All posts filed under: Curries and More

The Heart Of Goan Cuisine: A Culinary Journey Through Goa’s Local Ingredients

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“Food Is Everything We Are… It’s an extension of nationalist feeling, ethnic feeling, your personal history, your province, your region, your tribe, your grandma. It’s inseparable from those from the get -go”- Anthony Bourdain Locally available ingredients most often contribute largely to the essence of regional cuisine. Of course the cuisine is further enhanced by cooking techniques, traditions, cultural nuances and flavor combinations , all contributing to the uniqueness of the dishes from the region. In every sense then it could mean , that Culture and Cuisine go hand in hand. To understand a city or a region one then has to know it’s food, local ingredients and what inspires the cuisine. The region in question is Goa, easily the sunshine state of India and perhaps popular with tourists and locals alike being a beach dotted paradise that promises a laid back lifestyle, fun and frolic. That said the cuisine is best described as an influence of several cultures including Portuguese,African, Arab and Brazilian. The predominant one being Portuguese. Goan staples consist of rice, coconut, …

Harvesting Happiness: Microgreens & Culinary Inspiration

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Microgreens are young, edible greens harvested at a seedling stage stage of growth, typically before the onset of the first true leaves. These tiny greens are packed with nutrients and flavor, making them a favorite addition to salads, sandwiches, and garnishes. I had been contemplating growing microgreens for awhile now, as they often come in handy for plating and garnishes. The best part of growing microgreens is that you may use some of your pantry staples such as mustard, fenugreek, coriander or sunflowers seeds. I like to grow them in some organic potting soil that I use growing my herbs. However you may try growing them hydroponically too. Here are some handy tips in growing Microgreens: Microgreens can be a wonderful and visually appealing garnish to may dishes, adding a burst of flavour and tons of nutrition too. These tiny shoots are a powerhouse of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins. Mustard microgreens at Day 4 of sowing the seeds. Mustard microgreens at day 11 Use Microgreens In: I have rounded up a series of some of …

Ful Medames: Egyptian Fava Bean Stew

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“Beans have satisfied even the Pharaohs”…An Old Arabic quote   Happy New Year! This post has been long overdue, as we are well into January and apologies for wishing everyone so late. I do hope the New Year has begun on a healthier and hopeful note for everyone! It is the perfect opportunity to indeed start making those resolutions that each one of us said we would make. Eating healthier and making good lifestyle changes is one that tops most of our lists. Now doesn’t this sound familiar? Well I sat down earlier in this month and penned down a few simple goals to improve my diet this year. Being in the Culinary profession (teaching) and recipe creation is  a tough call, as it puts one’s own health on standby and very often I tend to indulge in a lot of unnecessary calories and junk food that one can very well avoid. Well here is a simple list of things I intend to follow this year.( Or Atleast Hope To) No more fads and strict …

Brinjal Pickle: Marking Achaar Din for Indian Food Observance Day

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  Pickling has several  connotations in many parts of the world. Very simply put it means preserving food in brine or a vinegar immersion. We find pickled foods almost everywhere, right from cucumbers, gherkins, kimchi, carrots to even meats and seafood. Now pickles can be quite diverse and can say a lot of one’s culture. For instance in most european countries picking could mean preserving the vegetables in a simple brine solution and hence tend these to be more acidic in flavours. Where as here in the Indian sub continent the process of pickling lends a complexity of flavours quite tart and mingled with sweet and spicy notes. Pickling is an age old tradition in India, albeit a dying one due to easy availability of ready made pickles off the market shelves.I have very fond memories of my grandmother and my aunts looking forward to the summer months when Mangoes are plenty. The green mangoes especially along with a host of spices, sugar and oil makes up a delicious pickle which serves up as an …

Travel Diaries:Bangkok Revisited & A Thai Recipe Too

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For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return… Leonardo da Vinci   Our vacations most often are pre planned with a lot of thought into the destination,food,sight-seeing etc.However, I love it when a travel plan happens just out of the blue,spontaneously,sort of an impromptu one so to speak.Well the dear husband had work related travels to Singapore and suggested that my son and I come along and we could club it with a short trip to Bangkok too he said. It’s always fun travelling to the Far East,for one the travel time is fairly short, and of course the food,night life and shopping,admittedly make it an alluring proposition,albeit revisited.We have travelled to  both cities a couple of times, Bangkok several years ago.The city has changed and modernised is what I heard from friends who travelled there recently.So yes of course, I jumped at the idea of a quick family vacay. Our time in Singapore was …