Pinku-Enchanted Life

Work takes me to Kolkata these days. A city whose love for food is second to none.  Imagine my delight when I find kindred souls in colleagues here when the day starts with first figuring out the lunch venue and menu before we start discussing work details. The last time I visited the city I had no time and yet they magically figured out enough time for me to have a Arsalan lunch while also managing all meetings and commitments. This visit was even better with me landing and straightaway heading to Mocambo in central Calcutta for an evening meet with the team.  Once Ritesh da is around one doesn't think about what to order...he orders beautifully and each dish is a delight. So a Prawn cocktail followed by a Devilled crab came in and were devoured with gusto. The devilled crab was devilishly good. The cocktail wasn't bad but paled in front of the crab. Next on was a Prawn Thermidor which left me speechless and I had a few bites of the Bhetki belle helen from a colleague's pl...

From very early in life I have always believed that I would die off at 40. The reason I had arrived at this unique conclusion was the fact that both my granddad and dad had popped off in their 40's and in my romantic notion of things I had just assumed that I would do so too. It didnt trouble me much cause at age 20, forty is a hoary old age and I was pretty sure that I would have lived life to the utmost by the time I turned forty so there really was not much to worry about. Things however started turning a bit unpleasant as I approached the mid thirties. With a young kid around popping off in another five years time didn't seem such a pleasant thing any more. Three more years rolled away and then the second kid also came along and now the thought that he wouldnt even remember me much if I were to go at forty really started to bother. At a lil after 39 I underwent a surgery which if not done in time could have resulted in something fatal and post my gaining consciousness...

Vada Pao the quintessential Bombay street food like all true street foods is essentially a very simple dish which uses flavors which 99% people would love. What’s not to love about fried potatoes and warm bread, anyway? Since our anando mela sees a fair amount of non Bengali navratra celebrating guests I made it a point to have two chutneys to go with my vada pao. The first a green coriander, mint chutney with no onion or garlic and the other the ‘must’ dry chutney that goes with vada pao made with red chillies and garlic. To my surprise I ran out of Vada paos even before I finished my Sali boti and that says something. Here is the recipe for all of it. Warning: the recipes may not be totally authentic for I do let my tongue and mind overrule most cook books. Ingredients: 1 kg potato – boiled peeled and mashed Pao – I got store bought ones Vegetable oil Asafoetida – a tsp, I like the flavor so usually use more, you can use a pinch if not too happy with it Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp Green...

This Anando Mela (home cooked food stalls at Durga Puja Pandals on usually the first day of the festivities, for those who don’t know about it) I planned to do a thematic stall basis a certain kind of cuisine instead of random stuff. I chose Parsi food as the theme and planned to do three items from the same – veg, non veg and dessert and instantly hit a roadblock. While for both non veg and desserts I had many recipes to pick from I just couldn’t find a veg recipe which would strike a chord. I googled, asked knowledgeable friends and read up recipe books but couldn’t find anything which I could be sure would be appreciated at an Anando Mela Stall…after all it’s the first day of pujas and people would be looking forward to interesting lip smacking dishes a stew or dal wouldn't pass muster. So after much looking around I did what had to be done and tweaked the initial concept to being Bombay based rather than Parsi and added the absolute hot favorite among Bombay’s street foods i.e ...

1 st Jan 2015 – I woke up to a new year and a raging headache and wisely told myself no more drinking for at least 3 months. I had been overdoing it over the past few months and the 31 st night barbeque party where I kept tossing chicken legs on the grill and drinks topped the list. Cut to 8th Feb – I figure I am pregnant, we rush to the doctor and after a Ultrasound we get to know that I am over two months pregnant. And that is how Mowgli came into our lives…unannounced, slyly and when we were not expecting him at all ….much like happiness. Oh and I must tell you how he got his name? Well Aarini was watching Jungle Book…the old one you know, the one we watched as kids on Doordarshan with that unforgettable song…jungle jungle pata chaala hai, chaddi pehne ke phool khila hai. So she figured that our new baby (who is still a three month foetus at this point) would also wear a chaddi and crawl and therefore should be called Mowgli and she started talking to my tummy addr...

I lost my dad the same month I turned 15 years old. Dad had a brief illness of about seven days from which he never recovered. Just before he fell ill he was teaching me how to ride a scooter, I would perpetually get confused between the clutch and gear combinations and dad would lose his patience. He was a natural with vehicles and my less than perfect handling irked him. I grew up eventually learning to ride an automatic scooty (my friend’s) and much later I bought my first car.  Initially I had a driver however a few months later I guess my latent genes kicked in and I dismissed the driver and started driving on my own. I had observed him for the few months that he was there and that coupled with practice helped me perfect my driving skills. Having a car literally gave me wings, no longer did I feel insecure, I could go anywhere at anytime, I need not be dependent on anyone. I and my car became an inseparable pair. I applied for my learner’s license and one Sunday whil...

28 th April 2016 Hi World, I turned 39 today…my last year in the 30s before I step into official middle age. Honestly life has been feeling pretty blasé for some time. I have been in hold-on-to-status-quo-mode' for a while now and let life take its own route to wherever it’s going. By chance I ordered a pair of prescription glasses and they got delivered yesterday and I ended up wearing the new glasses today. The bright clear vision coupled with the fact that it is my birthday makes me feel rejuvenated. It feels like a veil has been removed and I am seeing the world anew. Perhaps it is time again to take hold of the reins and give a good tug. Life ought to spring back into some action and motivation. While everything could do with a new coat of paint figuratively and perhaps literally as well, I am picking up three areas in which I want to make a marked difference in the coming one year. Health : I am obese and need to lose weight like now. So the challenge...