What You'll Do

Join Vishakha for a heartfelt dinner programme where participants will gather to explore My First Journeys through the comforting tradition of confinement meals—the nourishing food shared with mothers in the days and weeks after childbirth. Across cultures, these meals are specially prepared to promote healing, restore strength, and provide warmth during a time of transition and care.

Drawing from her roots in Nagpur, Maharashtra, and influenced by her broader journey across India and the world, Vishakha will present a wholesome meal centred on high-protein, easily digestible dishes. Expect soulful flavours in Moong Dal, a gently cooked yellow moong split lentil dish tempered with cumin to aid digestion; Red Amaranth Sabji, a nutrient-rich leafy vegetable stir-fry; and Bitter Gourd Sabji, prized for its detoxifying properties. These will be accompanied by Bhakri, a hearty millet flatbread, and Cucumber Raita, a cooling yoghurt-based side dish that balances the meal.

To end on a refreshing note, enjoy Paan—a betel leaf folded and filled with digestives like fennel and aromatic herbs, traditionally served to soothe the stomach and complete the dining experience.

These dishes reflect the wisdom of Maharashtrian cuisine and Vishakha’s thoughtful approach to food—anchored in tradition, shaped by travel, and lovingly adapted to her life in Singapore.

About What’s For My Dinner

Food is more than just sustenance; it carries history, culture, and care. Nowhere is this more evident than in confinement food—a deeply rooted and intimate tradition designed to nourish new mothers during one of the most vulnerable and transformative periods of their lives. For this special edition of What’s for My Dinner, we invite you to step into the world of postpartum nourishment, where food becomes a form of healing, and every meal tells a story of maternal resilience, ancestral knowledge, and familial devotion.

Across cultures, confinement food is both a practical and symbolic gesture of love. These meals are crafted not only to help mothers recover physically after childbirth, but also to offer emotional comfort, reestablish strength, and provide warmth during a time of rest, bonding, and redefinition of self. What makes confinement food so powerful is its blend of nutritional science and inherited wisdom—recipes passed from grandmothers to mothers, from one generation to the next.

Though ingredients and techniques differ, the intention behind confinement meals is remarkably similar across cultures. In Chinese traditions, for example, dishes often feature warming ingredients like ginger, sesame oil, and rice wine, believed to dispel “wind” from the body and replenish qi (energy). In Malay and Indonesian households, herbal tonics and jamu—a mix of turmeric, ginger, and tamarind—are consumed to restore balance and vitality. Indian confinement meals often include ghee-rich lentils, warming spices, and iron- and calcium-rich vegetables to support lactation and boost strength. In Western traditions, too, bone broths, soft proteins, and hydrating fruits and vegetables play a role in postpartum care.

What binds these traditions together is an underlying belief: that a mother’s well-being is the foundation for a child’s early life. Confinement meals reflect this value by placing care at the centre—care in preparation, in intention, and in nourishment. They are not quick fixes or convenience meals, but slow, considered acts of love that honour both the physical demands and emotional journey of motherhood.

In this dinner, we invite you to experience this cross-cultural tapestry of postpartum care. Through warm broths, restorative dishes, and thoughtfully prepared sides, you’ll taste more than just food—you’ll taste heritage, healing, and the universal understanding that to nourish a mother is to nurture a family.

About The Host

Vishakha, a culinary teacher and chef with a rich background in Hotel Management, hails from Baroda, Gujarat, and was raised in Nagpur, Maharashtra. Her passion for food has taken her from India to various parts of the world, and in 2019, she moved to Singapore with her partner, a captain of a merchant navy. Despite the many places she’s called home, food always brings Vishakha back to her roots.

As a host, Vishakha blends traditional recipes with fresh, locally sourced ingredients from Singapore’s markets, creating a unique fusion of her Indian heritage and global culinary influences. With her expertise in adapting recipes to suit different ingredients, she brings both a deep connection to her hometown and a fresh, innovative approach to every dish. Through her stories and culinary expertise, Vishakha will share how food continues to remind her of home, offering guests a meaningful connection to her cultural journey.

Who should come?

Everyone is welcome to participate!
Participants under 13 must be accompained and supervised by a parent/guardian at all times.

Programme Details

Approximate Duration: 2 hours (Please arrive 15 minutes before the tour for registration)
Language: English
Meeting Point: Meet at the Security Post of Melville Park Condominium (16 Simei Street 1, Singapore 529942)

Ending Point: The event will start and end at the same point.

The events will proceed rain or shine.

What to bring?

Participants should be dressed respectfully in smart casual (i.e. collared shirt, long pants and covered shoes). Sleeveless attire, shorts/miniskirts or sandals are strictly not allowed. Participants will be denied entry if they dress inappropriately.
Participants should bring along an umbrella and a bottle of water.

Please ensure that you bring along any personal medication. Asthmatic individuals are reminded to bring their inhaler.

Other important information

Dishes contain ghee. The food is vegetarian but not halal-certified.
Parking is available in the condominium.
The venue is not wheelchair accessible.
Photography is allowed at event premises.

Disclaimer

Each ticket admits only one participant.
By agreeing to participate in the tour, every participant will be responsible for any injury, loss of damage due to careIessness of other actions on his/her part or that of children under his/her charge.
Videos and photographs may also be taken during the event. By registering for this event, you give My Community full rights to use the photos for marketing and publicity.

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My Maharashtrian Dinner with Vishakha Shahane