Made payesh (Bengali for rice pudding) the other day. Here it is:
Nothing monumental about it except that I'm now officially my mother. Growing up, payesh was the answer to everything in our house. Birthdays? Anniversary? Overnight guests? Is-there-anything-sweet-at-home cravings? Payesh it was. To be fair to mom, she also baked cakes, made fish in white sauce, malpuas and various other things but payesh was and still is her signature offering. Post marriage, when I started calling up mom to get recipes in my usual loving manner (but why do I beat the butter and sugar together? Why not everything? Why do you make everything so complicated?) I would steer clear of payesh. Or for that matter macher jhol (Bengali fish curry) and anything standardly mundane that I scoffed at as a kid/teen. It's different now of course. Age has taken over and is fast turning me into my mom as I keep repeating stuck record like. Macher jhol is made at home at least twice a week. The only difference with mom's is that hers is more regularly made and tastes a hundred times better. And now there's the payesh. It's a good thing I thought while stirring it that day. Stays in the fridge long enough to keep the hungry husband happy and doesn't look too bad when served in a nice bowl if there are guests. Now let's see what else is there in the mother's repertory of the mundane that I haven't tried yet....ummm...aloo bhaja? Is there something your mom made that you scoffed at as a kid for being too regular but found yourself cooking later in life? Am I the only one?
10 comments:
Shukto, all-veggie-labda, dal with leftover veggies. How I love them now. And in the process have also discovered the secret why they were made in the first place. Nutritious, empties out the fridge and of course easy to make.
Everything vegetarian! The non-bhej I never considered mundane.
Kahini
Hi,
You should know this. I was eating sloppy maggi in my hostel room, when I opened your blog, and bang, really bang, PAYESH. Im totally craving to run back home just to have a full bati of thanda payesh made with gur. I love the photo, and Im sure it tastes better than it looks.
My mum still makes gokul pithe with khoya and coconut, its yum I tell you. And everybody loved it including the non-bengali pithe eaters at our place. Now I miss home.
Runa: Ah labda. The secrets always arrive late in life
Kahini: Only non bhej I considered mundane was macher jhol...the usual rohu one
Bloody Mary: Oh god! Eaing sloppy maggi in hostel room was bang for me too. Brought back solid hostel life cravings :D. And the pithe....oooh...well made ones are to die for
i just realized i posted *this* post a comment on the previous post's comments section!
*sigh*
Forget mundane, I ran away from the kitchen itself, everytime my Mum tried to interest me in any cooking. But now, I harangue her for all her recipes. Mangalorean food, is what I crave for now.
Sonia: Yes and I saw it just now. What dyu mean by you don't qualify eh? :)
Lee: Mangalorean food? Send me the recipes too!!
Hi i like the picure too so please search fo Hunter L. Davidson on here please.
Gimme the payesh recipe, please. And do make the instructions idiot-proof.Feel like making it RIGHT now!Your lovely pix did me in.
Anon: Thank you if I understood you right. My brain shuts down once the brat goes to bed.
Rupa: Emailing it to you now.
Post a Comment