Last time, we started our survey of the spring-summer Bengali meal, with a close look at the first course and the rice-dal duo. This time, we will explore the rest of the meal, starting with course the veggies, and one of my absolute favourite dishes. Aloo posto is an absolute delight. Cubes of potatoes are…
Rituranga : Basanta-Grishma (Part 1)
“Fragrantly scarlet on bare branches or covertly crimson amidst dark green foliage, the early flowers of spring arrive to signal an end to the mellow contentment of winter and to herald a brief, unsettling season……The variety of colours ranged on the trees and the fragrance of mango trees in blossom carried by the balmiest of…
The Cocktail Chronicles (Part 2)
Whiskey, Sugar, Bitters Last time, we started our exploration of cocktails with a brief historical overview and a quick look at some base spirits and liqueurs. It’s finally time to start mixing. In this part, we will start with the components of a cocktail, and dissect an all-time classic. The primary ingredient of a cocktail…
Eggs 201 (Part 2)
Boiled, Scrambled, and Omelette Last time, we started our exploration of breakfast egg dishes by discussing the poached and fried eggs, delving deep into the level of controversy created by something as simple and ubiquitous as a fried egg. This week, we will explore three more egg classics, starting with the humble boiled egg. Thankfully,…
Eggs 201 (Part 1)
Poached and Fried “How d’ya like your eggs in the morning…”, sang Dean Martin and Helen O’Connell in a rather corny duet back in the 50s. Indeed, there are a lot of ways you can cook eggs. We’ve had a two-parter on eggs two and a half years back, the Eggs 101 series, which was…
The Cocktail Chronicles (Part 1)
Beginnings The history of human civilization is intricately linked with the history of alcohol. Yes, that is a bold statement to make- but perhaps not surprising when we realise that alcohol permeates the entire natural world around us. From insects laying their eggs in places where there is an intense odour of ethanol and acetaldehyde,…
Pastry 101 : Choux
So far in our French pastry odyssey, we have looked at shortcrust and puff pastries. This week, we complete the trilogy with what is perhaps the most enigmatic of the three. This week, let’s wrap things up with a look at choux (pronounced shoo) pastry or pâte à choux. A choux dough contains the usual…
Pastry 101 : Puff
Last time, we looked at shortcrust pastry and its varieties, along with an overview of French pastry creams. Let’s now move on to our second pastry, puff pastry or Pâte Feuilletée, the base for local favourites like chicken patties and projapoti biskoot. Puff pastry feels magical, almost alive. When baked, it increased to upto eight…
Pastry 101 : Shortcrust
The word “pastry” has a different meaning in India and the West, which confuses a lot of beginners. While we use the term pastry to refer to cakes filled and frosted with cream, the term is used differently in the West, and infact, has two meanings. Pastry in the West can refer to the final…
Happy 2022!
Nope, no article today. In fact, from this week, the articles will be uploaded on Sunday mornings instead of Saturdays, so stay tuned for that tomorrow. It is a New Year, and I want to start it on the right foot with some apologies and resolutions. 2021 wasn’t a good year in general, and for…
The Gourmet Glutton 