Can  the physical confines of a kitchen be clocked as a great poem? A poem that can mean different things to different readers and prompt a wave of ideas? For Ishani Basu, a bubbly child of seven, kitchen means a homey room where magic puffs up at the centre of muffins, rum balls and samosa pies. She helps her mother assemble dishes and always bargains for a larger portion of cake batter to lick off. When asked if baking is more than a pastime to her, the tween quips, “I have enjoyed baking ever since I was born.” This writer melts into her guileless admission.

Nearly 12,000 km away in Toronto, 13-year-old Ahmed Allibhai loves to cook, read and play soccer. His food Reels communicate a love for simple recipes that mainly require South Asian ingredients. With Allibhai being followed by 13.8k Instagrammers, we wanted to put his quick medley of flavours to test. And who better than Ishani could have been the judge of that!