Kolkata is crowded with pavement stalls of street food-nameless, squalid, obscure, food stalls made conspicuous only by the clank of metal spatulas and the smell of warm spices. The stalls typically have tarpaulin covers protecting the wooden benches that delineate the stalls. If you are a Calcuttan, you know not to care about the appearances…
It is sharat kal in Bengal now–a fleeting season after spring and before fall. A season of receding rains with the tranquil sun, blue skies speckled with nonchalant white clouds, air heavy with pollens, sideways sprinkled with shiulis and dried flower petals, and lakes and ponds encircled by kans grass–all of this occasionally ruined by begrudged…
For as long as I was in Kolkata (26 years), Durga Pujo had meant something completely different to me. While the rest of city worshipped, hopped pandals, sang, danced, dressed in the most colorful apparels, ate at seasonally proliferating eateries, and photographed the resplendent city, I spent (although I did all these too), willingly and cheerfully,…
This baked salmon recipe that I am sharing today is remarkable for several reasons. It uses a handful of ingredients, mostly things that are already available in the pantry. It is super easy and takes less than 30 minutes to make. It is super healthy AND tasty while being tremendously filling. And it is great for entertaining too!…
Narkel naru is a 3 ingredient Bengali sweet. It is like a laddo, except it’s made with grated coconut. They can be made richer with kheer or milk solids, which is what I have done in this recipe, but a simple vegan narkel naru made with just sugar and water keeps for weeks and is…
What’s the need to add another samosa recipe to the plethora of samosa recipes already out there? Well, because: a) this is an Indian food blog, b) this is a Bengali samosa recipe, which is considerably different from the samosas that you get in Indian restaurants here, c) you can never have too many samosa…
I discovered this beautiful farmers’ market on a casual stroll on a sunny morning in Berkeley (where I am visiting my husband). It was gorgeous! At least, that’s what any person who has only known a tiny stretch of road with makeshift carts flaunting humble supplies of essential vegetables would tell you. Fascinated by the smell…
I can now confidently confirm that palak (spinach)/saag (leafy greens) paneer (cottage cheese) is the most popular Indian dish abroad, because I haven’t met a single non-desi in the last five years who hasn’t asked me if I have an authentic recipe for it, unless they were vegan, or lactose intolerant, or just blissfully unaware of the…
Lentils are an elemental part of all Indian meals. They are usually served as a side dish, often accompanied by another side of vegetables, but they can also be the star of any meal. They are the most versatile of all produce and are also inexpensive, healthy, quick and easy to cook. Â Once you know…
The title of this post is not as oxymoronic as you might think.  The city of Chandannagar, located 19miles north of Kolkata, was once a French colony that facilitated Bengal’s connection with France in the 17th century. Vestiges of this colonial past are still visible along the banks of Hoogly. The most ubiquitous of these are…