Bumtchoonth (quince) If you take a good look, you will find that the majority of the posts on this blog are around memories. Mostly memories about food. Yet, from the moment Manisha announced her IFR: Memories I seem to have been at a loss for words! Her deadline, extended, is looming and I can feel…
It’s nippy tonight – it has snowed in the mountains and it is raining in Delhi. Some beans and rice is just what I would like… I was lucky to get a little of the stash of fresh cranberry beans that a cousin brought over from a visit to the valley and shared with my…
You all know about my penchant for tea. Just about any tea. And Kashmiris have many. Handle or Mogul Chai is now almost as well known as the regular chai we drink everyday. There is another, not seen or heard outside the community, but as loved by us Kashmiris. Not so long ago even Handle…
Paneer is rigor for a Kashmiri vegetarian spread. Good high-fat milk is hard to come by in mountainous Kashmir since there are no water buffaloes; low fat cow milk is what you get. Despite this, dahi (yoghurt) and paneer are plentiful and a regular part of the diet. On days fasting is prescribed, all Kashmiri…
Winter has set in Delhi. We have had some rain this week which has further brought down the temperatures and I am beginning to regret not airing out the winter wardrobe ahead of time when the days were sunny and bright. The sun will be back in our winter soon enough and we will be…
As we move to bigger urban centers, and into smaller and smaller lots and apartments, we are removed more and more from the food we eat, from the act of growing our own food. Much of what was once common in every home garden is gradually getting lost, at least to us city folk. My…
its own and talk, I am breaking the journey through the Kashmir Himalayas to share with you a family favourite from the region. ‘Kashmiri’ dum aloo appears on the menu of Indian restaurants more often than it ought to. I don’t imply that it is not worth offering, but that what is offered is not…
Tchoek-Wangun, Kashmiri Khatte Baingan, Cooked With Sun-Gued Eggplant Drying is one of the oldest and easiest way to preserve food. In a country with plentiful sun it is only natural that we should have a tradition of using the sun’s energy to process food. You will find wadi varieties from all over the country. Bengalis put…
I can’t have enough pickles it seems; the previous post too was on pickling. Pickling is cool (again) and you are likely to see a lot of talk about them. Lacto-fermentation is trending. Me, I’ve always loved a good pickle and the process of making a perishable vegetable last longer. Pickles are a great way…
A Picnic in the Garden It’s Spring all around. There is a burst of colour in the garden – nasturtiums and poppies (oh, the gorgeous poppies) return every year in striking new shades like little miracles. Soon, it will be the turn of the street trees to shimmer – the Semal in March, and the…
