Makes one extra large babka or 12 servings. We love creating sweet and savoury recipes in equal measure. So, for our last recipe of the year, we’ve created a brioche-style babka* layered with a lightly spiced puree of winter fruits, and served it with a bacon-laced baked brie. Slathered onto the slices, the molten cheese enhances the […]
Tag: the fusspot
Christmas Kransekake
Makes 18 rings This Christmas, how about an Xmas tree you can make, decorate, and then eat! And since a Norwegian kransekake (pronounced kran-zay-kah-kuh) looks like a tree, it’s perfect! Meaning “wreathe-cake”, it is basically a tower built with ring-shaped cookies. Crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, the cookies are similar to […]
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 […]
Surmai en Papilotte
Makes 4 servings. Despite any worry its elegant French name might induce, “en papilotte” or baking in paper packets is one of the easiest ways to cook surmai or seer fish. As the fish bakes in its packet, it steams in its own juices and absorbs any flavourings you’ve added. This results in an incredibly […]
Bhog’er Khichuri
Makes 6 servings. For our 50th recipe, we’re doing something very special to me—khuchuri—the Bong avatar of the ubiquitous desi ‘khichdi’. A savoury porridge of rice and lentils, khichuri can be made as plain or rich as the occasion warrants. Watery and mild for when you’re feeling poorly, moderately-spiced for regular days, and heavily-spiced and […]
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 […]
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 […]
Tomato Soup & Caprese Salad
Makes 4 servings. We’re bidding goodbye to Summer with this fresh, fast, and fabulous meal. Featuring a refreshing tomato basil soup that comes together in less than half an hour, and a bright, spritely Caprese Salad that requires 5 minutes of assembly, it’s an ode to both seasonal produce and laid-back cooking. Served with store-bought […]
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 […]
Black Cake
Makes a 9-inch bundt cake The first time my husband and I met, he was wearing an all-black suit (shirt as well). Back then, I didn’t realise just how black-obsessed he was (his wardrobe is basically 30 black t-shirts). To feed into his black fixation, I made an all-black cake for his birthday! Much like […]