Yesterday, we began our Christmas Odyssey in Mangalore, exploring some of the special dishes of the cuisine in general. We talked about the array of porcine delicacies, and chicken dishes like the kori gassi. Another simple and delicious chicken preparation is the sukka, although it can be made with any protein. The USP of a…
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A Very Mangalorean Christmas (Part 1)
Bangalore is a melting pot of cultures and communities, with enthusiastic celebration of everything from Durga Puja and Eid to Onam and Christmas. Having explored aspects of Christmas in my previous years, with the Calcutta Christmas Cake and the Western-style Christmas dinner, this time, I decided to focus on the Christmas food of the Mangalorean…
Celebratory Rice
It’s that time of the year again, when the entire city awakens from its “lyad” to enthusiastically celebrate the homecoming of Goddess Durga. And of course, good food is a crucial component of the agenda. Every year since 2019, I’ve posted a series of special articles during Pujo, ranging from solo write-ups to collabs to…
Quizzing: A Reminiscence
It was more than a decade ago now, in 2012, that I, a timid 19-year old, walked cautiously into the majestic General Lecture Theatre of Medical College Kolkata. It was new, enthralling, and just a little intimidating. A typical college batch has the whole spectrum, ranging from the loud, popular extroverts who fit in seamlessly…
A Tale of Pear, Fig, and Cinnamon
Poached Pears with Fig “Custard” and Cinnamon “Crumble”: A “Recipe” Christmastime calls for something special. So far, during Christmas, I’ve looked back at my first ever food article called Food and the Senses in 2019, dissected the Calcutta Christmas Cake in 2020, and collaborated with Nodee di on the Christmas dinner in 2021. This time,…
Ghee Roast and Pepper Fry
The vegetarian fare of South Indian cuisine is famous throughout India. In recent times, when the long-standing monopoly of the tikkas and kormas of North India is slowly being infiltrated by glimpses from the South, it is still mostly via these vegetarian dishes: the dosa, the idli, the vada, the sambhar. It is light, filling,…
Pujo, Kolkata, and Street Food
Durga Puja is an emotion. Durga Puja is an allegedly lazy, laid back city showing its true colours quite literally- its artistic pandals and bedazzling lights guide hungry, lost souls home for a bit of peace and mangshor jhol. If you’re a nomad at heart and even homecoming means wandering the streets of your beloved…
The Pujo Prelude
So far, 2022 has been an eventful year, with lots of highs and lows. One of the upcoming highs is getting to spend Pujo in Kolkata after a very long time. Pujo is a time of socialisation, of meeting up with friends. And in that spirit, I have a series of four rather special articles…
The Bong Blueprint
Pujo is just a month away. It is my first Pujo back home after three whole years, which feels great. Like every year, 2022 also has a series of great articles lined up for you during the festive season. There are guest articles and Pujo-specific writeups, and then there are articles celebrating the beauty of…
Dosa in a Time Warp
Vidyarthi Bhavan, located in the Gandhi Bazaar area in Bangalore, is a students’ eatery established in 1943, serving South Indian breakfast staples like idli, vada, and dosa. It constantly pops up in lists of “must-try restaurants in Bangalore”, and I’ll have to admit, I was a tad skeptical. I knew this place has a huge…
The Gourmet Glutton 