Ever wonder why Bhakts eat biryani? The Hindutva movement has reacted to globalization with xenophobia, rejection, and a search for historical purity and authenticity. BJP’s idea of Hindu Nationalism is imagined in the figure of an idealized Hindu as the archetypal citizen of India, unaffected by the perceived threat of Muslim cultural influence. Hindutva movement…
How to make Bengali fish butter fry? The Bengali fish butter fry is probably a malapropism of fish batter fry but remains totally acceptable because it does taste melt-in-your-mouth buttery. Fish butter fry or fish batter fry is not commonly made in Bengali home kitchens. This is one of those Bengali recipes that is implicated…
When I think of childhood summers, I can still smell and taste the distinct flavors of my grandma’s mango pickle: pickle oil slathered on a roti rolled into an afternoon snack, pickle oil mashed with potatoes and onions to go with rice and dal, pickle straight up. My grandma, who wasn’t fond of cooking and…
As I write this post, the global coronavirus case count is 3,635,483 with 251,577 recorded deaths and steadily climbing. The total number of cases just in NY and NJ, where I live, has crossed 500,000. Things are starting to look grim in India, too, after some initial optimism that heat might slow down the spread…
Any Bengali with a teeny bit of sunlit space has a potted lime plant. We brighten up our dals with gondhoraj lime, we juice up a boring meal with a wedge of lime, and no bier bari (wedding) is complete without a side serving of nun lebu (salt and lime wedge). So, it’s a shame that lime…
Believe me when I say that this lebu pata die bhetki macher paturi recipe is so damn good that I couldn’t even wait to take pictures of the finished product. They were all gone within 15 minutes of cooking. And that’s saying a lot because I am a food blogger; prioritizing photography over eating is…
I frequently get asked how to cook pulao, specifically, how to cook the Bengali style basanti pulao. I will be honest with you. I don’t cook pulao very often. Pulao, I think, is haughty and temperamental. It looks at the cook with disdain and judges them. If it doesn’t like what it sees, it sweats and…
Did you know that organic eggplants are highly sustainable with low water and carbon footprints? And as long as no pesticides are used, they cause no significant damage to air, water, land, soil, forests, etc. If you are trying to go vegan or eat and cook more consciously, this is a great vegetable to incorporate…
Aamsotto tetul die maach This is not the recipe I set out to make. I had some coconut sitting in the fridge, which I wanted to use before it went bad. So I thought I will make Goan fish curry with lots of red chilies and tamarind. But as I started prepping, I realized I…
Sausage and jalapeño mac and cheese This is by far the most requested recipe on my blog. This is also the recipe that I make almost every alternate day because my son LOVES mac and cheese. And what’s there not to love? It’s just pasta, lots of cheese and a good white sauce. The best…
When you are trying to keep overwhelming emotions at bay and trying not to crumble under the pressure of a burdened heart, the only thing that really seems to help is lots and lots of comfort food. That is if the bottles of wine and tub of chocolate ice cream are not doing their usual…
Aloo Posto, the most popular Bengali dish. When people talk about Bengali food, they mostly talk about fish, or rosogolla, or misti doi. It’s astounding to me how little people know about the everyday Bengali vegetarian fare, which constitutes such a massive part of the Bengali cuisine. Take for example Aloo Posto. I have met…
Here is one way to keep your kids busy and well-fed (on a budget) while we figure out how many bottles of wine we need to get through the weeks or possibly months-long coronavirus quarantine: have them make their own pizzas under supervision! This is the easiest and healthiest meal option I can think of,…
I started food blogging because people’s ignorance about Indian food really irked me. The insouciance with which the historically rich and diverse cuisine of an entire nation was reduced to a store-bought jar of “curry powder” motivated the postcolonialist in me to attempt to decolonize the word “curry”. Needless to say, that mission has decidedly…
Every Bengali family has its own recipe for a dhone patar chutney. While I love dhone pata (cilantro) in any form, my boro pishi‘s (oldest aunt) dhone patar chatni has to be the best dhone patar chani anyone has ever tried. If you don’t believe me, try this recipe. It’s pretty simple and needs very…
The Indian Chili chicken or Chilli chicken is an Indo-Chinese dish–crispy batter fried nuggets of chicken cooked in soy sauce flavored with garlic and ginger and a whole lot of fresh Thai green chilies. It can be either dry chilli chicken to be had as an appetizer or hors d’oeuvres, or it can have a…
I made this spinach and oatmeal pancake quite by accident several years ago, and to this day it remains my most favorite oatmeal pancake recipe. I do not like to eat sugary breakfasts because they make me feel bloated all day. Plus, spiking blood sugar early in the day makes me crave more sugar throughout…
What is palak paneer? Palak paneer is basically India’s answer to a creamy spinach dip, or creamed spinach, or spinach lasagna. It’s morsels of cottage cheese (paneer) cooked in spinach (palak) gravy with aromatic spices. A moderately simple recipe to make, this vegetarian north Indian dish is however not for impatient cooks. The best palak…
