‘Cooking with Love, Care and Fun’ by Rotarian Saumen Ray was first published in Great Britain and India. This one of its kind books is tastefully designed and edited by Gill de Warren.
Ray is a senior Rotarian with international connections. He was previously a partner of PwC UK and India, and after retirement, he has acquired one of the oldest restaurants in Kolkata. He has been staying with his daughter Suchira in lockdown for the past year in London. Ray is also a Keyworker in the UK.
“This book is the product of my lock-down period in London; in addition, my bonding with my grandson is a lifetime achievement and he is part of the book,” he told Asian Voice.
The book will be launched by KidsOut UK Charity on 28th May and later in the USA and India. Please find attached some screenshots. The book has been printed in Italy, on cost ground. Every recipe has a storyline involving families, Rotarians, friends, or ceremonies.
Orders for more than 100 copies have already been received, although the official launch and supply of copies to Amazon are yet to take place.
In his acknowledgement, Ray writes: “I gratefully acknowledge my domestic and international Rotarian friends who found my un-eatable food delicious on Rotary project site visits; chefs of Karco Restaurant (one of the oldest running restaurants in Kolkata, India) with good traditional recipes; a ten-year-old boy cooking Chinese mom for his sick mother; my own mother as his ‘granny’ complimenting the boy’s dish with coriander chutney.” Ray thanks his family and friends who have been duly credited for their contribution to photography in this book.
The book is an interesting compilation of Vegetarian, Vegan, Non-Vegetarian recipes, trying to focus on building immunity, comforting dishes for mother and child while breaking the ice with spice. The book comes across as an ode to the relationship that South Asians share with the female members of the family, who are almost always a treasure chest of recipes and intelligent techniques to cook food. Ray wraps the book with the world-famous Bengali Rossogollas along with a warm gesture of putting up a bedtime noodles recipe for “tired mother”.
Pro Tip - You may want to keep some food by your side while reading this book because it’ll leave you more hungry than you’ve ever been.
