Tag: pilaf

Paturi & Pulao

Makes 6 servings. I first sampled chhana’r paturi during our wedding celebrations, and wanted to marry it as well. To make it, soft cottage cheese is mixed with a mustard seed paste and patted into a rectangle to look like a fillet of fish. It is then wrapped and cooked in banana leaves. An homage […]

Calcutta Mutton Biryani

Makes 5 servings. A mélange of Awadhi cooking techniques, Mughlai flavours, and Bengali sentiments, Calcutta biryani is a true culinary masterpiece. Low on heat and high on flavour, it is undeniably my favourite type of biryani. Back when I was 16 in Calcutta, a bawarchi (masterchef) came to our house to make mutton biryani for […]

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 […]