Chronicles Of The Sassy Fork

This time we had a great time on Christmas eve.It seemed like the whole city was buzzing! We were invited by Uncle J to the Royal Bombay Yacht Club.He learnt sailing for the first time at the age of 70 and has introduced several others to it.I too sailed for the first time and loved every moment of it,the sun,the sea and the seagulls! Uncle J is meticulous so he planned the evening much in advance,which was a good thing cos 200 people registered. The Yacht Club was shining with lights and looked splendid with the Xmas decorations.The music was amazing and I couldn't help nodding to it.Next time,will dance! We started with the Seafood Mousse,deliciously light! There was a Mezze Platter,veg and nonveg.I headed for the mains.....Stuffed Turkey with Cranberry Sauce, surprisingly tender and moist! My friends Pradeep and Chethana Rao felt this was the best turkey they had, and they have had it the world over.Pradeep writes the blog Intrepid Gourmand  where he ...

Went over to a friend's place at Lonavla to spend the day with school friends.I don't think we ever talk of food then.The Queen Mary School lunch was great though....Mallu cooks supervised by Parsi teachers with dishes like pattice and tomato gravy,ravo,biryani and bottle gourd bhaaji. Those were the days of reading Enid Blyton books and dreaming of midnight snacks,scones and ginger beer (something I have yet to try) One food memory I distinctly have is of boiled potatoes with red chili powder and salt that my friend Misbah would get. Some I had been in touch with and some had moved abroad and lost in touch.We were here to discover where life had taken each of us. Namita who hosted us is a fitness expert.She has written several books and newspaper columns on the same and conducts classes at Colaba.Niloufer and I used to write inland letters to each other in childhood when smses and email did not exist.Don't try guessing our age ;) She left me stumped with her list of...

Celebrated the Thanksgiving Weekend in the company of friends,new and old.Friends connected through the bond of good food for whom I am grateful :) There wasn't a better way to do that then with a Pathare Prabhu meal.It was Bimba Nayak who first told me all about the community,one that is known for being progressive,strongly believing in the equality of women,education of women and adapting their habits to the environment.You will find like all other communities,people are marrying out but they continue to cherish their traditions and share them with everyone.They are nicknamed Sokajis as they celebrate life  Called my gourmet friends over to Soumitra Velkar's place who hosted us via Meal Tango. It's a website that connects you to people who welcome you for food at their home,all over the world.Soumitra,his wife Manju and mother Surabhee Velkar left no stone unturned to lay down a feast for the kings. Was thrilled to bits to have two Pathare Prabhu friends joi...

Maharashtrian cuisine has great diversity.Each community has its own fare.What one sees in restaurants is Malvani food or Puneri Brahmin food.C.K.P or Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu is a Maharashtrian community that has its origins in the Indus Valley in Kashmir.Hence one sees the use of saffron and poppy seeds in their cuisine.The clan migrated via Madhya Pradesh to the Konkan coast and hence fish,tamarind and coconut were also added to their cuisine.Recently I had written about the Pathare Prabhu cuisine,another Maharashtrian community,which Bimba Nayak introduced us too The Koli and Pathare Prabhu communities display their food for the public every year.CKPs had their exhibition in Thane but this year it was at Khar.Some of my relatives are CKP and having tried their food, I just had to visit this exhibition. Like the Pathare Prabhus,CKPs are fun loving and progressive minded.The typical CKP Prawns Lipte was on display...a gravy made with onions and tama...