May 2020 - Weekend Waffler

May 31, 2020August 24, 2020

Herbed Roasted Rack of Lamb with Baby Potatoes and Asparagus

My children’s penchant for lamb meat, combined with the fact that it is a rich source of high quality protein, many vitamins and minerals including iron, zinc and vitamin B12, are reasons enough that any cut of lamb is happily featured on our dinner table. This herbed rack of lamb is one of the most requested birthday dinners at our house. The herb crust outside with a moist and tender meat inside always makes it a scrumptious feast for the soul, in our case a feast for two hungry growing boys. Make it a meal with a side of garlic herb roasted baby potatoes and roast asparagus. And you will end up with a five star meal eaten in the comforts of your home. No wonder, the boys’ favorite place to eat is “at home”.

May 28, 2020August 14, 2020

Buttery Pound Cake

My earliest memories of baking dates back to those days when I could barely reach up to the kitchen table and watch my mom painstakingly mixing butter and sugar with a spoon. She would sometimes ditch the spoon and instead use her hands to attain the right fluffy consistency of the butter, sugar and eggs. Much later when my older brother was capable enough, mom let him do the beating and mix up the batter. As I was the younger child, my turn to mix came much later. The plain sight of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour coming together and becoming something else fascinated my young eyes. Peeking through the oven door and seeing the batter rise and slowly becoming a cake was a pleasurable feeling. It was mathematics and chemistry coming together to create the most beloved treat of our family.

May 24, 2020August 14, 2020

Maasor Bilaahi Tenga (Fish Stew in Tomato Broth)

There’s bouillabaisse, there’s cioppino and then there is maasor bilaahi tenga. I love bouillabaisse; and cioppino is one of my favorite things to make when I entertain my friends. But maasor bilaahi tenga has my soul and my soul reveals my ethnicity. I believe it is an ethnic trait of every Assamese alive and roaming on this planet ‒ to hold or uphold maasor bilaahi tenga close to one’s heart. Three divergent cultures: French, Italian American, and Assamese; one familiar ground ‒ cooking fish or seafood in a tomato enriched broth. Bouillabaisse is a traditional Provencal fish stew originating from the port city of Marseille, France. Cioppino is also a fish stew originating in San Francisco, California. Masor bilaahi tenga is a gastronomic delight of Assam, a state in the north-eastern part of India. When I say maasor bilaahi tenga, the name literally enumerates all the ingredients in this simple stew. Maas means fish in Assamese, bilaahi means tomatoes, tenga connotes to the tangy flavor that comes from the acidity of the tomatoes.

May 21, 2020August 14, 2020

Meatballs and Sauce from My Table to Yours

Spaghetti and meatballs is a classic example of how food transcends all cultures, irrespective of one’s root or region. This all time favorite Italian-American comfort food has found its way to our family’s table and hearts as well, and our roots are not Italian at all. Speaking of which, I found out that spaghetti with meatballs is not Italian at all. Of course, meatballs are Italian; in Italy they are primarily eaten as a meal itself or in soups. Nevertheless, as in all ethnic cuisines, meatballs travelled to the United States and gradually evolved to spaghetti and meatballs, a symbol of Italian-American cuisine.

May 20, 2020August 14, 2020

Belgian Waffle

Weekend Waffler—I can call myself one despite the fact that I didn’t even grow up eating waffles. I didn’t know about their existence until much later in life and time, when I stumbled upon Eggos, the frozen boxed kind. This was during a time when I moved to the United States and wanted to try out every new food that met my eye. And why not; I had landed in a place where they had isles and isles of just cereal boxes, and I had come from a place where cereal meant only one kind, ”corn flakes” and only one brand. This melting pot of a place had a plethora of food that I had never imagined before, and I wanted to experience it all. I call it my food awakening: the pursuit of all things food,the threshold of my love for all things flavory. The American landscape did indeed expand my food horizon.