Suvir

The Story of Instamatic & Crispy Okra Salad

This weekend I share my fourth book, Instamatic in my column. 

I share the backstory to the book. A book that is equal parts Instasaying, Instapics, and Instawisdom. A deeper more thoughtful look into our Instaworld. 

As a teaser I share the brilliance of the sun and clouds as I learned at our farm in Hebron, NY. Also share what I learned while visiting the remarkable nation that is Rwanda. 

Read the column on Mail Today, or below.

And a Curry, Hari Bhari (Egg Curry with Peas and Potatoes)

 

This recipe was shared by visual artist extraordinaire, Aamir Rabbani. A dear friend. Also responsible for editing and digitizing the Corona recipes I have been sharing. 

Aamir is stuck home-alone in Delhi. He also has lost his cook to the lockdown. Instead of moping and complaining, Aamir has used this time to cook the dishes that he misses from back home in Muzaffarpur in Bihar. 

Egg Curry with green peas and potatoes is a dish his mother made often. His memories of it are rich. This version was made by him at home under quarantine. It is easy to make and delicious to boot. Enjoy making it for yourself and your family.

Dhan-Saee (lentil and vegetable stew)

 

Dhan-Saee is my take on what a baby born to a vegetarian marriage of Dhan Saak and Saee Bhaji would be. A nod to the Parsi and Sindhi food and forkways. A celebration of pulses and vegetables. Add more as you find in your refrigerator or the market. Switch them around to meet your fancy.

The dish has wonderful heat that doesn’t bite the tongue the way green chiles (hot peppers) do, but a warmth that comes from the use of whole spices. A comforting discovery of tastes and flavors that build with each bite. That entertain beyond the bite as well. A lingering enjoyment. Simple in its putting together yet complex and layered in its character.

Chanda Aloo - Moon shaped potatoes

 

Chanda Aloo cannot be made in enough quantities at our home. Two people can finish what a dozen people might eat at a fancier meal where everyone is being a tad more formal. Such is the beauty and comforting deliciousness of this simple potato dish. It goes back to my grandmother’s family’s table in Kurwaar. A recipe that has been passed down generationally. It now has fans across the continents. Friends and family members have taken it with them.

Mushroom Biryani for Vani

It isn't every day that my friend Vani Tripathi Tikoo asks for something. Hers is a personality that gets glues to ones heart and being. She is what one calls "good people". Hers is an inclusive world in a world where we are all being torn apart into isms. She lives and loves with open arms and table. She gives herself with boundless empathy and a large heart. 

This biryani, a recipe from American Masala, is also bold, beautiful and soulfully flavorful. 

When Vani asked for its recipe just by looking at the photo, I had to oblige, and was fascinated at how similar. this dish was to Vani's own journey. Global and inspired. Inspiring and comforting. All at once.

Vani, this one is shared with you on my mind, my dear. Enjoy it! 

Mili Juli Dal

 

You can use whatever lentil you have at home, and in whatever mix you want. Today I used arhar, chana, dhuli moong and urad, and moong chilka.

Dal is something most Indian homes eat in some way, shape or form daily. It is a staple in our homes. Inexpensive, nutritive and delicious.

Twenty Twenty - Facile discernment and the beginning of a new decade and year

2020 couldn’t begin on a better note for us. We find ourselves safely at home in New Delhi. Surrounded by loved ones. Pooches at our side. Living in a new home, built on land where the home of my birth existed before. Finding ourselves comfortable in the city that I left at 19, when I went to school in Manhattan. The city to which I came back yearly when going back home to family. A city that is as old as history and as richly diverse and full of opportunities as the best in the world. New Delhi is the capital of India, it is a cultural hub, and it is now home to my new baby, The House of Celeste, my restaurant in Gurgaon. 

Preparation of a Diwali confection, a reminder and affirmation of mom's peerlessly tireless brilliance

The earliest memories I have of Diwali are of my grandma sitting on a chair and instructing Panditji and mom in the art of making Gujias. I never understood how someone who didn’t themselves cook, be the person giving instructions. How naive I was at that young age of 4 or 5 years.

Peony - A symbol of richness, honor, bashfulness, prosperity and perseverance, will now symbolize joy for me

Whilst the peony is called the King of Flowers in China, it is also considered mischievous and bashful, life giving and graceful. A symbol of perseverance. 

Most commonly a herbaceous perennial, it can also can share much with us humans about our loves, lives, hopes and despair. About our struggles and victories, that are perennial beyond our own lifespan.

The peony is a temperate plant that can help in tempering our reactions to it, and to life. 

Watch the photos taken with an iPhone and macro lens, by Charlie and me.

Read the words too, they might make sense. They are inspired by peonies we had in our life. 

Preserving: Family, Relationships and Foods

A guest post by Tishya Doraiswamy, my most gifted and talented niece, a high schooler in Delhi.

It’s always wonderful to see family cooking together. Just the other day, I had the wonderful privilege of witnessing my grandmother teach Suvir – an uncle of mine, how to make her famous Lasora pickle – I got to see the two best cooks in my family work together.

A day before Suvir came to my grandmother’s house, she prepared everything in anticipation washing and keeping the Lasora out and ready to prepare.

The next day, Suvir came to learn the famous recipe – the only way to learn recipes from my grandmother is by watching and making them with her, since she only ever prepares food through estimation. However, the food she makes is always wonderful – and having an award-winning chef in the kitchen surely couldn’t do any harm.

Lasora, also known as pink pearl or Indian cherry is popular in India, especially when it comes to making pickles such as this one.