“Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart.” 

― Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore

Every day when the huge Grandfather clock over the dining table will strike 9 and will make the ringing sound exactly 18 times I knew it was time. The time that I was waiting since morning. Ready with my hair combed and a belly full of Breakfast made by Dida. Which was funny because the thing that I waited for was food.

Before it's too late and raw mangoes completely disappear from the market for a year let me post this recipe. This grated mango and black chickpea pickle is the real thing. It's spicy, it's sour and so very good, just perfect with almost everything. Be it Roti, paratha or plain Dal chawal, the tangy bite from the chickpeas definitely pushes any meal a few notch higher. 

It's that time of the year again when the weather is more whimsical than me during my PMS. Somedays it's warm beyond reason and makes us feel is it summer already in February but come morning the nip in the air makes you cold. As a result the kids are taking turn in bringing home some unwanted bugs.

First it was the daughter who came down with a bacterial infection similar to chicken pox. She had blisters allover her body and scalp without fever or body ache. Now that she is recovering Friday son came home with high fever and headache. On such days I dont feel like doing anything as there's nothing more heart breaking than to see your child suffer. Glad that they are small and are easily cheered on. A batch of cookies here and some drawing sessions there make them happy. and when their smile comes back I am assured that there's everything right with this World.

Having said that one thing that is naggingly worries me these days is this sudden changes in weather. Even five years back there were clear demarcations of weather. Spring came with full glory with a very pleasant weather and colours everywhere. Now not even winter stays for more than a couple of months that too has become so warm. Global Warming definitely is a reality, the quickly we recognize that the better.

The recipe that am sharing today has nothing to do with  it. but the fact that with growing urbanisation these fruits might soon become a distant reality makes me sad. Also this year when I first saw them in the market I had this strange urge to make the pickle. I never had made it before as it was Maa who would make it year after year for us. She would ask her artisans to book trees so that when the fruits ripen she could take them home and make big batches of pickle to give to everyone in the family. 

But not this year. 

With a small bottle of her pickle still on the shelf I knew I had to make it.

I knew I needed to get it right.

So here it is, her simple recipe but without the magic of her hands. I wish I could recreate that...

Before shifting to Delhi I had no idea about the following three things. that parathas could be made with whole wheat flour, pickles could be made with vegetables and Parathas could be eaten on its own. I vividly remember the first time I was served paratha without any sabzi (curry). For me it was unfathomable. How could one eat a dry parathas without some wet curries!!! Back home our triangular paratha breakfast would always always be accompanied with some alur dom and I expected the same when after a hectic day of factory visit ordered some paratha for dinner.

I was residing in a hostel then, a hostel which was built on a facility started by an Ex Army Colonel, who totally wanted the building look like an Army barack with concrete bunk beds and no hot water  even in Delhi's peak colder months. The appointed Ladies hostel warden served his mentality who we used to call Lady Hitler. She would not fumble a bit to fire an MBA student if we even went to our next room after the class. The facility of the ladies hostel, the behavious of the stuff and the food was pathetic to say the least but we tried to cope and devised some tricks to make our life easier. One of them was to get food delivered by the boys living in the adjacent building. There was a twi story hige brick wall that separated the two building. But there was a secret hole in that wall, a lose brick which only the student knew.

Remember just a few months back I was talking about appointing a cook, well the news is she suddenly left the job this month due to shifting to another place. Which leaves me in a queer position not knowing whether to be happy or sad. 

Happy because she bunked most of the days especially on days when you needed her the most she would not be seen anywhere near our place. Also she used too much oil, read more than 7 liters per month for a family of four, and always made sure to cook a huge batch for us to eat leftovers for at least a couple of days. 

Finally am back home after a whirlwind tour and my kid brother's wedding ceremony. The last two weeks went in a blur, filled to the brim with work, fun, travel, decking up and food food and more food. Everyday started way too early and ended quite late at night making us tired yet drunk on happiness. But now that it all is over I feel content that not a single thing went wrong and everybody enjoyed themselves while feeling comfortable with all the arrangements.

The next few weeks am planning to stay at home and enjoy the beautiful memories of meeting so many dear ones after such long time. So here is a quick post. A local traditional recipe hailing from my native village on the Coastal side of West Bengal.

Wish all my readers a very happy new year, may the God fulfill all your dreams.

A new year is always an excuse to start things afresh. For me its the time to be hopeful. there is something about winter that makes me happy. The weather, the stamina, the mood everything is positive during this time and there are plenty of festivities to cheer you about life. So come end of December I am all geared up and never miss a chance to make my resolutions. Yes I have diligently done so all my life and now when I look back I see a pattern.

before marriage it was to loose weight, look gorgeous,  party more and such silly things. but now with age and experience I have turned to making more achievable goals that would make a real difference in my life. So no more loosing weight just to look beautiful rather to excercise daily is on my card to be more fit and increase my stamina to run around with the kids.

But the biggest change am planning this year is to practice more mindfulness in my everyday life. To be aware of my surrounding, what makes me happy and whats not and slowing down to savour life as it is. I am inspired by the slow living movement which preaches structuring your life around meaning and fulfilment. I will write more about it later but hopefully on the blog front you will se me experimenting more with new ingredients and digging up more old forgotten recipes from the past.

Yes, Summer is finally here. After a few days of hide and seek with torrential rain here and there finally the mercury gained back it's power and rose to 34C today. with scorching afternoon sun and balmy evening breeze finally it felt like summer. and there begins a long stretch of hot and humid time that we dread the most. Somehow after the childhood excitement of Summer vacation got over, I never looked forward to these hot months.

Summer Thirst Quencher, Tender Coconut Water.

 Especially not now when Summer means a month long vacation, too hot to step outside and being confined at home with one bored kid and an overactive toddler. God save me! 

No, Summer does not fascinate me at all, Not here in India. 

on the go summer Snack

Having said that I must confess that I like the other summery things very much. Especially the Summer flowers, fruits and Summery fabric, as tropical and exotic as it could get. 

My Summer balcony Garden

There are many ways a recipe comes to your home. Sometime you look for it, sometimes they come home with you and sometimes it's already there even before you know it. That happens more than once when your ancestors were as enthusiastic cook as you are. This is particularly true for me. Even before I could pronounce the word 'cooking' I was fed well and was pampered with variety. My grandmother whom we lovingly refer as 'Dida' was an avid cook and that combined with the transferable job of my Grand father resulted in a collection of recipes acquired from various regions of India. She cooked Macher jhol and Chicken do piyaza with equal Elan.

No this is not one dish that I grew up eating rather it never existed in my recipe book until a few months ago. This spicy, zesty and pungent radish paste is a new found gem for me. I made it on one fine winter afternoon and was sold for life. Under its creamy appearnce it hides several layers of taste and the sweetness of the coconut, the zest of the raw radish and the pungency of mustard is all so balanced well with the heat of the green chilies. When mixed with rice this very humble looking dish has the potential to turn a somewhat dull day to a spunky one.

I have this peculiar habit of altering recipes every time. I love to cook but not the usual recipes every day. To keep the fun part I like to experiment and when that is not possible I try to give the everyday dishes a twist. Now a days even the husband and the kid are aware of it. so the days when the dish comes out very good the husband brings my recipe book and ask me to write it down.

I try to blog as much as I can, stealing time from my very busy schedule yet at least 50 more folders are there with recipes and pictures, waiting for their time in the blog's space. 

The recipe I am sharing today is a spicy pickle recipe. Remember my gur aam or sweet and spicy mango pickle with jaggery. I make it every summer as my whole family is fond of sweet and spicy pickles. Tart- salty pickles are just not our thing.

This year there is a severe decline in mango production and the prices following that are really high. We decided not make much of pickle this year, only little bit for the family.

If you spend your whole life waiting for the storm, you'll never enjoy the sunshine.

Its not everyday that a regular reader requests for a specific recipe and its not everyday that you have all the necessary ingredients, time and energy to make that. and to continue its not everyday that you crave the same and want to make it at the earliest. Call it a miracle but sometimes this just happens and I realised it last week when a reader left a message on my facebook page to share Tomato Chutney recipe. Which is by far my most favourite one and I suddenly started craving it.

15th feb'2013 is Saraswati puja. I totally would have missed it if a friend would not have invited us to join some puja here. Its totally unlike me  not to remember and its more unlike me to realize that I don't want to join it.

Pickling is an ancient art of preserving seasonal produce. All over the world fruits and vegetables are preserved in oil or brine to enjoy in lean seasons. But for us Indians its much more than that. Pickle for us is that inevitable part of our meal without which our taste buds are not satiated. A breakfast of hot alu paratha on some chilly winter morning is unimaginable without a spoonful of chili pickle on top. Or take our very own humble khichuri. It does not taste the same without some sweet n sour mango pickle at the sides.