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Taler Bora or Palm Fruit Nuggets, if I may call them so
When Janmashtami or the annual celebration of the birth of Lord Krishna is in full swing, these fried mini Taler Boras make their entry… sweet – bitter – crunchy entry! My attempt at another futile translation… Taler Bora. Palm Fruit Nuggets? The last time when I translated Phulko Luchi to Bengali puffed-up flour flatbread, I was sure that some of Luchi’s crispiness and fluffiness got lost in translation. So this time, can I simply say how I love these fried balls of deliciousness? Or how they might just become extinct, washed away by the more popular fritters and branded nuggets? Or shall I add to the already existing confusion – how will…
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Shubho Noboborsho – Makha Gurer Shondesh and other homemade Bengali sweets
I am sharing the recipe of Makha Gurer Shondesh - it's pretty easy to make. Made from fresh homemade chhena (cottage cheese), this shondesh is called makha because it is simply kneaded until it is soft and not cooked. If you have shondesh moulds at home, they make pretty shapes too.
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Moong Daaler Payesh or Yellow Lentil Pudding | Autumnal Sunshine Of The Eternal Mind!
Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. ∼ George Eliot Images of Durga Pujo (the annual autumn festival for Bengalis worldwide when Goddess Durga descends upon earth and photobombs peoples’ selfies!) have started to flood across Facebook and its drilled in my head thousand times over which new dress or saree that my Bengali friends would be wearing on each of the days of the Pujo. That translates into 5 days of Pujo, 5×2 *belas* or times (mornings and afternoons) that they would be changing/wearing new clothes (that makes 10 new dresses…
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Payesh or Rice Pudding For My Birthday | Power of Gratitude Messages
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…
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Bhapa Mishti Doi and A Food Safari of Bengal | BBC GoodFood ME
Eid Mubarak and Shubho Bijoya to all of you! Born a Hindu and brought up embracing all faiths, I am always amazed to find how different festivals from different faiths almost always coincide with each other – as if, underlining my belief that we are ultimately bound by only one faith… that of humanity. This year, the pujo bumper came via a feature on me and Bengal in GoodFood Middle East’s 7th Anniversary Bumper issue in Food Safari: Bengal. The article chalks out my childhood, my food and travel memories and Bengali cuisine, followed by the recipes of Bhapa Mishti Doi and Shorshe Bata Salmon or Mustard Salmon (here’s another version of Mustard…
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Shondesh/Sandesh Pudding | Guest Post For Cook Like A Bong!
This is a guest post for Sudeshna. Long before my blogging journey began, my association with Cook Like a Bong started just like any other Bengali who’s starting their lives outside the comfort zones of their parents’ home… either because of work or because of marriage. Most Bengali girls (most) grow up with not much knowledge of cooking and the Porashuno or studying becoming the sole objective. ‘Jao to porashuno koro giye, rannaghor-e aar shomoy noshto korte obe na/Go and study, don’t have to waste time in the kitchen’ being the constant reminders from quintessentially Bong parents. So what do these cooking-illiterate people do once they have to set up…
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Gajorer Payesh/Carrot Pudding | Happy Diwali!
Happy Diwali to all of you! May the Indian Festival of Lights brighten up your lives, illuminate your homes and your minds. May Health be there… Happiness will follow. May Peace be there… Prosperity will follow. May Love be there… Luck will follow. Today’s recipe has been lovingly cooked by my Aunt who’s been visiting us for a while. While she left for Kolkata two days back, she cooked this special Gajorer Payesh/Carrot Pudding and put it in the freezer so that we could have a special dessert for Diwali! Festivals all over the world have the same essence – they bring families and friends together. A small excerpt form…
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Rasgulla Macapuno On TV & Shubho Bijoya to all
Rasgullas are made from balls of Chhana/Paneer/Indian Cottage Cheese or Ricotta Cheese and Suji/Semolina dough. Then these soft and spongy balls are cooked in a sugar syrup. The quality of the channa is vital in making of soft rasgullas, as I realised while making rasgullas at home. A few months ago my Rasgullas or Roshogollas was aired on Noor Dubai TV and Dubai One during Ramadan (above video). And whoosh by some sudden act of magic, I got the video in hand today just as I had sat down to write a festive post wishing all of you Shubho Bijoya! If you are hopping into my blog for the first time and wondering…
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