"Bangali Ranna"

My mom never had to cook before she got married. In fact, it was only after she got married to Dad that she ever started really learning how to cook, and spending hours in kitchen conjuring up cuisine from recipes she got from these insanely expensive cookbooks that she has even today. Now, however, when she cooks in the kitchen, she really cooks in the kitchen!

This is traditional 'machher jhol' - fish preparation - and
it is just one of the miracle that is Bangali Ranna *sigh

The best part of all of that is that a Bengali mum will provide food on the table, cook stuff for you while you're eating sometimes so you get it piping hot and fresh from the stove, and (I'm sorry if this hurts any feelings or sentiments) there is no food in world that is tastier than Bengali food. Be it the colour, the smell, the texture, the aftertaste, I would probably eat it all.

Other friends of mine who have travelled all over India have ratified my claim. In my trips abroad or even to other parts of India, there is something about Bengali food, some culinary magic, that you can't taste anywhere else. I am, however, not talking about dessert. While Bengali desserts like rossogolla, panthoa and laddoos are very popular among people, I don't like them more than I do the savoury dishes.

Biryani 

A friend of mine actually said that Bengali people are lazy, West Bengal is possibly 3 generations behind every other state in terms of rate of progress, but Bengali people know how to cook, and how to EAT! Oh, imagine steamed rice like biriyani or pulao mixed with butter or ghee, spices, cashew nuts, raisins, chaat masala, meats and boiled egg, and spicy potatoes, followed by fish, chicken or mutton curry- reshmi butter masala- with hot, soft, luchis, chappatis, rotis or even naan, mmmm, malai curry of shrimp, spicy but sweet from the coconut milk, traditional mocha prepared Bengali style (that is a delicacy) and so many other things. Okay, also just remember that half the things I just named you are not traditional Bengali dishes; I'm only referring to how Bengali people prepare the food. Chinese food tastes different in every Indian state because different kinds of people like it prepared differently. Indian people have such colourful, vibrant food; but I love Bengali food the most for the most part. South Indian food like idlis, dosas and sambar prepared by Bengali hands is also phenomenal. I mean no offence, okay, I speak only for my own preferences, as prejudiced as they may be.

I visit my grandmother who lives very far away just to eat her cooking. Devious =D.

Puchka =)

Chicken rolls : My Favourite 

But here is the real tragedy. I don't know a saucepan from a kunti in the kitchen. I was trying to help make dal the other day. I remember wondering how something so simple could take so much trouble to make. I dont know how to make a fricken dal, people.I've already forgotten the process. Shame, shame.

I was actually wondering about, if and when I move out of the house, who would feed me? Chicken rolls, puchkas, aah, what would I do without them? Eat healthy food? Those barely-salted boiled vegetables? I don't think so.


There is only solution to my problem: Take my maid with me.

I wish I had some chingri malai curry now. Mmmmm, scrump-diddly-dumptious.