When I floated the idea of starting a series called ‘Frugal Kitchen’, my idea was not just to bring together a collection of recipes, but use it as a medium to bring people together as a community. When I tagged a few people yesterday, I just wanted to make sure I get a few responses.…
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Continue ReadingThose who know me, know that I have a love of cooking eggs. A perfect poach, sunny side up or a spicy curry is deceptively tricky to get right but they are also extremely satisfying and comforting. No wonder then that most parts of the world have great breakfast egg recipes that provide just the…
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Continue ReadingI have had a love-hate relationship with kamranga or star fruit. As a child who loved anything sour, I loved kamranga. It was sour. Juicy. Looked beautiful. This love lasted till I was in standard VIII and had jaundice! One of the things prescribed to me was glasses of star fruit juice and the raw…
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Continue ReadingSafed maash ki daal or Phareli daal is a western Uttar Pradesh speciality, common mostly in the Muslim households. The daal is also part of the repertoire of the Punjabi community from Pakistan. This unique and very fragrant daal is made with dehusked, whole urad or white lentil, boiled with salt and ginger paste till…
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Continue ReadingThe Pithe Parbon pop-up on Poush Sankranti/Bhogali bihu was on 14 January in 2018, we were lucky this time as the festival coincided with the weekend. After having missed a ‘meji’ for decades together, I was determined to have a mini ‘meji’ in our balcony, complete with a group of enthusiastic and happy people to…
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Continue ReadingDark Chocolate and Orange Tart topped with caramel shards, dehydrated oranges, caramelised walnuts and sea salt I have been suffering from depression and what can be described loosely as something close to survivor’s guilt. This is owing to nothing personal but yet, something that means a world and more to a lot of us. It…
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Continue ReadingThe ancient Indian mind openly faced sensuality as the reality it is – one of the expressions of the divine mind. They held it as a sacred and godlike function, its significance in life recognized in classical literature and sculptures. Herbs, recipes and potions to be used in love are often met with in text…
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Continue ReadingI have been making a home remedy for allergic and persistent coughs based on basic principles of Ayurveda since I was in school. Over the years I calibrated and balanced it, using spices and other ingredients found commonly at home. I now turn it into these lozenges for Om, who likes the sweetness alongside the…
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Continue ReadingMussoorie; October 28, 2019, Monday It is unbelievable how much the temperature and air quality can change at the end of a six hour drive. Mussoorie looked, smelled and felt like another part of the planet, far removed from the almost sepia-tinted, dusty Delhi air. The owner of the cottage Desna Sharma had warned me…
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Continue Reading‘Aashine randhe, kartike khay Je bor mange, shey bor paey’ The above limerick translates into, ‘One who cooks in the month of Aashin and eats it in the month of Kartik is blessed with all the boons she asks for…’ When Ma all of a sudden mentioned that today is aat anaaj, it brought back…