Anouncing a foodventure – A bike ride for the foodies

So here's the new I'm hopping up and down about! I've teamed up with the fantastic Enfield Riders to bring to you guys a super fun adventure – A Bike ride to explore the food, beaches and joy of Konkan.

Come 16th, 17th and 18th January 2015 and the roads by the western Coast will see us Biking through the sunlit beaches of the Arabian Sea, basking in the winter sun, getting sprayed by the salty sea and eating our way through one of India's most gorgeous coastal belts.

There's going to be plenty of fresh local food, fishing in sparkling waters, visits to bustling bazaars, learning Malvani cuisine from locals who do it best, camping by the beach, cooking over wood fired chulhas, grilling the freshest fish you can imagine, toddy guzzling and loads more of deliciousness.

Needless to say this gorge fest is for the hardcore. Come for the scenic ride on thundering Enfields if you want but make sure you pack a serious love for seafood and an appetite for adventure.

Don't have a bike? We will rent one out to you. Not a rider? We have slots open for pillion riders. Don't fancy a bike? We have(limited) seats in a four wheel drive too! Want to get your own bike/car along? Just let us know.

There.. you have no excuses now!! We will announce the detailed itinerary in a couple of days but you can pre-book your seats before slots run out. Write to us to know more – Bombaychowparty@gmail.com or ride@enfieldriders.com

The Best Doughnuts you will ever eat OR big things we learn from little ones

Just look at how lovely and light the inside of that doughnut is. And that’s my beautiful homemade custard cream oozing out..

It was one of those painful summer vacation visits to Kerala. I was about to turn 16 and spending the summer among relatives in god’s-own-forsaken land (or as it seemed to my action-crazed teenage eyes) wasn’t a prospect I was happy at. Away from home, school, Delhi and all my friends, in the maddening midst of hoards of relatives was the last place I wanted to be. Any of you who have had scores of smirking distant relatives walk up to you and ask, “do you know who I am”; only to be offended at your embarrassed but honest reply that you have no idea whatsoever (and frankly couldn’t care less) know the pain of those excruciating summers in the lap of beauty. The only significant silver lining was the impending delivery of my favourite aunt… That and the prospect of the yummy food ofcourse!

A return to baking, my first love

So after aaages, I’ve started baking again. And for all my intolerances, one thing is clear. Not much makes me as bone deep, soul warmingly happy as making a delicious dessert does. Not even eating it. I’ve missed baking far too much.

It’s time to start again. And the trick perhaps is, that I don’t need to eat it myself, just find mouths to feed?

This confection inspired by one of the recipes in food52, made of layers of rich coffee flavoured cake and cinnamon meringue that sandwich some amazingly luxurious pastry cream was an exciting return to my oven.

All in all, I thought the dessert was a splendid idea but I confess I feel the cake layer were not exactly what I wanted. To do justice to the medley of beautiful flavours, the crackly, crunchy, nutty-sweet cinnamon layer of meringue and the silky banana-ey custard, the cake needs to either be lighter or crunchier. So that’s the plan for the next trial. And if all goes well, I know this will be one of the unusual, stunning desserts I’ve made. And perhaps one day, you can order it from Bombay Chowparty?

“…there ain’t no journey what don’t change you some.”

As we prepared to travel to Japan, I had been asking myself, why do we want to travel so much?.. Is it to get away from life as we know it? The desire to meet the unfamiliar? To claim bragging rights of having visited a new place? A craving for wonderment found in a new place where the air smells different; languages, sounds and voices a tantalising mix of the familiar and unfamiliar; tastes open you to delights you never knew existed? Even as I wondered why this mattered so much, we geared up to go away – waiting to be delighted by a culture more alien than any we had ever interacted with and just a bit apprehensive about wether this, Atul’s first trip abroad, would live up to all the hype. 

Nostalgia and Kaddu ki khatti meethi sabzi

I find that most of my quests around food date back to something I dreamt of or tasted in my childhood. Infact don’t we spend much of our adult life recreating or searching for themes from our childhood? This dish for me, quintessential UP fare, is my way of bringing back all those afternoons and holidays I spent at Sharma aunty’s house.