[Kerala, India] Kochi (Kerala) Sep 16 : Taking the flavours of Indian home cooking to the world, a Kerala housewife is among five people chosen from the country to participate as a guest culinary expert in an international festival in the US.

Nimmy Paul, the only amateur in the group of professional chefs, will be attending the prestigious Seventh Annual Worlds of Flavor International Conference & Festival organised by the Culinary Institute of America in California Nov 11-13.

So the Kochi-based homemaker is getting all set to cook traditional, aromatic dishes like biryani, steamed appams and chicken stew and the famous fish molly.

She would also be conjuring vegetarian specialities like aviyal and curd-based pachadi during the three-day conference to be attended by 50 chefs from countries like China, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The theme of this year's conference is Savouring Asia: Authentic Flavours for American Menus.

Paul, who runs a 'home stay' accommodation for foreign tourists and includes cooking lessons in the package, said she caters to only two guests at a time.

"I am really excited and waiting to be there," she said.

"I think I have been fortunate to be invited because Greg Drescher, director of the Culinary Institute at Greystone, was one of my guests last season," Paul told IANS.

Paul said Asian flavours were inspiring American chefs and food writers and whetting the appetites of American diners.

"This is basically meant to see what Asian dishes could be included in American menus in the coming years, as well as present the best of contemporary Asian cooking that draws on traditions in innovative ways," Paul said.

The three-day event is believed to be one of the largest and most significant conferences ever held in the US on Asian food, cooking and culture.

Food Arts magazine has described the Culinary Institute's Flavour Conferences as "Inspirational. Eleven on a 10 scale."

--Indo-Asian News Service