I recently invited some friends over for dinner and was thinking about what I could make for the main course. Given the spread of preferences, I figured chicken would be the easiest protein to go with. But what to do with the chicken?
I was making a lot of other things which would take time (chaat, dal makhni etc) so wanted something which would be easy and fuss free. I ended up tweaking my Dahi Chicken recipe to make it into a drier, more spicy dish. Result – AMAZE!
I might not be able to speak Bengali or know too much about Bengali culture (I try), but I sure as hell LOVE Bengali food. I have eaten a fair bit of it growing up, especially at my grandmom’s house. My aunts, to this day, feed me at least some Bengali food when I visit them. I make some Bengali food at home now and am constantly looking to add more to my repertoire.
Even though I have barely spent any time in Kolkata (where I was born), Bengali food to me is extremely synonymous to home. To comfort. To nostalgia. To deliciousness.
When I go to a Bengali restaurant, I am always keen to try new things and also to try my absolutely rubbish broken Bengali 🙂 I guess this is a way for me to connect to that part of my heritage.
One thing that screams Bengali food is Kasundi. Kasundi is this pungent, spicy, fermented mustard sauce that is integral to Bengali cuisine. It is used as a dip or as part of a curry and it just explodes in your mouth with each bite. It is potent, believe me! It is also extremely delicious! The only other remotely similar flavour bomb is wasabi, in my opinion.
This chicken dish uses Kasundi in the curry and is pretty damn tasty 🙂
Continue reading “Kasundi Chicken (Chicken with a Bengali mustard sauce)”
Paneer tikka : the quintessential appetizer/entree for Punjabi food. Right? It is probably one of the most frequently ordered starters, especially for the vegetarians.
When done right, it is super yum! Light, soft, perfectly spiced, slightly tangy, crunchy. Mmmmmm!
How many of you have grown up eating Chow Mein from little hawker stalls? I most certainly have. A lot! Growing up in Delhi, we were introduced to a new kind of ‘street food’- Chindian Chowmein. I say Chindian (Chinese+Indian) because this is most definitely not chowmein in its original form. It is heavily inspired by India, the flavours we like and what is available here.
What we got was this greasy, veggie loaded, spiced plate of noodles that was deeleeeshus! Unhealthy AF. But delicious! We used to eat this from the school canteen, after tuition classes, while shopping in the market…you name it. Obviously it wasn’t massively encouraged by the parents (you know health and all that) plus some places weren’t hygienic and people have been known to fall sick. So we started making it at home! YAY! It will never be the same since we use less oil and skip the MSG/Ajinomoto, but it still tastes pretty darn good. And is super nostalgic!
One of the most commonly eaten dishes in Delhi is Palak Paneer. This simple yet hearty and delicious dish makes it easy for fussy eaters like me to have our much needed dose of greens 🙂
Continue reading “Palak Paneer (Spinach and Cottage Cheese)”
My Tuck Box 