Pranay Singh, Author at Kali Mirch - by Smita

Spicy Pulao in Microwave

July 26, 2015 by Pranay Singh 3 Comments

Love is in the air. The Monsoons have come, and with its arrival this air has become scented. The dry and lifeless summer that serves as a precursor to lively monsoon makes this atmosphere dry and insipid. The earth dries up, weaker trees and plants, shrubs and bushes wither away and those that bear strength would wait for that first drop of rain. Everything comes to a standstill; it is as if every creature is praying for the arrival of the first shower. Finally the day arrives; the dark cloud encircles the earth and cool breeze begins to blow, announcing the much anticipated arrival of the dignitary that everyone’s been waiting for with the bated breath.

…

Paneer Pakoda (Cottage Cheese Fritters)

July 23, 2015 by Pranay Singh Leave a Comment

Saturday mornings are when I prefer snuggling in the bed a little longer. However, last Saturday, my thin quilt could not keep me warmer and the overwhelming breeze from the ceiling fan moving at highest RPM meant that the room became too cold and I had to get up to switch off the fan. It is then, I realized that the coolness was due to the overcast condition that the morning sky had. I walked into the balcony, stood by the railing, gazing at the sky and admiring the gathering of dark clouds which indicated the imminent showers.

…

Kesar Sitaphal Phirni/ Saffron Custard apple rice pudding

July 15, 2015 by Pranay Singh 1 Comment

Phirni or Firni is one of the most famous dessert recipes globally. It is essentially a rice pudding that is made world over in different forms and has several variations. Let’s talk about rice first. Rice has been the staple food for many cultures all over the world. How the word ‘Rice’ has originated and evolved over centuries travelling from one country to other is a fascinating tale.

…

Bakheer/ Gud-Chawal ki kheer/ Jaggery Rice Pudding

July 2, 2015 by Pranay Singh 3 Comments

I was born in Mumbai and grew up in the city. I ended up romanticizing the city for anything and everything that it had to offer me. My parents however would often miss their rural roots. They would narrate me and my sister several funny anecdotes of the village where they were born, they grew up, where they shared laughs and grief with their cousins and uncles and aunts, and which they left with heavy heart for the city of Mumbai in search of better opportunities. I still remember, though not as clearly, but my memory still is fresh in parts, my first trip through the dusty bylanes on an open jeep leading to my ancestral home in a small village in Uttar Pradesh.

…

Spicy Masala Peanuts

June 24, 2015 by Pranay Singh Leave a Comment

While posting this recipe, I must make a candid admission. I have a mixed bag of feelings while sharing this recipe. I am usually very cheerful and excited as I share my recipes with you dear readers. It is the happiness of making something new in my kitchen, and excitement of unknown. I wait for the comments and feedback that my readers share on my blogs and the videos. However, with this recipe, I have a bittersweet feeling, happy for sharing a savory snack recipe with you and heartbroken over the shocking series defeat that India encountered against Bangladesh.

…

Mutton Curry- A Delicacy from Uttar Pradesh- Bhojpur cuisine

June 21, 2015 by Pranay Singh 7 Comments

Folks, this weekend we continue with our gastronomic excursion of Uttar Pradesh food. We are in particular, making some recipes that we have grown up eating, and it is very difficult to find some restaurants serving these preparations. So we decided to delve into our recipe diary, made some frantic calls to our aunts asking them about their secret recipes and came up with this delicious recipe preparation. I feel it is very important for us to document such recipes from Indian regional cuisines which are very poorly documented till now, and only exists in the memory lanes of our mom, granny and aunts.

…

Achari Murg (Chicken in Pickled Sauce)

June 7, 2015 by Pranay Singh Leave a Comment

The most admirable and fascinating aspect of Indian cooking is its diversity. India, being such a vast country with phenomenal diversity, this diversity is widespread in almost every aspect of life. Food is no exception. For someone like me, born in North Indian family and married to a beautiful lady from Konkan, it becomes an obvious practice if my food preparations are more inclined towards these two regions of India.

…

Tender Coconut Punch

May 14, 2015 by Pranay Singh Leave a Comment

As per an old Swedish proverb “A life without love is like a year without summer”. I completely subscribe to the thought behind that lovely proverb, although I am not sure how many Indians would have that feeling for the summers. This month of May sun has been overbearing. As we crank up the air conditioning at home and offices to make it little cooler, I often see people become crankier in summers. As mercury raises so do our temper, which is why we witness increased level of honking in traffic and road rage incidents during summers.

…

Crab Masala-Kurlya Masala

May 3, 2015 by Pranay Singh Leave a Comment

Indian cuisine is so vast and diverse that I often wonder it would take a lifetime for me to experience this rich legacy of Indian food. Every state has its own rich food culture that warrants a separate cookbook. Having grown up in a North Indian family I had the privilege of enjoying North Indian food prepared by mom, but then there was a vast gamut of preparations that were unexplored.

…

Tawa (Griddle) mutton chops

April 18, 2015 by Pranay Singh Leave a Comment

When we were in period of courtship, our food habits hardly matched. I grew up eating mutton (goat meat) and she would hardly discuss anything mutton. She would swear by fish and I would shun away.

…