I have a memory. A cold winter evening in a small town in Bihar, North India in the early 1980s, Mom, Dad and me sitting around our sunmica-topped dining table eating shepherd’s pie. This old English favourite was new to us but we loved it. A rustic dish, it was my mother’s attempt at ‘Continental’ cuisine. Meat and potatoes, yes, but with dollops of butter, a hint of Worcestershire, lashings…
Summer is early and the rains are reluctant. Chameleon-like, green plantains change colour in less than twelve hours as I think of ways to cook with them before they go to mush. Although, ripe plantains and bananas make great milkshakes, banana bread and cupcakes, my palate craves something savoury. In Kerala, in South India, they have countless ways of cooking both green and ripe plantains – from crunchy, completely addictive…
Rain on the phone in another continent, leaks into my ear, a hypnotizing drip-drip slowly flooding my brain. Drowned memories float up. Striped paper boats born from ripped pages of school notebooks, plastic raincoats smelling like a wrestler’s underarms, wrinkly toes squeaking in brimming school shoes and earthworms sneaking in through bathroom drains. In a different time, cups of coffee, seaside strolls, hormones and anticipation in the theatre of the…
Garish weddings, cakes groaning under sugar sculptures, pancake and blue eye shadow, bling and blow-dried beehives, melodramatic soaps and mushy greeting cards crammed with pink hearts, gilt and glass drawing rooms,red and oily overcooked curries…are just some of the things that make me scream OTT (over the top). I’m more of a less is more kind of person.…
A special prawn and rice dish for Sundays, holidays and even dinner parties. Ever since I picked up Pratibha Karan’s Biryani, my husband and son have been waiting for a biryani to pop out of the pages onto their plate. Their patience has been wearing thin and after months of broken promises, I decided to roll up my sleeves and grant them their wish.…
Why does lettuce always end up being the sidekick, like Robin? Something that you throw in to make up the numbers or fill empty spaces. While I have serious doubts regarding Robin’s capabilities of playing the lead, I have no such reservations about lettuce. A head of fresh, crisp iceberg can absolutely be the hero of a dish. I cast it in a starring role when I made Asian-style spinach,…
How I wish I could eat my eggs done this way everyday. You’ll say the same once you’ve tried these deceptively simple yet luxurious eggs. It’s from Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table – a book that I keep going back to for its elegant food. This particular dish is a fine example of how effortlessly one can create layers of flavour and elevate everyday ingredients like eggs to a decadent…
Cauliflower is not my husband’s favourite so it’s always a challenge to primp it up and make it attractive. This cauliflower-bacon gratin is adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table. It is savoury, creamy and oozing with melted cheese. Little crunchy pebbles of bacon show up in every mouthful hiding under the creamy vegetables. Although the original recipe uses only cauliflower, I decided to throw in some broccoli to add…