About Me

I am a media professional ,settled in Mumbai.I am a product of various cultures happily co existing.Born of a Gujrati-Karwari father and a Goan Saraswat mother. Married to a Khatri from Lucknow.My closest friends are a Bengali,a Tam Bram,A Shetty.I revel in the colourful social tapestry I live in and blogging about its intricacies is my way of celebrating them.

Monday, June 8, 2020

Garam Masala Powder




It feels like living on the edge , when you decide on the spur of the moment to grind a batch of fresh garam Masala , just an hour away from leaving for work. But once you're done , you have a song on the lips and a spring in your step.

Recipe for Garam Masala
50 gms Whole Dhania seeds/Coriander seeds
25 gms  Jeera/ Cumin seeds
20 gms Dalchini/Cinnamon
10 gms Hari Elaichi/green Cardamom
10 gms Laung/Cloves
10 gms  whole Kali mirch/ Black Pepper
25 gms Saunf/ Aniseed
10 gms Badiyan/Star aniseed
5 gm Tej patta / Bay leaf 
25 gms dry Kashmiri Red or Byadgi Chillies
20 gms white Til/sesame seeds 
1/2  Jaiphal/ nutmeg 

Deseed the red chillies and discard the seeds and the stems. Open the  cardamom pods and remove the seeds ( both seeds and skin will be used). Crush the nutmeg. Lightly roast all the masalas ( can be done together if done in a frying pan instead of Kadai) . Cool the whole spices before grinding to a fine powder. Store in an airtight jar .

This is a pretty mild version and the red chillies will give the dish a lovely colour. 




Monday, April 20, 2020

Succotash Salad

Hot summer days need a cheerful cool salad. This one is colourful, crunchy, non fussy and so easy to put together.
1 green cucumber
1 small red pepper
1 small yellow pepper
1 small capsicum
1 onion
1 cup boiled sweet corn
1 cup chopped lettuce
1 small tomato
Dressing:
2 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tblsp red wine vinegar or lemon juice
1 tbsp honey
Salt to taste
Chop all the vegetables approximately the same size at the corn. Mix and pour the dressing
 over it. Chill and serve