Travel (mis)adventures, Kitchen tales and Inspiring conversations – stories from a girl out to achieve her simple dreams
A few years ago, the trend of refrigerator magnets trickled into our home when a ‘Statue of Liberty’ magnet found space on the fridge surface. Over the years, several magnets from India and abroad have jostled for space on the grey surface. From the front of the fridge, magnets made their way to the visible …
I’m still staggering under the amount of sweets I’ve gorged on in the past few days. Diwali season was literally a ‘mithai season’ (sweets season) for me with sweets made at home, others’ homes and store-bought making their merry way into my system. I won’t insult your intelligence by insisting ‘I couldn’t say no’. Nope, I could have …
It’s amazing the way certain foods trigger memories of times gone by, relations lost in the passage of time – the memory brightening your mood faster than a cup of coffee or a quart of ice cream can. Labanga latika, a Bengali sweet dish, is one such food item for me. I don’t remember a …
Whew… It’s still five days to Diwali but in our house on the fifth floor of an apartment, we are already feeling the effects. Doors and windows have to be kept closed after 8pm to keep out pollution created by the insane amount of firecracker bursting. Wonder what will happen by the time Diwali comes in …
I know, I know… It’s been over a week since we bid an emotional adieu to Goddess Durga and almost everyone is in Diwali prep mode. Some of your houses and lives must resemble chaos now – pushing the painting/remodelling job in the house, the annual home cleaning session in progress, shopping and planning the …
The festivities celebrating different forms of the Goddess are nearly over – the Navratri fervour will reach its crescendo tonight with Ravan dahan even as the Durga devotees are gearing up for that final adieu, the idol immersion. That feeling of having enjoyed a festival to its maximum, mixed with that bittersweet emotion of the end of something …
One of the most popular street foods available in Kolkata, the ‘dimer devil’ literally translates into ‘the egg’s devil’. An easy to make Indian Style Deviled Eggs recipe
Oops… I’ve done it again. I’ve gone ahead and committed to being part of something that is adding to my anxiety-ridden life. One would think that being ‘experienced’ would rid me of all doubts. But tell me, does that one experience count? I still get sweaty palms when I think about those panic-filled days that …
An easy to make Bengali delicacy, this sweet dish is a yummy combination of sweet and crispy
I’ll be honest. I was a bit flummoxed when I first read that October 1 is celebrated as World Vegetarian Day! As someone born in India, vegetarian food has been a part-and-parcel of life as far as memory stretches. My family loves its fish, meat, seafood and what not. But we love our vegetarian food …
In conversation with Urban Khichdi, a new food venture in Ahmedabad, that promises to satisfy your khichdi cravings. Khichdi, after all, is the hug in a bowl.
Eating alone, especially dining alone on solo travels can be daunting. Here are my tips for eating alone like a boss and enjoying it.
Made with just all-purpose flour and potatoes, these fritters are not something that I would define as healthy. But they are supremely easy to make and are the perfect dish to make when you open the doors to unexpected guests.
No one is born a solo traveller. Somewhere along the path of life, you determine the need or desire to travel alone and then forge ahead. At least, that’s the way I look at it. I’ve been a latecomer to the world of solo travel. Till about five years ago, my solo travel time was …
Spot a festival marked on the calendar and I immediately start grilling my mother about the food. The latest conversation went something like this… Me: Maa! It’s Janmashtami on September 3. What’s special on the menu for the day? Maa: Hmmm… I could make payesh but then you are lactose intolerant so… Me: Okay. What …
I’m a Potterhead like that, you know. I was part of a generation that was swept in the Potter wave back in 1997. The first of J.K. Rowling’s magical series Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone came my way only in 2000 but by then, I had heard rumblings of this new world of magic …
An oval-shaped dining table dominates the living room of our family home. It’s the place where we eat our meals, yes. But there’s much more to that table. The dining table is where Baba* sits to sift through the daily mail and at the end of the month, attempt to make sense of my expenses. …
Gosh! Have you ever marvelled and shaken your head at the ease with which the child version of you was made a fool of? I do! Seems I was a rather happy-go-lucky and trusting child, willing to believe almost everything the parents told me. And when it came to food – and yes, I was …
It’s a common enough complaint of a child of any age that his/her parent nags and tends to hover. I shared the same sentiments. But all of that came to a screeching halt – albeit temporarily – when it came to the trip with my parents to Scotland. Because with startling clarity, I realised I’d …
“I decided to become a chef when I was 10 years old and I never changed my mind. Never ever. I remember telling my father that I want to become a cook.”