Early summer is when the cashew trees bear fruit. And nut. All along the rich, fertile coastline of India, cashew trees are laden with a flaming orange colored, papaya-like fruit, at the bottom of which, a single cashew nut hangs. This is what makes the nut expensive–one large fruit yields only one nut! The fruit …
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I’m just back from a quick weekend getaway in Jodhpur, where I was invited to the launch of a book on the Temple Food of India. The weather was cool, the night a little a nippy. With my friends I gorged on the mirchi vadas and pyaaz ki kachoris that Jodhpur is famous for and …
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Ghee. That quintessential Indian fat that must make an appearance as a cooking medium or condiment at every authentic Indian meal. I don’t know what arguments I should make in order to prove that it is a healthy fat, but what I can tell you is what a tremendous difference a mere half teaspoonful of …
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Last year, on our annual trip to Goa, we ate at Mum’s Kitchen. This quiet little place located in a quiet little residential area near Miramar beach, serves what I like to call non-hippie-Goan food. By that, I mean that they don’t do grilled fish with white sauces and fries. The people who run the …
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Being born into a Maharashtrian Brahmin family usually means eating chincha-gulachi aamti (tamarind and jaggery based lentils) at least thrice a week. We have tongues that jiggle at the mere thought of tamarind. I love my chaat (Indian street food) a little heavy on the sonth or meethi chutney made from dates and tamarind. When …
[ Continue Reading... ]I treasure my utensils and kitchen appliances with more love than my wedding ring. And if I were to choose between my Kerala-style clay pots and some modern, fancy cooking instrument, I would most definitely choose my clay pots. I love the earthy smoothness of their surfaces and I love the aroma that wafts in …
[ Continue Reading... ]No matter what part of the world you grew up in, I’m sure a teeny bit of your childhood memory store is occupied by tomato soup. Be it as the canned tomato soup that your local restaurant served up with deep fried croutons or as the thick tomato soup your mum served with bread sticks. …
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