The only thing Raghavan Iyer could do in a kitchen when he first arrived in America about 20 years ago was to boil water.

"It had more to do with my chemistry degree," the celebrated chef and author says chuckling.

The author of the first-ever Betty Crocker book on Indian cuisine, Minneapolis-based Iyer says like Madhur Jaffrey, an icon of Indian cuisine, he too taught himself to cook out of necessity.

"I was tired of eating Cadbury chocolates and potato chips practically every day," he says of his early days in Marshall, a small town in Minnesota where he was studying hotel management.

Being a strict vegetarian living in Midwest town where meat and potato ruled the kitchen every day, Iyer was forced to ask his amma in Mumbai to help him out.

"But my mother (and my sister) could help me only to a certain extent," he says. "They gave me the basics -- and told me I was on my own."

The first time he made any curry at all -- it was a potato curry to be precise -- Iyer was so appalled by the taste, he was afraid even the cows would not touch it. "Waste of time and energy," he says. And for someone on a student budget, waste of money, too.

As a hotel management student, Iyer had to take some classes in cooking. "That helped to know a few things about cooking," he says. "But I had to teach myself practically everything about Indian food."

But eventually he was making simple but delicious Indian food -- and treating not only his desi friends but also Americans.

By the time he completed his degree, he had developed a strong taste for cooking. No surprise then that he started his career in America managing an Indian kitchen in Minneapolis.

That would lead him, after five years, to set up his own venture, Essence of Thyme, a catering and food consulting business with a number of big corporations as his clients.

Iyer spoke about his passion for food soon after Betty Crocker's Indian Home Cooking was launched recently, joining 65 million books published under Betty Crocker imprint in the past five decades. Excerpts:

How would this book be useful to Indians settled in America? After all, there are scores of cook books by other Indian writers.

True, but this book stands out in one very important way -- when the name Betty Crocker is on the cookbook's cover, the consumer immediately knows that the recipes that they are about to duplicate in their home kitchens from the book will be simply written, easy-to-follow, and readily accessible with chockfull of helpful hints.

This is a name they have grown to trust over the years and so will the Indian settled in America. I have learnt the hard way how to cook foods that I grew up with in my western kitchen over the years, and it is this experience that will guide many an Indian in my shoes...

You are a vegetarian. How do you make sure your non-veg recipes are really working?

That's the beauty of herbs and spices that form the backbone of Indian cuisine -- I know how to manipulate its diverse flavors and I know the science of cooking meats, fish, and poultry -- you put the two together and the marriage is a solid one. I have yet to receive a complaint about my meat-cooking prowess.

What was the reaction of your family when they realized you were going into cooking?

My family has always been supportive of anything that I have chosen to do. True they questioned my choice from the perspective of 'will it provide for your financial well-being...' But once they saw the potential of what I do unfold before their eyes, their pride was evident.

What have you cooked for your mother?

I have cooked many things for her - avial, thenga sevai, puris, shrikhand, but her favorite has been my malai koftas - she always insists that I make that for her.

How did you get the courage to start an Indian food business in Minnesotta?

I guess that's always been my pioneer spirit, a spirit that richly defines the Norwegian/Scandinavian heritage of this state's inhabitants.

I enjoy creating a demand for something that is not there, and years ago it was Indian food -- I have always been a teacher at heart and so I took the opportunity to educate the people on not just Indian food, but shared with them anecdotes of Indian culture and social life as well.

Tell us about your consultancy business. How do you go around creating menus for American companies?

I have always created menus to match my client's needs -- hence no two menus of mine are the same. I recently was consulted on a project for California Raisins about Raisins In Indian Cooking and created some recipes for their market. I have also written numerous articles for national food magazines.

Have you thought of starting a restaurant? What kind of restaurant would it be?

It is a tough business and I have thought about it... I would love to be affiliated with a restaurant that is upscale and showcases the elegant simplicity of Indian cuisine...

Why is that an overwhelming number of Indian resturants in North America serve Punjabi food?

This was the community of business entrepreneurs who years ago opened up little mom and pop establishments in North America and cooked foods that they knew how -- which is primarily Punjabi food. So the perception that all Indian food is Tandoori Chicken and Naan stuck over the years. I hope that perception is changing with a variety of restaurant fare across the country.

What are some of the biggest misconceptions Americans have of Indian food?

Curry powder and hot hot hot -- both big misconceptions here. Another big one is that all Indian food is yellow and devoid of texture - how totally untrue.

Many American publications write from time to time that most Indians are vegetarians. How do you think this misconception spread?

Meats in this country (and elsewhere too) have always been a symbol of affluence -- India is a country that is perceived as being fairly impoverished -- vegetarianism has also been associated with certain religious factions in Indian culture that has made its presence known in North America.... As you know, India's coastal communities look toward the bounty from the seas to nurture their bodies.

Tell us about your next book project...

I am currently working on a personal book titled The Turmeric Trail: A Bowl Full of Recipes Thickened with Memories (St Martin's Press, Spring 2002). It is a collection of memoirs intertwined with 155 recipes form the streets of Mumbai to the home kitchens of southern India.

At the end of the day what do you like to eat?

A big bowl filled with basmati rice drenched in rasam (the true Mulligatawny) still brings a smile to my face and a soothing calmness to my soul.

Mock Omelets (Besan Nu Theplas)
Ingredients:

1 cup garbanzo bean flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

About 3/4 cup water

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

1 medium tomato, finely chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro

1 or 2 fresh Thai, serrano or cayenne chilies, finely cut vegetable oil for pan-frying

To make:

Sift flour in medium bowl. Stir in salt and turmeric.

Add water, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating with wire whisk to form a smooth pancake-like batter. Stir in remaining ingredients except oil.

Brush 1/4 teaspoon oil in 8-inch non-stick skillet or griddle; heat over medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup batter into skillet and quickly spread with back of spoon to form 4-inch circle. Cook 2 to 4 minutes, turning once, until brown on both sides.

Repeat with remaining batter, brushing skillet with oil as needed. Wrap pancakes in aluminium foil to keep warm while cooking remaining batter.

8 pancakes, 4 servings.

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Iyer curries flavour with Crocker

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