From My Kitchen

We are living in historic times. Covid 19 will be a part of our history, the world is turning upside but the show must go on. We will all emerge a little different after this crisis. I am hoping I will emerge more patient, self-sufficient and with better experiences from the kitchen. Wanting to bake my own bread at home has been high on my list, however some failed experiments kept me away from it until Covid struck. Lack of availability of a fresh baked loaf inspired me to try again. This time not only did I pass, it was beyond all my expectation. The smell of a bread baking in the oven is comfortable, its simple, and it remains with you in your dreams. Ingredients - 240 gm seived wheat flour   160 gm maida   2 tsp dry yeast  1 tbsp sugar  1 tbsp salt  1 tbsp oil (any cooking oil) 2 tbsp dried/ fresh herbs ( oregano/ rosemary/ thyme etc) (optional) 1.25 cups luke warm water (105 - 115 f or touch to see if a baby can have a ...

Over the last year I find myself thinking about food all the time. What to eat , what to grow, what to cook. All my “me” time (I have a lot of “me” time) revolves around food. Since living in Bangalore I do experiment a lot with what we call the “Indian cuisine”, and I must admit living in the south part of the country my north Indian genes really crave for good Chola and Paneer.  My mom passed me a recipe of the Chola Masala we cook in our Marwari kitchen, I tried my hand at it and was not at all happy with what I was eating, then I dialed up many older aunties (the younger generation is eating only quinoa and salad) and tried collecting a database of chola recipes. So unhappy with the outcome!!! Uff!! I just couldn’t taste the masala in Chola. It was more like throwing in some boiled chickpea in masaledar gravy. You know what I mean ?? And then ‘Google’ maharaj – my knight in shining armor came to my rescue. Since this recipe is an amalgamation of several finds on goog...

The last four years has been a memorable journey, I have changed base from Mumbai to Bangalore, I have a new life, some new friends, a new perspective to live and love. I am a changed person too. However the one thing that has remained constant is my love for food and to feed. There is a certain intimacy with food I share - a wonderful deep relationship. It’s a sense of joy, it connects me to the people I love, it fills up my home with some great conversations and laughter. It makes me happy.   It fills up those voids In my being that I don’t even know exists. I have stayed away from the blog for several years, just been busy doing mundane things. I have really missed blogging, I have missed the excitement of some devoted friends and family who have been quick to try the recipes and give feedback, I missed the whole process of first cooking then experimenting with the DSLR which I since then have abandoned, but what I have missed most is sharing the magic in t...

I last blogged on 19 th January 2013, was racing against time to make sure it gets posted at the strike of the midnight clock. The clock in turn has raced through 17 months, so much has happened and it still seems like yesterday. I have mostly divided myself between BBY and Bangalore the past year. My heart remains in BBY, however the garden city has welcomed me and how. I love everything about this place, the weather, the people, their generosity, my friends, the energy of the apartment I live in, the good old Thom’s bakery, Russell Market, Admas at Richard square (the answer to all my kitchen needs), the mango trees lining my window, the list goes on. I do love living here! Tonight I am partying at home, and the menu is Mexican. Before the guest arrive, I’ll quickly share the recipe for Mexican Green Rice.   Its delicate goes beautifully with almost any cuisine, whilst it’s emerald green colour makes a pretty addition to any table, it’s healthy and I often enjoy it with ...