Sumayya Usmani

My father was in the Merchant Navy and my family sailed the globe together until I was seven years old. My mother, who loved to cook, would create dishes on a single electric burner in our captain's quarters onboard the ship. She only had one pan but somehow turned out the most delicious biryanis, cakes and sweets; spiced and hauntingly aromatic. Later, when we settled in Karachi, I was surrounded by aunts and grandmothers cooking with andaza, an Urdu word meaning estimation. I was encouraged to judge my cooking by using all my senses and learning to cook intuitively. There were no recipes – just stories that helped create flavour and comforting home-cooking. Today this ethos of andaza guides my cooking, teaching and writing. I call this ‘the art of sensory cooking’, creating flavour from memories and cooking food with heart and soul.