on food, people, places and being a mom
Food Blog by Simon
Peace and happiness. These two words! They seem like my lifelong pursuit! No, they have not eluded me. I have just never learnt their meaning the way I do now. I guess age is not just a chronology after all. Age is the experience, the …
Durga Puja has already started in various places in UK. Last Sunday I had a food stall in one of the pujas in Basingstoke. This was my fifth year with them. Somehow over the years I have formed a bond with them which comes alive …
Since when 5 year old is a teenager? Has it always been like this (basically I am asking you know what right?). My 5 year dotty has the capacity to push that button which freaks me out every time. What is it with children trying …
If you are readding this-How have you been? I am well, thank you. If you are wondering It’s been a while I have written something on my blog. I try my best to be regular on my Instagram and Facebook page. I do update on …
Fluid Time: This is my first blog post in months. I did have grand plans to write during the lock down. I thought I will write almost every day now that I have time. But……..Time-seems like the most precious of all things now. When we …
Vegan January –Veganuary! The concept has become very popular among many of my friends specially those who are already vegetarians. I will be honest- I struggle to give up fish. Do I not believe eating or being or becoming vegetarian as good concept? I do …
Since when 5 year old is a teenager? Has it always been like this (basically I am asking you know what right?). My 5 year dotty has the capacity to push that button which freaks me out every time. What is it with children trying …
Peace and happiness. These two words! They seem like my lifelong pursuit! No, they have not eluded me. I have just never learnt their meaning the way I do now. I guess age is not just a chronology after all. Age is the experience, the …
Durga Puja has already started in various places in UK. Last Sunday I had a food stall in one of the pujas in Basingstoke. This was my fifth year with them. Somehow over the years I have formed a bond with them which comes alive …
I come and go, isn’t it. Life has not been easy. Well, it is not meant to be easy. But there are times when one needs to let it be-let life shape itself. Sooner or later it settles down and gives us the space we …
Chirer Polao was a common breakfast or evening snacks in my growing up days. I was a picky eater, which worried by mother a lot. I was thin, small and super active. My mother was always worried that I was not eating enough, running more …
My Kolkata visits will almost always have a visit to the temple. No, I am not particularly religious, but my mother is. So is my brother. I rely on them to pray for me. I am sorted from that point of view. However, I do …
I love my fish. And I love my ‘koi Mach’ (Climbing Perch) -atleast my parents like to think that. It is only apt that when I am starting to write my blog again after ‘trillion’ years I start with fish I feel I need to …
Finally! A guest post by Poppy Di. Those of you active in UK Bengali social media might not really need an introduction of Poppy di. She is very active and popular for her innovative cooking and her unique GIF. For those outside and out side …
It’s pouring in London-perfect time for a cup of masala cha and Singara. Mon ta besh Cha cha korche (Oh I don’t even feel like translating it : I feel tea tea in my mind?!!!! Ha ha. Feel like having tea??!!!!! Well you get the …
Shukto er daal and alu bhorta the ultimate comfort food. Opar Bangla and epar Bangla (Bangladesh and west Bengali in the present days) have lots of things in common like language (although the dialects are different actually) and culture but what sets us apart …
The bestest ever chocolate cake I call it! And I mean it. I have tried and tested so many recipes including my mother’s and brother’s (both are extremely passionate bakers by the way) nothing matches this one. I know there are many recipes on …
Lebu Lonka Murgi or Chicken curry cooked with lime juice and chilli paste is the recipe for today. But before I talk about the recipe, I really needed something out of my chest. It’s been bothering me for some time now. My three and half …
Easy Mango Ice-cream made without an ice cream maker, all you need are mangoes, condensed milk and cream to make this Mango Ice Cream. It is creamy and scoop able, just like the ice cream you buy from shops. Only difference is you cannot buy the favour …
The recipe for Easy Fresh Strawberry Ice-cream needs only three ingredients and lots of love. So with lots of love in my heart, I sit to write the blog post at 7am in the morning. My writing /work station is near the window in my …
Cooking Dhakai kachchi/Kaachi Biryani is a matter of love. It is the true child born out of labour. The effort of making the biryani pays off when friends and family seating across the dining table cannot stop taking about it. I am extremely passionate about …
‘Nolen Gur’ —-the sound of the name is enough to make all Bengalis sentimental. The Date palm jaggery is an intrinsic part of Bengali life and is synonymous to winter in Bengal. Sandesh or the way Bengali’s call it Sondesh- its history dates back …
Subho Nababarshe’r Preeti o Subechei janai sobai ke. 1424 sobar jonne aro anandamoy hoye uthuk. Poila Boishak and Petpujo & Adda are inseparable. Tai aajker diney we had a special spread for our dear friends and menus were suggested by them. Loved the overall adrenaline …
I am having bit of a strange day today. Emotionally stressed to the core. Do you ever get the feeling that you have become silent? You cannot even hear your own mind and heart. I sometime feel that way. This morning when I got …
This is my fourth week into low carb diet. Well, I thought I would fail on the first week or just cheat my way. But I surprised myself. I didn’t cheat and I am not craving for my ‘Bhat’ (Boiled rice in Bengali) …
It is a gloomy day in London. Sometime weather plays up with my mood and I get very emotional. N-my daughter did not want to go to her childminder’s this morning. She was busy playing with Pritha (a family friend) and I was getting late. …
I love the smell of fresh orange and the sweetness of the fruit. But with work and grind of life I never get a chance to eat them as much as would like to. Some of them are sitting on my dining table right now. …
Ever since my daughter started to go to preschool, I am making these snacks more often. N is not a good eater but whenever she eats she eats healthy food. She loves broccoli and carrot and loves cheese. Hence bread pizza is something I make …
This is one of the yummies cake I have had in a long time. Usually I do not share my cake recipes as they are ‘really mine’ which I come up after many trials and errors. I keep them for ‘Magic in the oven’ But …
I had a lot of thing in mind to write about. But my daughter is going to be home soon. And I want to be with her when she is back from her child minder. Dilemma of a working mother. But hay! I am not …
It is 5 in the morning and I am wide awake. My body is still on Kolkata time zone. Not a bad thing actually. I get to have my morning cuppa peacefully before the little one is up and demands every second of my …
Happy New Year to all of you! Well we are already in the middle of the month of January 2017 It’s been a while that I have posted something on my blog. I was away in Kolkata visiting home, spending time with my ma, …
Winter is a killer here. It makes me depressed specially on a Sunday evening. I have been trying to keep myself occupied on Sundays now so that I avoid being depressed. (So few of us talk about depression openly isn’t it! But we should, maybe …
Finally it seems like winter has set in. No complaint though. We had lovely summer hence do not mind the grey winter mornings and early nights. In fact sitting in my office overlooking the garden the rainy day seem very romantic. Keralan filter coffee in …
Egg chicken Roll is time tasted street food which is hugely popular in Kolkata. Bengali’s do not need an occasion to gorge on this beauties. Be in an evening snack, after office binging, lovers day out, puja pandal hopping at mid night, first day outing …
We celebrated Durga Puja a bit early this year. Rumi, from Basingstoke left a message for me on my Magic in the Oven (https://www.facebook.com/Magic-in-the-Oven-1712207279067424/) page asking if I wanted do the sweets for their Durga Puja which was on Sunday, 2nd Oct. She wanted …
Pujo is almost here. In just a couple of days, Bengalis across the globe will be celebrating Durga Puja a five-day festival worshiping of Goddess Durga and celebrates her win against the evil demon ‘Asur’. Durga Puja is all about getting …
According to Wiki “ Upma or Uppuma or Uppittu is a common South Indian, Maharashtrian and Sri Lankan Tamils breakfast dish, cooked as a thick porridge from dry roasted semolina or coarse rice flour. Various seasonings and/or vegetables are often added during the cooking, depending …
I made this chops two weeks back and have been meaning to upload them. Well I was on holiday this whole week and I had made this huge to do list. Uploading this one on the blog was one of them. I didn’t achieve much …
Leena is a friend and life saver. I have known her for over six years now. From my days of being a student at SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies), paper submissions, endless night readings to the birth of my child, she has been …
Chettinad Chicken Roast I was looking for a recipe that is easy to make. Now what is an easy recipe? Easy to make or takes less time or hassle free ingredients? What? What actually is easy for me!!!! What is it I am looking for? …
I am looking at my laptop screen thinking what is it that I really want to write? All that comes out of me is a long breath. Where do I start? It’s been three long years since I looked at my blog. And …
Kala Kand is a pan Indian sweet with various versions depending on the state you are eating it. Largely, it is made with milk, cottage cheese, sugar and is usually decorated with Pistachio nuts. Many also make the sweet using milk solid instead of milk. …
I made this one to celebrate the Chinese New Year, which was 10 February 2013. Somehow did not get the time to post the recipe on the blog. Any given day, Chinese food is always a welcome break from Bengali food that I eat at …
I am going through a phase when cooking seems like a real hard work. Well, I did do some cooking in the weekend but the whole idea of clicking snaps and writing recipe seems too much. I just want to eat and sleep and go …
Maushumi, a friend of mine astounded me with her Doi Begun (aubergine with Yoghurt). She grew up in Orissa and shared with us the amazing recipe that belongs to the state. When I saw the picture of her dish, I knew it was something that …
I never thought of a Marathi dish. If you asked me a month ago what my favorite Marathi dish was, I would have said none or I do not even know which are Marathi dishes. There was a time when I went to Mumbai every …
18 year ago, on this day in Hindu college, I was gifted a lovely brown teddy bear & a lovely card. And to make excuse to give me gifts, my friends received gifts as well. After all this years, I came back home to red …
To me, when I think about ‘food’ like a main dish and its color, mostly I think about yellow, red, green, maroon, white as the normal color for food. Any other colors such as blue, pink, purple etc are colors for cake icing or ice …
Come February and all shop window turns red. It breaks the monotonousness of January. January is New-year and February is Valentine day. I do not have many thoughts on Valentine’s Day. Should I celebrate it or should I not? Well some celebration most often is …
Saturday was sunny. Great start of a weekend. For the first time I realised that, we do get some sun light in our new home. This is the first time we are staying on a ground floor property. To be honest, I am not that …
Ingredients 1. 1-small sized chicken, cut into pieces 2. 2-Onions chopped properly 3. 1-teapsoon garlic paste 4. 1-teaspoon ginger paste 5. 1-teaspoon cumin powder 6. ½-teaspoon red chili powder or paprika powder 7. ½-cup yogurt 8. ½-cup milk 9. 2-green chili, slit length wise 10. …
Ingredients: 400g-Fish (I used Herrings. You can use sardine, mackerel, or any other fry that you like to eat fried like Rahu, katla, maybe even prawn should taste good I should imagine) 2-tablespoon lemon juice 1-tablespoon ginger paste 1-tablespoon garlic paste 1-teaspoon chili powder 1-tablespoon …
Very unique as far as I am concerned and very tasty. I do not know why I got to know about it so late. However better late than never. Ingredients 2-big red onions, chopped finely 100-grated coconut 1-teaspoon chana dal (Bengal gram) 1/2-teaspoon mustard seeds …
Ingredients: 8-pieces Aar Mach. Washed and clean ¼-teaspoon kaloo jeera 1-teaspoon red chili powder 1-teaspoon turmeric 1-teaspoon cumin powder 1-teaspoon ginger paste 2-green chili, slit length wise 1-bay leaf Salt to taste 3-tablespoon oil to fry the fish 2-tablespoon to cook Little coriander leaf, sliced …
My mallu friend A’s amma says that this dish is from Kerala. I believe her, as I am no expert on the Kerala cuisine. However, my mother says same dish minus the curry leaves is cooked in many parts of coastal Bangladesh as well as …
Ingredients 300g-Pineapples cut into small pieces ½- teaspoon Panch Phoron ½-teaspoon turmeric 1/4-chili powder 1-dry red chili ½-ginger paste ½-cup sugar 500ml-coconut milk Salt to taste 1-teaspoon oil Method: 1. Heat oil in pan 2. Add panch phoron and dry red chili on the hot …
This is a very simple dessert and it would never fail you. Many times, it rescued me from my last minutes dessert disasters. I usually make this dessert when I invite many people over for lunch and have gone overboard with main courses or too …
I have been meaning to make this dish ever since I saw the recipe on TV on one of Nigella Lawson’s Christmas food shows. Finally, I made it yesterday…. For the first time. I expected this dish to be different.. do not know how…. but …
Sunday lunch special is not a thing of my house. We always had special food- there was always something new on the menu. We always had elaborated meals. Even now, when we are all away from home, my mother would cook a five-course meal. It …
Ingredients: 300g mutton shoulder pieces 2-large onions cut into fine slices 4-cloves of garlic, paste 2-inch ginger, paste 1-teaspoon turmeric 1-teaspoon red chili powder 1-teaspoon cumin seed powder 1-teaspoon coriander seed powder 6-small potatoes, cleaned and skinned 1- Bay leaf 4/5-cardemom 2- Inch cinnamon Salt …
Ingredients 6-pieces of Ilish / Hilsa 3-green chili, slit length wise 2-teaspoon mustard seed (I used black) or use 2 –teaspoon mustard seed powder (read instruction of soaking on the pack before using) 1-teaspoon turmeric powder 1-teaspoon red chili powder (I used Kashmiri chili, as …
Ingredients 5-ripe and sweet tomatoes cut into small pieces ½-teaspoon panch phoron 1-green chili ½-teaspoon grated/paste ginger ¼-teaspoon turmeric powder 5-tablespoon sugar (or as per taste of sweetness) Pinch of Bhaja masala (dry roasted masala dust. See my spice section for details) Salt to taste …
Pumpkin and Apricot with chicken?!!!!…..Yes! yes.! You are reading and seeing right. Do not judge and shy away from making this wonderful one pot dish due to it ingredients. Let me assure you- it is a wonderful dish with lovely mixture of sweetness of the pumpkin …
Alu Tikki reminds me of my Vijaynagar days in Delhi University. The ‘thela walla’ with alu tikki, the smell, banging of the iron spoon on the huge iron tawa in the evening announcing his arrival. Whenever I think of alu tikki, I am always reminded …
Ingredients: (This will make around 70) 125g spread or butter ( I used spread) 200g brown sugar 3- Teaspoon ground coffee 1-teaspoon vanilla extract 1-egg 220g- flour ( or you can use 110g plain and 110g selfraising flour. then you will not need baking powder) …
The illicit happines of eating Nona Ilish Being from Noakhali (coastal area) Nona Ilish is almost staple for my parents. My ma tells ‘During the months when Ilish is in abundance in fish markets, our cooks would buy them in bulk and salt them for …
Want to have something sweet but have very little time, too tired to make, suddenly guest coming for dinner so need a quick dessert…. Then this is what you want to make………..Bhapa Misti Doi ( steamed Sweet Yogurt). This is simple.. really really simple!!!!!!!!!!! Try …
This is a classic Bengali dish, although mainly cooked with fish. This is not for the faint hearted-for the dish has a punch from the mustard paste which is very different from the English mustard paste one would get in store. Usually mustard paste for …
Well, after thousands of Christmas lunches, between shopping eating, endless New Year Parties and then of course the Poush Sankranti eating extravagance- it is time for me to remember ( at least I am trying. So you are not allowed to laugh) that I had …
English months January–February, that is the months of Poush-Magh-Falgun in Bengali calendar, are the months for celebration of new harvest. Ours being predominantly an agrarian society, harvesting festival is celebrated across Indian. Known by different names in different parts of the coiuntry- Poush Sankranti in …
Coconut and Jaggery filled Pati Shapta Ingredients for Jaggery and coconut filling 1-cup Grated coconut Jaggery as per taste (you can use sugar too incase you don’t have jaggery) Ingredients for milk fudge filling 4-litre full cream milk 4/5 Cardamom Sugar Milk Fudge Filled Pati …
Ingredients: 1-cup Rice Flour/flour ( I used flour) 1-cup Grated coconut 4-litre full cream milk Pinch of salt 4/5 Cardamom Jaggery as per taste (you can use sugar too incase you don’t have jaggery) Oil to deep fry the pitha Method: Filling 1. Heat a …
Ingredient: 1-cup flour ¼-cup coarse Semolina ½- teaspoon Fennel seed (saunff) ½- cup sugar (change the quantity suiting your taste of sweetness. My ones were little too sweet for me but my guests for whom I was making, likes them sweet) ½-cup water /milk ( …
Bhapa Pitha (if you are bangal) or Pithe (if you are ghoti). I am a Bangal so I call them pitha. Bhapa means steamed. Therefore, this is a steamed pitha. This traditional sweet is usually made with rice flour dough filled with coconut and date …
First time I ever eat this Kabab (kebab if you like. I am Bong so I will stick to Kabab) was in Pasher chachi’s house. Now who is Pasher Chachi? I know if my family members were reading this blog, they would know I have …
I have been meaning to cook something from Chitrangada’s Blog ‘Color and Spices’. Her Recipe coupled with her day light photograph entices me entirely. I wish I could take some day light snaps like her or cook like her really. Day light photograph on sunny …
I have known this family for years. In fact I have been part of them since I started to walk. My father after teaching in Kolkata got tired and took up a teaching position in one of the universities in Dhaka. To be honest it …
This is one of my favorite fish preparations by my didon (grandmother). And it is very typically ‘Noakhailla’. There are two secret of this recipe: the use of oil. The more you use it the better it tastes. And ‘sukno lanka bata’ ( paste of …
This is what I had for my dinner today. Honey Mustard Chicken Meatball Pasta a dinner made easy idea. And it never fails. I am going to carry it in my lunch box tomorrow too. Two work taken care off. Check! Updating blog. Check. Need to …
Alu Diye Rui Macher Jhol: A must have for ‘mache Bhate Bangali’ ( Rahu Fish Gravy cooked with potatoes-A must have for Fish eating Bengali) Bengali’s are one fish loving folks. We have 100 different ways of making fish. Rahu, Katla, Ilish, Chingri and 100 …
Well into the New Year but I am yet to get over my holiday mood. It is not that I have not been feeding myself but I do not feel like putting down anything for my blog. Just being lazy and watching a lot …
Ingredients: 1 kg roasting potatoes (I used Maris Piper) 100g duck/goose fat or butter or olive oil (I used olive oil) Little bit of flour for dusting Salt to taste Method: 1. Peel the potatoes and half them if they are small to medium sized …
A Self Decorative Christmassy Swiss Roll !!!!!!! I have been meaning to bake this awesome decorative Swiss roll even since I saw them at N’s facebook page. N is my little sister who is amazing at baking. Please visit her page at Bake Bar Then …
It is Christmas and it seems incomplete without a roast in the blog. I am sharing a recipe that I made last Christmas for just the two of us. We love butter, garlic and rosemary infused roast bird. However, I wanted to eat something different …
Basil and Almond Pesto layered baked Fish As promised, I am posting the second fish recipe that I had made last night. Well, although I said that it is an Italian dish, today’s after thought is that I am not sure. The reason being, I …
Fish with Mango and Coconut Milk- A Thai Dish It might be some time before I write part 2 of my kolkata trip. Specially with Christmas just around the corner, with lights all around, insane shoppers, carol singers at Tesco, red coats and jumping kids, …
Part 1: Kali Pujo r mela (fair) in Behala and discovering Mathura Cake ( recipe at the bottom) Kali Puja Although, it has been a while that I am back from home (where is home? Kolkata. Always!). Yet my body is engulfed by laziness …
I have not used the oven in my new home. It does not look in great shape and that is upsetting me already. So it is important that it works well. I decided to make something that is easy and quick to make and have …
I have not used the oven in my new home. It does not look in great shape and that is upsetting me already. So it is important that it works well. I decided to make something that is easy and quick to make and have …
Kosha Mangsho or Bengali spicy sautéed mutton curry (Mind it……spicy is not synonymous with chilli hot) is one of those dishes that I love but do not cook often as we are minimising our consumption of the mutton or lamb or any other red meat …
Between packing ‘n’ number of bags /boxes/suitcases and shifting home, I did manage to do some cooking for Eid. I made Kosha Mangsho (spicy Bengali Mutton Preparation) and chicken meatball Pulao. However, as of now, I am too tired to write the recipes, watermark the …
I had so much food over the last five days of Durga Puja (Bengali festival) that today I am craving for some light and easy to make food. Therefore, I decided to make some couscous and pan roasted chicken. You can make it vegetarian by …
Aam Sondesh/Mango Sandesh Tomorrow is the last day of Durga Puja-Bijoya Dashami. The wait for puja seems so long and when the day of celebration finally begins, blink of an eye and it is gone. Durga Puja commemorates the annual visit of the Goddess with …
Alur Dom We Bengalis call them Luchi. Others call them phulca, puri etc. whatever we choose to call it, most Indians love this fluffy balls. Bengalis love it at all times- be it breakfast, lunch or dinner. It holds a highly honored position in a …
BHOGER KHICHURI -NIRAMISH BENGALI MOONG DAL KHICHDI – PUJA SPECIAL. Photo from 2020 27th January 2020: Updating another of my blog post from 2012. It took me this long. This long! But I had to do it sooner or later. Time on hand seems like …
I cannot wait for Saturday to come- Durga puja to start. I can feel the softness of the sun, the chill in the wind, the smell of marigold. I can hear the ‘Dhak’ in my minds ear. (Listen to this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnT4iXg0OPs&feature=related). Across seven seas, I …
I can feel Durga Puja is the air, even in London! Today was a wonderful sunny day, little chilly, just like winter morning in Kolkata. Moring that indicate the arrival of Durga Puja or Sharodotsav (festival of autumn) “Durga Puja is the biggest festival …
I cooked this Paneer Pasanda with Kumror Bichi ( kaddu Beej/ Pumpkin Seed). I had so much of the pumpkin seed at home that I needed to put them to cook use. I make fish, chicken and sometime fish Paturi (fish cooked in wrapped banana …
A wonderful satisfying ‘meal in a bowl’. The meat and stock can be prepared a day or several hours in advance. And …..no noting more to say today. Just making this dinner and will be enjoying it while watching Wallander. 8.30pm 11.20pm : Hang on …
Want to cook something in flat 20 mins? something that is healthy, full of flavor and really tasty? Try this one! Ingredients 225gm Paneer or Cottage cheese 1-inch ginger grated 2 -pod garlic grated ¼ -teaspoon turmeric powder ½-teaspoon red chili powder (optional) ½-teaspoon cumin …
Sunday was a great day. We started the day with lovely parsi breakfast, akuri with bread followed by fried chicken sausage, English breakfast tea and finally scones and cream. That does not end there. We had dal paratha with yoghurt and coriander chutney for lunch. …
This is something I have been meaning to bake for a while. Today I had such craving for pineapple that I just went ahead and finally baked it. I am taking this for Pritha’s dinner tonight as like me she is also fond of pineapple. Ingredients …
Another dish from my grandmother’s kitchen Ingredients 5- Koi mach (cimbing Perch) 1-teaspoon turmeric 1-red chili powder ½-teaspoon kajo jeera (Nigella seed) 4-cardemom 1-inch cinnamon 1-inch ginger (paste) ½-teaspoon cumin powder 1-cup coconut milk/cream Salt to taste 3- tablespoon oil 2-green chili for garnishes Method: …
Comilla is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and it is city, which is very near to my parent’s ancestral home. According to Wikipedia “On 21 November 1921, Kazi Nazrul Islam composed patriotic songs and tried to awaken the town people by protesting the Prince of …
There is this little boy who travels in same the bus as I do. Every day he will sit in one of the front seats and he will keep his bag on the other. And Every day I will go near the seat and stand. …
We eat bhorta or paste of many vegetable. I guess it is also a habit born out of frugal living and then passed down to generation as healthy and tasty food. Among all the bhorta that my mother makes, Potole r bhorta is my personal …
Ingredients150g whole urad dal (black lentils)50g rajma (red kidney beans)1- large onion, thinly sliced 1- inch ginger, julienne5- garlic cloves1- green chilies ½-teaspoon chili powder 1/2- teaspoon cumin8/10 fenugreek seed100g tomato paste or puree 30ml cream 1-tablespoon oil Garam Masala according to your taste Salt …
Who does not like the smell of cinnamon? I for one is game for all thing that smells of cinnamon. Cinnamon is used for both sweet and savory food. All kind of dishes use cinnamon. Indian, Turkish, Egyptian, and American to Persian- name it and …
Another very simple yet very tasty recipe with prawn. This one is lovely with steamed rice or roti. The days you do not have time for an elaborate cooking yet want to eat something nice, try this one. Ingredients:230gm prawn2-small onion, thinly sliced2-potatoes, small dices …
Ingredients 200gm prawns ½-teaspoon red chili powder 1-tablespoon mustard oil Salt to taste And nothing else, just as the name suggest! Are you worried about the taste? Don’t be. The salty and sweet taste of prawn mixed with the hotness of chili and sharpness …
It is weekend. I get up with lovely sunshine falling on my face and with the remains of a lovely dream. I am not usually very keen on going to the kitchen in the morning. I love my morning quiet, calm with a light Darjeeling …
This recipe is a blessing in disguise for hectic- day-after –office- cooking. It takes around 20mins to prepare and cooks with no compromise on the taste. You can eat it with rice as well as roti. In fact you can also eat with bread like …
After a terrible day in my office, I want to cheer myself with something nice to eat. But my fridge is empty, I have no vegetable and no chicken to make soup. In addition, I am not in a mood to take soup tonight. I …
Recipe from the past: Kumro r khosha Diye Mosoor Dal (Red lentil cooked with pumpkin skin) My parents come from a thrifty background. Partition, migration, war in 1971 and being refugee had an immense impact on the way my parents grew up, their values, life …
Chingri Malaicurry Polao (Prawn Malaicurry Pulao) Want to make a one-pot dinner that is surely going win everyone’s heart yet not wear you out in the kitchen? Try this one! I made it out of sheer desperation and wow is the result Nothing more …
Black Forest Gâteau Since we met in Delhi, in 1996, we never celebrated our birthdays without a black forest Gâteau or cake. As students, our luxury was to get black forest from Grand Plaza in Model Town, Delhi. And of course, there were those …
Mocha r Paturi ( Banana flower wrapped and cooked in banana leaf) Mocha (banana flower) is a very favorite dish of ours. I am not exception although cooking mocha takes patience. One needs to peel each layer of the flower and bring out the stem …
There is so many things going on in my head at the same time, I am unable to give form on any one of them. At one end, I am excited about a recipe requested from a childhood friend, on the other I am forcing …
Thai Green Curry with chicken I had one of the longest day and wanted to eat something warm yet quick. Hence, Thai green curry chicken. It is easy to make, smells wonderful: a perfect blend of texture and aroma! Ingredients for green paste …
Chicken Sausage Muffins As promised, sharing another of my sugar free treats that I made for my father. This is really easy and if you make them once, you will come back to them again and again with your own innovations! Happy Baking! Makes: 6 …
The fruit stalls now are full of gorgeous purple colored figs and I am so tempted to buy them. However, I never buy them as I know that it will be total waste as we will end up not eating. But yesterday I just could …
I realise that it is dangerous to call a recipe mine, but this really was born out of desperation using ‘whatever was there in the fridge’. Also, this is the first recipe of Salmon that I cooked back in 2008 when we moved to UK. …
Picture taken 6th January 2020 This is very old blog post of mine: September 2012. Another time and another space and another era to me. I did not know any other Bengali food blogger or a home cook in business in London then. I have …
I have baked for almost for 7 hours between last night and this morning. So far, I have baked cashew chocolate chip cookies, kalo jeera biscuits, coffee snaps, cinnamon pinwheels, pineapple strudel using bread dough, and savory muffins –all for home. For my brother, father, …
Kalo Jeera Biscuit (Savory Biscuit with Nigella Seed) I baked these for my father who is sugar intolerant and has a very high blood pressure. So I made them with love instead of sugar or butter. Try it. They turned out very nice actually Makes: …
Assamese Masoor Tenga (Assamese Fish in sour curry) Since the day we celebrated ‘Independence Day’ last week, I have been thinking a lot about the day. Specially looking at all of ours FB pages where we are wishing each other on the day, proudly talking …
Today is my cousin RS’s birthday. Had I been in Kolkata, maybe I would have baked his birthday cake. Maybe my mother or brother is baking him one. Nevertheless, I feel like celebrating his birthday by making something sweet. Also we are not getting the …
This one is an easy cheesecake recipe. What I like about it is that I can make as little as I like as they are individually made in a cupcake/muffin mould/cups. Usually cheesecake takes a long time to bake and at least over night chilling …
It is a beautiful sunny day in London. The kind of warm, lazy day- perfect for staying home, eating fish and rice with Gondhoraj lebu and dal , playing a game of ludo and having a cup of Darjeeling tea standing by the balcony ( …
Eid walla Biriyani for my dearest friend SS Growing up in North Africa, celebrating Eid was part of my childhood. My brother and I got new dresses, my mother cooked lovely food and family friends visited our home. We went to visit L aunty, Y …
Serves: 2 as main at dinner Preparation time: 20 mins including making Pad Thai SauceCooking time: 30 mins Ingredients 1- Chicken breast fillet100g cooked and peeled king prawns1 Egg 1- Large onion or shallot 2- Red chilies (optional)1- Tablespoon finely chopped ginger1- Tablespoon finely chopped …
I am a Bangal (people who are originally from then East Bengal, now Bangladesh and settled in West Bengal, India as opposed to Goti-people originally from West Bengal, India) from Tripura with ancestry in Noakhali, Bangladesh. Although I have never really stayed in Tripura other …
Serves: 2 to 3 for dinner as mains without any sides Preparation Time: 15 minsCook Time: 30 mins to roast chicken and mix the salad at the same time Ingredient: Roast Chicken 2 -Chicken legs/Breast (I have used breast) 4- Garlic cloves (you can reduce …
Serves: 2 Preparation Time: 15 minsCooling time: 2 hours Ingredient for Mango Crème Brûlée Ingredients 1 sweet mango 100g Low fat Mascarpone Cheese 100g Low fat Greek style Yogurt 1/2-teaspoon ground ginger ½-teaspoon grated rind of lime ½-teaspoon limejuice 6 teaspoon sager …
Gondhoraj (aromatic) lebu (lime) is one variety of scented lime available widely in West Bengal, India and Bangladesh. A dash of juice of Gondhoraj lebu, any food tastes heavenly. The rind of the lime and leaves are both used in a variety of recipes. We …
Olympic fever has finally caught me. I am glued to the TV watching swimming, boxing and of course Usain Bolt. We went for the women’s tennis final on Saturday, watched Serena William play for gold, Andy Murray at mixed double, and cheered to the heart’s …
We went for the Olympics yesterday for women’s final at centre court, Wimbledon that starts at 2.20pm. However, in the morning we received a sms (or text as Londoners say) informing us that mixed double will be played at the centre court prior to women’s …
Cooking is hands down the best invention of human kind. Today, cooking seems like such a simple act. All one need is ingredient & spices, a recipe, pots & pan and fire. However, if we look back on history, invention of fire is still inconclusive …
Picture taken September 2012
Continue reading Rajasthani Safed Maas- Lamb cooked in white gravy
