“As children even the first sight of dark clouds rolling towards us from the distance southeast would set us skipping with excitement. The anticipation intensified as the winds gathered force, the low rumble of thunder was heard and the first streaks of lightning rent the sky. It is hard to remain on responsive to what…
A Tale of Mango, Coconut and Ginger
When you come home after a long time, you tend to gravitate to the familiar places, to further reinforce that sense of nostalgia that starts manifesting from the moment of touchdown. Over time, these places change, so the place you return to is never quite the place you left, be it your old bedroom, your…
The Cocktail Chronicles (Part 5)
Variations on an Old-Fashioned Last time, we talked about the multiple variations spawned by the basic martini formula. Similar to the martini, the old-fashioned has also given rise to number of variation and eponymous drinks. The drink most similar to the old-fashioned is the Sazerac, the official cocktail of New Orleans; it is an important…
Curry Roux : Japan
So far in our curry series, we have examined Britain and Thailand’s take on the Indian curry, familiar yet different, a classic example of other cultures assimilating our cuisine and making it their own, a reverse Tangra chilli chicken or white sauce penne, if you will. In this final instalment, we turn our attention to…
Curry Paste : Thailand
Last week, we traced the origin of the word “curry” from its colonial roots to the skyrocketing numbers of curry houses in the UK. This week, we will examine about another distinct style of curry. Until just 1939, Thailand was referred to as Siam. Although Siam had never been colonised by the West, its cuisine…
Curry Powder : Britain
In this series, we will explore three global derivatives of the India’s most important culinary export. On the way, we will dabble in history and etymology, food science and philosophy, and a lot more. May is going to be all about the globalisation of curry. As an Indian, I absolutely detest the word “curry”. Think…
The Cocktail Chronicles (Part 4)
The Extended Martini Family Last time, we began our discussion of the classic Martini by talking about gin, aromatic wines and the basic martini formula. That formula however, is a mere starting point for a dizzying array of martinis and martini variations. The proportions of a martini are hotly debated- it started with a 2:1…
Eggplant : Flavour Sponge
Last week, we started our eggplant exploration, with a predominantly Eurocentric approach. The focus was more on the custardy texture of the eggplant and its seamless interplay with other members of the nightshade family. This time, we will focus primarily on the role of the eggplant as a sponge for flavours, with a journey through…
Eggplant : Nightshade Custard
With its purple watertight jacket encasing a firm white interior, the humble eggplant really doesn’t look like much. And indeed, on its own, it is pretty plain. But give it a stage and a couple of flavours to work with, and you will be marvelled by the things it can do. In this series, we…
The Cocktail Chronicles (Part 3)
Anatomy of a Martini The Martini is probably the most famous of all cocktails, not least due to a certain secret service agent (although his way of drinking a martini is undoubtedly unconventional, and to me, is not a martini at all- but more on that later!). However, martini has been well-known long before the…
The Gourmet Glutton 