It is just 3 days past my birthday – and belated birthday wishes are still pouring in on Facebook. And I ain’t any celebrity. Social media makes you feel like one though – of course, if you choose it that way and keep your birth date visible in the settings. I chose to – because, face it… which other day would friends (as in all who are in the Facebook Friend list – close friends, good friends, foodie friends, family, school friends, college friends, ex-colleagues and casual acquaintances included) from all corners of the world, and from all walks of life, write to you. The first wishes started pouring in from India much before the clock struck 12 in Dubai and heralded my birthday here. I woke up in the morning with a Google notification reminding me of my age. Facebook screamed that aloud as well. Really, time did fly very fast. Usually, these are feelings associated with seeing your children grow up in front of you, not yourself. I woke up to an older myself, and I changed the settings so that the age was now invisible to friends.
How was I going to celebrate my birthday? What were the big plans? Well, I had been in self-imposed exile for the last few days because of chicken pox. Not one to publicise it on Facebook, only a few of my friends knew about it. And the rest – whoever called up to wish me screamed out – ‘But how did you manage to contract it?’ ‘Are you kidding me?’ ‘Really? Didn’t you have it when you were a kid?’ I was in an apologetic mode – ‘Sorry buddies, I don’t know why I have got it, and how I have got it. Maybe I am not that old not to get it.’ Yes, that struck a chord. I am not too old to have chicken pox. I am pretty young to have got it actually. Gratitude begins there. The Z-Sisters would have to remain outside my room while I would be inside – Lil Z offering her chocolates and ‘air huggies’ and hand made cards. This had been the toughest part – staying in isolation and trying to be away from the girls. It must have been tough for S to have managed the school runs and Lady M who has had to do everything alone. Gratitude again – to have them in my life. In fact, the power of gratitude message harnesses itself many times, more so in times of emotional stress.
Once you become a parent, what you want to eat, which cake you want to order becomes irrelevant. While going out to school, Big Z placed an order (to me, of course) for a 4-cheese pizza while Lil Z wanted a pepperoni one. And of course, the cake would have to be chocolate and almond flavour. Who cares about the birthday girl? Does it matter that me – the mum – the birthday girl – pretty please – might prefer a mutton biryani from Shiraz or a home cooked Khicuri? And then what about ordering from one of her favourite budget eats – from where food comes home within 20 minutes of placing the order – Appa Kadai (Jasmine aka Pear Tree Diaries mentions it also as one of her fav budget eats). Did I ever write a post on it? No, never. Where was my gratitude? My gratitude poured in later via ordering a birthday treat.
A dream lunchfrom a few days back played on my mind – bull’s eye appam, beef sukha, egg curry, chicken chettinad, Malabar fish curry… Appa Kadai delivered home. Disregarding the outbursts from Lil Z that would ensue soon – ‘Mama it’s too spicy, I never ever want to eat from Appa Kadai again, not even their Chinese’, Mama’s order for her birthday lunch soon was egg curry and bull’s eye appam… and a mutton sukha! Just to mention here, Appa Kadai borders on being a multi-cuisine restaurant, much to my dislike. The Appa Kadai lunch was followed by cake cutting in the evening from (Brownie Point) – yes, I took a chance to come out of my bedroom into the living room – feeling like a heroine in a movie who would soon see her hero – in slow motion. And that was followed by pizza from Papa Murphie’s. A birthday spent at home, amongst family, with food and lots of love showered on me.
gratitude
ˈɡratɪtjuːd/
noun
noun: gratitude
1. the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.
Often, we don’t think much of what we have, what we should be grateful for – in that particular moment, or on that particular day, or the days that have gone past. A home delivery or a cake order that one is expecting anyway doesn’t make one feel grateful – as if these things are granted in life. Not until a few surprises jerk you up and make you feel tearful. Like the flowers that arrived from my Punjabi friend Shelly living in the same building or the Payesh, the traditional rice pudding that my Marwari friend Seema had sent the day earlier (of Gulab Jamun Rabri had been her recipe, and the special Marwari dinner of Daal-Bati-Churma was at her place). Or the huge bouquet of fruits that arrived from Edible Arrangement, order placed by Bohochics – a group of 8 girl friends – my soul sisters now, with whom I travel to a new destination every 18 months (started with Prague and our last destination was Florence). But why fruits? Because, I had been off sweets for a while due to medical reason. So much of discussion, so many secret group chats (sans me of course) must have ensued. Yes, my gratitude.
But why suddenly talking of gratitude? Has this birthday made me more wise? Not at all. Actually in the last month, we have been doing a round of gratitude messages amongst the friends in Bohochics – a gratitude message from each of us, every day… we are already into our third round and what is fascinating is how each message connects to everyone and makes them feel grateful for having a similar person in their lives as well. It made me think of people that I hadn’t thought of in many days, some in many years – but who I am grateful to, for what I am today. It made me remember moments that have given wings for me to fly, and shaped my dreams. It made me think of my family – my loving brother, my extended family, long lost friends, special relationships and random incidents. It also made me realise the power in following some sort of a prayer or a ritual of thanking that exists in many religion. Isolation from my own family, and these gratitude messages made me realise how much I have got in life and how grateful I should be today. I wish I could share these gratitude messages here, but I can’t as many are very private. We have become so busy in our daily lives today that we rarely pause to think of people around us. Think of special privileges that surround us – like the precious hand written card that comes from my mum-in-law every year before my birthday. Now, I have taken it almost for granted – Ma will definitely send one. Or the phone call that comes from my parents early in the morning, trying to catch me before I become busy in my daily chore. That too, I have taken for granted – my parents and brother will obviously call me up.
The list continues. The fact that I am surrounded by adopted family and friends, who have stood by us for years and are more than family now. I have also found foodie siblings across the world – a British sister in Debbie Rogers (author of Coffee, Cakes and Running and also working with me in Food e Mag dxb), a Bengali brother in Kalyan Karmakar (author of award-winning blog Finely Chopped whose blog post on Dubai made me that I had grabbed the main character role in a foodie blockbuster), another Bengali sister in Asma Khan (supperclub organiser in London and author of Darjeeling Express). I have found love and acceptance by a huge fraternity of blogger friends from Fooderati Arabia, braced and guided by the Mama duckie for all – Sally Prosser aka My Custard Pie. We bounce our ideas with each other, guide each other and most importantly support each other. Yes, I have found love. And gratitude. And much to my excitement – Payesh.
Payesh or Traditional Rice Pudding
Payesh or the traditional Rice Pudding is what brings on the birthday celebrations in a Bengali household. All celebrations for that matter. Payesh is reserved for an auspicious ocassion. It is the first non-solid food that a Bengali child eats and it is the ultimate symbol of celebration (I have written about it here). Payesh is drilled into our DNAs like a lot of other dishes. Like Luchis – the crispy puffed up flour flat bread – lost in translation yes, but resurrected in explanation and genuine feelings. Like Mishti Doi– the sweet yogurt, after a celebratory dinner. Like Khichuriand the very many fritters when it rains in a Bengali dictionary. Cake cutting, champagne and whatever fancy puddings you might offer, but at the beginning of it all, it has to be Payesh. At the beginning of all, literally. Payesh brings back a lot of nostalgia – my Dida or my maternal grandmother, her love for cooking – her dedication to her 7 children and their sub-branches. Specially, when it is sweetened with season fresh jaggery instead of sugar – Notun Gurer Payesh (above). As for my birthday Payesh, I poured Seema’s Payesh in a silver bowl that had been used for my Annaprashan, when I was five months old (below) and felt my Ma’s love surrounding me immediately. On the mornings of my birthday, she would wake up early to make Payesh, so that I could have a spoonful, before I left for school. A silver spoonful of Payesh – a spoon from the many spoons that grace my cupboard today – brimming with love, memories and nostalgia – essential ingredients to my cooking. I don’t have my Ma here, but my birthday Payesh had been there. Again, my gratitude.
Category – Dessert; Cuisine type – Traditional Bengali
Ingredients
2 lt low fat milk (many prefer to use sweetened condensed milk – in that case you will need much less milk)
1 cup fragrant white rice or Basmati rice*
2 cups sugar or 1 cup sugar with 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tsp ghee
2 green cardamoms
1/2 bay leaf
1/4 cup pistachios (optional – for garnishing) 1/4 cup raisins, soaked in water (optional – for garnishing)
1/2 cup almond slivers, (optional – for garnishing)
Method
Soak the rice in water for some time and drain out.
Boil the milk in a Dekchi/a flat bottomed pan (Dekchis are usually used for cooking Rice. Please note that Payesh is always made in utensils meant for cooking rice or kept separately and hasn’t been used for any other type of cooking. This is because of it’s susceptibility to catching the smell of other cooked items. Constant stirring is required so that the bottom of the pan doesn’t get burnt).
Add the rice when the milk comes to a boil. Throw in the bay leaves, cardamoms and a bit of ghee.
Keep on stirring so that the rice is boiled properly and the milk thickens to almost three-quarters of it’s original quantity.
Add the sugar and the sweet condensed milk only towards the end, and keep stirring continuously so that the Payesh at the bottom doesn’t get burnt.
Take it off the fire when your desired thickness and consistency has been achieved (some prefer it runny, some prefer it a bit thick).
Garnish with Pistachios, raising, Cashew Nuts. Serve it cold. However, some prefer to eat this Payesh smoking hot, just after it has been taken off the fire!
*The fragrant Rice that is traditionally used in making the Bengali Payesh is a special type of rice called Gobindobhog. Wikipedia defines it as ‘Gobindobhog is a rice referenced in ancient Indian literature. It was used as an offering to the gods because it was known to be, “The rice preferred by the gods”. It is a short grain, white, aromatic, sticky rice. It is grown traditionally in West Bengal, India. It has many traditional Bengali recipes intended for it specifically. It has a sweet buttery flavor and a potent aroma. There is a type of rice which comes from Bangladesh –theChinigura Rice (similar to Basmati and Jasmine rice but with very tiny, short grains, resembling sushi rice). The latter, though less fragrant than Gobindobhog Rice is easily available in Bangladeshi shops in the Sharjah Backet. Also try the Notun Gurer Payesh or the Gajorer Payesh/Carrot Pudding or the Simuiyer Payesh/Vermicelli Pudding from my blog.
Last February, I met up with a very old friend of mine – Buddy, a film maker whose debut film Teenkahon, is doing the rounds of the international festival circuits in a big way. His film has been one of the most powerful films that I must have watched in recent times. Cinematic influence, melodrama, chicken pox hormones – blame what you may, but a story built up in my mind and I shared it with him – the story of a woman… it’s very difficult when you are not physically handicapped, yet not able to touch your children… and see them gradually getting used to not asking for the mother (specially the little one)… I imagine myself to be that woman who’s suddenly have to be confined indoors for life because of some contagious illness that she has contratced. Her entire view to the world is through her smartphone, the computer and a window that looks out into a building with 100 windows staring back. What about the husband? What about the children? How long would they need her and remember her? And what if she slowly gets bored and tired and broken down emotionally and slowly brainwashed by some extremists… the woman who is a travel writer traveling the world until she fell ill… There was obviously more to it. But right now, I am grateful that I have come out of that character and have shed my spots and tucked my girls in bed last night! Unblogging it all… Ishita
Disclaimer: None of the outlets mentioned have sponsored any of the food! The subject, story, opinions and views stated here are my own and are independent. While you enjoy reading the posts with lot of visuals, please do not use any material from these posts. Do join me on my daily food and travel journey on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
The weekend leading to Lil Z’s 6th birthday wasn’t really all about chicken nuggets and pasta. After all, her meat eating parents also have some say in her celebratory food. Making soft toys with friends in Build-a-Bear comes later. But meat first. That too of the Afghani kind. A place that had been high on my radar after S had been talking about it. He had previously sneaked in some home delivery while the Z-Sisters and I had been away. A small restaurant just opposite Lulu Supermarket in Al Barsha, serving the most ‘delicious Chapli Kebab and Karahi Lamb’, he said. I was obviously sold. For a while I had been busy with gobbling up edible gold and some breathatking views in Dubai and I was craving for food that went straight into the tummy, without the frills and garnishes of caviar. The tagline said ‘Wakha – Where We Treat Ewe Right’, and truly we were.
The lassisthat started off our meals came in tall steel glasses – it was very clear that portion sizes here were going to be over generous. Meat is ordered according to weight and then prepared. You choose your cut and decide the way the meat is prepared. Lamb is hung and is aged, and you can see all of this across the glass windows of the open kitchen. Apart from the menu hailing from Afghanistan, Wakha also prides itself for being the only restaurant in Dubai serving Shinwari cuisine. Afghani cuisine has influences of Persian, Indian, Pakistani and also Russian cuisine and is a blend of Central Asian, South Asian, Eastern Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines. While the Mantouare meat stuffed dumplings with yogurt sauce and has distinct Chinese and Central Asian influences, the Lavash is a thin bread holding meats and stews – a clear Middle Eastern influence. Although there is a predominance of meat based dishes, most Afghan dishes are traditionally non-spicy.Excepting the Shinwari Lamb Karahi (above). A recipe that is also very popular across the Afghani border in Pakistan and is cooked deliciously by another Pakistani restaurant here. The Karhaistyle of preparing the meat, chicken or fish is also very popular in Punjabi cooking and a staple in any Pakistani household – a garnish of freshly grated ginger pieces crowning the dish. The Karahi arrived accompanied by oven fresh Afghani Naan – long and oval shaped thick whole wheat breads topped with sesame and nigella seeds. In Shinwari cuisine, meat is chargrilled with no spices at all excepting salt, and in it’s own fat. Slow cooking lends a succulence and tenderness to the meat and this Shinwari meat had then been cooked in a gravy of tomatoes, onions and a combination of masalas. Again, the order for Karahi was taken by weight – 500 gms for the five of us, and there was a Wakha Platter and Chapli Kababs (another 500gms) soon to follow. Nothing was pre-cooked, so a long wait followed the placing of our order – a wait that is worth every fil that is spent on the bill in Wakha.Wakha Platter. It arrived surrounded by an aroma of nothing but meat. A combination of Shinwari Lamb Tikka, Shinwari Chicken Tikka, Kabuli Beef Tikka, Kabuli Beef Kebab, Kabuli Chicken Tikka – mounted on a bed of fragrant saffron rice and raisins – the latter being the famous Kabuli Pulao, the national dish of Afghanistan and ane of the most popular dishes of Afghanistan (also Pakistan). Kabuli Pulao or the pilav is an Afghan pilaf dish (again a very strong Persian influence here) made by cooking long grained fine rice in a rich broth of either lamb, chicken or beef. It is then baked in the oven and is topped with fried carrot Julienne, raisins, strips of orange peel and chopped nuts like pistachios or almonds. In Wakha Restaurant, the Kabuli Pulao had been cooked in a mixed broth of beef shanks and served with Kofta Nakhod – seasoned beef meatballs cooked with ground chickpeas, onions and other spices. And that brings us back to the Kabuli style of cooking – the city’s multi cultural influence has had a great impact on Afghani cuisine in its the use of many spices, yogurt, garnishes – as was evident from the Kabuli Pulao that graced our Wakha Platter.
What I am not discussing in this post are the Chapli Kebabs. Firstly, because they were swept off by the Z-Sisters before I could take any picture (very unlike them as they are very well trained and waits until the food is clicked by their food blogger mom!) and also because, I will leave them for a future post on Chapli Kebabs vs Galouti Kababs – the latter being my other Kebab weakness. Usually, a meal outside results in a lot of information gathering and survey, clicking of photos from my part – but not this time. I didn’t care that the menu didn’t have any Afghani dessert (why Gulab Jamun for God sake, no Kheer?) to sign off our meals . Generally, I really care whether a restaurant serves good dessert or not. I also didn’t remember asking the name of the soft-spoken humble staff who served us and guided us through our orders (Dear Buddy, we could have saved on the bill with a little less order – but no complaints). This time it was only for falling in love and shamelessly tucking into the myriad of meat and the fine rice grains, the greasy chunks of minced meat cakes by the name of Chapli Kebab and sips into my tall chilled lassi. And I bet that if Shakira had eaten here, she would be forced to rephrase her song to Wakha Wakha eh eh (This Time For Afghanistan)!
Unblogging it all… Ishita
Disclaimer: Wakha Restaurant in Al Barsha. The bill came to Dhs 380 for 5 persons – 3 extremely hungry adults and 2 kids. We also came back with a parcel that took care of our lunch the next day! All pictures have been taken by me unless mentioned otherwise. Please note that this post is not a sponsored post and the subject, story, opinions and views stated here are my own and are independent. While you enjoy reading the posts with lot of visuals, please do not use any material from these posts. Do join me on my daily food and travel journey on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Again a folder full of unpublished drafts – each draft vying for equal attention. How could this delicious wonder remained lying in the folder – all because Mum-in-law wasn’t sure about the proportions of this recipe. Like most recipes of hers. And like most mums of her generations. No ifs and buts, no guessing… the measurements have to be perfect. And hence, the perfect recipe for a perfect pudding, oozing out love – the motherly love. The love that went into the making of her epic pickles and the same love that went into the hours of standing and finally goading the neighborhood Phuchkawala for the recipe of the perfect Phuchka! Everything needs to be perfect. Unlike my kitchen where everything is experimental – random recipes, fusion cooking (ex – Shondesh Pudding, Rasgulla Macapuno or Mustard Mashed Potato) and a lot of traditional cooking with a non-traditional approach and cheat methods (Bhapa Mishti Doi or Mustard Salmon). This pudding is very special… everytime Ma turns it upside down from the bowl in which it has been set, it settles lovingly into a swirly pool of caramel sauce. And as the knife slices through the pudding, the caramel sauce drips down the summit and tears through like love gushing out like lava. Ma, I so want this creamy caramel pudding – I mean, #rightnow!
Cream Custard Pudding
Kolkata’s Club Culture
Interestingly, although this Caramel Custard Pudding can’t be described as a part of traditional Bengali cuisine, it has to be included if we discuss the ‘cuisine in Bengal’. It reflects the legacy left behind by the Colonial Raj as can be found in the menus of all the British clubs that are still an intrinsic part of Kolkata’s heritage. During the British Raj, these clubs were instituted by the British with the purpose of providing sports, entertainment and a familiar environment to the British people who had left their home shores and were working in these colonies. Initially meant only for the ‘white skinned’ people and select Indians like the Maharajas, gradually these clubs started giving out admissions to prominent Indian personalities and select families. Even today, the membership to some of these clubs are quite a coveted matter – for example, The Calcutta Club, Bengal Club or the Tolly Club. And to this day, the menu in the ‘propah’ club sections of some clubs are very Continental, and served in a style befitting the Raj. And Caramel Custard Pudding duly signs off a prestigious club dining experience with panache!
Tolly Club, Kolkata
Calcutta Club
Tolly Club, Kolkata
Calcutta Club
Caramel Custard Pudding in Indian Cuisine
The Anglo-Indian culture has had a very strong influence in many regional cuisines in India and the Cream Custard is perhaps, one of the those most popular recipes to have been adopted whole heartedly. While in Bengal it was the Anglo Indian influence that brought in Caramel Custard, elsewhere in India, specially the coastal areas of Western India, it was due to the Portugese influence – for example, in Goa, Daman and Diu. The Caramel Custard has formed a huge part of the Parsi cuisine – the Laganu Custard that is so famously served during Parsi weddings (a great sample of it in Dubai is at Kebab Bistro) – reminiscent of a thick crust over our regular custard, the preparation of this dish is quite elaborate. Milk is boiled along with sugar until it is reduced to half. When the mixture cools down, eggs are beaten into it along with dry fruits and added nutmeg flavour. This is then baked to form a thick golden crusty surface. The Caramel Custard also has its versions in Mangalore, Goa and in many places in Western India, quite naturally amongst the Anglo-Indians. When we visited Goa last time, the one dessert that always reigned supreme amongst all the other desserts was definitely the Cream Caramel. It is there, that I realised how good Ma makes it, and also how easily it can be made at home.
Put 1 tsp water and 2 tsp sugar in a flat bottomed pan. Heat it and let the sugar burn. Take off from fire and cool.
Boil the milk and reduce it in 3/4. Add sugar and boil again for 15 minutes, stirring continuously. Cool it.
Caramelise the sugar.
Whip 2 eggs in a separate bowl and mix into the cool milk. Pour the whole mixture into the caramelised bowl. Cover the bowl with a aluminum foil and place this on a larger tray filled with water (1/2 inch deep). Steam or bake the entire thing in a preheated oven for 20 minutes (350ºF or 175ºC). Let it set and cool in the fridge.
While serving take a bit of care to pour it upside down on a deep but a flat bottomed dish.
Anglo-Indian cuisine is the distinct cuisine of the Anglo-Indian community. A lot of dishes are derived from traditional British cuisine, but which has been modified by the addition of Indian-style spices, such as cumin and red chillies. Fish and meat are often cooked in curry form with Indian vegetables. Anglo-Indian food often involves use of coconut, yogurt, and almonds. Roasts and curries, rice dishes, and breads all have a distinctive flavour.Some well-known Anglo-Indian dishes are salted beef tongue, kedgeree and of course the mulligatawny soup.More here in Wiki.)
Ma building a Gingerbread House in Address Marina
Ma carrying Potol in her suitcase
Red chilli growing in Ma’s garden
The bowl Ma uses to make her Caramel Custard does give the unique shape to her pudding – and I wish that I had thought of capturing that. It does in effect lends the charm to the undulations and the topography of her Custard – the geographical dynamics of it. But then, not everything can be attributed to geography. Like, how she carries Potols/Parwals or the red chillies that grow in her garden – all wrapped up, packed and finding some space in her suitcase, when she visits us here in Dubai. In fact, the amount of food that both the Mums (my own Mum and my royal mum-in-law) brings for us, deserves a separate post by itself. From fried fish to bottles of Ghee (Jharna, a particular brand of Ghee), from Nolen Gurer Shondesh to Rasgulla – oh, please let’s keep that for another day – for a long epic post of ‘love flying all the way from Kolkata alibi food’. For today, it’s the Caramel Custard that deserves all the attention – the pudding of love that she creates specially for her children, and for which I had been waiting for her to come back to me with the perfect measurements for her perfect recipe. And it is by destiny that my post coincided with the Mother’s Day in the UK!
Unblogging it all… Ishita
Caramel Custard
Disclaimer: All pictures have been taken by me unless mentioned otherwise. Please note that this post is not a sponsored post and the subject, story, opinions and views stated here are my own and are independent. While you enjoy reading the posts with lot of visuals, please do not use any material from these posts. You can catch my daily food and travel journey on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Holi… a riot of colours. It doesn’t have to be Holi to bring on a riot of colours in the city which has raised me. Kolkata. Perpetually on a roller coaster. Perpetually on a riot of colours. Millions of colourful memories occupying gigabytes of memories in the computer. Hundreds of unwritten posts. It is impossible to capture the city in all it’s essence but the images that constantly haunt me are the images from it’s streets, markets, strong faiths (make shift temple under a banyan tree, or in the dashboard of a taxi), decadent buildings, people, the stiff nosed club culture… a riot of colours… and the evening ice lolly indulgences from the ice cream vendors. This post has been inspired by the amazing blogger and friend Sarah Walton aka The Hedonista’s last year’s post on Holi… where she has captured her travels around the world through different colours – yellow, blue, red, green and pink. I had put it down in my diary as a must-do-a-similar-kind-of-a-post. But as most resolutions are to be broken, most checklists also remain unchecked – I couldn’t conjure up my travels through a single post. I closed my eyes and all that came to my mind was Kolkata in a kaleidoscope. For those who are not initiated to Kolkata at all, I would suggest that you book the ‘Confluence of Cultures’ walking tour with Ifthekar Ahsan and his Calcutta Walks (a few pictures in this post are from the my walk) which will take you though the different cultures and the communities that have influenced Kolkata through the ages – from Chinese, Parsi, Armenian, Muslim, Marwaris, Biharis… more and more colours than you can ever imagine. No special Holi recipes like the colourful Kulfis this time. Instead, I am capturing Kolkata, the city that I grew up, through a riot of colours, keeping food pictures to the bare minimum – as otherwise, the post would naturally tilt towards food. Here’s wishing happiness and colour into your lives… Happy Holi Everyone!
Unblogging it all… Ishita
Colour on People
My father enjoying the Ganges
Bohri Muslims in North Kolkata
The cool dude on the streets of Kolkata
Homes on the streets
The man who’s been serving at Shiraz for the last two decades
At the traffic signal, Kolkata
At the traffic signal, Kolkata
At the traffic signal, Kolkata
Purnimadi, the Lady Friday at my parents’ house for the last two decades
Colour on the walls
Bow Barrack, Confluence of Culture walk with Calcutta Walks
Confluence of Culture walk with Calcutta Walks
Chinese Club, Confluence of Culture walk with Calcutta Walks
Confluence of Culture walk with Calcutta Walks
Graffiti on the wall?
A dilapidated house in North Kolkata
Shovabazaar Rajbari, North Kolkata
Pareshnath Temple, Kolkata
A neighborhood stationary shop
Colour in motion
The dashboard of taxis, Kolkata
The yellow taxi, Kolkata
Truck art
The tram
Tram on the roads, Kolkata
The public bus
The rickshaw
Truck art, Kolkata
Truck art, Kolkata
Traffic jam, Kolkata
Traffic jam, Kolkata
The auto rickshaw
Traffic in Gariahat
People on the streets
92.7 Big FM
Colour on the walls
Pareshnath Temple
Pareshnath Temple
In the fish market
In the market
Mosque in Park Circus
St Paul’s Cathedral
St Paul’s Cathedral
Mosque in North Kolkata… Ramadan Walk with Calcutta Walks
Pareshnath Temple
Pareshnath Temple
A make shift temple under a Banyan tree
A make shift temple under a Banyan tree
Colour of food (a mini preview)
Mukhorchok chanachur – a legendary savoury since
Basanta Cabin, Kolkata
Bhimnag Sweets
Kwality Walla Ice cream vendor
Mango Bar, or Aamshotto
At home
Drinks on the streets… Ramadan Walk with Calcutta Walk
Ramadan walk with Calcutta Walks
Bhelpuri
Making of Masala Thumsup
Masala Thumsup
Street food
Street food
Bhelpuri on the streets
And then there is the Kolkata Police
Kolkata Police… the cute dude!
and the Five-Star street saloon
5 star saloon
and then the rains.
Kolkata drenched in rains
Last but not the least, the colour of heritage – Howrah Bridge!
Howrah Bridge, Kolkata
Howrah Bridge, Kolkata
Howrah Bridge, Kolkata
Howrah Bridge, Kolkata
The 165 years old Howrah Station
Howrah Bridge, Kolkata
PS: Recipes in this blog that will sweeten up your Holi…
Disclaimer: Please note that this post is not a sponsored post and the subject, story, opinions and views stated here are my own and are independent. While you enjoy reading the posts with lot of visuals, please do not use any material from these posts. You can catch my daily food and travel journey on Instagram, Facebookand Twitter.
O, thou art fairer than the evening air clad in the beauty of a thousand stars. ∼ Christopher Marlowe
A charming Citroen H Van driving around the town spreading gourmet foodie love – we are talking about Ghaf Kitchen and this could be the first ‘mobile’ hidden gem being featured here.
It was almost like I had been stalking Ghaf Kitchen, the gourmet catering service out of a food truck. In a matter of a month, I landed up in multiple food events – all catered by David and his Ghaf Kitchen team. Like one’s first date, I still remember my first experience with Ghaf Kitchen – an exclusive dinner organised by Club Uno di Peroni for a culinary journey through the Mediterranean, specially curated by Samantha Wood aka Foodiva and catered by Ghaf Kitchen, on the lawns of Le Meridien Mina Seyahi (below). Sea breeze, full moon, flowers, candle lights, palm trees, amazing food, live performance by Juliana Down and a great company… I fell in love with the snubbed-nose Citroen H Van.
My second date was in a romantic island in the middle of Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club (below)… a beautiful evening organised by Lime & Tonic. The snubbed-nose lover wasn’t there this time, as it couldn’t be transported into the island. Instead, there was an original 1964 Piaggio Ape called Luigi (picture much below) from Desert River – a party and events rental store in AL Qouz, that had been transformed into a lit up bar. It turned out to be a very special day – celebration of Ghaf Kitchen’s 1st Birthday. I came home that night and wrote a feature for the Hidden Gems section that I write for GN Property Weekly. According to me, this was indeed a moving hidden gem in Dubai. Today, I got the news that the submission got turned down as the Editorial team couldn’t fit Ghaf into any property section. The result? It’s my gain… I get to keep the write up of Ghaf Kitchen exclusively for my blog readers!
A charming Citroen H Van driving around the town spreading gourmet foodie love – we are talking about Ghaf Kitchen and this could be the first ‘mobile’ hidden gem being featured here. Not exactly a food truck, Ghaf Kitchen is but a gourmet catering service operating from a beautifully restored vintage Citroen H van and led by a team who takes a lot of pride in using the best quality fresh ingredients, sourced in an ethical and sustainable manner. Each event that I have attended of theirs, had been at different locales and at every occasion, I have been surprised by the cleverly crafted menu and its sheer creativity. While Adrian Bandyk, GhafKitchen’s on-board Executive Chef has been busy preparing their famous Posh Fish Finger Sandwich or the all-time favourite Eton Messe (the menu is very British), the questions that flock my mind are… and David O’Brien, the Co-founder and Director of GhafKitchen, patiently answers them all.
IfGhafKitchen is not a food truck, where is it garaged? Can it park anywhere? Do the Ghaf Kitchen staff actually cook inside the vehicle? The van is kept at the central production kitchen having a license that is relevant to the activity of food production and events management. We can and do offer a full events and party business from food and beverage through to venue, lighting, music, equipment and staff. Our role is to put our guests at ease so they can enjoy their event or party and we take the strain and headache out of the arrangements. We an definitely park anywhere but cannot serve food. Our preparation is done in our central production kitchen and finishing is done on board. The level of finishing that is done is directly related to the menu on offer that moment. It is rather like a restaurant where all of the preparation and chopping is done at the back while the final cooking is done at the front. In fact, our Classic Citroen H Van is known as a restaurant on wheels.
The most interesting aspect of Ghaf Kitchen, apart form the food of course, are the interesting venues that they prefer to work with (although they can park anywhere you would want. So imagine Al Qouz warehouses and art spaces turning into gourmet pop ups for a night. The Fridge, Mojo Art Gallery Capital D Studios all turn into social dining hubs with the stylish Ghaf Kitchen catering to keep up the food vibe. How was Ghaf Kitchen conceived? David says, ‘Initially, Ghaf was set up as a Hospitality Development service and over time our hunger to do our own thing grew. About two years ago, I was working on a number of projects in Baku and the idea of a food truck came to me. However, a food truck in the purest sense did not appeal to me and I wanted to do something bespoke and more interesting, so I set about researching classic vehicles. I found the Citroen H Van in Normandy in France, and our restaurant on wheels project started to take shape in my head.
Why is the significance of the name GhafKitchen? The Ghaf tree is an indigenous species that grow specifically in this desert region. Moreover, the Ghaf tree is so full of thorns – isn’t it a bit contradictory with the tempting favourites from the menu – the posh fish finger sandwiches made from sustainable fresh haddock, mushy peas and homemade tartare sauce oozing out from it, or the hand cut chips served with sirloin steak and béarnaise? David explains, ‘We consider Ghaf to refer to home. The Ghaf tree in this region has provided shelter and nourishment to the Bedouins for centuries and we wanted to to do the same with our product.
From Zabeel Park to the lawns by the seaside in the Le Meridien Mina Seyahi, I have seen the round chubby Citroen H Van park in many places and serve many a good food by the smiling staff led by Caroline Buchan, the Events Manager. But is there a dream location for GhafKitchen then? Of course, there are. Maybe on top of a car park (and why not, specially in a city that is full of car parks?), in a beautiful park or on the Dubai creek. Well, that would be quite a delicious coup then – that too a coup of the hidden gems kind!
More info: Ghaf Kitchen is a boutique events and party catering service providing a personalised and bespoke service ranging from party catering and pop up restaurants to street food style events and food production. GhafKitchen also operates beyond the H Van with a full production kitchen in Dubai, and can cater for stylish events of any size and type, in any location in the UAE.
Coming back to my blogpost, where was my third date with Ghaf Kitchen? An unusual warehouse in Al Qouz belonging to Desert River (above). It was the stage for a serious conversation on food sustainability, specially related to this region. Led by Sudeshna Ghosh, the Editor of BBC GoodFood Middle East, this has been a subject that is close to many of our hearts. The evening led to a lot of questions asked on sustainability and what it meant to each of us. And with Ghaf Kitchen’s focus on sustainability and local sourcing of ingredients, it was the perfect *pairing* that evening. My love story continues and I have continued to stalk them later too… their pop up in JBR The Beach or at the Ripe Market and more.
While I have described Ghaf Kitchen as a gourmet food catering service from a food truck (featured in the Autumn issue of Food e Mag dxb… above), a serious debate currently is about the authenticity of food trucks in Dubai. Are these really food trucks in the strictest sense of the word or are they merely pop ups of different restaurants in a moving food truck, or mostly icecream trucks and over priced burger joints? It must be destiny that here I am writing a post on all of these and there’s a similar discussion brewing up over the Twitter feed. As I hopped onto the Ghaf Kitchen’s website for a bit of research to sign off my post, I came across Sally Prosser aka My Custard Pie (@mycustardpie) and Ghaf Kitchen (@ghafkitchen)’s invite for a live Tweet Chat about UAE street food on Thursday 5th March, 2:30-3:30pm. Do join them as they promise it to be a quite a tasty conversation.
Also, catch my own thoughts on pop ups in Dubai in my recent chat with Mark Lloyd on the Travel Show in Dubai Eye 103.8FM. Do you think that these are merely some fancy terms used loosely (the next fashionable food thing – food trucks and pop ups) or there’s a serious dining revolution growing underneath the regular dining landscape, where people are looking forward to some street food served churned up locally? A lot of surprises in store in the coming posts – Salt, Moti Roti… and more!
Disclaimer: I had been guests at some of the events that I have mentioned above. All pictures have been taken by me excepting the cover picture… I asked Ghaf Kitchen to provide a picture taken during the day, as all my pictures had been shot at night! Please note that this post is not a sponsored post and the subject, story, opinions and views stated here are my own and are independent. While you enjoy reading the posts with lot of visuals, please do not use any material from these posts. You can catch my daily food and travel journey on Instagram, Facebook,Twitter and Pinterest.
I look my best when I’m totally free, on holiday, walking on the beach. ∼ Rosemund Pike
Zaya Nurai Island
A 24 hours of refreshing break (that seemed almost like an eternity) in an island not too far away… this could well have been Maldives or Seychelles or Mauritius (but without the 4-6 hours of flight time and then 1 hour of boat ride, and perhaps another 3 hours of wait in between)… this is Zaya Nurai Island, situated along the azure blue waters of the Arabian Gulf, a 10 minutes boat ride from Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island. It’s not too often that a break culminates in such a long hangover, with every minute spent on the island flashing back in slow motion and transporting us back to our staycation. Abu Dhabi has more than 200 natural islands – most of them quite obviously untapped. ‘A slice of paradise in the UAE’, wrote fellow blogger Samantha Wood aka Foodiva and her instagram feed blew my mind.
The February edition of Foodemag had kept me neck deep in work and I hadn’t planned for any holiday during the Z-Sisters‘ half term break. The wanderlust in me made me absolutely restless – and this was totally calmed by Zaya Nurai. Serenity and blue waters pervaded all around. The cool sea breeze, the love seats almost sunken into the green grass, the sunlit verandahs of the Nurai Terrace (the all dining terrace restaurant), the beautifully presented food from a still evolving menu and the very very polite staff (reminds me of the warmth of our vacations in Srilanka). Not many places that we have visited have left such an impression or a manic urgency to return (definitely not a luxury resort). The last time this kind of a feeling flooded in was when we had visited Chitwan in Nepal. When I think about it, the only visuals that keep coming back to my mind when I think of these places are the people working there and nature engulfing us every minute of our stay – and in every way. It’s the same feeling in Zaya Nurai. Let my pictures take you through…
The Island
View from Nurai Terrace, Zaya Nurai Island
The Love Seat at the Zaya Nurai Terrace, Zaya Nurai Island
View from Nurai Terrace, Zaya Nurai Island
View from Nurai Terrace, Zaya Nurai Island
View from Nurai Terrace, Zaya Nurai Island
View from Nurai Terrace, Zaya Nurai Island
Zaya Nurai Island
The sunrise and our private beach retreat
Zaya Nurai Island
Zaya Nurai Island
Zaya Nurai Island
Beach retreat Villa, Zaya Nurai Island
Beach retreat Villa, Zaya Nurai Island
Beach retreat Villa, Zaya Nurai Island
Beach retreat Villa, Zaya Nurai Island
Beach retreat Villa, Zaya Nurai Island
Breakfast on the sundeck, Beach retreat Villa, Zaya Nurai Island
Beach retreat Villa, Zaya Nurai Island
Beach retreat Villa, Zaya Nurai Island
Beach retreat Villa, Zaya Nurai Island
The Food
Homemade Cheesecake
Olive Restaurant
Burger Bar
Burger Bar at night
Inside the kitchen
Pancakes at the patio for breakfast
Shakhshouka
The Goat Cheese Salad
Black Cod
Organic corn fed chicken
Homemade Sorbets
And Back to The Island
The Zaya staff seeing us off
What are the things that you should do in Zaya Nurai before you leave the island?
Wake up to capture the sunrise – until and unless it’s the East Coast, we mostly get to see sunsets by the sea; Step onto the white sand infront of your private beach retreat – how many of us actually do that in the UAE even though we are surrounded by the beautiful shoreline? Have you ever swam with dugongs and dolphins? There are estimated 3,500 dugongs who call Abu Dhabi their home and a big number of them have called Zaya Nurai their home! Forget buffets in this idyllic island life, an à la carte menu with regional inspiration is waiting for you that showcases local artisan produce (from local farms in Al Fallah), sustainable line-caught fish, and biodynamic wines. Zaya Nurai, once it is fully operational (it’s still in it’s soft opening now), will be proudly inducted in the gradually growing list of the Eco Resorts that we’ve visited so far. As Chef Avinash and Carl Stockenstrom (Executive AM Culinary – FB) added… in the future, they would be sourcing many of ingredients from their own organic vegetable garden and living herb wall (yes, seeds have already been implanted now). With a Burger Bar and an International fine dining restaurant yet to open (named Olive), there will be more temptations for me to return here… the Goat Cheese Salad that had been the repeat orders (lunch – dinner – and the on the next day lunch) along with the Black Cod Meniere (lunch and the next day lunch). Not that the 24 hours marinated soft lamb cheeks ordered from the room dining menu was any less delicious. Or the breakfast that followed the sunrise, enjoyed on our sundeck – Buttermilk Pancakes, Swedish Pancakes, Eggs Benedict and a Shakshouka. But still! We need excuses to come back… for the French toast (strong recommendation from Samantha – French toast and the sundeck!) that we hadn’t ordered this time or the lamb rumps that weren’t available (the resort is still in its soft launch) or the Burgers that would be served once the Burger Bar opens (I have already read them on the menu!). Big Z writes too writes about our stay in Nurai, her focus is on the villa and the fun the Z-Sisters had (although her introduction seems to be a take off on mine!). Both the memories of our landing and leaving the island are captured by the same picture – Eldodie (above) from Zaya Nurai waiting at the jetty to welcome us and see us off (I think making sure that we have left the island!). Nor can I forget the image of Natalie, the Hotel Manager, running in her heels and jumping into the speed boat to say goodbye. Soon I am returning to Nurai with a group of friends to spend the day*… is a day enough, did you ask? A quote I found on the internet today perhaps says it all… A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it in. Be it for a day… but it’s Nurai calling!
Unblogging it all… Ishita
The jetty, Zaya Nurai Island
*You can avail this special offer that is valid until April 2015: A Day pass that includes speedboat transfer, complimentary welcome drink, infinity pool access, beach access, 3-course lunch menu with selected beverages priced at AED 350 per head. A Friday Brunch with day pass day at Nurai costs AED 450 rising to AED 650 with champagne. Nurai Island is the most exclusive private island of Abu Dhabi and has been conceived by Zaya’s Nadia Zaal to provide an exclusive sanctuary with limited, ultra-luxurious front estates, water villas (for private ownership) and 32 beach retreat villas as a boutique resort, all which comes with state of the art facilities. For more info on Zaya Nurai, visit the website… www.zayanuraiisland.com
Disclaimer: Room rates at the Beach Retreat villas start at Dhs 3,500/night and a meal for 4 would vary from Dhs 350-800 (doesn’t include alcohol). Please check for special promotions on their website. We were graciously hosted at Zaya Nurai. However, the subject, story, opinions and views stated here are my own and are independent. While you enjoy reading the posts with lot of visuals, please do not use any material from these posts. You can catch my daily food and travel journey on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
Creekside Cafe is my current favourite haunt and as the name suggests, it is located by the Dubai creek. I have a lot of emotions attached to Dubai creek. I have walked every single night throughout the 9 months of my first pregnancy along this creek. We used to live in Bur Dubai in our earlier Dubai days and a walk to the creekside and the Bastakiya quarters felt almost the most natural and the obvious thing to do – like daily breathing. I would ‘people watch’ and build up stories around those whom I would see everyday – the harassed new mom, the funny husband, the young executive possibly with OCD, the chatter princess of a teenager … so on and so forth. Those were the times before the Z-Sisters had engulfed our lives, or the recent e-baby that keeps me busy now and whom I need to nurture 24×7. Those were the times when seagulls still circled around the blue waters of the creek at almost all hours of the day. Those were the times when tender coconuts were priced at Dhs 1/piece and were served at room temperature, not chilled in the refrigerator. Those were the times when every guest who would come home would be given a Dubai tour that culminated in an Abra ride crossing the creek to show off Gold souk and Spice souk. Those were the times when Dubai was represented in different publications by its wind towers of Bastakiya and the aerial view of Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club.
Seeking out a Hidden Gem
Those were also the times when soulful places effortlessly existed in Dubai and were scattered all around the city in the disguise of humble cafeterias who would serve until the wee hours of the morning , or small authentic eatery in the locality that would still deliver to your home a Dhs 15-20 worth of meal order. Unlike today, when it takes days to seek out small places that are worthy of thousand shout outs, in a city full of sky-touching highrises and magnanimous shopping malls. And when I find such places, like the Creekside, they grace my Hidden Gems writeups for PW in Gulf News (above). My last visit to the Creekside was accompanied by my ever enthusiastic Mum in law (yes, the same lady who inspired me to write my diary of pickles) – all in the pretext of interviewing the chefs and the team (again!) and eating those red velvet leqaimats (yet again!). We aimed to reach Creekside sharp at 8 am, the moment they opened their doors. Parking our car near the entrance of the Textile Souk, we walked into a souq caught red handed in its lazy morning mood … a few shops had started opening their doors, windows were getting ready to be dressed up for the day with wares, flowing textiles and aromatic spices… while the early rays from the sun filtered through the wooden beams of the traditional roof casting enigmatic shadows on the walls. The chill in the air was unexpected and the whizz of the sea breeze threatened to pierce through our ear drums. This had to be one of the best times to capture creek side (followed by sunset) – while it was still prepping up for the day – just like a blushing bride who looks beautiful still sans the makeup. Post- makeup, it would all be for the people gathered around and for the flash bulbs.
Dubai Creek & the Creekside Cafe
Once you are hit by the blue of creek waters and the cacophony of the seagulls and the busy abras, you know that you journeyed all this while to seek out the Dubai that mirrors centuries of old trading traditions. One can still see the loading and unloading of trading goods from the traditional Dhows. The smells from the the various ports of origin for these Dhows, situated in distant countries like the South-East Asian countries, India, countries from Africa etc seems to pervade the air. Soon these dhows would shift their base to a new wharfagenear Deira corniche. Till then, we still have a beautiful cafe by the Dubai creek to drown our sorrows in. The website describes Creekside as …’Dubai’s newest contemporary cultural space and cafe. Its focus lies primarily on architecture, art, culture, design and heritage. Located in the heart of old Dubai, Creekside is a place of artistic expression, debate and knowledge exchange. Whether someone is to attend a workshop, or simply indulge in a cup of aromatic coffee, Creekside will always leave its visitors with food for thought.‘ And it left this visitor (myself) with so much food for thought that I have been dragging everyone to this place at all odd hours… squeezing myself through the school pick ups and the school drop offs. While I have written elaborately about the cafe in the GN Property Weekly write up, what I haven’t written earlier is the tale of the red velvet leqaimats. Sharing that just after the photo journey…
Food connects strangers, specially it they are red velvet leqaimats!
Food connects strangers and bonds friendships, strengthens relationships in more ways that we can ever think off. Our red velvet leqaimats looked so beautiful that the family (mother, father and a little boy) sitting by the next table soon became our friends. A few minutes later, the man was all out posing for my camera – of course with the leqaimats being the only props. It was only a few minutes earlier that I had sneaked into the cafe to take pictures of the signature French toast with an Emirati twist that they had ordered – we would have ordered this as well had it not been for the Omani crab cakes and the Eggs Benedict that were filling up our tummy space. An Arabic coffee custard french toast with Hickory smoked date jam, pistachio whipped cream, sour pomegranate syrup… ahh that’s going to be our order the next time we hit Creekside cafe – the stunning creekside view as a complimentary offer!
Reaching Creekside Cafe
Creekside Cafe:Walking Route 1: Walk towards the textile souk with the Dubai museum on your left and the Grand Mosque on your right. Take the immediate right once you pass the Grand Mosque and as you approach the creek waters, you will find the Creekside on your left; Walking Route 2: If you are walking down Al Seef Road, remain on the water pathway with the Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood and the Rulers Court on your left. Once you have reached the end of that pathway you will find Creekside. Tel: 04 3599220. One note of caution: Parking can be a nightmare, and I would suggest that you park in the Parking lot near the Spice souq at the Deira side, and take an Abra ride directly to the Creekside Cafe!
Explore Dubai Creek, while it still lasts!
On our way back, the entire Textile Souq seemed to have woken up from it’s slumber, and activities were on full swing. Walk into these brooding nooks and corners of old Dubai and sniff up the Dubai creek in all its mighty fervor, while it still lasts. Dubai changes its landscape every single day, so soak up a heritage that defines the city in it’s earlier stages of growth. If you haven’t explored the creek yet, I urge you to do so – it is magical and will show you facets of the city that you have never expected that it might exist. Sally Prosser aka My Custard Piecaptures the creek’s magic in her writings. So does Radhina Almeida Coutinho aka Platetrotter as she shares her experience of Frying Pan Adventures’ Food Lovers’ Morning March in Food e Mag dxb, the Food & Travel E-Magazine that I edit (below). Get inspired by these writings. As for myself, If I had to show off that one thing in Dubai to a guest, it wouldn’t be the Burj Khalifa or the Burj Al Arab. Neither would it be the seaside or the desert in the moonlight… it would definitely be the Dubai creek!
Unblogging it all… Ishita
Disclaimer: Our bill at Creekside Cafe came to Dhs 170 for two persons (I had ordered the main meal of Omani crab cakes for breakfast!) and the red velvet leqaimats were offered as the Chef’s compliments. Please note that this post is not a sponsored post and the subject, story, opinions and views stated here are my own and are independent. While you enjoy reading the posts with lot of visuals, please do not use any material from these posts. And do join me on my daily food and travel journey on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
Welcome to a a brand new issue of Foode Mag dxb in the brand new year and hop onto the amazing Food e Mag dxb website with an inbuilt reader … exclusive write ups, inspiring healthy recipes, a peep into the markets, the most delicious venues around the city, new launches, food events, food walks, some serious food porn and more… we have tried to include everything that you might need to impart freshness into the new year. Also, keep yourselfregistered with us, and you stand a chance to something very special and extraordinary culinary experiences through out the year!
What’s inside this issue?
Sally Prosser (My Custard Pie) writes on Super foods while Noreen Wasti (Noni’s Place) stirs up #TablePorn ideas with ‘real food’, beautiful salads are created by Anja Schwerin (Anja’s Food 4 Thought), flavours of Miso soup explained by Drina Cabral (Eaternal Zest). And then, we toss out all the above for Gbemi Giwa (Dubai Fit Foodie)’s Pancakes! In our Kid’s Column, Prachi Grover (Orange Kitchens) talks about her Real Food Workshop as part of her role as the Brand Ambassador of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. In our #Ingredients section, Debbie Rogers (author of Coffee Cakes and Running and our Travel & features Editor) writes about Honey while the artisan chef Dima Sharif meets up with the honey man himself – Riath Hamed of Balqees Honey. Francesca Verrucci (Kitchen in the Sands) signs off the honey topic by sharing an inspired recipe with honey. Driving away – we also had the privileged access to visit the Camelicious farm… so are we toying with Camel Milk in our next issue then? In our Cookbook section, Debbie Steedman (The Real Geordie Armani) writes about Paul Hollywood’s British Baking, while I just couldn’t help but show off my hobnobbing with celebrity chefs Greg Malouf and Vineet Bhatia!
Coming to #DubaiDining, Radhina Almeida Coutinho (Platetrotter) sets off for the Food Lovers’ Morning March with Frying Pan Adventures. In our #ChefInterview, Debbie Rogers chats with Nusret Gokce of Nusret fame, and we peep into the #NewLaunches that Dubai has been talking about lately – Omnia by Silvena, Junoon, Sea Fu, Tribeca and China Grill. In our epic round up sections, Sarah Walton (The Hedonista) writes a brilliant article ‘Dubai Cuts The Fat‘ explaining the different food terminologies – organic to bio-dynamic, Palio to Macrobiotic and more. She also painstakingly chalks out the Dubai eateries which serves you these terms (too many of them to jot down here). On a *love*lier note, Jasmine Pereira (Pear Tree Diaries) talks about all the different venues that have been serving us love this Valentine’s Day – whether it is French, Italian, Spanish or the Desi style (again too many to jot down!). With the Chinese New Year around, we pick out Long Yin in Le Meridien Airport, Atlantis and Mekong in the Anantara The Palm to energise us with the charms from the East. Isn’t Food Art too? We are awed by the Pavlova at Bushman’s and the Chat Trolley at Trésind which inspires as well as stimulates all our senses. And last but not the least can Dubai Dining be ever complete without having our top picks at the ongoing Dubai Food Festival?
Technology rules food as well… and the big news hereare Zomato going cashless, Entertainer launching it’s fine dining App and Restaurant Buzz Awards, the first ever social dining awards in this region. We rewind on a few events that we have been part of – Apéritif à la Française 2015, launch of Malabar Chef Premium Basmati Rice and many such other events. Pause… relax… a mini Coffee and a Chai break… Debbie Rogers shows us the yet-to-be-opened Coffee Museum and hops into a few cafes across Dubai – Java Jolt in DSO to Brew in Jumeirah Beach Road. And for Chai, its the Shai Salon at the Four Seasons Dubai that has us locked!
Moving on to Abu Dhabi, we are super excited with the food convoys that have parked for the Abu Dhabi Food Festival. As always, Rupal Bhatikar (Foodie N Fabulous) takes us through the brunch at Koi and thrills us with some Sushi Art.
Yes, our Culinary Travel ideas take the cue from our Food Walk in Dubai. The award winning International blogger from India – Kalyan Karmakar (Finely Chopped) writes about exploring the cities of Seville, Prague and Mumbai through Food Walks along with Shibaji Ghosh who writes on the heritage walk from Bengaluru – The Oota Walks. Debbie Rogers also shares her inspirational climb to Mt Kilimanjaro and shares the lesson she learns on ‘Attitude and not the Altitude’. Saving the best for the last… the beautiful food at Omnia by Silvena graces our #FoodPorn section while the very talented Noreen Wasti stuns the limelight as the #BloggerInFocus.
Hope that we are able to inspire you a bit more with every issue and let’s trend #foodemagdxb and #foodinspiration. The previous issues stacked in our virtual shelves, compare if you like)!
Unblogging it all… Ishita
Disclaimer: Cover page credit – Noreen Wasti. The next issue is going to be the Spring issue of Food e Mag dxb and will be published in the 1st week of April, 2015. For editorial queries, email me and for all other marketing and advertorial info, email at foodemagdxb@communique.ae. Please note that this post is not a sponsored post and the subject, story, opinions and views stated here are my own and are independent. While you enjoy reading the posts with lot of visuals, please do not use any material from these posts. You can catch my daily food and travel journey on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
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Contributors in this issue (most of them are from Fooderati Arabia):
Every morning my wake up tweet to the world is – Good Morning! What is your food and travel story today? But for the last few blogposts, it has been film posters. Not ordinary film posters, but Bnegali film posters… director’s notes and so many uncut shots from the movie locations. no change of profession… just a bit of shout out for the Bengali film festival that’s happening over the weekend, from the 5th-7th February, 2015 at the Knowledge Village. The last minute panicking and checklists have already started for the organisers of ‘Abhijaan 2015′, the 2nd Bengali Film Festival Dubai. My objective has been to introduce the films that are being screened with some behind-the-shot stories and thoughts from the Directors themselves. The film festival showcases 7 Bengali films with English subtitles – Chotushkone (Srijit’s Mukherji’s masterpiece thriller, starring stalwarts like Aparna Sen, Chiranjeet Chakraborty, Goutam Ghose, Kaushik Ganguly, Parambrata Chatterjee), Teenkahon (Bauddhayan Mukherji’s debut directorial venture starring Rituparna Sengupta, Dhritiman Chatterjee, Sabyasachi Chakrabarty, Suman Mukhopadhyay, Ashish Vidyarthi), Byomkesh Phire Elo (Directed by Anjan Dutt, starring Abir, Saswata, Usashi), Bharate (directed by Anindya Ghosh, starring Rituparna Sengupta, Arunima Ghosh), 89 (directed by Manoj Michigan starring Saswata Chatterjee, Raima Sen and Shataf Figar), Ebar Shobor (directorial venture of Arindam Sil, starring Swastika, Saswata, Abir) and Ek Fali Rod (directed by Atanu Ghosh… starring Dhritiman Chatterji, Ritwik, Aparajita). While more info and snippets of the movies can be found in Facebook, grab your tickets now from platinumlist.net/tickets & itp.net/tickets.
Incredible feat! #BomkeshPhireElo absolutely sold out! 2 more days before #Abhijaan2015 kicks off… what movies are you watching?
THE POWERHOUSE CAST: Never before, I had so many of my favourite actors working together, as in Ek Phaali Rodh. Since I became a filmbuff, I longed to see Dhritiman Chaterji on screen. Pratidwandi, Jodubangsha, Aakalaer Sandhane, Kaahini and many others had such a lasting impression. As we got introduced, his brilliant mind and wide interests left me charmed and I was elated when he agreed to play the social scientist. For his young researcher, I needed someone with enormous flexibility and Ritwik Chakraborty was the perfect option. Quite sensational, Ritwik lends a unique edge to a character using his reactionary power, sharp intellect and improvising skill. Rarely, we come across such actors who can work wonders with a combination of intuitive skills. Now, Ritwik needed a working partner to create ‘mock’ crisis on the streets. And I was lucky I did not have to step out of Ritwik’s house to find her! Aparajita Ghosh Das combines effortless ease with fluid expressions, and the remarkable chemistry she shares with Ritwik comes as a bonus. For her fiancée, the flamboyant singer, I had no second thoughts beyond Jisshu Sengupta, who has the rare blend of striking good looks and a very sensitive acting form that can work wonders in a layered script. He lives the moment in camera. Never pretends. The complexities of an author, blind since birth, needed deft handling and the effort Tota Roychowdhury put into the role is incomparable. His willingness to push his capacity to its limits has given us memorable performances in Chokher Bali and Angshumaner Chhobi. Now. I had a powerhouse principle cast on board. But I still needed another brilliant lot to play the no-less-important cameos. I craved for those who keep us glued to the screen even within a very short time span. Thanks to these actors who have enriched the film in that capacity with their glowing presence – Rudranil Ghosh, Arunima Ghosh, Dulal Lahiri, Barun Chanda, Bodhisatya Majumdar, Arindam Sil. All said and done, keep your eyes open for two young debutants who are bound to steal the show – Mahua Halder and Aritro Dutta. Share your emotion related to the film Ek Phaali Rodh: It’s a film very close to my heart. I was quite hooked on by the issue of ‘Bystander Effect’ and wanted it to serve as the springboard for the concept of the film. Besides, it gave me an opportunity to work with some of my most favourite actors. The form of the film, combining fiction with non-fiction, use of hidden camera and CCTV footage is quite new for me. The music by Joy Sarkar also turned out to be quite captivating. So, it’s an exciting package.
All of your earlier films, dealt with social and psychological and social issues, we guess there won’t be any exception regarding EPR as well. Please throw some light on the plot: The film takes off from the issue of Bystander Effect – the socio-psychological phenomenon where people do not offer help to strangers in distress. A social scientist (Dhritiman Chaterji) is working on it and as part of the research, he engages Swagato (Ritwik Chakraborty) and Anwesha (Aparajita Ghosh Das) to create mock crisis on the streets of Kolkata. The aim is to analyse human behaviour and derive conclusions from them. Suddenly, one day, they come face to face with some acute crisis which takes them off-guard and they cannot decipher whether its ‘mock’ or ‘real’. After that, there is lot of high-voltage drama, suspense and quite a bit of emotion coming in.
‘Bystander effect’ is the underlying theme of the movie. Why did you choose such a topic and do you intend to spread any kind of awareness in the society about such human emotions and conditions: The topic is quite alarming. It all started with the public murder of 28-year-old Kitty Genovese in New York in 1964. 38 people watched the young woman getting stabbed and killed on the street and yet no one chose to raise alarm or call the police. It shook the nation and the world at large and rocked our faith against each other. Exactly fifty years have passed since then and there has been numerous incidents happening in different parts of the globe. Though the issue is very sensitive and raises fundamental questions about human behavior, the aim of the film is not restricted to creating awareness. I strongly believe the film stands on its own intending to satisfy viewers as a work of art exploring human emotion, drama and suspense.
What kind of research did you have to do in order to create an entire feature film around it ? The most cinematic aspect of Bystander Effect research lies in the use of ‘mock’ crisis. All over the world, social scientists hire small-time actors to enact scenes of crisis on the streets. And that is what turned me on to create a feature film around the subject. Quite a few books as well as Youtube videos gave me a theoretical know-how and then I met a few social scientists and organizations who were working on this issue. I always enjoy delving deep into the basic reality before designing its fictional representation.
In Rupkatha Noy we saw you presenting Soumitro Chattopadhyay so beautifully, and in EPR you have cast Dhritiman Chattopadhyay who is also a very experienced actor and an industry veteran, your experience of working with Dhirtiman sir? I have been waiting for long to work with Dhritiman Chaterji. For quite sometime, we used to catch up whenever he came over to Kolkata from Chennai (where he stays now) and I really enjoyed those enlightening sessions. That is how, we started sharing a bond and Ek Phaali Rodh was the best thing to have happened after that. Apart from being a very experienced and accomplished actor, he is a brilliant mind with varied interests and charming personality. Interacting with him is always a pleasure.
You have repeated Tota Roychowdhury, Aparajita Ghosh Das (Chakraborty), Arunima Ghosh (Abby Sen) and Jisshu Sengupta in two of your movies, do you think these four actors are underrated in Tollywood or some consider them as unlucky for Box Office success as well? Do you intend to break this jinx? This custom of branding an actor as unlucky for Box Office is utter nonsense. Some actors never get their due and that has happened throughout history. We should acknowledge their talent and passion for acting. No use lamenting as to why they never got the adulation they deserve. Jisshu, Tota, Arunima and Aparajita have proved their brilliance time and again in cinema or television and they are some of my most favourite actors. I would go on working with them irrespective of how they are branded by the industry.
Ritwck Chakraborty is now the budding Star Actor of Tollywood, your directorial views on Ritwick, the actor? Ritwik is sensational. He can give a unique edge to a character by using his reactionary power, sharp intellect and improvising skill. Its not common that we come across such actors who can work wonders with a combination of intuitive skills.
Joy Sarkar during the music launch of Ek Phali Rodh said that after working with you, working with other directors becomes a little difficult as no one gives as much freedom as you do… We would like to know why do you always choose Joy Sarkar for the music in your films? I like film music to be spontaneous and varied. Joy has this rare capacity of blending simple melody with intensity of expression. Besides, he loves to experiment and is never bothered about dictates of the market. In that way, we share a common vision. I have worked with Joy in three films (Rupkatha Noy, Ek Phaali Rodh, Abby Sen) and in each of them, he has developed a different musical expression.
Such a complex psychological behavior as the Bystander Effect forms the theme of your film, do you think the audience is ready for such complex topics, more from the comprehension point of view? There is nothing complex in Bystander Effect. You see a stranger writhing in pain on a street. The question is, whether you will help him or not. As simple as that. Besides, none of my films are difficult to comprehend. Basically, I conform to a simple narrative style.
Currently what subjects are you reading and researching on and what can the audience expect next? I am working on some subjects but it is too early to tell about them. It will be something entirely different. Can assure you that?
The Bengali film industry at the moment is said to be going through a slack period, do you think EPR, just like Srijit Mukherji’s Chotushkone, will act as oxygen for this wilted industry? Certainly, I do have quite a bit of expectation regarding EPR. The subject is new, the treatment is not common, the cast includes some of the best names, and there is a lot of drama, emotion and suspense ! I think the audience would like it.
A synopsis of Ek Phali Rodh… Film-maker Atanu Ghosh deals with a unique theme that has not been seen on Indian cinema before…. the “Bystander Effect”.. Mock Crisis Scenarios VS Real-life Crisis.. starring Dhritiman Chatterji, Ritwik, Aparajita… Being a talented director, Atanu has created a beautiful relationship tale out of it… hope you have got your tickets already for #Abhijaan2015!
Disclaimer: While you enjoy reading my posts with lot of visuals, please do not use any material from these posts. All pictures have been shared with me, courtesy Atanu Ghosh and are protected by copyright. All content provided by Atanu Ghosh. You can catch my daily food and travel journey on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
One more day for ‘Abhijaan 2015′, the 2nd Bengali Film Festival Dubai which is taking place from the 5th-7th February, 2015 at the Knowledge Village. It is an amazing feeling it is to see the tickets being sold out and seeing the event gather momentum and gaining popularity. From a small little idea brewing over some friendly get togethers, to a full fledged event with actors and directors flowing in for the event… I am a very proud Bengali at this moment. This year, Abhijaan 2015 also showcases 7 Bengali films with English subtitles – Chotushkone (Srijit’s Mukherji’s masterpiece thriller, starring stalwarts like Aparna Sen, Chiranjeet Chakraborty, Goutam Ghose, Kaushik Ganguly, Parambrata Chatterjee), Teenkahon (Bauddhayan Mukherji’s debut directorial venture starring Rituparna Sengupta, Dhritiman Chatterjee, Sabyasachi Chakrabarty, Suman Mukhopadhyay, Ashish Vidyarthi), Byomkesh Phire Elo (Directed by Anjan Dutt, starring Abir, Saswata, Usashi), Bharate (directed by Anindya Ghosh, starring Rituparna Sengupta, Arunima Ghosh), 89 (directed by Manoj Michigan starring Saswata Chatterjee, Raima Sen and Shataf Figar), Ebar Shobor (directorial venture of Arindam Sil, starring Swastika, Saswata, Abir) and Ek Fali Rod (directed by Atanu Ghosh… starring Dhritiman Chatterji, Ritwik, Aparajita). While more info and snippets of the movies can be found in Facebook, grab your tickets now from platinumlist.net/tickets & itp.net/tickets.
Fun facts/interesting facts from shooting your film: The film was shot in Nov-Dec 2013 and hence I do not remember all the fun moments or the facts that vividly. But there are two incidents I remember, which we used to have a laugh over even much later. During one of the song sequences, there were couple of montages showing Arunima and Rajdeep kissing. Arunima was quite comfortable but Rajdeep seemed to be in some sort of discomfort and was taking some time to become free. After 3 or 4 takes, I was telling him from a distance (where the monitor had been placed away from the zone of the shot and where I could not be seen by the actors) that he was becoming stiff during the shot and needs to loosen up. While I was explaining that, he was listening to me alright but was looking outside the window which appeared to me in the monitor as if he was not paying attention. And I blurted out suddenly “Rajdeep please focus on the woman in front of you instead of the ones in the balconies of other apartments in the neighbourhood”. This made the whole unit burst out laughing and poor Rajdeep was so embarrassed. Another funny incident I recall was my second assistant director used to always refer to all romantic montage sequences as “love making sequence”. And Arunima used to get quite shocked at this since she knew exactly how many intimate sequences were there and it was quite a surprise to hear about extra unknown sequences popping up. After a while she realized what my assistant meant. But the ultimate was while shooting some outdoor romantic shots in the Kolkata Maidan area where again this assistant referred to it as a “love making sequence” and Arunima blurted out “even here in a public area” and everyone started laughing!
Something about the actors starring in the film: The three main characters in my film are Tiasa Sinha (Rituparna Sengupta), Rimi Dutta (Arunima Ghosh) and Bikram (Rajdeep). I feel they gave their very best within the time and budget constraints we had. Rituparna and Arunima are extremely seasoned actors and the film will portray that facet of theirs to the fullest. This was the first time I was working with Rituparna and found it quite easy to communicate to her what I wanted. Arunima has been working with me in various television projects for the last 12 years and we understand each other. Rajdeep’s character was not an easy one to play since he was a victim of a situation that is no fault of his. And he delivered what was needed. He was meant to be like a ping-pong ball being hit around by Rituparna and Arunima and he did that to perfection.
Challenges or unexpected circumstances that you have come across: The main challenge of this film was the budget and hence the time frame within which it needed to be completed. The film was shot in 14 days. I was not completely happy with the North Kolkata house where the film was shot. A slightly bigger house would have given me a much better option to play around with as far as the shots were concerned. But that was the only house that fitted our budget. An unexpected circumstance was Rituparna getting late on the last day of the shoot since her daughter had suddenly taken ill. It was an outdoor day shoot and by the time we started, we had very little time to take all the shots before the sun went down. We managed somehow.
A synopsis of Bharate… Director Anindya Ghosh’s Bharaate is a simple story of a couple who take an unmarried woman as their tenant. The story could have been this simple and straight. But you will have to watch Bharaate to understand the layers that unfold and the thrills within this apparently simple storyline…. the depiction of the storyline on screen manages successfully to create suspense and promises to keep you glued till the end…. if the theatrical trailer is to go by. So grab your tickets now for #Abhijaan2015!
Disclaimer: While you enjoy reading my posts with lot of visuals, please do not use any material from these posts. All pictures have been shared with me, courtesy Anindya Ghosh and are protected by copyright. I haven’t edited Anindya’s conversations. lest it cuts the spontaneity. You can catch my daily food and travel journey on Instagram, Facebookand Twitter.
It’s a great initiative for ‘Abhijaan 2015′, the 2nd Bengali Film Festival Dubai which is taking place from the 5th-7th February, 2015 at the Knowledge Village, to bring in Bengali movies that are absolutely hot off the oven. For example, Arindam Sil’s second directorial venture – Ebar Shobor. It released in Kolkata just yesterday and last heard, is being declared absolutely phenomenal by the movie goers. This year, Abhijaan 2015 sees a fabulous line up of 7 Bengali films with English subtitles – Chotushkone (Srijit’s Mukherji’s masterpiece thriller, starring stalwarts like Aparna Sen, Chiranjeet Chakraborty, Goutam Ghose, Kaushik Ganguly, Parambrata Chatterjee), Teenkahon (Bauddhayan Mukherji’s debut directorial venture starring Rituparna Sengupta, Dhritiman Chatterjee, Sabyasachi Chakrabarty, Suman Mukhopadhyay, Ashish Vidyarthi), Byomkesh Phire Elo (Directed by Anjan Dutt, starring Abir, Saswata, Usashi), Bharate (directed by Anindya Ghosh, starring Rituparna Sengupta, Arunima Ghosh), 89 (directed by Manoj Michigan starring Saswata Chatterjee, Raima Sen and Shataf Figar), Ebar Shobor (directorial venture of Arindam Sil, starring Swastika, Saswata, Abir) and Ek Fali Rod (directed by Atanu Ghosh… starring Dhritiman Chatterji, Ritwik, Aparajita). While more info and snippets of the movies can be found in Facebook, grab your tickets now from platinumlist.net/tickets& itp.net/tickets.
2 more days for #Abhijaan2015… Byomkesh completely sold out! Great films lined up… more info on FB. Tickets…platinumlist.net/tickets
A synopsis of Ebar Shobor… This is the second directorial venture of Arindam Sil, after his much acclaimed debut film Aborto. Ebar Shabor is the kind of film that leaves a lingering aftertaste — the kind that makes you crave for a repeat watch. And that too when you already know who the murderer is! What better benchmark can a film set? Starring Swastika, Saswata, Abir… So grab your tickets now for #Abhijaan2015!
Disclaimer: While you enjoy reading my posts with lot of visuals, please do not use any material from these posts. All pictures have been shared with me, courtesy Arindam Sil and are protected by copyright. You can catch my daily food and travel journey on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
No food post? Well, a temporary break to talk about films – Bengali films. After all, films do provide food for thought, don’t they? For all those readers who are joining me in my journey now… here’s an introduction to ‘Abhijaan 2015′, the 2nd Bengali Film Festival Dubaithat’s taking place from the 5th-7th February, 2015 at the Knowledge Village. This year, Abhijaan 2015 sees a fabulous line up of 7 Bengali films with English subtitles – Chotushkone (Srijit’s Mukherji’s masterpiece thriller, starring stalwarts like Aparna Sen, Chiranjeet Chakraborty, Goutam Ghose, Kaushik Ganguly, Parambrata Chatterjee), Teenkahon (Bauddhayan Mukherji’s debut directorial venture starring Rituparna Sengupta, Dhritiman Chatterjee, Sabyasachi Chakrabarty, Suman Mukhopadhyay, Ashish Vidyarthi), Byomkesh Phire Elo (Directed by Anjan Dutt, starring Abir, Saswata, Usashi), Bharate (directed by Anindya Ghosh, starring Rituparna Sengupta, Arunima Ghosh), 89 (directed by Manoj Michigan starring Saswata Chatterjee, Raima Sen and Shataf Figar), Ebar Shobor (directorial venture of Arindam Sil, starring Swastika, Saswata, Abir) and Ek Fali Rod (directed by Atanu Ghosh… starring Dhritiman Chatterji, Ritwik, Aparajita). While more info and snippets of the movies can be found in Facebook, grab your tickets now from platinumlist.net/tickets & itp.net/tickets.
The film is about a 26 year old psychiatrist Dr. Purba Bannerjee who comes to terms with her identity by exploring her past. Dr. Purba Bannerjee, a psychiatrist has an unexplained trauma that has been haunting her since her childhood. A chance encounter with a terrorist introduces Purba to an anti-terrorist inspector, Anup Bhargava who helps her confront the cause of this problem… What happens when Purba’s search for a cure brings her face to face with her nightmare… an unstable but intelligent serial-killer, Sabyasachi Pal? The film canvases a myriad range of emotions through the elements of obsession, hatred, mind-games and a hidden underplay of numerology. It shuffles through time, trauma, psychological warfare, murders and finally retribution.
Chatting with the director of 89 – Manoj Michigan. WHY 89?
Two genres excite me the most – Comedy and Thriller. With Damadol, I ventured into situational comedy and after that I wanted to make a gripping thriller… my inspiration being Hollywood thrillers like Seven, The Call, Shutter Island etc. These films were edge of the seat gripping thrillers where the script was the winner. That is what I hope I have achieved with 89… The Script leading the film to its conclusion. I have always believed that the market of a film totally depends on two things in that order. One is the packaging where the story, the way it is presented and its characters living it, makes a viewer decide whether it is a good film or not. Second is the marketing, promotion of the product that tempts the viewer to go to the cinemas to watch it once. There is a risk with this genre… but no risk..no gain I guess. A good psychological crime thriller will always keep the viewer guessing, questioning, analysing the turn of events that it unfolds. The moment it becomes predictable, boredom sets in. With 89, I hope, will not give the viewer a chance to look at his watch while viewing the film. Saswata, Shataf and Raima did not move while I was narrating the script to them for the first time. And they loved it.
While my previous post covers Teenkahon, this post captures some behind-the-scene angles of Manoj Michigan’s 89. You can join me over Twitter for all the films conversations that are happening right now.
Here’s the Director’s note… I have always wanted to make a gripping thriller with the usual elements of a haunting background score, morbid lighting and a mysterious feel of the characters. But the challenge was visualising a story to excite me…a screenplay that intelligently unfolds the story through layers of time and events. I did not want to show graphic details of murder, or the act of killing but wanted an underlying subtlety of death throughout the film and at the same time not compromising on the edge of the seat factor without which a thriller becomes redundant. I hope we have managed to reach close to this goal. So with 89, drama and mystery is just one of the ingredients if the film. Grab your tickets now for #Abhijaan2015!
Disclaimer: While you enjoy reading my posts with lot of visuals, please do not use any material from these posts. All pictures have been shared with me, courtesy Manoj Michigan and are protected by copyright. You can catch my daily food and travel journey on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Another Bengali post that screams out my Bengali identity … even the bird who sits on my window in the morning knows my pedigree by now. From shorshe bata Maach/mustard fish to Vivekananda Park styled aloor dum/spicy potatoes, from writing my encyclopaedic post on Bengali food to the most recent showcase of my Bengali pop up, I have been talking about my Bengali heritage, specially to those who haven’t had any initiation into Bengal. A confession here – long before I started my college, I actually aspired to make films, dabbling with subtitling and spending time in the sets of Gautam Ghosh, who has many National Awards in his kitty. And this house has been a melting point of film discussions and music. So for all the discerning movie lovers, here’s an introduction to ‘Abhijaan 2015’, the 2nd Bengali Film Festival Dubai that’s taking place from the 5th-7th February, 2015 at the Knowledge Village. What is my involvement here? Our closest friends have been part of the organising team, and I have seen how a tiny idea has grown into a full blown reality. Abhijaan is gradually evolving, and each step it takes, is longer than it’s last. This is not only about Bengali films for the Bengalis. It is about watching good films from Bengal, that we wouldn’t have the opportunity to watch at other times. Bengal has always been known for its intellectual heritage, its contribution to Indian literature, art, music, and much later on the Indian film industry (sorry folks, Bollywood doesn’t encompass the entire Indian Film Industry neither does the film City of Joy capture all the nuances of Kolkata!). The new generation Bengali directors are retaining the legacy left behind by brilliant Bengali movie makers of yesteryears – like Satyajit Ray, Rhitwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen and others.
Catch @ishitaunblogged over TweetAdda & blog posts on Bengali Films as she chats with the Directors & Actors participating in #Abhijaan2015!
This year, Abhijaan 2015 sees a fabulous line up of 7 Bengali films with English subtitles – Chotushkone (Srijit’s Mukherji’s masterpiece thriller, starring stalwarts like Aparna Sen, Chiranjeet Chakraborty, Gautam Ghose, Kaushik Ganguly, Parambrata Chatterjee), Teenkahon (Bauddhayan Mukherji’s debut directorial venture starring Rituparna Sengupta, Dhritiman Chatterjee, Sabyasachi Chakrabarty, Suman Mukhopadhyay, Ashish Vidyarthi), Byomkesh Phire Elo (Directed by Anjan Dutt, starring Abir, Saswata, Usashi), Bharate (directed by Anindya Ghosh, starring Rituparna Sengupta, Arunima Ghosh), 89 (dDirected by Manoj Michigan starring Saswata Chatterjee, Raima Sen and Shataf Figar), Ebar Shobor (directorial venture of Arindam Sil, starring Swastika, Saswata, Abir) and Ek Fali (directed by Atanu Ghosh… starring Dhritiman Chatterji, Ritwik, Aparajita). While more info and snippets of the movies can be found in Facebook, grab your tickets now from platinumlist.net/tickets & itp.net/tickets.
I will be capturing some behind-the-scene angles of some of the films through my blog posts. I also stand a chance of being mentioned in the coming Academy Awards… read on to know how and why!
Starting with Teenkahon – Three Obsessions!
Meet Buddy. Bauddhayan for me. And now that his film Teenkahon (Three Obsessions) has been the most traveled and critically acclaimed Bengali film in recent times, and also because he is the first Bengali ad filmmaker to win the prestigious Silver Lion at Cannes and the only Indian to win two back to back Spikes Asia Gold, you will have to bear with my story of how our friendship goes back to those early years in school. No, honestly!!! So what if I didn’t accept his friend request on Facebook (I know that this is a downright insult, specially in today’s world. Facebook rejection is worse than rejection in love and more terrible than losing your job!), but who in their right minds would open a personal account on Facebook with the name Little Lamb? Well, that’s his film production company and one day I got a message in my inbox from this Little Lamb – hey, this is Bauddhayan… from that day onwards I have been hooked on to his ad films. For all the ad films that he has posted on Facebook and has tagged me in, and for all my generosity in letting these videos remain parked on my Facebook Timeline (a rare exception, I swear!), I can already hear my name – the last one in the long list of people that he would have to be thanking in his Academy Award acceptance speech! Now hear about Teenkahon from the horse’s mouth…
Some fun facts – It was while researching for the 1st and 2nd story, my team stumbled upon this amazing fact that both the films were actually happening on the same day 34 years apart. The devastating floods of Calcutta happened on the 4th of September 1978 and that was the backdrop of the second story, Post Mortem. The first story, Nabalok, was taking place on the same day on which Agnipariksha – the super duper hit Uttam-Suchitra starrer got released. That also happened to be the 4th of September 1954. We had goosebumps on our discovery, which refused to go away for weeks.
Also, the director’s daughter forced her way into one of the films. She had refused to let her dad carry on with shoot without giving her a bit role. The director had to yield finally. The first story Nabalok therefore had the gurumoshai’s granddaughter frying puffed rice in one of the scenes. That for you, ladies and gentlemen, is Aarsha, Bauddhayan’s daughter.
Talk about the 7-yr old Barshan Seal, who’s reminding me of Apu in Pather Panchali: Barshan, the little boy of Nabalok, who recently won the Best Actor for his portrayal of Shailen Junior at the North Carolina Global Film Festival was discovered from a locality in Habra, from the interiors of Bengal. Barshan had just tagged along with his friend who was coming for the screen test and ended up giving the screen test himself. The rest is history. His timelessness, innocence and smile have given him a proud and permanent place in Bengali film history and we are sure he doesn’t even know about it.
Buddy… what do you remember about me (you have to remember me, right)? “Hi, I am Ishita Bhattacharya from Birbhum” – the words came from this charming plumpish girl with an adorable dimple who was a new admission to our class. It was Indrani Aunty’s class – year was 1985 – grade 6. She was made to sit next to me since I was a good student and would help her catch up with the studies she has missed. I saw jealousy written large on my fellow friends’. And in no time Ishita and I became good friends and in no time just the way she had arrived, she suddenly left school… all of a sudden. But the memories stayed back. Cut to 1992. St. Xavier’s College. Economics Honours. Day 1. I saw a charming plumpish girl with an adorable smile enter the classroom and I just blurted out, “Are you Ishita Bhattacharya from Birbhum?” She looked at me just like Nirupa Roy used to look at Amitabh Bachchan and said, “Bauddhayan?” I knew my 3 years at Xavier’s would be fun! The trailer of Teenkahon has left me yearning to see the film in entirety – the first part reminiscent of Satyajit Ray’s style of film making. Buddy, get prepared to see a plumpier Ishita, next week – this time. Only now if somebody asks my name, I answer, ‘Hi, I am Ishita Unblogged from Dubai, Kolkata and the world beyond’. And guess what is common between the two of us. “Teenkahon started in the summer of 2011 in the sleepy town of Candy in Srilanka… “, Buddy says. And this blog was also conceived in Srilanka… sounds melodramatic? Of course, melodrama is just one ingredient that goes into films. But for right now, see you all at #Abhijaan2015 … the media shout outs have all started!
Disclaimer: While you enjoy reading my posts with lot of visuals, please do not use any material from these posts. All pictures have been shared with me, courtesy www.teenkahon.com and are protected by copyright. I haven’t edited Bauddhayan’s own words. You can catch my daily food and travel journey on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
This is going to be one post where I am deliberately not writing much. I want the pictures to convey it all! An amazing day – a real break away from the city’s manic lifestyle… lazing on the mat, surrounded by the greens of Al Badia Golf Club, and the famous cityscape at the backdrop… this was a real picnic – a perfect picnic, a posh picnic, a must-do picnic, a can’t-wait-to-return picnic. I have never experienced such a relaxed day out in the city which boasts of as many different kind of brunches as the number of nationalities that make up the city’s demography! On top of that I hear that the picnic brunch is being extended to a Moonlit Picnicon the Valentine’s Day (priced at AED 580 per couple, inclusive of food, soft drinks and a bottle of sparkling beverage)… please can someone offer to baby sit the Z-Sisters so that I avail this offer? For now, enjoy the Dubai weather as long as it lasts… and go out on a picnic… it’s that simple. Trying to match the dictionary meaning of the word picnic with the experience that we had – yes, a match made in the greens of Al Badia Golf Club!
Unblogging it all… Ishita
picnic
ˈpɪknɪk/
noun
noun: picnic; plural noun: picnics
1.
an occasion when a packed meal is eaten outdoors, especially during an outing to the countryside.
verb: picnic; 3rd person present: picnics; past tense: picnicked; past participle: picnicked; gerund or present participle: picnicking
1.
have or take part in a picnic.
“in summer they picnicked on the beach”
Origin
mid 18th century (denoting a social event at which each guest contributes a share of the food): from French pique-nique, of unknown origin.
Disclaimer: The Picnic Brunch at Blades in Al Badia Golf Coursetakes place every weekend 11:30 am – 3:30 pm and costs Dhs 275/person with soft beverages and Dhs 375/person with house beverages. We were invited by VOSS Water and AlBadia Golf Club for a family day out at theAlBadia Brunch and there was no obligation for me to write any blogpost.Only, that I couldn’t resist sharing my post! While you enjoy reading my posts with lot of visuals, please do not use any material from these posts. You can catch my daily food and travel journey on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
A good spicy challenge strikes a balance between flavour and fear. ∼ Adam Richman
The first blogpost of a New Year is very symbolic… it’s kind of a vision board as to what one hopes for in the new year. And to pin down on that vision board cum first blogpost took me so long that we are already 6 days into 2015. Should it be a travel post – I aspire to travel the world along with the Z-Sisters, or should it be on Bengali cuisine or my Bengali gourmet pop up dreams and the book that I aspire to write? Or should it be a new restaurant find in Dubai that not only feeds the tummy but feeds the soul as well – because, nothing gives me more happiness than finding a hidden gem that people start talking about and also lets me show off a blingy city with a soul. Or may be it could be a Chef interview? I love meeting people, peeping into the kitchens and I did have the pleasure to meet up with a lot of passionate chefs last year, some of them associated with Michelin star restaurants. Or hold on… what about FoodeMag, the online Food and Travel website that I curate for my day job? I closed my eyes to make a pick one and I felt my jaw locked and my tongue tied with the memory of the aroma of the spicy baby potatoes that can be made only by a few expert hands at selected street corners in Kolkata. Yes, I am talking about the spicy aloor dum made by the ‘world famous in Kolkata’ Dilipda of Vivekananda Park. His phuchkas are legendary (his phuchka post is still one of the most visited posts in my blog), so is his Aloor Dum. Here’s starting my blogging journey in the brand new year with a finger licking post of spicy Aloor Dum – ala Kolkata street style!
Kaleidoscopic Kolkata
Kolkata streets have attitude. There is traffic, chaos and massive confusion. But there is an element of attitude and uniqueness that shines through all the madness. Every public vehicle – be it a taxi, bus, hand-pulled rickshaw or an auto rickshaw, have names. I mean – proper names. Salty – that’s the name of the cab I captured on my camera. Can you imagine yourself riding around the city in a cab named Salty or Sweety or Ma’s Blessings (Mar ashirbaad) or A Sister’s only Brother (didir ekmatro bhai)? Do note the hairstyle of the street urchin – look at his élan, pride and the level of confidence with which he posed for my camera. And who cares about the traffic? There’s always a delicious end to a destination – some sweet shop in the locality and there is always street food – lanes lined up with a mindboggling variety of food kiosks that sell food from different cuisines, and that have been given some indigenous makeover at these street kiosks… – Thai, Chinese, Momos, South Indian Snacks (Idli, Dosa, Sambars) and of course, Chats. Nowadays, you also get Pizzas, Pastas and Pastries! I may try replicating Dilipda’s Aloor Dum at home and serve them in cocktail glasses when I have guests dining at home… but I know it is never going to be the same. There’s always some secret ingredient that goes into these inimitable originals. Here’s my take (a brilliant fake) served in cocktail glasses and wooden bowls … followed by the pictures of the original Aloor Dum at Dilipda’s stall in Vivekananda Park – sans the delicate crockery and cutlery!
Spicy Aloor Dum in Dilipda’s stall in Vivekananda Park:
Spicy Baby Potatoes Kolkata Street Style or Aloor Dum
Category – Snack; Cuisine type – Indian, road-side
Ingredients
1 kg small baby potatoes, boiled and skinned
4 onions, minced
4 tbsp ginger, minced or pureed
2 tbsp garlic, minced or pureed
4 tbsp coriander powder
4 tbsp cumin powder
3 tsp red chilli powder (dry roast whole red chillies with salt and then grind them into a powder)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp of cumin seeds
2 bay leaves
4 tbsp tamarind paste, (available in bottles in regular supermarkets or with the pulp extracted after soaking in hot water)
2 tsp rocksalt
1 tsp black pepper powder
1 tbsp white oil
1 bunch of fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
2 tbsp of lime, squeezed*(preferably Gondhorjaj Lebu or the Bengali Lime but you may use Thai Kaffir Lime for the aroma)
1 tbsp roasted cumin powder (dry roast whole cumin seeds and then grind them into a powder)
1 tbsp sugar
salt, as per taste
Method
Heat oil in a flat-bottomed deep pan. Add cumin seeds and bay leaves. Let the cumin seeds sputter.
Add ginger-garlic mince, and then the minced onions and fry till the onions turn golden brown.
Add all the spices (excepting the tamarind paste) and cook until the oil separates from the mixture.
Blend in the baby potatoes, tamarind paste, salt and sugar and softly mix them into the spices.
Add 2 cups of water and cook in low flame… cook enough so that the spice mixture is absorbed by the baby potatoes but not so much that the latter breaks up.
Sprinkle with roasted cumin powder and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Serve hot or cold.
When we had visited Dilipda’s kiosk, my mum-in-law had very diligently written down Dilipda’s narration of his recipes as he served us simultaneously with Phuchkas and Aloor Dum. The above recipe however, is adapted from his version and has been tried and tested at home many times. Try the spicy Aloor Dum with beer or other hard drinks! You can also try making Dilipda’s Puchka at home, here’s the recipe.)
Potatoes can easily melt a Bengali heart
Aloo or potatoes does hold a special position in every Bengali’s heart and (thereafter reflected in the expanded girth of a Bengali tummy!). So while I have tried to tweak the simple mashed potato in an earlier blogpost to give it a gourmet feel, I have also had several drafts lying in my folder on the various versions of Aloor Dum that a Bengali can cook up. The most popular would be the ones which accompany the Phulko Luchis (read my ode on Luchi please) for a Sunday breakfast – here’s Bong Mom’s Cookbook recipe. But legendary are the jhurjhure aloo bhaja or the deep fried potato julienne that accompany the simple rice and daal in a traditional Bengali meal.
What do you think of my rendition of Dilipda’s Aloor Dum? I don’t know whether Diilipda would have been proud, but all I can say is that my Aloor Dum will also guarantee that tyaak sound that inevitably comes out when one puts these street-kind-of-snacks into the mouth – a locked jaw situation!!! At home, the Aloor Dum graces our parties and surprisingly is quite a hit with hard drinks! Talking about Kolkata street food, I did serve another street version – the Churmur – in one of my Bengali pop ups here in Dubai... upgrading it with shrimps (a glimpse below). So what’s in a name? And what’s in a location? All’s well that ends well and tastes delicious and makes that sound – tyaak! So while my vision board remains incomplete, my first blog post does capture my vision for this year – delicious, tangy, spicy and finger licking good that’s been certified good by Foodgawker and Tastespotting)! Do you have a vision board to share, or are you like me, happy to lick spices and curries off your fingers wherever you are and make it into a vision? Enjoy recreating this roadside classic at home and wishing you all a delicious 2015!
Unblogging it all… Ishita
Disclaimer: Please note that this post is not a sponsored post and the subject, story, opinions and views stated here are my own and are independent. All pictures have been taken by me unless mentioned otherwise. While you enjoy reading my posts with lot of visuals, please do not use any material from these posts. Please join me on my daily food and travel journey on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
Excepting the Shinwari Lamb Karahi (above). A recipe that is also very popular across the Afghani border in Pakistan and is cooked deliciously by 
Wakha Platter. It arrived surrounded by an aroma of nothing but meat. A combination of Shinwari Lamb Tikka, Shinwari Chicken Tikka, Kabuli Beef Tikka, Kabuli Beef Kebab, Kabuli Chicken Tikka – mounted on a bed of fragrant saffron rice and raisins – the latter being the famous Kabuli Pulao, the national dish of Afghanistan and ane of the most popular dishes of Afghanistan (also Pakistan). Kabuli Pulao or the pilav is an Afghan pilaf dish (again a very strong Persian influence here) made by cooking long grained fine rice in a rich broth of either lamb, chicken or beef. It is then baked in the oven and is topped with fried carrot Julienne, raisins, strips of orange peel and chopped nuts like pistachios or almonds. In Wakha Restaurant, the Kabuli Pulao had been cooked in a mixed broth of beef shanks and served with Kofta Nakhod – seasoned beef meatballs cooked with ground chickpeas, onions and other spices. And that brings us back to the Kabuli style of cooking – the city’s multi cultural influence has had a great impact on Afghani cuisine in its the use of many spices, yogurt, garnishes – as was evident from the Kabuli Pulao that graced our Wakha Platter.
The New U
Share your emotion related to the film Ek Phaali Rodh: It’s a film very close to my heart. I was quite hooked on by the issue of ‘Bystander Effect’ and wanted it to serve as the springboard for the concept of the film. Besides, it gave me an opportunity to work with some of my most favourite actors. The form of the film, combining fiction with non-fiction, use of hidden camera and CCTV footage is quite new for me. The music by Joy Sarkar also turned out to be quite captivating. So, it’s an exciting package.
One more day for ‘Abhijaan 2015′, the 2nd 
Another Bengali post that screams out my Bengali identity … even the bird who sits on my window in the morning knows my pedigree by now. From 
IshitaUnblogged 