My mother wears two golden bangles on her right wrist. The sound of these bangles delicately clinking together is the sound of home to me.
As a child, it was the sound that woke me up at night when I’d find her dotingly stroking my forehead. Now, when she walks through the door after a long day’s hard work, it’s the first sound I hear before the door shuts behind her. It is how I know she’s awake and walking around the apartment making sure things are in place for us. It is the sound I hear when she turns the pages of her prayer book in the morning with us in her thoughts. And, it is the sound of her stirring the deliciously spiced oil (tadka) that she uses to garnish her favorite meal, lentils (dal) – the taste of home to me. Read more →
April was a busy month filled with many perfect food moments. Here’s a recap of the top 5 – (1) I attended the Time Out NY Food & Drink Awards, (2) saw Dave Arnold, of Momofuku’s Booker & Dax, talk about his passion for culinary technology while he made bright green Thai basil cocktails, (3) learned how to make popcorn shaped ice-cream from a molecular gastronomist, (4) had headshots taken for the blog, and (5) ate kumquats for the first time. All very exciting! Read more →
I stole the first deviled egg I ever ate.
It was at a dinner party. I arrived too early and with a growling stomach. I didn’t know the host that well; he was a friend of a friend. He was in the midst of laying the dinner table with a sumptuous feast when he placed a platter of decorated boiled eggs on the table and proudly introduced them as Deviled Eggs. I had never heard of them! The name alone made me want to sink my teeth into one to know what made them so devilish. But, the host had made it very clear – no one was to eat until all the guests had arrived. Read more →
I vividly remember the moment my fork sliced through layers of pillowy potatoes and savory minced lamb as I ate my first shepherd’s pie.
I was 11 years old, visiting my friend, Pia, when her mother asked if I’d like to stay for dinner. I had eaten steak and potatoes before but this was an entirely different world of textures and flavors. For hours I described in detail to my parents each tasty nuance of this magical new ‘Indian’ meal I had just eaten. But when they stared blankly back at me, I began to realize something was amiss. Read more →
A couple of years ago, my parents and I traveled through Kerala, the spice capital of India. On our last day in Kochi, my father and I decided to veer off the recommended list of restaurants to explore the harbor at Fort Kochi. I had recently read about the beautiful Chinese fishing nets that lined the sea-front and all I could think about was – where there are fishing nets, there are fish. And – I was right. Read more →
February 22, 2012
in Spice
Short & Spicy are bite-sized descriptions of spices that make perfect morsels so perfect.
What: Coriander is a small plant from the parsley family. Native to parts of Europe, Middle East and Asia, it is one of the oldest spices. It derives its name from the ancient Greek word for bug, koris, due to the unpleasant smell of its unripe seeds and leaves. All parts of the plant are edible but the seeds and leaves are most commonly used in cooking. The seeds, often referred to as coriander or coriander seeds, are lightweight, ridged, greenish brown in color and look like peppercorns. The leaves, often referred to as coriander leaves, fresh coriander or cilantro, are deep green in color and look very similar to flat leaf parsley. Read more →
A couple of weeks ago the lovely folks from Beyond Bubbie asked me if I would make latkes with my own spicy twist for a party where they were announcing the launch of their site. I was honored and immediately said “Yes!” even though I had never eaten or cooked a latke before. Read more →
December 18, 2011
in Spice
Short & Spicy are bite-sized descriptions of spices that make perfect morsels so perfect.
What: Cumin is the dried seed of a plant that belongs to the parsley family. It is the second most popular spice in the world after black pepper. Originally from Egypt, it is now grown in countries with hot climates like India, North Africa, Mexico and China. Light or dark brown in color, the seed is tiny, ridged and oblong. It is often confused with another seed called caraway since they look very similar. Read more →
Turmeric. I love everything about this spice: its brilliant yellow orange color, its deliciously pungent smell, its slightly bitter taste, its ability to add a pop of color to everything it touches and I love the way it lyrically rolls off my tongue. Tur-mer-ric. Read more →
Short & Spicy are bite-sized descriptions of spices that make perfect morsels so perfect.
What: Turmeric is a root from the ginger family. In its original form, it has a knobby shape similar to ginger. It has been used as the main spice for food and religious rituals in India and China for over 4,000 years. Read more →
The juicy, earthy, peppery crunch of a radish is blissful when dipped into and eaten with the creamy, buttery, roasted sweetness of dark chocolate sauce. It was with the help of my father, Jeff Bridges and Rapunzel that this unusual pairing found its way onto my plate. Read more →
