Quarantine Food Journal

Mar 11

I contracted a mild case of the coronavirus and was sick with it for 10-12 days. Apart from my other symptoms, at some point I realized I had completely lost my sense of smell. My sense of taste was highly diminished too. As I write this, I still can’t smell a thing - not the bold aroma of freshly ground coffee, not the bouquet of a glass of red wine, not the blooming of frying spices, not even my husband’s morning breath.

Counterintuitive though it may seem, I wanted to document my illness, recovery and quarantine through food. Even though I can’t smell and can barely taste, the act of cooking has kept me going through this anxiety inducing period we are all going through.

Cooking has kept me sane because it gives me a sense of purpose during my day. It’s kept me grateful that even this time of crisis, we have access to fresh produce. And it’s kept me resourceful by challenging me to cook with what is at hand, and use things before they spoil.

Admittedly, my food photography skills leave a lot to be desired so bear with me on that!

Sweet potato curry

When I first got sick, I had no desire to cook. I was grateful to have a pot full of warm, nourishing Sweet Potato Curry and brown rice to tide me over.

Slow roasted pork tenderloin tacos

I also had some leftover slow roasted pork tenderloin which I re-purposed into tacos with some avocado and pickled jalapeños.

Khichdi

Khichdi, or as I like to call it, “a hug in food form” is a simple mix of split yellow peas, white basmati rice, ghee, cumin and turmeric. In India, it is the quintessential ‘sick’ food, healing and comforting all at once. I made a big batch of this when I had some energy.

Broiled salmon, roasted potatoes and asparagus

At my sickest, my husband took over dinner duty and made this delectable-looking meal of broiled salmon, roasted purple potatoes and asparagus. But to me, it tasted like something mushy, something crunch and something lemony. This is the meal when I realized I had lost my sense of smell and taste, about 4 days into being sick.

Honey Tahini Cookies

Though I couldn’t taste things, I still craved sweet treats. Not being able to go out to pick up cookies, I used what I had to make these delicate Honey Tahini cookies.

Sweet potato and crispy chickpea tacos

Another “use what you’ve got” meal: Sweet potato and crispy chickpea tacos with tahini dressing on corn tortillas.

Fish tacos, homemade salsa verde

To use up the last of our corn tortillas, a green pepper, our cilantro and tomatoes, and pickled jalapeños, we made Fish Tacos with homemade salsa verde.

Dominoes cheese pizza and garlic bread

I am generally gluten and dairy free. But sick and quarantined, I had highly romanticized the memory of a Dominoes cheese pizza and garlic bread. We ordered some and I am sorry to say it didn’t live up to the memory. And not just because I couldn’t taste anything! The cheese had hardened. There wasn’t enough tomato sauce. This made me more sad than happy.

Flaming Hot Cheetos

While we are on the topic of junk food, I also DEVOURED this bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos. While I could only kind of taste it, I got some satisfaction out of the crunch and a slight tingle on my tastebuds.

Mini Strawberry Shortcake

According to the CDC, you stop being contagious 72 hours after you stop having a fever. For good measure I waited another 48 hours on top of the 72 hours before stepping out around other people. It was finally time for my big outing… to the grocery store! I bought this Strawberry Shortcake at the Whole Foods to celebrate.

Lentil Soup

Lentil soup topped with pancetta, jalapenos, lemon juice and cilantro. Aka. salt, fat, acid, heat (thanks, Samin Nosrat). This was another convenient big batch meal for my lower energy days.

Paleo Pancakes

Usually we eat scrambled eggs for breakfast. When I want to change it up, I make Paleo Pancakes with bananas, eggs, almond flour, coconut flour and vanilla extract. A little maple syrup and macerated raspberries on top!

Fried Egg with Garlicky Green Rice

I had a daikon radish that was on the verge of going bad, so I made this Fried Eggs with Garlicky Green Rice recipe.

Avocado toast topped with daikon radish

To continue using the daikon radish, the last bits of a loaf of rye bread and a rapidly ripening avocado, I made avocado toast for breakfast. Not pictured: The runny fried egg that went on top.

Chicken Keema

Attempted my mother-in-law’s chicken keema recipe: ground chicken, tomato paste, garam masala, chili powder, onions, ginger-garlic-green chili paste (I subbed jalapeños because we were out of green chili). It wasn’t quite the same, but satisfying in its own right!