Panfusine

Still keep pinching myself at the amazement of how time literally & figuratively flies...It seems just yesterday that I nervously typed out my first blog post , meekly introducing myself & my ridiculously lofty ambitions of what I wanted to do. About two years later, I'm still at it, a testament to how powerfully passionate food can be. (Disclaimer: I started writing this post way before it hit me that it was Oscar night.. & no, I promise, No sappy 'You love me, you reeeally love me a la Sally Field!) The 100th post seems to be a great time to pause, and thank everyone who have been supporting me. Can't stop thinking about my parents of course, My dad, who was a foodie 50 years before it became the 'in' thing, He'd often recall how he would be ridiculed as a 'theethipatteri' (derogatory term for someone who appreciated flavors & tastes) by the standard band  of extended family relatives.. So take that, you old fogies, I'm SO pr

Call it childish, but the sensation of squirming with excitement as only a 6 year old is, in someways one of the best states to be in occasionally. The feeling of 'OH MY GOD, this can't be happening to me, (but it is)'.. I went though one such 'aha' moment a fortnight ago, thanks to Cooking Channels Recipe Contest for their 'The Perfect 3' show. The category was 'Indian', the show focuses on three 'perfect dishes in each category made by three of the celebrity chefs from the Food Network/ Cooking channel family and the fourth, a winning original entry from amateur home cooks (such as yours truly), vetted & tested by the professionals at Food Network at their Kitchens. (The same stoves on which Iron Chef Bobby Flay tests his throw down recipes with his assistants Miriam & Stephanie). The Hallowed Food Network Kitchens! The taping sessions were a model of perfect efficiency. The associate pro

For those of you readers in India.. Remember those old Everest Milk Masala ads & jingles? of prospective brides trying to impress potential parents-in- law by serving them Masala Milk? Well, I tried to look up some on You Tube but those old ones were nowhere to be found. Instead, there were new ones still revolving around the theme of family & love like this one in Marathi. Masala Milk is a comfort food of the liquid variety that is popular all over India, irrespective of language or state. Scaling hot milk evaporated down to incorporate caramelized threads of milk solids and sweetened with sugar & coarsely crushed pistachio & almonds. What is it about Masala Milk that evokes love, caring & sharing? Perhaps, Its the comforting offering of nutritious milk, or the rich sharing of nuts, which are not easy to come  by for most families. You just have to read this article by Raghavan Iyer to understand what I'm trying to convey.   O.K, so Valentin

No prizes for guessing.. I confess, I'm a 'Diamond head', I unabashedly listen to Neil Diamond, and have the whole set loaded onto my IPod.  Music is so intrinsically woven into memories, that simply listening to a familiar tune can give one a happy high, or have the opposite effect with equal probability. (& this is the neuro-scientist in me speaking). For some reason, Neil Diamond was high on my listening preferences way back in 1995, when I enrolled at the University of Cape Town , South Africa to pursue a Masters in Biomedical Engineering. Fast forward 18 months and I was headed to New York City, after quite possibly the best, most successful stint of my stint in academics, a completed Master's thesis, the results of which were good enough to be published in the Journal of Neurosurgery . And through all this, Neil D. kept me company! I somehow associate his songs with good things to come. And sure enough, quite by chance, they were buzzing in my ears, (