Tag: fusion

Gajar ka Halwa

Makes 8-10 servings. Gajar ka halwa (Indian carrot pudding) is to an Indian winter, what Pumpkin pie is to an American autumn. As soon as the weather cools down, the much-awaited, tender and sweet Delhi red carrot hits the market and the aroma of gajar ka halwa fills the air. My carrot pudding is a […]

Ice-cream Sondesh

Makes 96 servings (32 servings of each type) Ice-cream Sondesh. Just the name gives me happy chills. Made with fresh cottage cheese that is steamed and then refrigerated, this sweet treat from Bengal is addictively soothing. Fun story—there’s no ice cream in ice-cream sondesh—it owes its name to the simple fact that it is served […]

Bounty Hand Pies

Makes 16 x 4-inch pies Come September, households across India begin planning festive menus. A usual suspect is a half-moon shaped, coconut-filled, fried hand pie called ‘karanji’ (gujiya/bhaja puli). It’s utterly delicious and available at every sweet shop, so why would we bother making it? Instead, we’re going to ring in the seasonal feasting with […]

Lamb Barbacoa Tacos

Makes 6 servings or 24 tacos. While this Mexican export may be beloved the world over, it’s close to impossible to get a decent taco in all of Mumbai. To honour what makes the taco so immensely popular, I set out to make every single element from scratch. My recipe features soft corn tortillas filled […]

Baked Mango Cheesecake

Makes one 8 inch round cake. Since it’s so hot here, attempts to whip up a delicious no-bake mango cheesecake were made. But after countless taste tests, our palates have come to a conclusion. No matter how well-set or cold – unbaked cheesecake tastes like mousse and is never as good as its baked counterpart. […]

Kosha Mangsho Pie

Makes one double-crust 9 inch pie Like many, we haven’t been able to travel home in over a year. Home. Just the word brings comfort. To us, home is languid lunches and evening snacks and heavy dinners. If home had a flavour, it would be of browned mutton—or Kosha Mangsho—an incredibly rich and tender Bengali […]

Chicken & Couscous

Makes 4-6 servings. I discovered this dish when I was 18, exactly 18 years ago. Back then, it distinctly belonged to Southern Europe. Over time, it has evolved into a stateless island, influenced by all the lands that touch the Mediterranean Sea between Morocco and Turkey. Here, cinnamon is friends with saffron. Cumin hangs out […]