Patali Gur er Payesh

Author : Anita      Blog : A Mad Tea Party      Date : 6/13/2013 11:54:54 AM

'Some time last year, I was finally able to lay my hands on three beautiful blocks of Patali gur (also called Khejur gur or nolen gur in Bangla) from West Bengal.  Even though Sroboshi no longer worked with us in the office in Delhi, she sent the promised gur, that had arrived with her parents […]'

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Bong Mom’s Shorshe Dharosh

Author : Anita      Blog : A Mad Tea Party      Date : 5/26/2013 10:13:02 AM

'BOOK REVIEW AND RECIPE FROM BONG MOM’S COOKBOOK BY SANDEEPA MUKHERJEE DUTTA Pour yourself a cup of tea, find a cool spot [Delhi is HOT at the moment] and watch, through the window of this charming book, as the Bong Mom goes about her day in her suburban US home.  Weekday stories of hectic mornings […]'

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Pumpkin shoots with eggplant – al kanjji te wangun

Author : Anita      Blog : A Mad Tea Party      Date : 5/8/2013 12:06:10 PM

'As we move to bigger urban centers, and into smaller and smaller lots and apartments, we are removed more and more from the food we eat, from the act of growing our own food.  Much of what was once common in every home garden is gradually getting lost, at least to us city folk.  My [...]'

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Food shows and food show hosts: meet David Rocco

Author : Anita      Blog : A Mad Tea Party      Date : 5/2/2013 2:48:11 PM

'I am an unashamed television junkie. There is a lot I could do instead if I didn’t spend about 2 hours a day watching TV. My days are packed enough with work, including teaching and preparing for the lectures, that by about 7 o’clock all I am good for is sitting on the couch, staring [...]'

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Puran poli – the long story

Author : Anita      Blog : A Mad Tea Party      Date : 3/25/2013 6:51:10 AM

'Have you heard of Champa Shashthi?  In my Maharashtrian side of the family it is associated with a ceremonial pooja the beginnings of which are somewhat obscure.  This winter I was visiting friends who celebrate this day with special prayers.  In their family, the day of the pooja marks the end of a period of [...]'

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A Quick Soup

Author : Anita      Blog : A Mad Tea Party      Date : 3/14/2013 2:19:39 PM

'Summer is here and the days of soup are almost behind us. But summer also means an urge to eat lighter and spend less time in the kitchen cooking that meal. That is when a soup is just what you need. My father is a good gardener but he is no cook. He is fastidious [...]'

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Bhagar ani danyachi amti

Author : Anita      Blog : A Mad Tea Party      Date : 3/10/2013 1:03:23 PM

'Haerath mubarak to my Kashmiri readers, and a very happy Shivratri to the rest of you! There was much feasting at my mom’s last night where we gathered for Mahashivratri puja. Shivratri is the most important festivals for the Kashmiri Pandit community. The festival marks the end of winter in Kashmir. The preparations start weeks [...]'

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Comfort food: varan-bhat

Author : Anita      Blog : A Mad Tea Party      Date : 2/13/2013 2:20:01 PM

'For many of us dal-chaval constitutes the ultimate comfort food.  It is hard to come up with food that is simpler or more satiating.  One such version of dal-chaval is the Maharashrian sada varan-bhat. Many Sundays during our courting days I would visit V at his home for lunch.  Varan-bhat was frequently on the menu [...]'

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Goan Sausage

Author : Anita      Blog : A Mad Tea Party      Date : 1/31/2013 12:14:08 PM

'My interest in food and cooking is known to most of my friends, family, and colleagues, and even students.  Towards the end of the term I bring some food, usually home-cooked, to the class on  a day when informal interactions are scheduled.  It is a pleasant way to conclude the semester. Some students stay in [...]'

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A Road Trip

Author : Anita      Blog : A Mad Tea Party      Date : 1/30/2013 6:49:41 AM

'How quickly this year is going.  January is almost over already!  But there is some cold left in this winter yet. It has been one of the coldest we have had in years with minimum temperatures touching the freezing point at the outskirts of Delhi.  I must say I love a good winter.  It is [...]'

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Gathering Around the Table for Tea

Author : Anita      Blog : A Mad Tea Party      Date : 10/15/2012 7:27:11 AM

'Thank you for sitting down to tea with your special ones and taking a moment for yourselves. It was good to sit down to tea with some of the readers of this space. Winter is round the bend and it was good to cosy up with old friends. Rameshwari and her two boys were the [...]'

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Lime Cake for the Party

Author : Anita      Blog : A Mad Tea Party      Date : 10/3/2012 5:22:11 AM

'I sure botched up the invitation to the annual Party this time.  I published the announcement as a page and some of you missed it.  At least, that is the face-saving escape route I am taking.  It has been six years of blogging here.  In August.  Here I am updating an anniversary post more than [...]'

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Come to the Party!

Author : Anita      Blog : A Mad Tea Party      Date : 10/2/2012 12:35:07 PM

'Everyone is invited! The rules for having yourself a Mad Tea Party are simple: Cook one or more recipes inspired by Lewis Carroll’s famous Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, between Aug 21-Sept 8 Sept 22), write a post about it (with or without a recipe ). Call a friend (or friends – the more the merrier) [...]'

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Jam and Treacle Tarts

Author : Anita      Blog : A Mad Tea Party      Date : 9/5/2012 12:07:42 PM

'This weekend, I finally snapped out of my laziness and decided, after a long gap, to fire up the oven.  The extended rains have brought lowered the temperature enough to consider outside of subsistence food and I thought I might bake some tarts. The pages of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland are replete with mentions and [...]'

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Of Treacle and Tarts

Author : Anita      Blog : A Mad Tea Party      Date : 8/21/2012 8:03:39 AM

'A Mad Tea Party is six! I tried very hard to come up with an anniversary post.  I have a lot to say about how we deal with food and nutrition but I found I have said it and said it quite well already.  Please re-read Food, Glorious Food and we can get talking about [...]'

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Pachranga-style Mango Pickle

Author : Anita      Blog : A Mad Tea Party      Date : 7/25/2012 9:20:02 AM

'I know you have had enough with green mangoes. But, it is mango time here in Delhi: all kinds of ripe mangoes to eat – Chausa and Lungda varieties have arrived, and green ones to pickle and make into chutney. This season I have made a sweet-sour mango chutney and three kinds of mango pickle: [...]'

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Green Mangoes

Author : Anita      Blog : A Mad Tea Party      Date : 6/28/2012 2:13:46 PM

'Mangoes are definitely the silver lining of the Northern Indian summers.  Unlike in some southern Indian states (and further east of India) where mangoes are available year round, in Delhi we have access to both green and ripe mangoes only through the summer.  Or, maybe, I should say that we have seasons other than summer [...]'

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The Fruits of Summer

Author : Anita      Blog : A Mad Tea Party      Date : 6/20/2012 6:03:51 AM

'Hell couldn’t be hotter than Delhi in June.  This summer seems to be particularly hot.  Many of my less heat-hardy plants have just dessicated.  Even the Temple Tree is showing signs of heat stress!  I can only pray the monsoon will keep its date with Delhi; if all stays well with the wind systems, it [...]'

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Shukto

Author : Anita      Blog : A Mad Tea Party      Date : 5/29/2012 2:09:28 PM

'There is more shared between Kashmir and Bengal than a love for rice, fish, and mustard oil.  There is a shared history.  Eighth century Kashmiri emperor Lalitaditya’s empire is believed to have extended from Kabul right up to Bengal.  But, that was centuries ago.  Even in the last century there was a very strong connection [...]'

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Simbly South!

Author : Anita      Blog : A Mad Tea Party      Date : 4/21/2012 1:47:48 PM

'Talk about signing up for more than your fair share!  I am an adjunct faculty for a Grad program at a college nearby but ended up with full-time teaching load this semester.  The work load in the office stayed unchanged which translates into ‘busy’ and is reflected in the woeful frequency of posts here the [...]'

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