Translations, especially when it comes to the names of dishes, make me a little loopy. Especially when I can’t find a word to express a particular aspect of the dish and have to rename it. Or when I do find an English equivalent but (not blaming the language here, no sir!), the emotion is missing…Like, ‘scrambled’ doesn’t really give the…
It’s creamy. It’s healthy. It’s quick. It’s yummy! What more can one ask for when it comes to a wholesome dal preparation! The coconut prawn dal is one of the easiest preparations I’ve tried in recent times. Inspired by the liberal use of coconut milk in cuisines from Goa and Kerala, the coconut prawn dal is one among the several…
Banana are a must in our kitchen. They make for an easy snack any time of the day, are tasty and easy to eat. All you have to do is peel and chomp. And my father feels incomplete without them. Sometimes I feel they are the food version of a security blanket for Baba – I’ve seen him get agitated…
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…
If the post title has not made you shudder and click away, then consider yourself smothered in a hug from me! I understand that sometimes it takes courage to even read about certain food items, let alone trying them or eating them. Mention squid or muskmelon and I want to run away. And there are several who follow suit when…
As a child, I used to be fascinated with the concept of a red coloured vegetable and immediately made it my favourite. What tickled me pink was the rice turning pink when mixed with red spinach. Seems it was officially my favourite food and the only time I liked the colour pink! Yes, I never appreciated the various hues of…
One of the best things about summer in India is the abundance of mangoes! Walking into a fruit store these days makes me feel like a kid in the candy store – so many varieties of mangoes to choose from! My father tends to go overboard while mango shopping but thanks to my mother, we don’t end up covering every…
One of the best parts of cooking is trying to find a way where there is zero or minimal waste of produce. It’s heartening to watch even cookery shows placing emphasis on the concept of zero-waste in an attempt to turn it back into norm rather than a trend. And I am well aware that I used the term ‘turn it…
It’s the last week of the year for several of us and preparations are in full swing to celebrate the first day of the New Year. Invitations to attend community celebrations have already started making the rounds and the “I’ll-go-if-you-go” discussions have begun. In a week’s time, Bengalis worldwide will step into the New Year on ‘Poila Boishakh’ or ‘First…
Mention that you are a Bengali and conversations are bound to lead to Rabindra Sangeet, Kolkata and food. There are assumptions galore that with Bengali genes you are a walking encyclopedia of all things mentioned above. It’s rather amusing – for me at least – when I say I’m not very knowledgeable about either of these. Having been brought up…