This chingri maach bata recipe is my mom’s grandma’s, who I have heard was the most amazing cook that ever lived. My mom tells me that boro dida would take so much care to make each and every dish that her presence in the kitchen had a very calming effect. She fried red chilies, ground…
It’s been nearly a year since I have been to Kolkata, and will likely be another until I can go back. And I have realized, unsurprisingly, that it’s the food I miss most about Kolkata. And of all of the foods, I miss chili chicken the most. Anyone who knows me knows that I am…
Some of my best recipes are the ones that came out of kitchen accidents/mishaps. I used frozen grated coconut to make the patishapta stuffing, but it just wouldn’t come together even after trying for an hour. So I added chocolate to bind the stuffing and also because chocolate makes everything better. The result was FANTASTIC!…
Conserving food is the norm where I come from. It doesn’t matter how abundant food may be, using up every ounce of ingredients––even vegetable peels and fish bones––is the practice back home. This fish curry with cauliflower and eggplant is a recipe that I grew up eating. My mom would make a different fish recipe…
What is Kolkata style fish fry? For those of you who are not from Kolkata, fish fry is not the typical Bengali maach bhaja (fried fish steak) that has become a marker of authentic Bengali cuisine. This is rather the anglicized version of maach bhaja— thick fillets of fish marinated with flavorful herbs, breaded with bread crumbs…
What is goat curry? Goat curry is basically small cuts of goat slow-cooked or pressure-cooked in a gravy made with onions, tomatoes, garlic, and aromatic spices. There are as many varieties of goat curries in India as there are dialects and more. That is to say that there is no one way of making it….
What is butter chicken? Butter chicken is one of the most internationally famous Indian dishes. It is basically morsels of chicken, usually kebabs, that are then simmered in a tomato and cream based gravy. Butter chicken is obviously made with a lot of butter. The high dairy content in this dish makes it a very…
What is coconut chutney? Coconut chutney is a famous yet simple South Indian condiment made with grated coconut and a mix of fresh spices and herbs. Coconut, fried gram, ginger/garlic, and chilies are ground together, and then some oil tempered with red chili, mustard seeds, and curry leaves is drizzled on top to get this…