A trip to Mahabaleshwar, a hill station in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra, has become an annual tradition of sorts. Of course, it gets cool (cold) in the hills and compared to the negligible winter of Mumbai, it is a good opportunity to bring out the cardigans and shawls. And socks. Socks are important. Every […]
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It’s that part of the year again, when the stone fruits have gone and the berries have yet to come. There’s pears and apples galore in the market along with the usual suspects but these don’t tempt me so much these days. I miss those crisp and flavorful Himachal apples from my childhood–apples so juicy, […]
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I share my mum’s love for Roulades. Swiss Rolls, as they are known in bakeries here. When we were kids, my mum would make a simple butterless sponge sheet and slather it with store-bought mixed fruit jam and roll it up tightly. This would be our 4 o’clock snack or make its way to our […]
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Every Thursday, when the family would fast for the family deity, my great grandma would make naralachi vadi or coconut fudge squares for prasad or the offering to god. She would labor over a panful of freshly grated coconuts, often plucked from the tree in the backyard, stirring in clotted cream, milk and sugar and […]
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Choux pastry. I made it last when I was studying Confectionery in college. That was gods knows how many decades ago. Then, last week, I was suddenly craving them, so decided to take the effort to make them at home. They turned out fabulously and were wiped out by the family in no time. These […]
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The original, Marathi version of this article appeared in Loksatta on November 10, 2012 and can be read here. I got married on Dassera, and by the time I came back from my honeymoon, it was time for Diwali. I had always been fond of everyday cooking and baking and could manage a decent job […]
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The original, Marathi version of this article appeared in Loksatta on October 6, 2012. When I was a kid, a middle-aged, tall, bearded, slightly annoyed Pathaan dressed in a lungi, kurta and turban would come every Sunday morning to my grandma’s south Mumbai apartment. He carried a large aluminum trunk, its mouth slightly open, spilling […]
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