Bong Mom's CookBook

Stuffed Mushroom in the Oven

2013-06-18T21:56:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I think I am desperate to put every thing I see on my blog. Lovely things. Things that I could have admired, soaked in their beauty and just let them live in my memory. But no, I want them to be here, to share with you all. Like say this cute red tubewell at an arboretum I had refused to visit. Or this Father's Day gift that the girls made. The gift coupon idea was from

Bhetki Macher Kalia Jhol and story of Jamai Shoshthi

2013-06-14T22:55:00.000-04:00

Bhetki Macher Jhol Tomorrow, today Friday is Jamai Shoshthi. My Ma had called last week and then again yesterday night, lamenting the fact that she will not be there to feed her jamai--son-in-law-- a rich sumptuous meal on the day. Staying far away, she is robbed of this pleasure most years. If I am honest, neither the jamai nor me miss it all that much. Going on a cooking frenzy, on a hot

Bharela Baingan -- Eggplants stuffed with Peanut masala

2013-06-06T22:38:00.001-04:00

This bharela baingan or stuffed eggplant is our Gujarati Auntie's recipe. The Aunty who is the current babysitter but babies not being babies anymore who also helps me a little with housework. She makes some of her vegetarian Gujarati dishes and we are sold. Kadhi has always featured in my comfort food list, right there with alu posto-musurir dal and Thai red curry and now there is Lobia

Chingri Aloo Phulkopi'r Dalna -- and food tales of Bengali women

2013-05-28T21:21:00.001-04:00

While I was writing my book, there was a section on the superlative vegetarian cooking of the Bengali ladies of my grandmother's generation, especially the vegetarian cooking of Bengali widows in those times. Due to practical reasons, that you only encounter when you are writing a book, I finally left out a portion of that section which recounted tales about my grandmother's sister. But I always

Kale Bhaja -- and how Green is my valley

2013-05-21T23:11:00.001-04:00

Stir Fried Kale with lots of garlic, dry red chillies and then eaten with steaming rice with dollops of Kasundi. Yes ! That easy. Though I am not too fond of eating "greens", I love green. The color green in nature.And as I say every year, I am mesmerized by the green that springs up around where I live as soon as April rolls in. The transformation is so magical and so abundant that

Pasta in a Thai Red Curry-Coconut Milk Sauce

2013-05-17T20:25:00.001-04:00

Thai food is equivalent to comfort food for me. So is it for BS. When we need to be comforted, a plate of white rice and Thai red curry comes very very close to masoor dal and alu posto. I might as well have been a Thai Mom. Next life, I will try to go about it. So when another Bong Friend. N, who am sure has already applied for the Thai Mom position even before me, for she loves Thai

Happy Mother's Day

2013-05-12T23:12:00.003-04:00

"Ma, Maa", Mr. Bhattacharya's stentorian voice resonated across the still sleepy neighborhood. The two gray pigeons trying to catch the last snatches of sleep in their filigreed skylight home, flapped their wings in annoyance and flew up to the terrace. Mangala, the neighborhood milkman's much pampered cow, shook herself and hurriedly called out with a matching "Moooo", as she shuffled to get on

Lau, Potol and Summer Food

2013-05-10T19:28:00.000-04:00

While it is only mildly warm in my part of the world, I know it is raging summer in most parts of India. So I thought of sharing a few dishes perfect for summer from my blog with you. Potol Posto Aloo Potol diye Maacher Jhol Aloo Potol er Dalna Jhinge Chingri Posto Bori diye Lau Ghonto Moog Dal Chora Lau Tetor Dal or Titar Dal Tak er Dal Mango Dal with Masoor

Come what May...

2013-05-08T21:54:00.002-04:00

May has been a happening month so far. Both in good ways and bad. But we won't discuss the bad. I am trying to be in peace with the fact that --"If things are not in my control, I better not break my head trying to control them". Is that a saying or did I just make it up ? If I made it up, that will be my first quote. Get used to my wisdom people. So what if I don't live by them. So, first

Maachher Paturi -- the new woman's twist

2013-05-01T21:42:00.002-04:00

Macher Paturi The word "paaturi" comes from the Bangla word "paata" or leaf . That said, it becomes crystal clear that "Maacher Paturi" or Fish Paturi is a preparation where the fish is cooked in some sort of a leaf. It being a Bengali recipe. it also becomes more than crystal clear that the said fish has been marinated in a sharp, pungent mustard-y paste of shorshe bata and drizzled with

Kerala Style Chicken Stew and a Yellow Belt

2013-04-26T23:14:00.002-04:00

Sometimes when I write this blog, I feel a tad guilty. Am I being totally honest here ? Am I portraying only a slice of my life here ? Am I writing only about the funny and smart things my kids say ? Am I hiding from the world that my PMS lasts for exactly 21 days and 5 hours, give and take two ? The thing is when you read a blog, anyone's blog you see only a slice of the blogger's life there.

Chandrani and Pia's Dhonepata Bata Sheem

2013-04-23T20:41:00.003-04:00

Yesterday around lunch I asked a question on FB. Here is what I asked. While I was eating my oatmeal at lunch, going through suggestions of excellent recipes with sheem, my tummy growling, my heart aching, I suddenly realized I did not have sheem at home. I had snow peas. There was no way I was going to make a stop at Patel in the evening to get half a pound of sheem. Jalebis might have made

Nutella Covered Crackers

2013-04-21T22:21:00.000-04:00

If you land up on a random day at my home with kids in tow, you will not find a pack of Oreo cookies, sack of Doritos or a bag of soft chewy cookies in my pantry. It is not that my kids survive on carob chips and spelt flour cookies. I don't even know what they are, just wrote them like that. But because if I do have the oreo and the doritos, the conversation every 15 mins goes like this. "

Chicken ChaaNp or Chaap-- Mughal influence on Bengal

2013-04-17T22:41:00.000-04:00

Chicken Chaap I wish I could have said this recipe is my Mother's given to her by her great-great-grandfather Wajid Ali Shah's master bawarchi. I wish I could have said I was born into this recipe. But sorry to disappoint. Many of you have been born into it for sure as you have been with recipes of creme brulee and chocolate gateau. But nope. Not me. Darn, my Ma. In fact for a large part of

Grated Kaancha Pepe'r Tarkari -- grated raw papaya

2013-04-09T21:23:00.001-04:00

Fifteen years ago if a tarot card reader had told me that fifteen years later I would not only be cooking and eating raw papaya with a smile on my lips but also forcing others to do so, I would have balked. I would have have also "pooh-poohed" away the whole idea and not paid the tarot card reader in full. Ten years back if my daily horoscope in TOI predicted "raw papaya eating days in the

Shorshe Roshun Mushroom -- with Kasundi

2013-04-05T19:32:00.004-04:00

Since I have made the aam kashundi, my week night dinners have gotten easier. I have been slathering and pouring that kashundi on E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G Palong Shaak Bhaja -- Check Tilapia -- Check Chicken -- Check Alu Seddho -- Check Salmon -- Check Bath Water -- Check. Ok, no scratch that. Not bath water but other than that on E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G Last year inspired by Sharmila @

Busy Day's Egg Masala -- with some tips

2013-03-31T22:43:00.000-04:00

If you are a Mother, like me or you are a Father, unlike me, you will appreciate what I am going to tell you about today's egg masala. In fact even if you are not a parent you should certainly appreciate the wisdom imparted in the post. But if you are a parent, and if you have kids, and the kids have homework, and piano, and taekwondo, maybe even swimming or add some bharatnatyam to the mix

Shorshe Kashundi Murgi -- Chicken in Mustard Sauce

2013-03-18T20:40:00.000-04:00

This had been a hectic weekend. Wrapping up the final touch up for the book; the fonts, the typos, the excitement, the elation and then the depression. Until Saturday night I was on a high. Half of Saturday night had been spent online, working with my editor in India and chatting more working while she corrected those last little things. I went to sleep around 3:30 AM Sunday morning and

Aam Kashundi -- the Bengali Mustard Sauce

2013-03-14T21:16:00.001-04:00

Before I write even one more sentence, let me dispel any doubts about this being the traditional recipe for real Kashundi or Kasundi. It is not. I don't know how to make the traditional Kasundi. My mother never made it. I don't think my grandmothers did it either. But my father's grandmother and grandaunt did. They were the designated Kashundi makers of the family. In the days when Kashundi

Prerna's Strawberry Chutney

2013-03-13T23:14:00.001-04:00

Sometime back I received my signed copy of Prerna's The Everything Indian Slow Cooker Cookbook. Need I say, I was thrilled. The author Prerna Singh is also the author of IndianSimmer, a beautiful blog in its own rights. I have been a long time admirer of her blog and I was looking forward to her book. Given that I am not much of a slowcooker person and do most of my cooking on the stove top

Miri's Gosthu(Eggplant in a tangy tomato gravy)

2013-03-12T20:45:00.002-04:00

For the next couple of days, I will do a series of posts which were actually intended for February. I had planned to do them the week of Saraswati Puja because she being the goddess of knowledge and art and art and creativity was what my posts were going to celebrate. But things often don't go according to plan. Well actually things NEVER go according to plan. So instead of February, I will do

Sweet Potato Broccoli Parmesan Tikkis

2013-03-06T18:58:00.001-05:00

These tikkis or croquettes are inspired by two people. Mandira of Ahaar and The IKEA people. But before diving into them, let me pique your interest by showing you my picture, as rendered by our in-house artist LS. Did you see it ? Did you see it ? Ain't it cute ? She has made me look so good in there. My adult acne and thick moustache has been totally covered up and my flowery feet and

Keema Matar or Keema Koraishuti

2013-03-03T12:18:00.000-05:00

After a long long time I bought Goat keema today. Made fresh at the meat store. It was natural that I would make a Keema Matar with it. What we call Keema Koraishuti. That one dish serves a lot of purpose and also freezes well. So, today we are going to have just the keema matar with rice for lunch. Tomorrow, I will dry up some of it, add a boiled egg and make sandwich. On Wednesday I will

Shorshe Salmon Jhaal -- Tomato Roshun diye

2013-03-01T19:49:00.000-05:00

Jhaal in Bengali means hot. Not warm hot. Not "pink hot". But spicy hot. But "jhaal" when in the name of a dish describes a gravy based dish (should have said curry, but don't want to add to curry culture) usually with mustard sauce that is thicker than a soupy "jhol" but not as rich as a "dalna". Confoosed ? Confused ? Okay forget it. Jhaal and hot brings to my mind a very funny incident.

Oven baked Begun Bhaja -- and a book review

2013-02-27T23:21:00.003-05:00

Definition of "Bossy" according LS with real life example -- "Bossy maane....bossy maane. Ei je dhoro tomar ei room ta clean korar kotha. Kintu tmi korcho na. Ar tumi amake bolcho clean korte jate tumi araam kore cha khete paro. Tar mane tumi Bossy." She says, "Bossy means...well bossy means. Ok, lets take you. It is your job to clean this room(at this point she looks at me pointedly). But, you