A cup of Assam Tea

You can't imagine a soulful Assamese meal without a fish curry. The fish curry transports me to my Grandmother's kitchen. I tiptoed entered the kitchen and wearing mekhela chadar  the affectionate lady a few dots of turmeric here and there on her clothes, frying fish and making curry, and she caught me and trying to feed me bite by bite and from our garden night jasmine exuding fall fragrance what a soulful sight. It was more than 30 years those smell, place, gestures felt like yesterday.  Let me tell you my grandmother made the world best curry and then my mom.  Lost my grandmother at the age of five. I was so little that I couldn’t learn my grandmother's recipe but my mom taught me how to make a good fish curry. In my assamese household as a child, we used to eat fish way more often than chicken. As an expert cook my mom made fish with all kinds of veggies. Her fish curry is very delicately prepared. She always says, to make a good fish curry you have to be ...

      We are officially in spring. However, the temperature and wind chill do not adorn the spring that much.  Last week, on a particular day when the temperature rose into the 60s, high hopes for spring emerged.   Here I'm all game for  spring,  with its wonderful weather, beautiful blooms, and to match, a feathery-soft outfit.   Yes, I already wore an Indian  spring  outfit.         Pastels are always in for Spring, and I love the feminine and that soft vibe every time you wear it. Wore a pastel Kurta and pant set with a touch of silver embroidery. The fabric of the outfit is chanderi a handwoven feathery soft fabric and is known for it's flowy and easy to wear quality. You can see another chanderi outfit here . Teamed it up with a basic pearl strand, a silver mojri (flat shoes), a pearl-adorned off white potli, and bright lips. As the whole outfit has a mild vibe, the bright lipstick plays a great role. H...

Sometimes certain aroma, fragments of a song brings back the myriads of memories . Whenever I prepare payash it brings back lovely memories of home and childhood. In our assamese household, every occasion and celebration  always asks for preparing payash. Whether someone got a promotion or passed an exam or its a birthday , ah here you go the delightful delicious payash. Sometimes you don't need any occasion, just make payash and make yourself entertain. A special occasion payash is always little elaborate, pound the cardamom, chop the nuts and dry fruits, add the bay leaf and soak the rice for half an hour before cooking luscious flavor. But when guest come over without notice or you just crave for it, it does not require elaborate preparation. I thought today I will share the Assamese payash or rice pudding recipe. In this recipe, I used jaggery instead of sugar for more rustic and healthy aspects. I used my instant pot, the traditional payash requires so much patience and st...

      About 17 years back when I moved to the USA, the same year in one December winter morning I experienced the snow for the 1st time. My husband made it like a surprise. He called me to the window and open the blinds for me. I was awestruck by the beauty of nature's confetti with a little silver sparkle. It was like a dream. I remember how I spent the whole watching natures snow wonder, how the rooftops, tree grounds everything filled with snow. Slowly, I got used to the snow. Until I got my driver's license, I never realized how difficult it is to drive on snow. Probably even now driving in snow is my biggest fear. At the same time, we often take a beautiful drive to see snow-covered surroundings.  A few years back, proving the weather forecast wrong a massive snowstorm hit when we were on our way from NewJersey to Connecticut. It was one of the scariest drives ever with whiteout and back to back traffic.  In 2011, an untimely snowstorm hit New Engl...

Nested in the Atlantic coast lush green mountains glaciers granite capped tops and mystic serene ponds make a perfect destination for any nature lover. Surreal sunset in the Cadillac mountain, rocky seasides whether you are a trekker or a laid back traveler Acadia national park, Maine will hold a special place in our heart whether you visit in summer spring  or fall . Main Highlights of the park Cadillac Mountain Jordan Pond Park loop road Sand beach Bass Harbor head lighthouse Bar Harbor the nearest town close by

It was a usual February day, the chill felt like tucking in the furry comforter and stay cozy at home. But, the matter of the fact was that it was my birthday  and my family wanted me to take out for dinner. I was reluctant and wanted to stay at home. My little one was after me and I couldn't say no. I had no clue where we were heading for dinner and then here we were at the Bartaco. Vivacious Bartaco instantly took away my winter sluggishness. With a gracious greeting, modern contemporary laid back sitting and a bit of hustle and bustle made me alive in the winter freezing February. The high ceiling, ivory walls, earthy light shades stroked a tropical vibe and the food spoke a lot about Mexico and Latin America. As a sober, I chose housemade pomegranate lemonade and hubby got grapefruit ginger juice. I never had pomegranate lemonade before, I must say it was one of the coolest and refreshing lemonade I have ever had. The tint of lemonade not just took the look but ...

Winter seems like really long this year. I am looking forward to spring. Looking forward to the more springy outfit. A few days back it was my birthday and wanted to wear something different and something springy too. And then I have this blue Thakai jamdani muslin saree, but the saree asks for more spring or summer weather. Spring is a little far and I wanted to feel like spring and then the idea of wearing a saree came to me. Blue is always my favorite and this saree has three colors - yellow gold, rose gold and silver creepers on the sides. I went easy on accessories with this silver earring from my  Spain  trip and the bracelet with delicate filigree Spanish silver work. My hair and makeup is basic and minimal. The saree is feathery soft and easy to wear. Someone like me can easily wear it, who is not really an expert in wearing saree.  This saree is casually worn at home and hope you like it.