When she was barely nine years old, Anu Hasan’s first culinary triumph was a vegetable pulao, made from scratch, in her beloved “Rukmini” cooker. She still fosters the vivid image of the coconut tree in her backyard, under the shade of which her experiments took form on a brick stove. Her relationship with food goes a long way. And, it is not surprising that the actor’s penchant for cooking still holds strong and can now be streamed digitally. Her long time collaboration with the publication JFW (Just For Women) is now seeping into the digital milieu, with a cookery series titled Get Set Cook by Anu Hasan, that can be streamed online from today.
“Cooking, for some people is an art and for others, is a science. Whatever it may be, for everyone, it should be a joy. There is no point in fussing about perfection. It’s all about instincts. In that sense, there are life lessons hidden in the act of cooking,” says Anu adding that the parallel cooking draws with life is something that she will discuss in the show.
The 12-episodes-long Tamil series takes on a light-hearted approach to food, peppered with funny anecdotes and memories from Anu’s life. Her signature style of introducing subtle humour stands as the highlight.
The recipes, curated by the JFW team, scream simple and relatable. “Chef Ram Kumar and JFW decided on the recipes. Since it’s digital streaming, we had to keep the processes crisp and fast. The USP is the fact that we make it a joyous process for the audiences,” continues Anu. After having filmed, she feels that there are two types of distinct audiences who might find the show interesting — those who think that cooking is difficult and end up realising it is not; and those who like her style of presentation.
Mutton chukka , prawn Malabar curry and different kinds of milkshakes are some of the dishes Anu takes the audience through. “I believe that we don’t have the patience or the time to do complex recipes anymore. Which is why, they also appeal to younger audiences, who want an easy fix,” Anu says. The fact that it is available in a digital platform also gives the audience the leeway to take the recipes at their own time and pace.
Get Set Cook by Anu Hasan will be launched on February 5, on JFW’s YouTube Channel.
