What’s Your Favourite Childhood Food Memory?

Hey everyone

How is are you all dealing with the heat? 

Schools have shut down in Delhi due to the heat wave. Lethargy, loss of appetite, headache are all part of our day right now. The kids just want to climb into a pool and stay there for the summer. But right now even the water in the pool is boiling so it’s the ACs running round the clock at home.

On that note, I am running away from this suffocating heat and heading home. I’m dedicating my meal plan to the place closest to my heart – Calcutta. No, I cannot get used to calling it Kolkata.I’m going to visit my parents now that the kids are off from school and I am so excited!

Calcutta is all about the memories, a lot of shopping and of course a huge part of my trip is all about the food – from the Macaroon Tarts at Kookie Jar, the Aloo Dum at Vivekananda Park to the Samosas from Tewaris plus all the goodies Mom dishes out for all of us. (I just heard my stomach rumble)

Growing up I had access to so many different types of food – dhansak at my Parsi neighbours, sangri sabzi with aloo ki puri at my friend’s home and of course the biryani at my Muslim neighbours. Boy! did we relish it all. For me till now, if I had to choose between sangri and biryani I will pick sangri sabzi with keri.

I would love to know your favourite food memory from your childhood. Write to me at [email protected] and tell me. I will include them in my meal plan letter next week.

Recipe Of The Week

Bengali Aloo Dum

Ingredients to be ground into paste

• 1 inch Ginger , chopped
• 2 Green Chillies , chopped
• 1 Onion , roughly chopped
• 4 cloves Garlic

For the Potatoes

• 300 grams Baby Potatoes , boiled and skin peeled
• 4-5 tbsp Mustard oil
• Salt , to taste
• 4 Cardamom (Elaichi) Pods/Seeds
• 1 inch Cinnamon Stick (Dalchini)
• 4 Cloves (Laung)
• 2 Bay leaf (tej patta)
• 1 tbsp Turmeric/ Haldi
• 1 tsp Red Chilli powder
• 1 tsp Garam masala powder
• 1 tsp Coriander Powder /Dhania
• 1-1/2 cup Homemade tomato puree
• 1/2 cup Curd (Dahi / Yogurt)
• 1 tbsp Honey
• Salt , to taste
• Coriander (Dhania) Leaves , finely chopped

Method

• Grind onions, ginger, green chillies and garlic into the blender to a smooth paste. 
• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan, and add the boiled potatoes, a pinch of turmeric powder, and salt.
• Saute the potatoes till they are light golden brown in colour & lightly crisp (traditionally the potatoes are deep-fried – we just skipped that.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and add in the onion, ginger and garlic paste. Saute the onions mixture on low heat until the paste turns golden and the raw smell goes away. Takes about 5 mins. Add a tsp of sugar to be a nice brown caramelization. It doesn’t get sweet I promise. It just balanced the spices.
•  Add an inch of cinnamon, a few cardamoms, a few cloves and a large bay leaf to the onion mix. Stir to combine the spices and roast them along with the onions for a couple of more minutes until your smell the aromas.
• Mix in the pureed tomatoes, a tsp of turmeric powder, a tsp of coriander powder, a tsp of chilli powder and a tsp of garam masala powder.
•  Add in about half a cup of yoghurt and stir again and mix well. Next, add the potatoes
• Cover the pan and simmer the potatoes on low heat for about 20 minutes. Make sure you stir the Aloo Dum masala occasionally once or twice in between. Add salt if needed.
•  Once the masala thickens and coats the potatoes you know you’re done! Serve with Luchi and Chanar Dal

Your Grocery List

Did You Know

That our favourite street food – the samosa – is actually not a made in India snack? The humble samosa also known as singhara in the Eastern part of the country has its roots actually in Central Asia as per researchers. 

Some of the earliest mentions of what we know of today as the samosa can be found in Persian writings dating back to the 9th century. Scripts from throughout the Arab world between the 10th and 13th century also make mention of it, though the recipe is always similar: oil, butter, salt, dough, and warm water. A simple dish known by many names in many regions.

Originally named samsa, after the pyramids in Central Asia, historical accounts also refer to it as sanbusak, sanbusaq or even sanbusaj, all deriving from the Persian word, sanbosag. The crusts are thicker and crumblier, and fillings are traditionally meatier, with mince and onion, as in the early days.

It’s in India, though, where the deep-fried triangles became spicy and had potato added to the filling. But now the samosa fillings and the way to eat it are as diverse as the country we live in – from fillings like potatoes, noodles, chole, cheese, keema to samosa chaat, bun samosa and samosa wrap to name a few!

Now to me it doesn’t matter where th samosa originated. Nothing pairs better with a garam cup of chai than a crisp aloo se bhara samosa with dhania and imli chutney to take care of those hunger pangs! Am I right?

Hack Of Week

Freeze a fresh herb mixture in olive oil to add to your meals

If you like to add fresh herbs to meals, you can stock up on herbs, chopped them up, put them in an ice cube tray, cover them in olive oil and freeze them. Next time you are cooking something, just drop a cube in and have yourself a treat.

Meal Plan This Week

What’s Trending

Do you know your grandmom soaked mangoes before eating and now we do the same? 

According to nutritionists, mangoes contain phytic acid which is seen in several fruits, vegetables and even nuts. So, when mangoes are soaked in water for a few hours, it helps in removing the excess phytic acid that generates heat in the body.

Mangoes also raise the temperature of the body resulting in the production of thermogenesis. Therefore, soaking mangoes in water for a while would help in reducing their thermogenic property.

Also, soaking helps remove dirt, pesticides, insecticides, and unwanted chemicals covering the skin of the mango. These may potentially cause cancer cell growth.

With mango season in full swing, 

Recipes To Help You Through The Week

Mango Lassi

Image Source: https://realfood.tesco.com

Ingredients 

• 2 Ripe Mangoes
• 1 Cup Yoghurt
• 1 tsp Honey (depending on how sweet you like your lassi)
• Pinch of Cardamom (optional)
• Water

Method

• Cut the mango into chunks and puree in a blender.
• Add the yoghurt, honey and some water and churn in the blender again.
• Adjust the consistency of the lassi by adding more water if you want it more diluted.
• Pour into glasses and store them in the refrigerator for a while to enjoy a chilled glass of Mango Lassi!

Doodh Muri Porridge

Ingredients (feeds 2)

• 1 Large Ripe Banana
• 1 Cup Almond Milk
• 1 Cup Brown Puffed Rice Cereal/ Murmure/ Muri
• Sprinkle of Cinnamon
• Light Brown Sugar, To Taste

Method

• Reserve about an inch from the end of the banana, leaving the peel on and blend the rest of it with the almond milk. If you don’t have a blender you can just mash it with a fork.
• Next, tip the puffed rice in. As it sinks in, sprinkle the cinnamon and brown sugar over it as per your taste.

Tip: Try this with natural low fat yoghurt too, for a change. It tastes really good.

Corn Carrot Tikkis

Beetroot Salad

Chia Seed Pudding