I got back into the kitchen last week after a two-week trip to Pakistan, and picked up Sumayya Usmani’s cookbook, Summers Under the Tamarind Tree again. I made a lovely tapioca pearl kheer for the first time, and revisited her chana daal recipe that I had made several years ago. I have often talked about…
Hello! I am so happy to share this long overdue feature of Aida Khan, the founder and chef behind Shola Kitchen. I had the privilege of eating Shola Kitchen’s food first in Islamabad, and then in London. Back in October, I sat down with Aida to chat about her journey from working at a bank…
Chana pulao is another one of those dishes that I took for granted growing up. It was a reliable staple that would pop up on my mother’s table every few weeks, and often served at various functions. I thought nothing of it till I saw the recipe in Usmani’s book, Summers Under the Tamarind Tree,…
In 2019, Saptarshi and I made a conscious effort to eat less meat. While initially it was a challenge given that we had meat as a main for every meal, it’s become easier every month (see vegetarian recipes here). I have especially grown to rely on legumes as a staple (thank you dal!), and developed…
Even though we didn’t celebrate Christmas, December was always a festive time for us growing up (here’s a piece I wrote about the holidays for TASTE in 2017). My parents hosted a ton during the month, and I have continued the tradition between the various cities I have called home. There are nights and days…