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Use a gratitude jar to ease lockdown anxiety
These are unique times in our lives and we are all making history – albeit not of a pleasant kind. Uncertainty and confusion, the constant bombardment of information and claustrophobia are just a few of the things that a lot of us are grappling with. The past week has been chaotic and stressful – I’ve had to step out of home twice (for essentials) and both times, I’ve returned home feeling dismal and hollow. The deserted roads feel haunted, there is a wariness and every eye, a desperation in movements… its an evidence that this is a battle we are fighting together, and strangely, alone. In this scenario, as each…
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Nariyal-Gaajar ka Halva | Carrot & Coconut Halva
I have a strange relationship with expiry dates. I tend to forget about them until that moment of realization which leads to ‘mission expiry date check’. This is a mission in which you’ll find me combing through the medicine cabinet, my makeup stash, the spice cabinets and… you get the drift? The latest ‘expiry check’ had me cleaning out my mega makeup collection – I was left with an eyeliner and lipstick each. The scene was no different in the kitchen. Empty bottles of spices were lined up on the platform like school children gearing up for morning assembly. The near-expiry carton of fresh cream and an undated packet of desiccated coconut…
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Run for yourself, run with Pinkathon
The thought of waking up at the crack of dawn to go for a run gives me the shivers, irrespective of the time of the year. I’m the kind that wakes up early only for travel or in a life-death situation I’m also that person who’ll run only when food is involved I’m the one who never quite understood ‘running’ & feels like an out-of-control scooter going downhill when asked to ‘run’ The reasons seemed good enough to turn my back on all things ‘running’ and ‘marathon’ – up until conversations with these awe-inspiring three ladies and a childhood crush… Man Kaur | 103 | Track-and-field athlete Man Kaur, the…
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Slow-cooked Mixed Vegetables
Between the time I spend in the kitchen for the baking orders and winter laze that makes us want to snuggle under the blanket with a book, the ‘cooking’ mood at home has been at an all-time low. But since one has to eat and I’m doing my best not to succumb to the lures of ‘restaurant food’, Maa has taken to cooking food that is healthy, quick, easy and minimal. The winter vegetables that continue to sit pretty on the market shelves also help the cause. Mixed vegetables are the go-to for us on most days, especially the Bengali rosha (Bengali vegetable curry) and this particular nameless mixed vegetable.…
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How these book lovers fell in love with reading
To be honest, I don’t exactly remember how I came up with the idea of this particular post about books. It could be the time when my mother was talking about her favourite Bengali author, Sankar – bits and pieces of his works often find their way in her conversations. Perhaps it was that memory of a nursery-grade me lying with her head on the elder sister’s stomach, listening to the latter read out loud abridged versions of classics like The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Little Women. Or when my father revealed that the first English novel he read was Of Human Bondage by William Somerset Maugham at the…
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Guymag | Wheat & Butter Halva
Do you know what one of the best parts about winter is? It’s that special fragrance that comes from generous amounts of ghee or butter. It’s the heady aroma of paratha being roasted in ghee, the sizzle of the spices when they touch the hot makkhan (homemade butter), the hiss as a rainbow of vegetables slide into the butter for a winter-special stir fry. A mention of halva that has been painstakingly slow cooked for that perfect balance of flavours is a must. After all, winters are synonymous with halva! Gaajar ka halva, moong dal ka halva, badam halva, doodhi halva, matar halva… (types of Indian puddings made of carrots, green mung beans, almond, bottle gourd, green peas) Amid this list of lavish…
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Best reasons to travel with friend VS travel with family
It’s the first week of the year and with all the discussions about the year gone by, I can’t not talk about mine! For all the personal & professional ups-and-downs in 2019, nothing can beat the drama and fun that was the trip to Sri Lanka. The thrill of visiting a country renowned for its beauty, the excitement of a first trip with the best friend, followed by the uncertainty and stress of travelling through a land hit under curfew – the week-long trip to Sri Lanka was adventurous to the hilt. To know why I use ‘drama’ and ‘fun’ together when talking about my Sri Lanka trip, read the…
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Of Birthdays and New Year!
Did you read that fancy article I was featured in? Do read I got featured! I got featured! I got featured! that talks about the ‘how and why’ of the Tripcrafters‘ article ‘Top Indian Food Bloggers & Their Favourite Places To Travel For Food’ and give me some more love. I’ve been rather excited about the feature. And the timing of the article was rather apt, coming around the completion of two years of From the Corner Table. Time flies. Or does it? I’ve always believed this to be a matter of perspective. There are phases in life that whiz by like the passing scenery on a high-speed motorway. And…
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I got featured! I got featured! I got featured!
Yes, I got featured. And being appreciated for work that is fuelled by your passion maters, a lot! It matters when a travel industry expert appreciates your work and provides a platform where you can share likes/dislikes. All of this while rubbing (virtual) shoulders with some of the most popular bloggers in town. “Top Indian Food Bloggers & Their Favourite Places to Travel for Food” is a compilation of thoughts shared by bloggers. As Team Tripcrafters says about food bloggers, “…they scourge, they cook, they plate, they travel, they eat; to satisfy their souls as well as their readers.” One of the main reasons I agreed to be a part…
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Dahi Matar Paneer | Cottage Cheese & Green Peas in Yoghurt Sauce
I had always found it odd that some of the best cooks around me wouldn’t eat some of the foods they made. For instance, an aunt of mine makes some amazing Thai non-vegetarian food but she never tastes any of it. Why? Because she gave up non-vegetarian food decades ago for health reasons. Then there is a friend’s mother who cooks the best biryani I’ve eaten; she makes all of it without even tasting the biryani to adjust seasoning. She doesn’t eat rice and non-vegetarian food. So there! I’d always wondered at the strangeness of the situation and how these women managed to cook without wanting to eat the food…
