Kaancha Aamer Chatney - A Bengali summer recipe

Mango season has begun and as is always the case when the raw mangoes hit the markets, the pickling and preserving recipes are put to use and practically every household is busy making something or the other with raw mangoes. I too have joined the mass of mango maniacs and I made one of the most simple raw mango preparations across the board. Aamer Chatney is a thin sweet stew of raw mangoes, sugar, mustard and ground cumin. The more sour the mangoes the more delicious this simple preparation turns out.

1 medium sized raw mango, de-seeded and sliced thick
2-3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp mustard oil
a pinch of salt
1/2 cup or so water

Wash the mango and slice it thick. Discard the seed.

Heat the mustard oil in a saucepan or kadai. Once it's nice and hot throw in the mustard seeds.

Once the exuberance of the spluttering seeds has quietened, add in the sliced mango pieces. Lower the heat and fry gently for a good 5 minutes. The mango will begin to soften and will also darken around the edges. Add a pinch of salt too. 

Pour in the water and let the mango cook for a bit. You can let it completely turn to mush or you can leave it still intact with a bit of bite, like I prefer. Once the water has come to a boil sprinkle in the sugar and give it a gentle stir. Let it simmer.

In the mean time broil a teaspoon of jeera or Cumin seeds and pound them in a mortar and pestle.

Pour the chatney into a pretty bowl and sprinkle the pounded jeera on top. Enjoy this hot or cold at the end of your meal. It's especially divine after a rice/daal/subzi lunch on a hot afternoon.

There are many variations to this recipe, each different in each household. My Mum's recipe (from her mum) is frugally simple, letting the mango be the star of the show with the pounded fresh jeera giving it a nice punch of extra flavour. 

Brinjal Capsicum Salan - Parsi vegetarian preparation

Believe it or not, Parsis do have quite a few vegetarian dishes that are quite traditional. Recently friends of mine attended a Parsi dinner in Delhi and the vegetarian menu described to me left me quite disappointed. That's when I decided to explore the vegetarian fare that is regularly cooked in many Parsi households, quite defying the general perception that Parsis have no clue about vegetarian food.

Brinjal Capsicum salan is a lightly spiced medley of just brinjals and capsicums. This combination of vegetables quite surprised me when I first encountered it, but it actually works very well and is one of my favourite Parsi vegetarian preparations. It's easy to put together and is perfect for a light summer meal with rotis.

The simplicity makes this ideal for the hot months. There is no ginger- garlic paste and there are no whole spices either. In fact, it is a lot like the Bengali vegetarian everyday preparations where the vegetables get to do the talking without being smothered under spices and heavy flavours.

1 medium sized brinjal, cubed
2 large green capsicums, cubed
1 onion, sliced
1 medium tomato, chopped
salt
turmeric
cumin powder
coriander powder
garam masala powder
oil to cook

Heat oil in a wok or kadai and fry the brinjal pieces. When they are nearly done add the capsicums and let it fry for another 3 or 4 minutes. Don't let the capsicums get soft. Remove into a bowl or a plate.

In the same kadai heat a little more oil and fry the onions. Once they turn pink dunk in the chopped tomato. Cook this till the tomatoes and onions are completely soft.

Add the spice powders and a couple of teaspoons of water.

Traditionally spices were ground to a paste but in modern kitchens we use powdered spices. These often get burned in a hot wok so adding a bit of water saves them from burning and also helps the flavours meld. Cook covered for about 5 minutes.

Add the fried brinjal and capsicum pieces and stir the whole lot nicely. Another 2 or 3 minutes of cooking covered and you're done. Serve with hot rotis, parathas or bread. I enjoy this with rice and daal too, though traditionally it is paired with breads.

Cajun Spiced Chicken with Vegetables

Chicken is a great favourite with me because it's easy to cook and can shine on it's own without too much dressing up. I'm a great fan of the short cut and if there are products that can make life in the kitchen easier and with splendid results, I'm happy.

This Cajun spiced chicken is something I make very often. It's easy, it's delicious, and it's quite healthy too.

1 chicken
olive oil
Cajun spice powder
salt
pepper
2 large onions, sliced
chopped garlic
1 large potato, cut into large batons
2 carrots, cut into large batons


Take a large non stick pan and heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Add in the potatoes and carrots and fry for a bit keeping the heat low. Once the edges begin to brown throw in the sliced onion and the chopped garlic. Stir nicely and cook covered for 5 minutes.

Start adding the chicken pieces. Put in the leg pieces first. Season well with the Cajun spice. Be generous! Cook covered for about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the breast pieces and mix well. Add more seasoning only if required. Let it all cook covered for another 10 minutes. Keep an eye on the flame and make sure you don't burn the onions. Stir once in a way.

Cooking the legs and breasts separately ensures that you don't end up with chewy chunks of chicken. The breast pieces cook much faster and tend to become tough and inedible. So just cook them one after the other.

The chicken will release water and help the whole thing cook so you won't need to add any water. Add just a little if you think it's required. Add salt very conservatively as most spice mixes contain salt. Add pepper to heat up things a little!

Once the chicken and the potatoes are cooked through, boost up the heat and dry off any gravy. Let the chicken brown nicely. The onions will combine with the spice powder and become wonderfully flavourful.   Serve hot with bread or simply enjoy it as it is with a crisp salad.

You can add many other vegetables to this easy dish. Green beans, peas, sweet potatoes, capsicums, zuchini, whatever works for you.

You can buy Cajun spice mix at most supermarkets these days. Hyperciti, Spar, and even Godrej Nature's Basket carries this and many other interesting spice mixes.

Try this same simple preparation with any mix. It works really well!

1419 - A new year and a full on Bangali'r Bhuri Bhoj at Bangali Mashi's Kitchen

So there we were, back once again at Bangali Mashi's Litchen. It was the first day of the new year, 1419, and what better way to bring it in than with a full on Bengali feast or Bhuri Bhoj at BMK?

Usually BMK serves a variety of thalis, Bong snacks and a whole lot of main course options and desserts from the a la carte menu but it being a special occasion today, there were only two options, the veg thali and the non veg thali. K was in the mood to eat something light and I was eager to attack the full on non veg spread so we ordered a veg thali and a non veg thali.

What I forgot is that the non veg thali is basically the veg thali with added non veg items.

So here's what I attempted to eat while K smirked from across the table.

The shiny kansha (bell metal) plates had four batis (bowls) on them. These were duly filled with daal, aloo phulkopi chhana'r danla (potatoes cooked with cauliflower and paneer), Potoler dorma, and enchorer danla (raw jackfruit). The plate was quickly filled with a chicken chop, a fat slice of begun bhaja, aloo jhuribhaja and a delectable veg paturi made with spinach and broad beans (papri).

The piece de resistance was the posto'r bora - melt in the mouth with a sharp spike of chili and the crunch of onion, these were to die for.

Then came a huge serving of vegetable polao as bowls of more food arrived to be arranged around my plate - the fish (sorse diye tangra, and rui machher jhol) and the mutton made their entry. And alongside were placed the mixed fruit chatni, the rosogolla and the misti doi. All this in one thali?!

Unfortunately I hadn't carried my camera so I took this on my phone. As you can see there was an enormous amount of food in front of me. No, I couldn't eat it all and duly had a few things parcelled and brought them home.

Mangoes being in season this heavenly feast was washed down with a glass of the piquant aam panna, a cooling summer drink made with raw mangoes.

If you're looking for Bengali food, the real stuff, not the glammed up version that you can find at most Bengali restaurants, Bangali Mashi's Kitchen is where your search will end. Say hello to Sushmita and she will be more than happy to guide you through the menu if you're not sure what to order and how much to order.

Veg Thali - Rs.350/-

Non Veg Thali - Rs.500/-

Bangali Mashi's Kitchen. 

Gurgaon - Gluttony and Gender Issues

I spent a wonderful 10 odd days being spoiled silly by my sis in law and my cousin. They have a lovely new home in one of the innumerable towers that dot the Gurgaon landscape and I enjoyed a long overdue holiday with them. One thing that unites all three of us is our unending love for good food and our constant search for new places to eat, new flavours to try out. And Gurgaon is simply bursting at the seams with options for the die hard foodaholic.

From road side momo joints to swanky restaurants that serve endless lunch buffets that include cuisines from around the world, Gurgaon covers it all. Goan, Bengali, Korean, Udupi, classic American fast food, Italian, you name it, it's there somewhere! And if it hasn't got there yet, rest assured, it's coming soon.

Among the meals that really stood out were the Goan lunch at Bernardo's tucked away on the first floor of the Galleria shopping centre. Roast pork, prawns recheado, spicy Goan style fried liver, pork vindaloo, mutton Xacuti, we had it all, perfectly rounded off with a helping of that queen among desserts, the  deeply sensuous layered Bebinca.

Then there was Love & Mustard - a brightly lit restaurant with a cheerful colour filled atmosphere and an extensive menu offering many traditional Bengali treats. It had been a long day and we were not at our 'eager to eat' best. However, the food was so good that we found ourselves revived and licking our plates. We ordered Alu'r dom with luchi, Polau with kosha mangsho, and chicken chaamp with triangle porota. All was perfect except that what they passed off as polau was, in fact, biryani rice. Not that it tasted bad, it just wasn't   what we'd ordered or expected.  Love & Mustard is also in the same Galleria mall.

Another memorable meal was Gung the Palace, a Korean restaurant in Gurgaon that also has a branch in Green Park, Delhi. This was one occasion where I wished I knew more about the cuisine so I could eat things in the correct combinations and sequence to do full justice to the meal and to appreciate it correctly too. However ignorance did not get in the way of enjoyment and we feasted on the best Barbecued Pork Belly I have ever eaten, accompanied by Spicy Calamari and a wonderful light Kimchi fried rice. This might not sound like a lot but with a Korean meal you get such a huge variety of little side dishes that include pickled vegetables, and a fabulous fish stock and greens soup, that you really eat like a king.

The portions are huge and are usually for four.You can ask the staff for help while you order and they will happily guide you through the unfamiliar sounding names of the dishes. The menu card has pictures and descriptions to help you along anyway. To really enjoy Gung, go in a group. And if you can't rustle up a group, go anyway.

The best food was at home. Classic Bengali home fare. Seasonal vegetables, daal cooked in different ways, and an endless variety of fish! The heart and soul were as sated as my rapidly expanding tummy. Ruti torkari for breakfast reminded me of summer holidays in Kolkata at my Father's house where Jethima (aunt) would make different vegetables every morning for breakfast, to be eaten with rotis or parathas or, sometimes, with hot fluffy luchis. Ah, the Bengalis do eat well!

We spent an incredible evening at the imposing Red Fort and also caught the Son et Lumière show there.

After wandering around the extensive grounds admiring the remains and imagining the grandeur that once was, we were ready to head out for a good meal. Karim's was legendary and so we set forth. It was unbelievably crowded and we ended up sharing a table with a group of young boys. The seating was cramped, we were tired and the meal was rushed. Somehow, you cannot enjoy the finer things of life with people breathing down your neck waiting to grab your table. Maybe some other day, but this time Karim's was not worth its legendary name.

This trip was also about catching up with friends - friends I knew in the real world and some who were from the virtual world and some from Mumbai who happened to be there in Gurgaon at the same time. I also made new friends on a foodie group on Facebook and it these new friends who told me where to eat, what to order and what I simply should not miss. Thanks everyone at Chef at Large on Facebook :)

Rushina invited me to dinner one evening where I met a wonderful mix of bloggers, architects, businessmen, and home stay owners. There I met Purba Ray, a blogger, who told me about her experience with the local police when she went to report her stolen purse. The Gurgaon mall rape cases were fresh in everyone's minds and the attitude that the police have towards victims is unbelievable, and Purba was unfortunate enough to find out for herself just how badly the police treat a woman who has come in to ask for help.

I met Manjula, my friend from college, over coffee one morning. She lives in Gurgaon too and we also talked about men, attitudes, how safe a woman can feel in Gurgaon even in the daytime, and a whole lot of frivolous things too. The next day I read this wonderful piece that she wrote about a new product for women.

It's not just Gurgaon that suffers this malaise. My friend is looking for a swimming pool that she can use daily. She went to the YMCA pool in Belapur to find out their timings, rates, etc., and she was confronted with a big board displaying "appropriate dress for women using the pool". Why is a woman seen as an amoral creature for whom the law has to be laid down? There was no board showing "appropriate dress for men using the pool" there. So if a man wants to wear very brief swimming trunks a la John Abraham in Dostana, that is fine, but a woman has to wear a one piece bathing suit with sleeves and, hold your breath, bicycling shorts underneath! I'm sure the pool authorities do not guarantee a woman safety if she comes dressed as prescribed. If anything untoward were to happen, they would blame it on her wet clothes, I'm sure.

Where does this incredible attitude come from? And what are we doing to change it? If you have a son teach him.  It's not the daughters we need to stifle, it's the sons we need to teach.

The Mistress of Moplah - Abida Rasheed at the Taj Land's End

One of my best food experiences ever was the Moplah feast served up by the Mistress of Moplah herself, Abida Rasheed. I was fortunate enough to be at the preview dinner for the Moplah food festival that is on at the Taj Land's End, Mumbai. Not only did I get to taste this fabulous cuisine, I also got to meet and interact with one of the most charming celebrity chefs ever.

A relaxed 20 odd minutes with a smiling Abida had us all up to date with what Moplah food is all about - The Yemeni and Arab influences, the matriarchal society, the incredibly rich variety using quite a sparse repertoire of ingredients, the lightness of the cuisine in spite of it being mainly non vegetarian - Abida filled us in, eagerly answering our questions as we sat around in an informal circle.

We moved on to the Masala Bay for dinner as Abida disappeared into the kitchens. I wish she had been with us while the meal was served, explaining the intricacies of each dish that we sampled.

Here are some pictures of the delectable food served up by Abida herself.

Mixed poppadums...

Kanji - a rice soup served with a fabulous coconut and chilli chutney.

Mushroom Ada - a flat rice dumpling stuffed with mushroom

Meen Porichathu - A fiery fried fish that set my palate on fire, along with Chemeen Porichatu - fried prawn that was perfection on a plate.

Kozhi Kakathil - A dry chicken fry in a spicy tomato base.

Atti Erachi Ishtew - an ambrosial lamb stew, lightly spiced with perfectly cooked lamb shanks.

Meen Biryani - Fish biryani. The rice and the fish is served separately so you can have both in whatever proportion you want. Clever!

The fabled Mutta Mala accompanied by Chakkara Chor - Fine sev like noodles in sugar syrup made purely from egg yolks on a sweet egg white base served with a wheat porridge sweetened with pine jaggery and finished with coconut milk.

Abida Rasheed, the lady who made the evening more special than we imagined possible.

The experience at this dinner at the Masala Bay left me with mixed feelings. The food was faultless, the guest of honour an absolute pleasure to be with. Abida Rasheed is a name that always pops up when Moplah cuisine is mentioned. She is the reigning queen of this rich, yet delicate cuisine that comes from north Kerala. She served us a variety of classic Moplah favourites and the food was an absolute treat.

The evening would have been superlative but the Masala Bay let Abida down. The service was slow. The waiters were like turtles on valium. We waited endlessly in between courses and service was indifferent at best. If one guest was served one item, the others saw it after 15 minutes. If a guest was waiting for a paratha they waited interminably while food congealed on their plate. If they weren't alert, a waiter dumped biryani onto a plate that was already crowded with food. One felt like one was at a fast paced thali joint where turnover at top speed was the order of the day or as if one was forgotten in a remote corner of a vast hotel.

I felt completely offended on Abida Raheed's behalf. All the hard work she put in was wasted just because of indifferent shoddy service. How tragic.

Dum Pukth at the ITC Maratha - A review

A couple of weeks ago I received an invitation to a dinner at the Dum Pukth at the ITC Maratha. Rushina told me this was a dinner designed for the meat lover and the cuisine that would be show cased was the Avadhi cuisine of the Nawabs. Of course I accepted!

The Dum Pukth is one of the biggest feathers in the ITC cap. The restaurant had had a makeover and we were invited to participate in what was the soft launch while the absolute final touches were being done. A lot of thought had been put in to designing the space, the décor, the place settings, and the staff had been trained in Nawabi tehzeeb too.

As we were welcomed with a gracious 'adaab' we beheld a splendidly laid out table with glittering cutlery, gorgeous china, delicately embroidered linen, and sparkling crystal. It was a sumptuous setting, a hint to the sheer luxury that was to follow. And believe me, it did.

Rini and Aishwarya, our hosts for the evening, explained how much thought had gone into every detail resulting in the splendour we saw before us. I loved the wave pattern on the marble floor, supposed to recreate flowing water.

As we were seated with more 'adaab's greeting us, the sheer beauty of the crockery hit me. In these days of  melamine and Corelle convenience the sight of the fabulous china was sheer delight. Custom designed china paired with beautiful silverware and glittering crystal, for me this was half the pleasure of the evening.

A silver base plate topped with an exquisite charger plate. Eating off fine china makes a world of difference and at the Dum Pukth, they've really chosen well. I'm a fan already!

As we were seated we were handed our individual menu cards...

As I glanced through it I realised I was going to be really stuffed at the end of this meal...in fact, I wondered if I could actually eat that much! Any way, that's what I was here for and so I waited for the meal to begin.

The starters began to arrive. First up was the murgh chandi tikka. Around 7 scary looking cameras were whipped out and the frantic clicking began. Yes, us bloggers are as obsessed about taking pictures as we are about eating. Food to us as much visually beautiful as it is on the tongue. This went on as every new dish was presented and I must say, the gentlemen who served us were very, very patient.

Going back to the murgh chandi tikka, it looked appetizing topped with silver varakh and all. Along with it arrived the Mahi Dariya and soon followed one of the Dum Pukth's signature dishes, the Kakori kebab. The tikkas were decent enough but the Mahi Dariya and the Kakori Kebabs stole the show. Flat fillets of Bhekti lightly spiced, battered and deep fried to crisp perfection. I would go back just for those. The legendary Kakori Kebabs were redolent of cloves and were smooth and soft, velvet on the tongue. Even though I knew there was lots more to come, I couldn't resist having seconds of both.

As the dinner began and the guests were served, we were gently welcomed to enjoy our meal with a softly spoken 'nosh farmiye'...

We were also plied with Seekh Nilofari, kebabs made with lotus seeds and lotus stems, flavoured with fresh herbs and spices. This was accompanied by a Navratan chutney, a green chutney with anaar daana. The kebabs on their own were okay but with the chutney they escalated to another level entirely. The Dudhiya kebab, discs of paneer with a spiced mash potato filling were also quite nice. But then I'm a carnivore, and I couldn't give these their true due...

Then came the Shorba Purbahar. A beautiful soup plate was placed in front of each guest and in the centre was then sprinkled a tablespoon of tender mung sprouts. On the sprouts was then poured the shorba.

A neat gimmicky presentation and a genuinely delicious shorba.

As we enjoyed the starters we were served a beautiful Sauvignion Blanc from South Africa. It went perfectly with the food, suited my fundamentally Indian palate and taste and I had glass or two...

Next on the menu were the main courses. I was quite stuffed already. Avadhi food creeps up on you and at the Dum Pukth every dish is cooked in pure ghee, not something one is used to at all! We took a bit of a break as conversation flowed across the table. There were discussions ranging from Islamic calligraphy, the Nawabs and their food to the what camera setting worked best for the food shots for the evening!

The main course started with the Jhinge ka Salan. Huge prawns in a yoghurt based methi and turmeric sauce. The thing with prawns is that you have to get them just right. The thing with the Jhinge ka Salan was that the jhinga was overcooked. The sauce was well made but the prima donna was not at her best.

The Shahi Nehari (lamb shanks) was a delight with the flavour of saffron the easily recognisable star of the show.

The Murgh Khushk Purdah made its grand entrance and of course the cameras clamoured to get a good shot of this celebrity. The food paparazzi was in full form! Chicken Pot Pie, Nawabi style. The puff pastry was spiced and flavoured and was as delicious as the chicken that nestled under.

We were also served Maash Qaliya - split green mung cooked with spinach and spices. This was another preparation that I could go back to Dum Pukth for.

These main courses were accompanied by a variety of breads. We sampled khamiri roti, Taftan dum pukth, warqi parathas, roghani roti, and with our starters we'd had the most delightful little sheermals.

Finally it was time for the biryani. Now I am mad about biryani and can have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This is probably the first time I didn't savour it because I was just too stuffed. Such a grand dinner was simply too much! I wish I was 18 again, I could have eaten it all and then some! But, stuffed as I was, I couldn't resist so I had a teeny bit anyway. I'm glad I did.

Fragrant rice, succulent pieces of lamb, what more does one want? A dash of mace, a splash of ittar and a whiff of kewra - it was all there. This is what makes a Bengali weep with joy and though I've grown up in Mumbai with a preference for the richer, more robust Hyderabadi style of biryani, the more sophisticated Avadhi style is growing on me. Another reason to come back to the Dum Pukth.

Since I have diabetes I don't pay much attention to the desserts. There was a saffron and pistachio kulfi, a variation of the gulab jamun called the shahed e jaam, and on demand, they also served Shahi Tukda (which is double ka meetha for the Hyderabadis). 

I did sip on the Hungarian dessert wine that was served but I found it too sweet. That is probably because I eat very little 'sweet' and am not used to the taste.  

The experience at the Dum Pukth was luxurious. One was cosseted and very well taken of. The staff was most sporting especially with all the manic photographing that went on all through the dinner and probably delayed things in the kitchen endlessly. I can understand that because we work the kitchen end ourselves and interruptions in the course of service are not what one really appreciates.

Dum Pukth. If a taste of a royal cuisine is what you are looking for, this is the place to find it.

Dum Pukth. ITC Maratha. Sahar, Mumbai.

What Katy Did

There was a box at home that was slowly disintegrating. It held pottery that my mother in law had excavated even before I was born. As I sat sorting through the beautiful painted sherds of Harappan pottery, packing it anew, I missed her all over again. It will be two years since she has gone and there is so much to miss...

Katy Dalal with her two daughters in law (Farah and Myself) and her daughter Freny

One individual and so many personae! The wife, the mother, the boss, the caterer, the archaeologist, the bookworm, the mother in law, the friend, the teacher, the daughter, the author...how did she fit it all into one lifetime? She just went ahead and did.

I first met Katy Dalal in St. Xavier's College, Mumbai. She was to teach three papers in my TYBA course. She was the most generous teacher I have ever met. She Xeroxed entire books and distributed them to every student in the class. She took class in the college canteen and plied us with tea and samosas as she explained Indian Philosophy. She took class with three of us students at the Rangoli at the NCPA once. We were fed a sumptuous lunch and then she insisted on giving us taxi fare to go home, all the way to Andheri! This was just before the TYBA final examinations and she didn't want us to waste time waiting for buses and trains. We were welcome to go over to her house whenever we needed to, in case we needed help with any of the papers, even the ones she wasn't teaching us. Such was her love for teaching...and her son Kurush is just the same. How could he not be!

Katy studied archaeology at the Deccan College in Pune and did her PhD under the guidance of Prof. V.N. Mishra. Many years later Kurush went to the same college and also earned his PhD degree. Prof. Mishra was his guide too.

Armed with a thorough grounding in History and Archaeology Katy returned to Mumbai but found that there were no suitable jobs. Though acutely disappointed she wasn't one to sit around moping. She saw opportunity and grabbed it. What started as a favour to a family friend soon grew into a Parsi Catering service of great repute. There was a time when she ran the kitchens at the Free Masons Hall and the Ripon Club simultaneously while  catering private parties and sending daily tiffins to peoples' houses and offices at the same time. She was also bringing up three kids alone as her husband was away at sea. In the later years she also taught at a few colleges in Mumbai, whenever the opportunity arose. The older members of the staff say "bai kab sotatha malum nahi".

Lunch with Katy in Lonavala :)

Once Kurush came back to Mumbai with his PhD completed she said she's had enough, the business was all his. She sat back, always keeping an eye on what he was doing, and settled down to fulfil yet another dream - write a cookbook. The first book, Jamva Chaloji, was a runaway success and she went on to write five more.

She was a very sensible and practical woman and when Kurush and I decided to marry, she made space for us to have our own home, separate from her household. We were just upstairs, at hand when required, but still independent. She loved her children to bits but she was mature enough not to cling to them and strangle them with her love.

In the early days I worked alongside Kurush helping him with the catering business. The 'glamour' of being in the food business had always attracted me but now I got to see the dogged hard work, day after day, that went into producing flawless, well presented food every time. I learned to pay attention to detail from Katy. Go straighten those napkins, arrange the serving spoons properly, taste everything before it is put on the counter, why does that waiter not have a bow-tie...the list was endless but that's what made all the difference.

As we got used to each other Katy and I became friends. In 2007 I started writing professionally. After a couple of starter jobs I got the chance to work freelance for a company based in the UK. The money was excellent and I loved the work I was doing. No one was prouder of my achievement than Katy. She would always scold Kurush "don't waste her money buying silly things. She is working hard, save it!" All of us know the joy of indulging others with money you have earned yourself..Your first pay check - the saree you buy for Mom, the iPod you buy for yourself... I took Katy shopping and we had such a blast! Though she did scold me for 'wasting' money she was thrilled. And very proud of her daughter in law.

Katy blessing Kurush and me 

Katy was addicted to romance novels. If you happened to drop by to meet her you would always find her with a pile of Mills & Boons nearby. On one birthday, her husband Feroze bought her as many Mills & Boons as her age that year. Yes, she was a spoiled wife and she was worth the spoiling!  She was always happy to share her books with me and would even tell me 'this one is quite spicy!' with a twinkle in her eye! She and I shared a great love for Georgette Heyer and once I discovered other historical romance authors, half the joy in buying their books was in sharing them with Katy. That is something I keenly miss today.

Her love for romance and for history led her to start writing a romance novel set in India at the time of the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. Her heroine was a Parsi girl. Katy was in her element! She was so taken up by the history of the Mutiny that she delved deeper and deeper, forgetting her novel and just enjoying the research and all the little unknown facts she unearthed. She would carry her notes and her books in and out of the hospitals too - she was never too ill to read, to research and to learn. She didn't finish that novel but finishing it wasn't the point.

Katy with Kurush at our wedding

Katy lives on in her children and her grand children. And she lives on in me too. I like to believe that.

You can read a few things her friends and family have said about Katy here and here.

Bhetki in Mustard sauce at warp speed

It was one of those days that began early, the coffee was perfect, the weather was great, the birds were twittering obligingly in the Ashoka tree outside my window and Abida was singing. Work was flowing and I was having one of those magical mornings.

However the innumerable inevitable distractions that a working Monday brings with it made their presence felt and I lost pace. Work became a burden as I struggled to finish writing those last 200 words that would signal the end of the assignments to be submitted today. I finally finished at about 3pm and I realised I was ravenous. (Of course it was also one of those days when the watchman came by to inform me that there would be a water cut for most of the day.) So what to cook really quick without involving too much prep and resulting in minimal dishes piled up in the sink?

I rooted around in the fridge and found these beautiful boneless pieces of Bekti or Bhetki (as we Bongs refer to it) that were already marinated in salt and turmeric. Bingo! A quick call to my Mom and lunch was sorted.  Sorse Bhetki with hot rice was ready in a jiffy and a few minutes!

Here's how -

Boneless bhetki pieces (or on the bone)
green chillies
tomato (optional)
Kalonji or nigella seeds
mustard oil
Fresh cilantro or coriander leaves
Sunrise Mustard Powder
salt, turmeric to coat fish pieces


Soak a generous tablespoon or two of the mustard powder in a small glass bowl, depending on the quantity of fish you will be cooking and whether you want lots of gravy or less.

I used this mustard powder. It is my latest hot favourite short cut in the kitchen and Mom got me about 10 packets when she came from Kolkata last month. It's also available here and there in Mumbai including at the amazingly well stocked Bong speciality Pooja Bhandar outside the Chembur market. It packs a reasonable mustard-y punch but is not so strong that those not genetically programmed to feel absolute delight with mustard can also enjoy it.

Take a large flat cooking vessel and heat the mustard oil. Add the fresh green chillies (snap into two or three pieces) and the kalonji seeds. Add in the fish pieces and fry gently. Keep the flame on simmer or just a little more. You only want to gently sear the fish, not fry it hard.

After a few minutes add in the chopped tomato if you're using them. Stir gently and cook covered for a couple of minutes. Once the tomatoes are mushy but not completely disintegrated, pour in the mustard paste/solution.  If you're not using tomatoes just pour the mustard in and proceed. Stir to coat all the fish properly. Add water according to the consistency of gravy you prefer but make sure there's enough to cook the fish.

Once the fish is cooked through switch off flame and take the pan off the hob. Sprinkle liberally with fresh chopped coriander and pour a tablespoon of mustard oil over the surface to finish.

I didn't  have coriander so I skipped that bit.

Serve with hot rice.

Done and dusted in barely 20 minutes - a simple meal, few flavours but sheer poetry! Enjoy :)

Black Eyed Peas - As fresh as Fergie

The hubby had gone off on another jaunt to Chandore near Mangaon (on the Mumbai - Goa route) and apart from his archaeology related work he also was on the lookout for fresh produce to pick up from the farmers that set up stalls on the highway. This time he came back with a big bag of beans. Really. What he picked up was a kilo of fresh black eyed peas in the pod.

I hadn't a clue what they were or how to cook them, having seen black eyed peas only in their usual dried form. I view most 'sabut' or 'kada dhanya' or dried beans/peas with a healthy hatred if I have to cook them. I can never get them soft, the flavours never seem to permeate into the beans themselves and so I avoid cooking them. I love the stuff, just can't seem to cook them. Confronted with the fresh variety was a like a leap into the extreme unknown for me. I didn't know these were eaten fresh. Ignorant me.

So we set out on a little adventure in the kitchen as we broadened my culinary horizons yet again and cooked the black eyed peas as fresh as Fergie from the pods. No pop was involved in the cooking of these babies apart from the mustard that couldn't be restrained.

I have a healthy fear of the unknown and this extends to cooking too. I don't take to new and unfamiliar ingredients easily and have no confidence dealing with them. Fortunately the hubby is more courageous (and patient) and he said he'd give me directions all the way. So we sat down and peeled the lot. Hubby, me and the maid. Soon we had a decent pile of pretty pale green and white 'beans'.

Then the cooking began. It's a fairly simple recipe with very few flavours. We let the black eyed peas do the talking.

Here's how -

Heat oil in a pan and throw in some mustard seeds. Once they pop and crackle add a couple of green chillies and a sprig of curry leaves. Throw in a chopped onion and sauté the lot till the onions begin to get pink. You can also add some garlic here if you like.

Now's the time to chuck in diced potatoes. I used 1 large potato. Reduce the heat, cover the pan and let the potatoes cook for a bit. Chop up one largeish tomato and add it in. Stir everyone around nicely and put in a teaspoon of dhaniya (coriander) powder and one of jeera (cumin) powder. Mix well, cook covered for another couple of minutes.

I automatically reached for the turmeric but the hubby said no. So once again, unfamiliar territory for me - I mean, how many Indian style vegetable/ vegetarian preparations are there without turmeric? Actually, don't answer that. There are probably quite a few around, it's just me who's blissfully unaware!

So, back to the black eyed peas. Once the potatoes are about nearly done add the shelled babies.

Stir and mix everything really well, add half a cup of water at the most, cover and let it cook. Leave it alone. Every time you open it to see what's going on in there you're letting all the steam escape and thereby wasting gas and time. So leave it alone and remember to turn down the flame too. After about 15 minutes you're going to be home free.

Add salt about 5 minutes before getting it off the flame. You can also sprinkle a nice bit of chopped fresh coriander at this stage. The fresh smell of coriander is such an upper! Cover again, cook for that last 5 minutes.

That's it. Beautiful fresh black eyed peas cooked to perfection. Just a few simple flavours meld together for a healthy and tasty dish that's ridiculously easy to make.