New Delhi, Dec. 14 -- I should count myself lucky. I've heard enough about teenagers indifferent to food, but we have an active and amiable 15-year-old who enjoys eating, likes variety, and can usually identify the ingredients on her plate. While she'll eat almost anything when we're out, at home she's intolerant of food made without a spark or flourish. The visual appeal matters-"aesthetic," as she calls it-but she'll abandon presentation entirely if the food truly tastes good. Conversely, if something looks promising but the flavour disappoints, she makes her feelings sharply known. This much I've learned over the years.

I cook almost every day for my daughter, a process that keeps me challenged and thinking. Often, when I'm in the sho...