Super Blogger Sunday : Rajeswari of Raks kitchen

Rajeswari or Raks as she is fondly known as among bloggers has completed 2 successful years of blogging. Photos of recipes on her blog tempt you to just grab them from the screen. Beautiful step by step photo presentation with ingredients neatly segregated into tables are the key attractions on her blog. With more than 100 recipes spread over various cuisines, the blog is a treat for all foodies. Thanks a lot Raks for letting us know more about you and your blog.

EC : Tell us something about yourself

Raks : I am in this blogging world since September 2007. So now its exactly 2 years. So far I have thoroughly enjoyed and learnt, still learning a lot, cooking wise and technically too. I have got a bunch of friends through blogging.

I spend quality time in blogging, to browse through other's recipes and comment. I am a house wife, my 5 yr old kid keeps me busy. Other than cooking, blogging, I have interest in drawing, painting but now i rarely do. Also developing interests in photography, I am an amateur though!

I started blogging to keep records of my cooking, so that every time I need not call my mother or my MIL for recipes and also to share our way of cooking. From home to home, region to region, state to state our cooking style differs. So this is a wonderful platform to share our style of cooking!

I post recipes once a week mostly and what I cook for my family, I take step wise pictures as much as possible and post it in my blog. Step wise pictures I believe that it will help the beginners in cooking, a lot..easy to understand and they may want to know the stages how it will look/come out like.

EC: Who and what inspired you to start food blogging ??

Raks : I started cooking only 3 years back after I was left alone in the kitchen, when I came here to Singapore. When I started to cook, I used to refer to cook blogs a lot and the pictures and recipes really helped me a lot. Then after some time even I thought of starting my own blog and told my husband about my idea. He too have encouraged me a lot in blogging, from teaching me the technical sides, till he bought a camera for the purpose of my blogging! So basically the food blogs out there inspired me to start one of my own!

EC: How do you think blogging has changed your life ?

Raks: Through blogging, I have learnt a wide range of recipes, regional cuisines and all of the above I improved my food photography skills. Other than that, I have got some really good friends out there, who really encourage me!

EC: The pictures on your blog are so beautiful..Give us some tips for good photography.

Raks : As I have mentioned already I am an amateur in Photography, I am still in learning process.

But I can tell what I have learnt so far. Here are some basic tips in food photography:

1) I never use flash in my camera. Natural light source will definitely give a more natural look to our dishes.

2)To avoid dull pictures, I keep my food in a brightest place in my home, like a window side where I get a plenty of bright natural light.

3)Take picture from an angle so that both our serving dish and food in it, gets a decent view. Take more pictures from different angle and choose the best which you like.

4)If you really want to improve your pictures in your blog, we have the source of internet, so feel free to Google and search for food photography, which I am doing still.

EC : How much technical knowledge does one need for successful blogging ?

Raks : I personally feel some basic knowledge will do with which we can start one and we can learn a lot as we are blogging, the only thing we need is "Interest" to know/learn more.

EC : Your views on plagiarism and how can we fight it ??

Raks : Plagiarism is definitely what we have to fight for, one can get an idea from others rather than copying it. Its other person's hard work and one cannot steal without their permission. There are some sites/people involved seriously in plagiarism, which should not be encouraged. All of us should join hands to fight against plagiarism.

EC : Can you give some tips for new bloggers to make their blogs popular ??

Raks : Take part in the food blog events going around the blogging world, leave kind comments in the other blogs you like and keep in touch and make your recipes and pictures presentable to attract others, be unique, be yourself !!

EC : Your favorite recipe from your blog

Raks : Though there are so many I like,this is one among them : Naan