One of the forms of Ma Lokkhi is the painted sora, a terracotta plate that is used to cover pots of water or paddy. The smooth convex side of the sora is painted with Lokkhi patachitra and she is worshipped as the Goddess. Yet another representation that needs no spiritual broker in between. Sora has…
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Continue ReadingSince Om gifted me the icecream maker on my birthday last year, I have been obsessed with making icecreams! It seems like a natural extension to my love for working with sugar and on Indian desserts. The problem with Indian icecream brands is while there are some stellar one when it comes to texture and…
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Continue ReadingThe green, langurous Cambodian countryside from Siem Reap to Banteay Srei temple suddenly gives way to much hustle-bustle. Mr Rous, our guide from Archeological Survey of India informed us that we had reached the village Preah Dak, a gastronomic stop long made famous by num banhchok (Cambodian rice noodles) and Khmer barbeque. There were few…
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Continue ReadingIn the world of chhanch/chhapa (ছাঁচ /ছাপা) or moulded sandesh, there is a clear hierarchy. There is a norkeler chhanch (moulded coconut sandesh), there is chandrapuli (moulded half moon shaped sandesh of millk fudge and coconut), there is the refined narkeler chhanch, narkeler phol sandesh (fine coconut sandesh and fruits made of coconut) and fudgy…
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Continue ReadingIt amazing how reading a well researched piece helps us organize our thoughts into a coherent chain. I say this because fresh on my mind is Rushina’s post about use of spices in Indian cooking. Bengalis are legendary for their shorshe bata (wet ground mustard) but it is as prevalent in Odia cooking and fairly…
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Continue ReadingMy journey of reinventing traditional Indian desserts continue. Growing up in Assam, the state was traditionally not big on desserts and confectionery unless it can to ‘pitha and laru’ during bihu. The one dessert which however was served especially as part of the wedding feasts was Mihidana and cream. It was q very Upper Assam,…
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Continue ReadingI have been in search of tender rattan shoots, known as ‘baet aga’ in Bengali and ‘betgaaj’ in Assamese, for a few years now. A rare vegetable that I last ate a few decades back, and have been unable to find since. The shoots are available for a short season, and only in the few…
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Continue ReadingSaptapuri is a seven layered confectionery offered to Lord Jagannath in Puri on a particular day of the year – the Saptapuri amavasya. This particular confectionery is steeped in Vedic and folk mythology across Odisha. Saptapuri amavasya The Saptapuri amavasya falls in the Hindu month of Bhadra and it is believed that the seven pitras…
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Continue ReadingWhen we met Sharmistha and Samrat over the idea of Anondomela, I didn’t think long before agreeing to be a part. I instinctively knew that it would be fun and fullfilling. While we were discussing, Sharmistha suggested that I do Odia food, which I was more than amenable to and my heart was set on…
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Continue ReadingThere is a concept in Baishnab families in Bengal – it is the narkeler ‘gangajali’ mishti. It can either be a naru or a sandesh or a chhapa sandesh. The word gangajali eludes to two things – pristine white and dissolves in mouth like water. It is said that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a great…
