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Celebrating Pongal with Sakkarai Pongal and other dishes
Wishing you abundance and joy as new harvest is celebrated all across India. They may have different names… Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Maghi Bihu, Uttarayan, Lohri and others, but the intentions are the same. It’s a celebration of nature’s bounty and to her show gratitude. It also marks the sun’s transit to Capricorn, hence marking the end of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. Needless to say, it’s the perfect time to release everything from the past and welcome a new decade by setting new intentions! I’m immersing myself into every new experience that I can get in my new adopted home, Chennai. Nothing can be better than a festive season or a celebration to…
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Perfecting the legendary Kolkata Biryani at home
The potato in Kolkata Biryani is my favourite part of the dish. In this Awadhi style of cooking, the dum pukht technique allows the the aromatic juices from the mutton to ooze into the fine grains of rice. They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. It’s certainly true in my case, but if I were to be specific about the kind of food, it would be Biryani and Mughlai food. Not any Biryani, but the Awadhi/Lucknowy style Mutton Biryani that we grew up eating in Kolkata. The Bearded Biker’s love for Awadhi Biryani made us hop into Lucknow for an evening, only to eat. His…
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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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Learning To Cook Risotto The Italian Way And A Creamy Brothy Recipe of Risotto Alla Milanese
If your mother cooks Italian food, why should you go to a restaurant? ∼ Martin Scorsese But for the rest of us who don’t have Italian mothers, we have to learn! The Italians had been in town recently. Not one, not two, but more than 40 Italian Master Chefs from Italy and around the world, 25 of them associated with Michelin starred restaurants. The 6th Italian Cuisine World Summit is back to Dubai for the second year in a row, after the overwhelming success of the summit’s debut in the city last year. Masterclasses on a varied topic from Italian cuisine, special dinners at the city’s finest Italian restaurants (like my…
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Kolkata Biryani | Cooking The Royal Dish In Lafayette Gourmet
Biryani. And that too, Kolkata Biryani. Two words that are enough to make my life complete. And I think that I pulled up a great act in holding my Kolkatan head high, cooking a pot full of Biryani in front of a live audience. I didn’t burn the place down as I spoke over the microphone, amidst ridiculous hand movements, trying to churn out somewhat cooked and unburnt Biryani. The audience split up into two groups – my food blogger friends and my Bengali friends. The former made me feel like a star, clicking pictures like Paparazzi and tweeting LIVE and posting some brilliant pictures on Instagram. The latter group,…
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Arabic Meatballs or Dawood Basha and Vermicelli Rice| Recipe From AL Nafoorah, Emirates Towers
Dawood Basha or Arabic Meatballs in Tomato Sauce Category – Side Dish; Cuisine type – Middle Eastern Courtesy: Chef Ali of Al Nafoorah, Jumeirah Emirates Towers For the last few days, I have been sharing recipes on everything – Starters, Salad, Main course, Dessert. But today’s recipe comes as a double bonanza as the dish Dawood Basha can only be complemented by another dish – the Vermicelli Rice and I thought that giving out the recipe for just the first one will not make it complete. So, here’s Chef Ali’s recipe of the very traditional Arabic dishes. For the printable recipes → Serves 6 people Ingredients Minced Meat – 800gm…
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