Shorshe Begun (Eggplant in Mustard Sauce)

Let me introduce you to the most iconic bengali flavour I grew up with – Kasundi. Kasundi is this sharp mustard paste typical to Bengal. I haven’t yet nailed how to make it, but I will get there.

There is normal mustard paste from a jar that you use for sandwiches, european dishes etc and then there is Kasundi. There is nothing quite like the taste – it is sharp, aromatic, pungent and altogether quite delicious. It takes the food to the next level! It is used as a dipping sauce with cutlets or as in this recipe, as the main ingredient in the dish itself. There will be quite a few kasundi led recipes on this blog, this is the first one 🙂

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Home Style Chole (Chickpea Curry)

When you’re from Delhi, Chole is pretty much a staple part of your diet. At home, at friend’s homes, at restaurants – because Chole is delish. And there are many ways to cook this. The standard curry, the tangier curry, the drier version, the darker version, the one with other vegetables added to it etc etc. I shall attempt to cover all of these in the blog, over time. Today, I am covering my version of the standard, home style chole/chickpeas curry.
Our family is not Punjabi, even though we live in Delhi (yes, that is quite common!). So our standard home food, isn’t very high on the garam masala, the spices. The chole we use to have at home was quite subtle. It was all I knew until I met B, my oldest friend. We have been friends since we were in class 4. So yup, we pretty much grew up together! The food at B’s house was slightly different from that at mine, more spicy, tangy and yumms! Given that we grew up together, I have spent a ton of time at her house. Days at a time even (summer vacations!). Both of us love food and spent a lot of time eating the various delicious things her mom and sister would make. Chole was one of my favourites.

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Nimki (Namakpara/Whole wheat cracker)

Welcome to my childhood!

Nimki, as we call it, is an integral part of my childhood. Be it festivals, relatives visiting or general summer vacation love, my grandmom used to make Nimki as a special treat. These aromatic little diamonds of fried goodness are best had warm. And with pickle or ketchup. Yes, ketchup (I’m a little weird that way).

My sister and I would keep going into the kitchen when we knew prep was on, sneaking in tastes of the dough and waiting for the fresh, hot, crispy goodness to come off the stove. YUM.

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Dahi Chicken (Chicken in a yoghurt gravy)

Till the time I was maybe 15, the only kind of chicken curry I’d had anywhere in India was the tomato-onion gravy, slightly spicy variety. These are delicious, without doubt. But sometime after that, I can’t exactly remember when, I had this other curry. No tomatoes. Not brown in colour. Not heavy on spices. Light, refreshing but still chicken curry. WHAAA!?!

Our help at home, who has been with us since I was born (so a LOOONG time) came up with this recipe. I think she learned it from somewhere and then added her own touch to it.  It is amaze. It has the sourness from the yoghurt, the tenderness of the chicken, the bite from the onion and the hint of aromatic spices. It’s a perfect dish when the summers are yuck and hot and you can’t bear the thought of a heavy/spicy curry but want chicken curry nonetheless.

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