tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26466973715757451842024-09-24T20:27:15.325+05:30For the love of food and life.Aparajitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08640534277397088916noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2646697371575745184.post-62877736429693005402010-12-20T23:21:00.000+05:302010-12-20T23:21:01.979+05:30

ID! Hmmm. Tuesday afternoon. 12 pm. Surviving on a meager breakfast of omelette and buttermilk. Hmmm. Both me and my husband have heard of ID at Sathyam Theatre for a while now, and everytime we landed up there at the weekend meant no place to sit and long queues. Tuesday was perfect. It was tough to choose between Sathyam's ID and Blur, but my tongue wanted to taste some lovely Sambar

Aparajitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08640534277397088916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2646697371575745184.post-21070817238594016742010-12-08T14:30:00.000+05:302010-12-08T14:30:15.528+05:30

Having expressed my love for fish, I am down to business - and that is "I have conquered Mudighonto!!" For all those who are clueless it is somewhat like a biriyani cooked with the head of a fish. This feat is very simple. It is something I have relished for many years and my mom knew this was a quick fix to any rotten mood that I might have. This magic however might not work on everybody.

Aparajitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08640534277397088916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2646697371575745184.post-82403182403267209022010-12-08T14:29:00.000+05:302010-12-08T14:29:30.759+05:30

If there is one thing I love, as would any self respecting Bengali, it is fish! Rui, Katla, Pomfret, Prawn and their various forms which include Jhol, Jhal, Kalia, Tel bhaja, fry, cutlets, Moilee, Macher Tok, Doi Mach and the lesser known Mudighonto! Till date I haven't been able to decide what I love most - but if I had to choose, it would be fish! And the fattier the fish, the better.

Aparajitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08640534277397088916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2646697371575745184.post-43524372000311054242010-12-05T22:05:00.001+05:302010-12-05T22:06:53.761+05:30

What do you do when you have a lazy Sunday evening to spend at home and it is pouring outside? Well, you make sure you have a freezer stocked with prawns of course. And you can make a quick mint chutney to go with Prawn fry. So, while we tuned in to some music and my husband was fixing some Bacardi and Coke, I quickly marinated the prawns with pepper, salt, lemon juice and turmeric powder. If

Aparajitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08640534277397088916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2646697371575745184.post-79095562587311692942010-12-05T17:03:00.000+05:302010-12-05T17:03:20.940+05:30

Our second Sunday in Chennai as a married couple and we decide to have Persian food for lunch at this lovely little place called Cafe Shiraz. Located in the Cholamandal Artists Village. It has a lovely ambiance and we went on this rainy day and thus were made to wait for a while before they could make some space outdoors which would be the ideal place to sit at. However, it took longer

Aparajitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08640534277397088916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2646697371575745184.post-87303496250080177372010-12-02T10:20:00.001+05:302010-12-07T11:24:27.508+05:30

Dal is lentils and is very much a part of an Indian meal, and in various forms. Not just is it used in proper dal form, but is used in making Sambar, Vada, and even in something as insane as mutton. And its oh so tasty! I remember assuming it was inferior to meat as a kid.. but as I grew older, not only did I develop a fondness for it, it became almost mandatory on the dinner table. Moreover, my

Aparajitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08640534277397088916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2646697371575745184.post-36304218291764217092010-11-28T00:14:00.003+05:302010-11-28T08:16:54.991+05:30

The Bhindi post was a hit. I instantly had two guests come home last night - my husband's friends, one being Bengali and the other Malayalee, and both Bongs and Mallus love fish, did you know? (Note: Should feed them fish in the near future) So, Parth accepts an invitation on chat, and thats the thing I love about Bengalis - their spontaneity and the shameless love for food. Having drifted from

Aparajitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08640534277397088916noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2646697371575745184.post-6476840195034480842010-11-26T15:38:00.002+05:302010-11-26T15:38:13.595+05:30

Bhindi aka Okra aka Ladies Finger. The earliest memory draws back to art classes wherein the art teacher would ask you to dip the end of a cut bhindi and make patterns on a sheet of paper. Using food for art is interesting but I prefer to use a different palette to appreciate the vegetable -- and that would be the tongue. Bhindi appeals to me in all shapes, sizes and gravies. In a Bengali

Aparajitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08640534277397088916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2646697371575745184.post-59618789518192335432010-11-26T14:34:00.000+05:302010-11-26T14:34:28.304+05:30

2nd November, Tuesday changed the course of my life, or just steered it a bit. After my wedding, it was a new beginning, a new home with a new person to share it with. And the best thing about it -- we love the same food! Now, in India the wife is someone who makes sure the husband is well fed. Which is why you see very few 'fit' husbands. You see them with a round belly which could also be due

Aparajitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08640534277397088916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2646697371575745184.post-64510025242636284612010-07-01T15:26:00.002+05:302010-07-01T15:26:40.055+05:30

If I wish you at the very beginning of the year, inspite of the fact that Vodafone charges me big bucks for the messages I send on so called special occasions, stop expecting any further from me. An old gentlemen, a senior political correspondent tortured me no end to find out all the Bengali holidays of the year so that he could do some 'PR' with some ex army officials he knows. 'You should

Aparajitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08640534277397088916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2646697371575745184.post-86474753259440121632010-06-30T18:11:00.002+05:302010-06-30T18:11:19.867+05:30

I am not particularly fond of salmon. Yes, I am sure I prefer my Rohu or Hilsa to it, but then again, Salmon seems to be a favourite among many, including bears. But what I am going to talk about wouldn’t really bother vegetarians, who have their own genetically modified brinjals to worry about. So yes, genetically modified. It is a big word especially when it is applied to something like salmon

Aparajitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08640534277397088916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2646697371575745184.post-62139173987370256402010-06-29T10:13:00.000+05:302010-06-29T10:13:53.726+05:30

The other day I went to a store where I was kicked to see this offer where with a washing machine, a microwave oven came free, and the total offer price was not so bad either. This got me thinking that we have entered the age of 'Buy 1, get 1 free'. Though this has been around for quite a few many years, everyone works on an incentive basis. Buy a mobile phone and get accessories free, buy a

Aparajitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08640534277397088916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2646697371575745184.post-74849456247346677062010-06-21T17:42:00.000+05:302010-06-21T17:42:43.870+05:30

Tamil is a classical language, no doubt, as its history can be traced back to 300 BC. Now, in a recent news report I read that the AIADMK has appealed to Indian President Pratibha Patil to use the language as an official language in Madras High Court. Now, in my visit to Singapore, I found that announcements are made in Tamil (in addition to English, Chinese and Malay), so why is it so

Aparajitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08640534277397088916noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2646697371575745184.post-66910417171120777472010-05-31T17:59:00.001+05:302010-05-31T17:59:05.161+05:30

31st May marked one whole month since Sohan Kumar*, a manager at a multi-national company had quit smoking, or tried for the nth time in his life. But atleast for the first time in his life, he has reached the one month mark.                             

Aparajitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08640534277397088916noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2646697371575745184.post-61203968392337653652010-05-18T21:36:00.000+05:302010-05-18T21:36:51.433+05:30

First it was the two girls from Bulandshahr (UP, India) who boarded a bus to meet two men in Greater Noida, men they befriended over the Internet, to get raped. The audacity of the girls should not go unquestioned as they went in the pretext to write an exam. Men will be men. If the women suggest that they would lie at home and come to spend the evening with them, men will turn predators and turn

Aparajitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08640534277397088916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2646697371575745184.post-46712426514831947812010-05-13T20:24:00.002+05:302010-05-13T20:28:59.931+05:30

How many women have grown up with the idea of the TYPICAL guy we would want to settle down with? Tall, not-so-dark in my case, handsome; someone right out of a Mills & Boon. I fell in love with Marsh Endicott in 2005. He is your typical stubborn, drop dead gorgeous and in one word 'irresistible'. So An Uncommon Affair it was, that opened my world to imagination running wild. And

Aparajitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08640534277397088916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2646697371575745184.post-10303651866402433372010-05-12T23:32:00.004+05:302010-05-12T23:39:20.020+05:30

And a dark cloud made it impossible to look beyond, making it difficult to breathe. There was no rhythm in the night, the tinkling of the chime didn't make music either. Still. Waiting for a shriek to break the silence.

Aparajitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08640534277397088916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2646697371575745184.post-91491950352363867612010-05-08T15:42:00.000+05:302010-05-08T15:42:35.537+05:30

5 steps forward, three steps to your left and charge ahead. No! Stop, come back and go round the block. Thats a message from my brain to every nerve ending, anything to keep me from yawning like a bored hippopotamus in the middle of the afternoon. May has never been my favourite month - even though a lot of people connected with my life are taureans, there is no reason particular reason why May

Aparajitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08640534277397088916noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2646697371575745184.post-90554902384733651382010-05-06T17:36:00.002+05:302010-05-06T17:36:55.090+05:30

Ralph Rueben LifsWHAT? Lifshitz. That is Ralph Lauren’s real name. I don’t even know how to pronounce it. And who would know that Madonna’s full name is Madonna Louise Ciccone. It is a good thing that the world knows of only one Madonna, like there is only one Michael Jackson. If there were more than one, like Hugh, several names come to the mind – Hugh Jackman, Hugh Grant, Hugh Dancy… all

Aparajitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08640534277397088916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2646697371575745184.post-90427883243329288682010-05-06T14:48:00.000+05:302010-05-06T14:48:31.471+05:30

“Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens; Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens; Brown paper packages tied up with strings; These are a few of my favorite things… .. When the dog bites, When the bee stings, When I'm feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things, And then I don't feel so bad.” Blessed are those who can think of their favourite things and not have to worry about

Aparajitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08640534277397088916noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2646697371575745184.post-28815443669243926782010-05-05T17:55:00.002+05:302010-05-05T18:05:15.079+05:30

“Most of the time He's the lord of the jungle Everyone grins while he gripes Usually he's found just Lounging around in his stripes" Michael Franks - Tiger in the Rain A visit to China’s Wenzhou Zoo, in Zhejiang province might just guarantee a photograph with the dwindling beast. Here visitors are invited to come up close, touch a tamed tiger and pose for pictures as they pretend to ride the

Aparajitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08640534277397088916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2646697371575745184.post-66393901869353820622010-05-04T17:05:00.004+05:302010-05-04T17:33:53.580+05:30

I recently read this in an article posted online at the Asia Times ... "How on earth are these countries still considered "developing" when their standards of living and technology are barely available in the Western world? That's when you remember India. "Ah!," you say, believing that here is a country that will perpetually disappoint on itsinfrastructure. Abysmal roads, gridlocked traffic, poor

Aparajitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08640534277397088916noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2646697371575745184.post-42867236064317519072010-04-29T13:49:00.001+05:302010-04-29T13:49:57.951+05:30

Everything is interlinked. I breathe the air you do, though pollution levels may differ; we spot the same moon, but perhaps at different time zones. My side of the sky may have more clouds, your may be more polluted; but all in all, me and you are so similar, yet so different. Same goes for Chocolate. The effects on chocolate on me could be different from the effect it has on you. I have

Aparajitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08640534277397088916noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2646697371575745184.post-47213291720098969062010-03-28T09:51:00.001+05:302010-03-31T02:41:19.750+05:30

Venue : Red Fort Restaurant, Nandanam , Chennai Event: Disaster I cannot describe the experience as anything else but  'disastrous'. Even an earthquake would have felt better compared to the rumbling and tumbling my poor lil tummy had to experience after saturday lunch at Red Fort, Nandanam. Here are the reasons why Red Fort does not belong to the present: 1 - The cutlery, cane

Aparajitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08640534277397088916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2646697371575745184.post-40781532175153607872010-03-24T12:53:00.000+05:302010-03-24T12:53:20.040+05:30

It rings constantly in your ear, “this has been the worst hurricane, worst flood, or worst tidal wave on record.” With more damage around the world and ecosystems going haywire, we see that many people have joined the bandwagon in a bid to protect Earth. Earlier, initiatives were taken mostly by the Government and NGO’s, but today we see people around the world waking up. But the question is,

Aparajitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08640534277397088916noreply@blogger.com4