Bengali

Kumro phuler pur bhaja (Stuffed squash blossom fritters)

6:01 AM


Like most of you I love a packed fridge. It's so much better to open your fridge and get swamped with choices. For that matter Saturday is my most favourite day when I go to the market and bring fresh veggies, fruits and herbs for the whole week. With winter slowly creeping in it is flooded with colour and so much rare veggies. Just the other day with Dhenki shaak (fiddle head ferns) I also got Touk Dhyarosh or Rosella flowers. They definitely came home and I spent a whole afternoon being nostalgic and making something that my mother used to make for us. 

Yes, food is memories.

When it comes to veggie shopping I try to follow the memories of how my grand father used to shop. First he would check for the freshest veggies available on that day and then after deciding on them he would buy the accompanying veggies for the meal. for example if he bought spinach then definitely a few pieces of radish, brinjal and taro roots would find their way in his shopping bag, similarly a cabbage will always come home either with fresh peas or an extra fish head. 

This weekend I got fresh Kumro phool or pumpkin flowers. It was so fresh as if the pumpkin patch was just behind the shop. After buying it I headed straight to the fruit vendor to buy a small coconut. When the flowers are this fresh no normal fritter recipe could do, it has to be my grandma's stuffed fritters with coconut, mustard and poppy seeds paste.

Though I have given the measurement for the stuffing but you should just follow your instinct. if you like pungency then add more mustard, you can even discard the poppy seeds paste. Just make sure it tastes good. 

Kumro fuler pur bhaja

Bengali

Dheki shaak or fiddle head fern, a simple stir fry

8:18 PM


Dhenki shaak or fiddle head fern is a vividly green edible fern with a typical coiled tip.There is so much romance associated with this typical vegetable from the northern part of Bengal. I first came to know about it while reading Samaresh Majumdar's novel Uttaradhikar, the first of the trilogy written on a boy called Animesh. The story mainly revolves around the life of Animesh and his life over a period of time set against the rapidly changing social, cultural and political scenario starting after independce. The story is set in the picturesque hilly location of North Bengal against which tthe writer portrayed the simple life of people working in the tea gardens.

Breakfast

Dalia Upma for Seed the Rise

5:00 AM


Seed the rise #seedtherise is an fund raising initiative to support and give back to the Indian farmers, who work day in and day out irrespective of the harsh weather for us to get our daily meals on the table. If you are aware then you might have read about the poor condition of the Indian farmers in many states. The extreme and fluctuating weather conditions, the erratic demand in the market, the changing policies of the importing countries, Price cut and steep competition from other exporting countries are making their condition worse and in many states the distressed farmers are left with no choice but to commit suicide to maintain their dignity. The study says that on an average one farmer commits suicide every 30 minutes. 

In such circumstances Mahindra has come up with this noble initiative to help them overcome the odds. They plan to collect Rs.2 Crore from People and they will match the same amount. The money will go to 5 impactful projects  run by NGOS working towards improving the lives of the farmers and their families. 

Meat n Poultry

Chicken and Noodle soup

9:31 AM


How many times have you heard the words 'keeping it simple', 'less is more' etc etc. If you are an avid Masterchef Australia fan then you know that it's the best advice that the judges like to give the contestant. Respecting the ingredient, it's colour, form. taste, texture, flavour is the key and developing a recipe to celebrate the beauty of seasonal local produce is the mantra of modern day cooking.

Bengali

Coconut, Cashew and Mawa Laddoo

9:40 PM


This laddoo recipe was born just out of the quest to save a crisis. I was newly married and wanted to make narkel naru for Bijoya. After the morning trip to the market to gather the essentials the problem arose when I started scraping the coconut. It was much past it's prime and was hard and fibrous. I knew it could not be turned into a good laddoo. So I looked for options and found a packet of old, unused, unopened pack of powdered milk. All I knew that after half an hour when the hubby came home he was bowled over by the taste and so were all his colleagues a couple of days later. So much so that now a days everyone at home wants me to make this version.

This also makes for a quick Diwali dessert, a saving grace for someone like me. I love cooking and made the usual suspects of Elo jhelo, nimki and jibe goja for Bijoya but after the Diwali cleaning and decoration never feels like making something special. This year the feeling is worse as without the husband the festivities are never enjoyable. I feel like doing everything for the sake of the kids and their happiness. But it's Diwali afterall. Sooner or later you get to be caught up by the Diwali snacks and sweets making frenzy.

So without far ado here is the easy and quick recipe.

 And the pictures are inspired by a picture Lakshmi Arvind shared on her page Celebrations Decor from Pinterest.

Coconut-Cashew-Mawa Laddoo

Bengali

Chire Bhaja or Chivda

12:05 AM


Diwali is just around the corner and before the chance is lost for this year let me start this post with Shubho Bijoya greetings. Sorry for being so late but I always find it difficult to get back to the groove after the vacation, however mini it is, coming back from home is never easy.

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