Who knew Maths could ever be an inspiration?

You know the time when you're supposed to sit and study seriously because your exams are beginning next week but all you can do is think about how miserable your life is because throughout your almost-fifteen years of existence all you've ever done is study and then you get all depressed because none of it is actually worth it because nobody gets out alive anyway so just do EVERYTHING but study?

Yeah. I'm going through that phase right now.

So basically, I was solving a few Maths sums. Or at least trying to. You know, those stupid annoying Geometric sums in which you have to "prove'' stuff? Yeah. And the sum which was driving me crazy at that time had two parts to it.

I was attempting to solve the first part, but by mistake I somehow got the proof to the second part. And that got me thinking- something I tend to do a lot during exams- there are so many times in our life when we try to achieve something but instead get a different result, which is equally satisfying or sometimes, better! (You see what I mean when I say I think a LOT while studying?)

Anyway, I decided to apply the same theory to food, a field in which you get surprised a lot by the outcomes (well, the outcomes could be disastrous, but let's focus on the positive side of the story for now- I've had enough depression dealing with my Maths syllabus).

So I asked two of my close friends who are very good at cooking if they've ever come across such a situation, and it turns out that they HAD. :D

Let's begin with Shatakshi. She's an amazing cook. She cooks quite often when her mum's out of town for official tours because she hates her maid's cooking. :P

She makes me garlic cheese toast for our sleep overs, teach me how to make Microwaved soup and coffee when I'm sick (with inputs from her dad) and take me to these posh new cafes where we'd get bankrupt.

Shatakshi:

So you want to know about an experience of mine when I intended to make a desired dish but it turned out a whole different thing?

Here goes, not long ago my mum was out of town for work and our cook didn't show that very day. I had no option other than to cook myself for me and dad.

What I wanted to cook was chicken and mushroom shallow-fried in butter and then put in white sauce with little seasoning. 

But, as I was cooking I noticed that there wasn't much of milk at home that I could use. I searched for an alternative and found that we had a carton of fresh milk in the fridge! I asked my dad (who was in the shower at that point of time)  if it would go well with the dish and he said, "..you'll never know until you try it for yourself."(he always gives me indirect and diplomatic answers, he wants me to figure out things by myself).

So I gave it a shot and poured out all the contents of the carton into the previous preparation. It was nice, smooth and creamy.

In the mean time Anik, a friend of mine called me up, and me being the blabber-mouth that I am, spoke to him long enough that my became a sticky dish that looked completely unappetizing. The cream had turned into COTTAGE CHEESE (paneer) !

And at that hour of the night I had nothing else that could be had for dinner, I hoped for the best and added my seasoning and other ingredients, I was pretty sure it was going to be the worst dish that I've ever made after what it looked like.

But as me and my dad had the totally unpalatable dish we realized that it wasn't actually that bad. In fact, it was DELICIOUS.

Yes, it didn't turn out to be the dish that I'd planned it would be. But look on the brighter side, I invented myself a crazy-looking yummy-licious dish that day!

Me: Wow. So my theories aren't actually that senseless.

Next up we have Mitushi. She's great with desserts. Her butter cake, as mentioned below, completely sold out within the first hour at our school fest. Yes, it's THAT good. She even made me one for my birthday.

Mitushi: 

Sometimes it's like you start out with some ingredients and whilst midway in the process of creating a masterpiece, you realize that you actually don't have all the ingredients to make the dish!

You scrap your head and think that the world has come to an end, but then, genius!

Why not use whipped cream in the souffle instead of eggs and let's replace the Tabasco with a chili-infused garlic sauce!

And then you end up with something magnificent, completely out of the blue. If you ask me, I actually whipped up my signature butter cake for the first time because I didn't have cocoa at home!

Or some days it's just spontaneity. Let's start out with something and we'll see how it ends. Most of my favorite recipes surprisingly are actually accidents.

Talking about surprises, I'm a person who absolutely loves them.

So as it is already said my signature butter cake is actually an accident. A great, great surprise. That somehow like the rest of the times I've realized that I don't have some ingredient, I didn't panic, at all!

It was almost like I knew all along that I was on my way in creating a masterpiece and trust me now, I am known for it. It's unique buttery softness and just perfect amount of sweetness makes it special. Special to me, and to all the people who enjoy my dishes.

Me: 

Well that's the end of it.

Who knew Maths could actually get you somewhere?

HEY HEY I JUST GOT ANOTHER APPLICATION OF MY THEORY!
 
Today, I attempted to do maths, but instead I got inspired by it and ended up writing another post for my blog.

Haha, gotta love life. 

Mitushi: Questioning the masses to see who still love their roots? Me: Not really.

Bonjour!

Before I go into beginning a random lecture on nothing in particular, I’d like to thank everybody who’s been reading this blog AND supporting it. You all are amazing. The present class 10 batch has surprisingly been extremely appreciative!

Almost EVERYONE I know has been so supportive J

And I’d like to mention a certain gorgeous young lady who’s been there through it all, supporting me like crazy, urging me to update ASAP and helped me out with this post as well: Ranjabati Basu. Thanks so much. You’re THE best. :D

Oh yes, I’m so sorry for updating after so long, I’m a lazy bum. But on a serious note, I’ve been busy, I swear :P

Yes. So, being a Bong from Kolkata, my aim in the beginning was to focus on Kolkata’s food mainly. Not Bengali food, because I’m not very fond of maach-bhat, but the food available in Kolkata.

And we all know what Bengalis are known for: their MISHTIS! Yes, their sweet preparations. To be honest, I was never very fond of sweets as a kid (Kid-I still am, but you know what I mean). But then, my taste buds decided to change their liking (For the worse, *sigh*) and I’ve hogging down sweet stuff all the time.

I think among Bengali sweets, Rasgullas and Mishti Doi (Mitha Dahi) are the most famous. But if you ask me, I’d go for Mishti Doi any day.

So, about three weeks back, me and Ranjabati were basically sitting jobless (atleast I was) and decided to contest a poll betweek Mishti Doi and- waitforit- Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk. 

Yeah, yeah, I know, you must be thinking Cadbury Silk never stood a chance against MD. Well, atleast that’s what I thought. Turns out it was actually a very close competition (WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU MY FELLOW KOLKATA RESIDENTS?).

So we asked about 52 people, and guess who won? Like I had predicted, MISHTII DOIIII :D

Here are the results:

MISHTI DOI: Me, Ranjabati, Srinjeeta, Malvika, Sehrish, Anik, Shrabasti, Tito, Mum, Sruthy, Arnesh, Rishi, Gourav, Ranja’s mum, Ranja’s dad, Pratiksha, Shreya Cheema, Asmita, Samudra, Arshi, Roopkatha, Saranic, Soham, Ranjaboti, Priyank, Gunraj, Ritika, Rishab, Taniya, Sukanya, Mom, Subarna.

Thus, TOTAL: 31

CADBURY DAIRY MILK SILK: Aindrilla, Anmol, Ayush, Ilina, Shatakshi, Mitushi, Meghna, Sushmita Didi, Rukmini, Debanjan (Mama), Madhu di, Ranja’s ddbhai, Anushua, Sahil, Payel di,  Mitali, Subhadip, Sharonya, Aman, Rohan.

Thus, TOTAL: 21.

Hahahaha. *Evil laugh*

Okay, here are a few comments from friends. Let’s hear our youth’s thoughts. xP

Me:Mishti doi or Cadbury silk?

Mitushi: Cadbury doi xP

Me: Choose one. -_-

Mitushi: Erm,Cadbury silk.

Me: Oh. Okay.

Mitushi: Blog? Questioning the masses to see who still love their roots?

Me:Not really.

Just Polling.

I asked a few people why they chose Mishti Doi over Cadbury Silk. Actually, I asked everyone but most of them had really, really lame answers. Anyway, three answers I really liked:

1.RANJABATI: I am Bengali and silk simply cannot beat a taste we have been familiar since forever.
Me: *Nods head vigorously*

2. SEHRISH (Best answer according to me): Mishti Doi is.. home. Silk you can get anywhere. But true mishti doi can be found only in Calcutta.

3. ARNESH: Because doi is doi. NOTHING beats doi. 


Finally, Ranjabati’s opinion on all this:

Yes, I was backing mishti doi. But then, I don’t suppose I can help. After all, I’m a Bong. And as much as I love chocolates, Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk simply cannot satisfy my taste buds the way Mishti Doi can.

Every time someone voted for silk, I was like “Damn!” I was also very surprised when my Non-Bengali friends voted for mishti doi more than my Bengali friends.

It was an exciting experience, I must say.

Silk came into the market a few years ago. Was an instant hit. The concept was melted chocolate. I don’t know why, but no one realized that even normal dairy milk can be left at normal temperature and ta-da! You get the same result. My favourite flavour is the plain milk chocolate.

Doi! Ahh! And I’ve always liked a clean, non-lumpy scoop of mishti doi after a huge Bong feast. It is like the perfect ending. Without dalda, ofcourse (Visit Kamdhenu.)

I say:

By the way, you can google how to make home-made Mishti Doi. It’s actually pretty easy. Silk-lovers, can’t do that now, can you? *smirk*

And and. Mishti doi is cheaper than silk! (Taking into consideration the fact that most of the teenagers are broke all the time)

Covering ourselves is necessary. Yeah well, turns out the same goes for food while microwaving it.

How would you feel, when after a loooooong, extremely dramatic week, you finally have a Friday (which was quite eventful too: Exams, work, friends getting lost in the middle of the city, you know, that kinda stuff) , and as you wake up from your 3 hour slumber, you have your whole evening planned out, which includes blog-updating, full-blast music, one tree hill, NO studying, NO parents.... AND you can’t find that one thing which is the reason you’re still alive: COFFFEEEEEE.

My maid generally makes me coffee. She’s not here. Mum’s out with friends. Dad working. HOW DO I GET OVER MY POST-SLEEP-ZOMBIE-MODE if I don’t have the most wonderful thing in this world: Coffee?

No, we’re not short of coffee powder. I just don’t know how to make coffee. And yes, I know how hypocritical I sound.

Yes yes. Bring it on. I own a food blog, I’m 14 years old, and yet I can’t turn on the gas, much less make coffee. Blame my parents. -_- (But I do know how to make different types of salads. With mayo. Lots of mayo.)

Yes, I’m addicted to milk coffee. And I know, that’s not a very good thing. But I NEED it after I wake up. It gives me strength. (:P)

But, seriously. I’m badly addicted to it. I need it atleast twice a day. Or my head doesn't work. Granted it has made me do some crazy things, but still, I need it. And I know I’m not the only one.

I can easily buy a coffee machine. My family has been discussing it for months. You know how it is. We still haven’t the reached the part where we actually go out and check out those stuff.

Anyway, after I drive all my friends crazy on whatsapp, complaining about how I won’t survive without coffee, two of them (Ilina and Ranjabati) try, yes, ‘TRY’ to direct me on how to make coffee using the Microwave. They did a good job.

One problem: I couldn’t find the coffee powder.

So basically,after I bring down the entire house looking for coffee powder, and am unsuccessful at it, I call up my dad to help me with the search for it. Mum couldn’t respond to her calls because she was in some concert.

After half an hour, just when the wonderful sound of the doorbell reaches my ears, signing the arrival of my knows-where-the-coffee-is-dad, I get a call from mom who tells me where it is. Eh, sorry dad.  I love you too.

Anyway,  Dad being dad, decided to take matter into his hands and make coffee for both of us. Happy ending, right? Not really.

He forgot to put a cover on the milk while heating it in the microwave. Yeah... not a pretty sight. Milk spilled over the entire microwave, broken cup.. You get the drift.

He obviously still didn’t give up and yes, after one and half hour after my usual coffee time, I did have coffee.

But I learnt a very, very valuable lesson: Always put a cover on the food while heating it in the micro with that white plastic bowl thing. (I have earlier experiences, trust me, it involves raw mac and cheese and three broken bowls.. No wonder my parents don’t let me cook) Here’s the picture of the cover thing: 

And we have our first interview: Mrs. Magpie it is :)

I was preparing for my mid-term blocks when my mom asked me to check out the newspaper one day. Apparently, it contained the advertisement of a new cake shop which had recently opened in town. It was named “Mrs. Magpie”.

The name immediately drew my attention. Reading its description, I got excited because it was a patisserie (Mrs. Magpie taught me that word) and I’ve always had a sweet tooth. Just a few days later, my dad came home with a small package of cupcakes from the same cafe. A friend of his had gifted it to him. 

And, wow, did the cupcakes look good! They were so different from the usual ‘muffins’ we Calcuttans are used to. Decorated with frosting and detailed designs and so colorful  they looked so inviting! I didn't hesitate to dig in. 

And man, once I started, I couldn't stop. Small, perfectly flavored, they defined delicious. Now, after this, how could someone expect me to not drag my mom along with me to 570 Lake Terrace Road, where this wonderful cafe is located, as soon as my exams ended?

Okay. The appearance of the

shop. Anybody passing through 

that road had to be blind to not stop and admire the shop. Alongside are the pictures, you can imagine what it looked like to a thirteen year old girl, who’s grown up adoring fairy tales and Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. And someone who loves eating.

And this was JUST the entrance. The inside of the shop? God, don’t get me started. I’d actually not say much because I want you, the reader to go check it out. But, ah, my reaction: Ohmygodsoamazing. 

And the food. Not at all a disappointed. Just perfect J And the cakes. Made with so much creativity and thought. They looked so tempting. I am particularly amazed by the way each cake was based on a theme.

The following December, I even got my birthday cake from Mrs. Magpie (something I had decided to do the moment I entered the shop for the first time). It was a kitty on a ball of wool. It was so adorable and tasty! :D I tried to preserve the kitten for a few days, but ah well. It did end up in my tummy after a while. You can see the picture!

So, basically, due to my obsession with the cafe (as you can clearly see above), I decided to take an interview of the owner, Ms. Sohini Behrens, who's really sweet and was kind enough to give lovely answers for my blog. We exchanged a few e-mails. Here it is:

Me: We don't really see a lot of cupcake stores in Kolkata. So what inspired you to initiate this?

Ms Sohini: At the time I thought of the shop there weren't any cupcake stores in Kolkata. One could only get regular pastries in the usual shops and the offer had not changed very much over the years.

I wanted to do something different and the cupcakes were a natural choice. One can do a lot with it in terms of cake, fillings and frostings with endless possibilities to decorate.

                                                              

Me: Did you always want to be a baker? I mean, everyone loves cakes, but making so many day after day is surely not easy!

Ms. Sohini: Actually I wanted to work as a fashion designer while growing up and I had a great job with Sabyasachi.

It was while pursuing my masters in Fashion Marketing and Management in Paris that I got interested in desserts.

I had always wanted to start my own business so I decided to open my own café. To get the necessary skills I did a patisserie diploma at Le Cordon Bleu London.

Then Mrs. Magpie was created!

Me: Everyone I know who's visited Mrs. Magpie seems to love it. Are you happy with the way things have turned out?

Ms. Sohini: I am really happy with the way things turned out. I felt it would do well, but not everyone might like what I like so I wasn’t sure, but the response has been great so far.

Me: Your store looks like a living fairytale. Any specific reasons for this?

Ms. Sohini: I wanted the café to have a unique style and to be a place to indulge one’s fantasies. The candy shop in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory often came to mind when I was designing the shop. Enid Blyton’s Faraway Tree and Alice in Wonderland also influenced me. These were stories I loved to read when I was a kid and sometimes it’s nice to be a child again.

Me:  Do you ever get frustrated while trying to come up with new idea? If so, what keeps you going?

Ms. Sohini: At the moment the ideas are still flowing freely ;)

I have the chance to travel a lot and always find new sources of inspiration.

Me: Haha, I'm glad! :D

This is just the first slot of questions. There’s a second slot coming up :)

In the mean time, you can always check out the cafe's facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MrsMagpieIndia?fref=ts

Have you visited Mrs. Magpie yet? What did you think about it? Please leave behind comments! J

Second-helpings are embarrassing?

Teenagers. Probably the most complicated and confused living beings on earth. The best way to impress them and make their day? Simple: FOOD! :D (Unless of course they're those health-conscious freaks who care only about maintaining their bodies and faint at the mention of junk food. Nothing wrong with that, really. But seriously, live a little. We're teenagers, not hired models. We hear so many stories about anorexics. It’s very sad. But I'll talk about that some other time.)

I’ve seen my friends, my seniors, juniors, nothing excites them more than good food. Well, if it’s junk, then that’s a bonus. But it can be healthy too. It just has to be edible and tasty.

Boys. Oh god, the boys. During recess, they fight like its world war 2, for a piece of sandwich. Like, okay, I get it, you like food, but no need to fight like it’s the end of the world! Actually, who am I kidding? We girls are no less. Especially me. I mean, if the food is good, I will NEVER share it. My friends have to literally beg me for it. It’s nothing to be proud of, but that’s just how I am.

The only reason we attend those boring weddings of people whom we’ve never heard of? The food, obviously. Same goes for birthday parties. These places are BOUND to have great food. And best part? Nobody cares if you take extra helpings. They're glad. Because there is always extra food and they're desperate to finish it. No wonder they go around asking everybody to eat more. No wonder they go around claiming that you’ve eaten nothing even though you have a plate overflowing with food.

And then my mum complains that I act as if I’m not fed at home. Well, it’s not like that, mum. You are the best cook ever. But do you make puddings and chicken biriyani for me everyday? Exactly. You don’t.

And something I hate is when people pretend to be shy when they go to others’ places for dinner and don’t take second helpings. Dude, we've been invited for a reason. The food.

Food is like time. It comes and goes. You have to be smart to make the use of it when you have the choice. Because you never know. By the time you gather enough courage to go in front of all those people to take a second helping, it’s gone. And then you sit and watch everyone giving you that evil smirk of victory. They took it when they had their chance. You didn't  You just wanted another slice of pizza. It’s a cruel world, really.

And seriously guys, aunties LOVE it when you take a second helping. They feel you’ve reaaally liked the food and appreciate it.

So next time you hesitate about taking a second helping. Don’t. Instead, ATTACK AND FINISH! 

Goa :D

Have you ever experienced a time when the food you eat just seems to make you genuinely happy and plain excited? I have.

One of the most memorable trips with my family was in December 2011. Where was it? Goa!

Not only was the trip amazing, but my dad ensured to take us to the best places to eat. Being a place like Goa, bubbling with tourists, finding a place to eat wasn’t very difficult.

Undoubtedly the food of the hotels was good. But what really blew my mind, all our minds, was actually a home cooked meal.

After spending a few days in Goa, my parents wanted to experience living in a traditional Portuguese house and feel the ambience. So, next day, we set off.

The bungalow which we visited was actually used as a home as well as income by the owners. They lived in it and used its history for tourism. The place was wonderful. But when we were sought for lunch, our day took a turn.

I apologise for not remembering the names of the dishes as this took place about 2 years back. But I just want to post this to mark the beginning of my appreciation of food.

  

The welcoming drink was made of a local fruit and was really refreshing. That drink was enough to give us an idea of how the incoming dishes would be.

Our starters included a dish of cheese balls, a dish of prawns and crabs. Now, don't the pictures look tempting? They tasted just as good. My god, it’s like I can still feel the taste in my mouth. The cheese balls melted in my mouth and the crab and prawns were just as fascinating. Thinking about the cute fun-sized little starters, a smile still finds its way on my face. And a drool. (What? It WAS that gooood!)

Next we were served Tomato soup with bread crumbs. Yes, you read it right, TOMATO soup. Who would've thought something like THAT could actually impress us? I’ve always HATED tomato soup. And I admit I was hesitant to taste it at first. But damn, this was the best soup I had ever had. It was un-describable. Just freaking perfect.

 Then came the main course. There were some many things, that were just so delicious that now I think I'll have to google new adjectives!

You can see the photos. Chicken, fish, rice,pies, veggies.. We had them all.

  

A simple preparation of boiled vegetables actually surprised us, because it was just so delish!

The food was just perfect. And eating them was like.. Heaven. It gave you that warm feeling at heart. It was so satisfying. It was so homey, yet not one notch less than the quality of the 5 star hotels! 

And lastly, the dessert. Yummm. You can see the chocolate cake and caramel pudding. And the other one is made out of dates. You can bet they were fabulous.

All the places that we dined in Goa were really good. But this place really stood out. I really hope I get to go back to this place. What the hell, I'm SO going back. So next time you visit Goa, be sure to visit this place if you're looking for good place to dine J

Musings about food

It’s no secret that I love eating. But I’ve always been choosy. And the same applies in the field of food as well. The first question which comes to my mind on hearing the word ‘food’ is “What kind of food?”

I only love my food when it’s cooked to perfection. This of course, doesn’t happen very often. And when it does, I don’t leave any boundaries of appreciation.

In my fourteen years of life, I’ve been fortunate enough to try out various types of cuisines. And I don’t really know much about this industry. But I’ve learnt a few things.

I’ve learnt to appreciate the hard work of the cooks who try their best to satisfy us through their cooking. I’ve learnt to appreciate the complex ideas of the dishes. I’ve learnt to appreciate the various ingredients and the fact that they each possess importance and have the ability to manipulate what is being cooked. I’ve learnt to appreciate the n number of processes and people engaged in the making and production of what I eat.

Most importantly, I’ve learnt to appreciate food.

I also want to tell you all  that from this week onwards, I'll be starting with my journey in the discovery of food. Well. Not exactly starting. Thats been going on for a long time. Now, I'm gonna start sharing through this portal. So here's to hoping I can keep up!