Chithra,

    You are doing a good job. I have tried most of your recipes, they are really good.

    Just like you I was born in tirunelveli and brought up in salem but currently in coimbatore.

    I wish you all success.

    Reply
  40. chitra

    For Lord murugan u can offer honey mixed with foxtail millet flour (thinai maavu).Its a simple but the best neivedyam recipe.For perumal u can offer panakam , tamarinf rice , vada, sweet pongal or akkaravadisal. You can find all these recipes in my recipe index.Thanks

    Reply
  41. JP

    Hi Chitra. I used to visit villages in Tirunelveli District on work. Had fallen in love with the food there. I come to your blog for recipes and have never been disappointed. Thanks so much for putting in this effort.

    Reply
  44. chitra

    Hi,
    Thanks. I was sharing my recipe links with that site for sometime.So it came in google search :) But its linking back to mine. So no issues. Thanks again for the concern :)

    Reply
  45. Tanvi

    Hi Chitra,

    My name is Anuj Agarwal. I’m Founder of Feedspot.

    I would like to personally congratulate you as your blog Chitra’s Food Book has been selected by our panelist as one of the Top 100 Indian Food Blogs on the web.

    http://blog.feedspot.com/indian_food_blogs/

    I personally give you a high-five and want to thank you for your contribution to this world. This is the most comprehensive list of Top 100 Indian Food Blogs on the internet and I’m honored to have you as part of this!

    Also, you have the honor of displaying the badge on your blog.

    Best,
    Anuj

    Reply
  47. mademoiselle

    Hey .
    Impressive one.. would follow in future..

    I liked ur opinion on started blog to document recipes for ur daug.
    My mom to gifted me a few cook books on my wedding. Loved d idea and book btw..

    Bye

    Reply
  50. Priti Doshi

    hi Chitra
    enjoyed reading your blog, you need to write a cookbook where all your recipes are available would love to buy one
    all the best

    Reply
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