In 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 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 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…
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Continue ReadingChicken A La Kiev has one of the murkiest histories in food, and one that is highly political. It is disputed whether the dish was invented by a French or Russian chef. In 1700s, the Soviet aristocracy had a fascination with the French culture and food and would send their chefs to Paris to train.…
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Continue ReadingMost Bengali’s worth their salt will sing you paeans about their love of hilsa, or ilish as we call it. That love has been pretty detrimental for the fish though, as we have gone through populations of the fish, leaving it endangered as a species! Sadly, most Bengalis still do not acknowledge of that problem,…
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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 ReadingEnough has been written and said about the Bengali shukto. So why more? I agree, I might as well not add few more words to a cup that is already overfloweth! But how about a til shukto or shukto made with a paste of white sesame seeds? Might be it deserves a word or two.…
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Continue ReadingWe all have a few dishes that we ran fastest from and with age we crave for them. It isn’t any surprise that most of these are dishes were fed to us in the name of health and nutrition! Which young mind ever thinks it will get sick and old one day!!! But nostalgia and…