Odisha Mo Odisha

 The last few weeks we have not been able to go out of our houses at all. Not because of COVID but because of the wildfires in California. The skies are grey, the atmosphere is full of ashes & even the trampoline is covered with a thick layer of ash. It used to smell bad & it used to look back.  But since the last two days, the sky has cleared up & thanks to the firefighters of Bay Area the fire has been contained more than 90% now. With fall starting & summer going away the evenings are starting to become darker & cooler sooner that I'd like. So lately we have been finding time in the evenings (like 4pm or so) and spending time outside in the yard with the kids playing & we sitting on a picnic mat & having some lip smacking Indian snacks. Most of the Indian snacks are deep fried & like it or not. There's something with the deep fried smell & lazy evenings that makes the combination amazing. Plus, I am sure there's some scientific explana...

My son is a paneer lover. Since the time he could eat, our nanny made sure that he eats paneer. Our (then) nanny is from Delhi & is a family friend right now but back then she was very particular about my son getting all his nutrients from home cooked food. She made a lot of types of paneer - starting with pakodas & ending with gravies. Her cooking was too good & I can in no imaginable way compete with that. But after my son grew up & started going to elementary, we had to stop using my nanny's services. That's when my interest in paneer making deepened. My son is a huge fan of paneer butter masala like any American Born Indian kid. So this is my take on the world wide accepted & famous Paneer Butter Masala. This recipe typically calls for chilli powder & kashmiri chili etc which I have not use as this is for the kids & I really like it when they eat stuff rather than just spit it out saying that it's too spicy. Also, I have kept th...

This story is an old one... :) The sad story of working girls is that, we don't get enough time for our own friends... its family in the morning, work in the day, gym in the evening and family again at night... Suddenly, all my girl friends started to feel the same way that I did.. so we decided to have a girls night in.. where no guys were invited, just us girls.. it was a potluck... So emails started flowing from friends.. as to who would make what !! Once of my very good friends.. emailed me.. asking if I can make my "kass-kass-paneer"... I was like.. "I have no idea.. what that is".. and she goes.. am sure.. you made it somewhere... else how will I know.. But then, I was already assigned dessert.. so I kept quite.. but it still kept me inquisitive as to what is kass-kass-paneer.. so I started searching.. and while doing that.. I understood .. she meant.. "khas-khas" i.e. poppy seeds. or posto as we call it.. So in the next lunch...

Inspired by my Bada Dada {Father's younger brother}, this Chena Poda (Literally means Burnt Chena/Paneer) recipe is a quick fix for the Odisha famous chena poda sold on pretty much every corner of Cuttack (I am sure its available in BBSR, Puri etc too}.  In USA ( Saat Samandar Paar - Seven Seas Away...), a tub of creamy ricotta cheese does the trick. This recipe is a family favorite & this recipe is so easy that you can literally whip it up in a few minutes if you have all the ingredients in your pantry/refrigerator. This serves as a perfect fix for dessert blues during tough week days.  Things that I used A tub of ricotta cheese - 16Oz 2 table spoons of Sooji/Fine Semolina 2 - 3 tbsp Jaggery 1/2 cup raisins powder of 4-5 pods of green cardamon 1 table spoon ghee Process Mix with hand - Ricotta + jaggery + cardamom powder + raisins + sooji. Please do not use electric mixer or stand mixer. Its much better with hands. :) Spread ghee ...

During any wedding in Cuttack, all relatives stay in one place for many days preparing for the wedding and shopping and what not. When there is a wedding to come, how can people leave out good food... especially the Katakis (Residents of Cuttack)...  Usually, there is a dedicated cook and his assistant staying in the house of the wedding cooking spicy & oily yet yummy meals for the whole family... starting with the breakfast Puri-Sabjee .. to lunch special Rohu fish curry .. and ending with yummy D alma in dinner... One of my personal favorites is the lunch item for vegetarians... the " Chana Chena Tarkaari " (Meaning Paneer fritters in gravy)... The gravy is simple.. it can be made complicated with multiple things... but the paneer is melting-in-mouth soft on the inside and dunked crispy in the gravy.. which makes it unique in picture, taste and texture !! Here's what I used to make the " Chana Chena Tarkaari " For the "Chana Chena" (Pa...