(From left) Rohini Rana, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of Communications, Government of India and General Gaurav SJB Rana (retired) of the Nepal Army
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Rohini Rana’s new cookbook Memories on a Platter: My Fusion Cookbook begins with a dedication to the three women who ignited a love of cooking in her – her mother, her sister-in-law and her husband’s nanny — a flame that, decades later, continues to burn. Born into royalty to Raja Digvijay Pal Singh and Rani Anant Kumari of Awagarh in Uttar Pradesh, Rohini married Gaurav Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana, who went on to become the Chief of Army Staff, Nepal Army, from 2012 to 2015.“During the eight months between my engagement and marriage, my mother realised that I had not learnt any cooking skills – owing to my years of staying in hostel dorms and only coming home for the holidays. So, my sister-in-law, Rani Saheba Anjali Kumari, was tasked with teaching me how to cook. From making eggs-to-order to sandwiches and cakes as well as Indian dishes, she taught me all, and I absorbed it like a sponge!”, Rohini recalls with a smile. As a newly-married bride in Nepal, it was her husband’s childhood nanny, Chiniya Champa didi, who taught her cooking. “I’ve been a foodie my whole life. I guess that is what led to my interest in cooking because once you’re fond of eating good food, you want to know how to make it,” she says.
