Chai Spiced Pumpkin Crumb Cake

"Where are you from?" A harmless question, no doubt. But the question is enough to throw Anup and I for a loop. The conversation turns equally painful for the person who asked the question. While he or she might be just making smalltalk; they now have to hear us yap about how we are originally from India, went to grad schools in New York and Texas, lived in California for about a year before moving to Florida and then decided to move to Vancouver. Phew! The brave ones try to keep the conversation going and ask, "So is Vancouver home now?" No, most of our family is in India so we might decide to move back there. But we love the ocean too and have been itching to travel to the Caribbean … [Read more...]

Crispy Chickpea Polenta

India is a land of storytellers! From the religious stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata to the ancient Indian collection of animal fables Panchatantra, we grew up listening to various stories as kids. My grandma used to tell me stories about India's independence movement; how people would come out and throw their gold ornaments on the streets as a donation for the freedom fighters. She would tell me about her early years with her husband, and how her life changed when she became a widow in her twenties in a society which had no place for widows. She had a way to explain things to my young mind, and with her words she could take me to a different world as if I was traveling back in … [Read more...]

Kale and Chickpea Stew

“If you’re a bird, I’m a bird.” - Ryan Gosling, The Notebook Hello again from Canada! I have flown back half way around the globe back in my little nest tucked away in a valley we call Vancouver. After my all-senses-on-overdrive trip to India, this nest on the 20th floor in a high-rise building overlooking the mountains and a lake makes me feel like a monk in meditation. This not hearing a sound for hours, no one asking me if I was hungry yet, no neighbours knocking on my door to ask for some sugar - this is going to take some getting used-to! My travels in India involved a lot of time spent traveling by road. I ended up eating a lot of street foods and restaurant meals, all prepared … [Read more...]