Small Bites

This post is about two staples in my pantry, chickpeas and cilantro. For various reasons, some of us are staying off meat this time of the year and while fish certainly is a viable option just legumes work too. Chickpeas paired with simple button mushrooms in this exceedingly simple and… Read More →

I could not let winter go away without talking lentils. Although, all things considered, winter does not appear to want to go away anytime soon. Well, it is that time of the year, when I am longing for a little more warmth, getting a little tired of my winter paraphenelia… Read More →

 Here is another recipe that works in nicely into the essential recipes category. Garam Masala, or the fragrant spice mix is a finishing spice blend that is essential to a lot of Indian cooking. In case, you are wondering what I mean by a finishing spice, let me explain. Despite,... Read More →

It is difficult to not think of something sweet in time for one of biggest sweet days of the year – Valentine’s Day.  In keeping with the times and the season, today I shall be sharing one of the classic winter desserts from North India. The Gajar Halwa or the… Read More →

One of the common questions and connundrums with the spiceverse (yes, I made up that word!) is how much is enough or differently worded what are the basic essential spices needed for spice based cooking. At the risk of sounding evasive, I will tell you the answer really depends on the… Read More →

This Friday we had our first Lohud Spices chat. I was excited and thrilled to see the questions and participation. Two of the interesting themes that came up from the chat was a lot of interest in storing and keeping spices right, and the spice of the afternoon - asafetida. So,... Read More →

Get out of your spice rut! At noon on Jan. 11, we’re hosting a Twitter chat about cooking with spices with Rinku Bhattacharya—@Wchestermasala—using the hashtag #lohudspices. Rinku, the Spices and Seasons blogger for @small_bites on @lohud and author of “The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles” will guide you through a joyous… Read More →

Into the first week of the New Year, I hope that your year has started on a right note. I want to take a minute to wish you and yours a wonderful New Year. Let us hope that it is a delicious and peaceful one. I am still on vacation… Read More →

In our house, the husband would probably like to place potatoes in he list of processed starches. Of course, I like to tell him that this is mostly because he does not grow potatoes. His reason for this crime is that our tiny little backyard is not big enough for all… Read More →

  I have so many ideas combined into this post, that chances are you will find me less than coherent.  I get this way, when I am excited, tired and especially when I am excited about a new seasonal creation. My kids and I love Hanukkah, let me explain, it… Read More →

I am actually at the time of the year, when I am begining to enjoy the Christmas music, all the tinsel and bells and even the Salvation Army buckets outside the grocery stores. It is December, and it is now countdown to a year that is slowly slipping by and… Read More →

I am having a bit of a difficult time trying to accept that we are back to a working week. I tend to get that sense of intertia, right after Thanksgiving. I ending spending the entire weekend, cooking, prepping through different meals,  for friends and family. I am tired but… Read More →

Today is time for regal and elegant saffron. It is the right spice for many reasons, it is festive and appropriate, since today we are celebrating Diwali or the festival of lights. You can read more about the holiday, in this post that I had done earlier this week. It is… Read More →

 What a crazy week this was! The weather was anything, but, seasonal! We went through a hurricane, not something I would ever expect in Fall, certainly not in our neck of the woods. I am still in a house without power, spending the day at a friend’s house to get… Read More →

As I start writing this post, I am reminded of a childhood friend. Not sure why, but, then again, I always say food and memories go hand in hand, and it is the memories that lace and add flavor to the food. Anyhow, back to my friend, she and I… Read More →

The spice for this week is the black peppercorn, brave, bold and full of power packed warmth, hopefully enough to chase the chills away. Growing up, I somehow was not familiar with the peppermill, black pepper like most other spices was ground up fresh and used as needed. The peppermill… Read More →

The Small Bites bloggers gathered for a pot luck, and we thought everyone should benefit! Here are the recipes from Spices and Seasons blogger Rinku Bhattacharya.               Chicken Tikka Masala, left, and Masala Mushrooms (Carucha L. Meuse / The Journal News)

So, are you feeling the fall weather yet? This weekend, felt a little ahead of this times though, let us hope we can recreate the spirit for Halloween. In keeping with the auburn/orange colors of the season, I shall introduce you to an orange hued spice blend. We are talking about none other… Read More →

Fall is here, I shall warn you that this is my absolutely favorite season. I love the colors and impressions and I love the crispness of the fresh air in transition, I love the unexpected pine cone that makes its way along the path and I love the early burst… Read More →

Onions are such a staple in my flavor universe that I often for get to single them out as a unique component in my cooking. However, they are essential and their flavor dimensions vary based on color and type and of course how they are incorporated into the recipe. For… Read More →

It feels rather like fall, although the official calendar does not pronounce fall until next week. There are greens, roots and peppers in the garden but the yellow leaves are certainly warning me that the garden is beginning to slow down. It is working with the bounty of red chard… Read More →

There comes this point in my classes, right when my students have reached more than a few spices, to get into the curry connundrum. There are still many who would tell you that there is a single spice or defination to curry, but, listen to me, it is just not… Read More →

I recently connected with Anu Mitter, who helps her father Chef Jagdish at the Royal Palace restaurant in Greenburgh. Royal Palace is one of the older Indian restaurants in the Westchester area and one of the few that has a lot of space for hosting parties. They also tend to… Read More →

My friend Cheng is a colleague I know from work, he like some of my other friends are confirmed foodies. As a coincidence or possibly because of some sub-conscious vested interest, I seem to pick foodie friends who can introduce me to foods or more specifically spices from different cuisines and… Read More →

So, summer has that one firm and poised toe out of the door, although with these temperatures you would not guess it. We just enjoyed a weekend with lovely blue skies and gentle cooling rain in the evenings to keep the garden well watered. In fact, it is a lovely… Read More →

As we begin talking about mustard, I will warn you that it is one of the favorite flavors in my household. I use it in various forms, with the seeds, in fresh pastes and also use mustard oil. I use mustard greens too, but unlike fenugreek, I do not consider… Read More →

I often tell my students that to truly understand and savor spices, it is important to savor them in isolation. The sweet tasting cinnamon that I am featuring this week is a very easy spice to taste in isolation. Its sweet tastes are fragrant and powerful. This being said, I… Read More →