I am from Bombay, India. I work at an IT company by day but I can’t wait to come back home and...

...bake or catch up with my favourite food blogs.

As a child, I remember spending time in the kitchen helping my grand mom cook. I’d chop the parsley or pass the spices and look into her cooking pot with much awe. She makes the best Indian food. As for baking, my inspiration is my OH who along with sweet tooth, has a discerning palate. Over time I’ve grown to enjoy baking more than cooking. I

If you have a blog, what is your blog name and for how long have you been blogging?

My blog is The Purple Foodie and I started blogging in September 2007.

How long have you been a Daring Baker/Daring Cook and what’s your favorite thing about being in the group(s) so far?

I’ve been a Daring Baker since December 2007. I have learned so much since. Like most others, I’ve made recipes I wouldn’t have without the commitment to the rules and without the awesome support of the fellow daring bakers. I particularly remember the time we made French bread. Given my love-hate relationship with yeast the online chat session where the Daring Bakers baked together was so helpful. While most of the Daring Bakers were baking in the afternoon, here I was, spraying my oven at 2 am and live reporting the progress of my French bread. I had a blast!

What’s your favorite kitchen gadget? How about your favorite kitchen appliance?

I go crazy over kitchen gadgets – big or small. If something’s nifty or particularly cute, I have to own it. About 8 months ago, my uncle gifted me the best thing a baker could ask for – a KitchenAid Stand Mixer. That is my favorite appliance, without a doubt.

Is there any recipe and/or technique that we haven’t covered yet that you’d really like to make/learn?

Macarons, please! I know I will not come around to making them until it is a challenge.

You’ve just won $5000.00!!! But it comes with some stipulations.. you can’t spend it on your kids or your significant other! This is all YOURS. What would you spend it on? (we’re also going to fantasize that you have no bills whatsoever! Woo!! Hehee)

A really nice dSLR camera!

What is the ultimate comfort food to you?

My grandmom’s mutton dal and rice.

Which season (Winter, Summer, Spring, Fall) is your favorite.. why?

If you lived in Bombay, you’d know that there is hardly any difference in seasons here. For me, it’d have to be winter because that’s strawberry season for is!

What’s your favorite cookbook for desserts/baking? What’s your favorite cookbook for savory/cooking?

Current favorite for baking is Dorie Greenspan’s Baking From my Home to Yours. I also love Baked. For savory, it’s got to be The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters.

If you could bake/cook with other Daring Bakers/Daring Cooks, who would they be and why?

It would have to be Aran (Cannelle et Vanille) or Helen (Tartelette). I probably have to wait my turn because I’m sure everyone wants to bake with them!

Who taught you how to cook and/or bake?

I learned cooking by watching people around me. Baking is self taught. An oven is not something you’d find in a typical Indian household. We never had one until I got curious about baking when I was college.

Reading any good books lately? Which ones?!

I love buying food related books. The last one that had a huge impact on me was The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn – in this book she writes about her long standing dream of studying at the world’s finest culinary school and how she finally got there. Very inspiring for me because I want to study a Le Cordon Bleu as well.

Aside from chocolate for most of us, do you have a food addiction?

Right now I’m weirdly addicted to wasabi coated peas. With every pea, I swear that I won’t have another one, but just can’t stop myself.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Cheesecake.

What kind of colors do you like? Pastels? Earth tones? Brights? Neons? Etc.

Purple, as you’ve probably already guessed.

You can visit Shaheen on her blog The Purple Foodie