Thursday, March 17, 2011

Good food that makes you think.

A deferred conversation which many people prefer calling email in the pedantic sense of the term, made me crave about home food...bong food...ghar ka khana...maa er hater ranna!!!!! Jyotika at the same time shared this awesome blogpost with me were a fellow blogger rants about her love for all things good about food...and no prizes for guessing...that essentially related to bong food :P. 

It's not a fact anymore but common knowledge that I love eating. Listing out favourites will be a cardinal sin, but yet I will go ahead with a few for which I have perennial craving for. and a few suggestion here and there.

1. Phuchka- This had to top the list. Panipuri, golgappas etc. etc. please take a backseat because nothing and i repeat NOTHING makes you ga ga about street food as authentic Calcutta Phuchka does. 
My picks- a) Rajender phuchka near Dakshinapon. b) CR Park Market No 1 phuchkawallah in New Delhi c) Sindhi Colony in Hyderabad (I located that one!)

2. Chitol Macher muithya- Uff!!! I am really going weak on my knees imagining those fishballs in that temting gravy. 
My pick- nobody makes it as good as my didun. Period. Already have the recipe with me, will learn it form her directly soon. I wish I could cook like her though.

3. Ilish mach- I love this one...prepared anyways. While the bangal way of preparing it on Sarswati pujo (light gravy with eggpants and kalojeerey) remians a favourite, I love the bhapa, bhaja and all other known varieties.
My pick- My pishimoni and Ma's kitchen.

4. Kochur shaak/bata/koura, Karkone bata, dhoney pata bata- Traditional ghotis can smirk at this one, but trust me, it tastes like heaven...of course you need good cooks at helm. My experience tells that true blue blooded ghotis also have enjoyed this fare at one of my relative's place...and needless to say they were always asking for more. In case you have a thing for spicy food and good food in general...do try!!
My picks- Again my Ma and Pishimoni's kitchen.

5. Vada/ Sambhar/ Crispy Dosa- I have to agree that this is an acquired taste and thankfully I wa slucky enough to discover this one. Tuesday morning breakfast in the mess means yumm Sambhar and Vada. Me and my friend tavishi have this alltime craving for the sambhar prepared Tuesdays and Sunday mornings. They taste so good and better than the other days. 
My picks- NALSAR university mess and Minerva Coffee shop in Hyderabad.

6. Fried Rice/Noodles/Bekti and Chilly/Schezuan/Lemon/pepper chicken..anything Chinese- I adore. Simply. Can have Chinese anytime of the day. 
My picks- quite a long list actually- a) Mainland China, Calcutta (Hyd one is not that good), b) China Town in Calcutta (any restaurant is good enough though my vote goes for Beijing and Bigg Boss) c) Ten Downing street in Hyderabad d) A newly opened eatery near my place...near the golfgreen more (forgot the name) e) Chungwa in New Delhi and e) Nan King in Hyderabad (obviously!!)

7. Mutton Kosha/Biriyani- Quite a tie. And i love them both. Acquired a taste for biriyani after coming to Hyderabad. 

My picks- For Mutton Kosha, has to be my mom's kitchen. I will try out Golbaari for sure sometime soon in Calcutta. For Briyani- Paradise in Hyderabad. Iconic and the winner all the way. In case you cant manage a seat at the upstairs restaurant, go for the take away. you will not rue it. Arsalan in Calcutta.

8. Subway- I love subway. It changed my perception about breads and sandwiches in general. Frankly speaking, before trying Subway I never thought that my taste buds can be friendly to breads also, since I am quite a rice person. But healthy eating at Subway makes me feel good. Love the Salads, cookies and of course the sandwich there.

9. Chocolate fudge from Nahoum's- That explains it all. 70 years and counting..threats of closure and change of ownership notwithstanding, the charm of Nahoum's continues..just like good old Calcutta and New market.

10. Nolen gurer sondesh and mishti doi- I am not a sweet dish fan and that's very hard to gulp down for some  of my non bong friends. But my bong sweet tooth makes an appearance here and there even when I have a preference for everything 'jhaal'. Give me nolen gurer sondesh from Balaram or Kalpana near my house and I will die for you.

And mishti doi!!! I love!! more than ice cream....in fact I respect houses which serve mishti doi as the dessert instead of ice cream. It's not a popular choice so many people don't serve it on occasions anymore. High on calorie, dalda and blah blah...but who cares. Kalpana's mishti doi...and I keep on dreaming!!!


In case you are counting calories after reading this...can't help it dear. who cares about calories when you can dream about the creamy and delicious mishti doi?




Thursday, March 3, 2011

Rant on.

I have no qualms in accepting the fact that this blog, which had begun with my humble ambition of writing good and sensible stuff, has turned out to be my favourite place to rant. Of course I love bugging Shreya, Runjhun and Paridhi...but this one is also quite close to my heart :D

I am growing impatient by the day. I can't wait for November to come. As I might have already mentioned in this blog (or may be not), I am really looking forward to a very special occasion in November. Yes! my didibhai (my secret box, my pnpc partner, my favourite-esssttt cousin...and something more than that) is getting married to one of the sweetest guys I know. Since I will be earning myself by then, am searching for gift ideas. Something I can gift her apart from what my mom and dad has already planned to gift her. Suggestions most welcome :)

And I don't want this last few days of college life to end. Sigh! Fifth year, you are so much fun. And my batch-2006-2011....am going to miss you sorely.

I am the most confused person on this planet. 

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Moments, places, people.

Photographs amaze me like anything. Each one of them tells a story of their own. Of a distant time, when the world was a different place to live in. Good, bad, better! that's up for debate. But like letters, photographs make me feel good. I love reading old letters. And i love glancing through photographs. I have this random collection of photographs- some taken by unknown geniuses across the world, some by famous ones on my laptop. Most of them relate to a few of my favourite people....people I wonder about. People like Gayatri Devi, whose beauty still remains an enigma to me. I thought of sharing them with everyone around. And of course! I collect photographs of Calcutta...The old chowringhee...so in case there is a overdose, please don't complain.

P.S. None of the photographs are taken by me. And no copyright infringement is intended. I will wholeheartedly give credit to the people who took them in case they come forward or if they ask me to take them off. I found them while doing random internet searches while in moods with patch of blue hovering around. So in case you have a problem. Please let me know :) I will be more than happy to oblige.














































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