Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Giveaway because I love You

Because it is Durga Pujo and on Pujo we Bongs have a tradition of giving gifts to people we love, like, and dislike but pretend to like I am having a giveaway.

In your case though it is only love,like, love, like and so on.

You don't have to love me in return. But
1. You can Like my Blog on FaceBook

2. Read me without fail by Subscribing

3. Leave a comment telling me what you can do to bring world peace. Ok scratch that, here is an easier one.
Tell me in your comment "What is a forgotten food in your family that you would like to bring back"

I will pick ONE winner by random draw from the comments to this post.

**********

The winner will be able to choose a gift from one of the following


1. Miss Masala by Mallika Basu -- I loved this book. It is a wonderful wonderful read with lovely recipes.


2.Garlic & Sapphire by Ruth Reichl -- This is another of Ruth Reichl's memoirs. I am a big fan of her writing . In this book Reichl focuses on her life as a food critic, dishing up a feast of fabulous meals enjoyed during her tenure at The New York Times.


3. An Amazon.com gift card worth $25.

Disclaimer: These gifts are not sponsored by anyone, not even the husband. I just wanted to share the spirit of the season and this is a small something from me to say "Thank You".
Books will be shipped only within US. I think the gift card can be used all over the world if I e-mail the gift card.

In your comment DO NOT tell me what you want instead answer the question I asked

"What is a forgotten food in your family that you would like to bring back"

I will announce the lucky person's name by end October.

Till then have Fun and wish Happy 4th Blog Birthday to Bong Mom's Cook Book in October.


108 comments:

  1. hmm although I am not eligible seeing that I dont live in the US of A , I would say "chaapor ghonto" , made with chholar daal bora , thhor ( the stalk of the banana plant ) and assorted veggies like brinjals,potol,etc with a phoron of with methi , red chillies ,randhuni and ginger paste .And a small bay leaf . Yummy , no ?

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  2. Mmmmmm, my friend makes chapor ghonto, no thor but with chalkumro etc. And you are eligible. can you guys use the Amazon gift card in india ?

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  3. I remember the winter months, when we would be enjoying fresh home made Gajak in the evenings, made with gur and til, or moongfali, and warming spices.

    Gachak, and rewri, the two things that my Daadiji used to make, are the forgotten recipes that I would like to bring back. Especially because with age I have developed an appreciation for gur that I did not have before.

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  4. I don't think I have a forgotten recipe , if you have asked me what is the recipe/food i miss i would have given a whole list .

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  5. HC

    I didn't mean forgotten recipe. I mean a food that you used to have maybe in your childhood, in your family and that was never made again

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  6. wow.. i would love to get traditional recipes back in where you use poppy seeds etc.. since that is not used much in day-to-day cooking.. yummy!
    i would love the Amazon gift card ;)

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  7. A forgotten food - that's gotta be my dad's chili chicken. He used to make a boneless chilli chicken that was literally that - green chilies and chicken. It had onions, ginger and garlic I think, but all the heat was from the green chilies, no masala powders. The days he made that, that's all we would have, no rice, no rotis, nothing. Just the chili chicken, a plate full of it. Those were the days!

    Oh, I already like you on facebook and have been a feed subscriber for more than three years now. :)

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  8. Doli

    :) Anything specific ? Cuisine from which part of india.

    Sig

    That chili chicken sounds awesome. Please DO NOT forget it. Bring it back.

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  9. Thor! Or Kumro Chingri.

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  10. 1) A forgotten food in my family is lemon rice and coconut rice! I used to love this growing up, and I would love to make a weekend South Indian meal out of it.

    2)I already follow your blog :)

    Feel free to visit me @ http://totefullofveggies.blogspot.com/

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  11. I would say daab chingri (Prawn Steamed Inside Green Coconut). My mom used to cook it in the authentic style using an unun (chula or oven in bengali) with kath koila (charcoal).

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  12. To be honest, we just don't make puris, bhaturas and luchis anymore, Too fried, too unhealthy screams everyone. My mom would make them at all her parties when I was growing up, but I've probably made it twice for my kids. Always seems to be too much of a bother, all that oil, and standing in front of the hot stove. Wish i could do it more often AND be cholesterol free afterwards.

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  13. Forgotten food that I would love to bring back in my home is all that my MIL has forgotten cooking! She remembers cooking would mean, me breathing easy.... he he

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  14. from my childhood it would be JAl Jeera, (made from scratch everything freshly ground., cumin gur mint raw mangoes black salt) Mummy would send it chilled in old squash bottles to school at lunch break, plenty of it so it could be shared with the lunch gang . I had in fact forgotten about it , till I reconected with a school friend last month and she said she remembered mums' jal jeera, in the scorching summer afternoons :-)

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  15. Such a refreshing giveaway! I wasn't planning to click through cos I thought yet another CSN Giveaway. But it's not! This is a real giveaway!

    There are so many forgotten foods for us *sigh* One in particular is panchamrut, a dish made with tamarind, peanuts, green bell peppers, jaggery and green chillies. The process is tedious, made worse by the fact that you only get a small quantity per person. (Along with this forgotten dish, I would like to bring back my tireless help who cleared up with me and washed the dishes!) In our family, panchamrut is almost always made when there is a puja in the house. So it would be perfect for your pujo. :-)

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  16. it's probably pepper chicken, maashi banato eta and we used to request this whenever we went to her house. Haven't had it in ages. Kemon acho?

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  17. when i was very young my bapi had once made mutton with lots of sugar (gave a good colour, no haldi) + curd + ginger + garlic and very few whole spices ... the taste and smell still linger in my heart.
    pujo khub bhalo katuk tomader sandeepa ... onek onek shubheccha roilo. ami jodi bari chole jai tai advance e bijoyar shubheccha o bhalobasha diye rakhlam.

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  18. Sandeepa di,

    The forgotten food for me would be kheer - not the chaler payesh North Indian kheer but the kind made from khoya and cooked in milk. Amader barite prottek sarswati pujoi eta hoto, aar amra luchi diye khetam. This is my most predominant memory of sarswati pujo (greedy me)! Amra school theke pass korar por barite ei pujota bondho hoye geche aar kheertao uthe geche :( Of course ma-ke bollei baniye diten, but eto dine kheyal hoy ni. Tomar post-ta pore hotath mone holo.

    Tomader pujo khub anonnde katuk...

    Sutapa:)

    ps. i am not eligible for the giveaways as I no longer live in the US :D

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  19. Dear Sandeepa,

    I was scratching my head thinking about a forgotten dish. Well here's one called 'Santula' from Odisha.
    There is nothing fancy about this dish and may be that's the reason I happily forgot it.

    Vegetables are cooked with little water, salt and turmeric powder in a pressure cooker. Then it is seasoned with panch phoran and garlic. It is an everyday diet and we usually we have it with roti. But now I would luv having it any day ...

    I would like to have one of the books ..... It's upto your judgement which one. I like them both

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  20. My grandfather used to have a bottle of vinegar with chile petins on the table to season spinach and other food on his plate. Next year I want to grow some chile petins and make myself of a bottle of spicy vinegar.

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  21. Dadi's aloo chips and aloo papads and sweet whole aamla achar!! How I wish I had recorded every little detail growing up, sigh! I miss her, the greatest woman I ever knew...! She would slice the potatoes up patiently and meticulously, sun dry them in the verandah, we were incharge of manning the drying chips and papadums...shooing the drooling birds and turning the chips over...one by one! The acchar - well, we couldnt touch them while in prep...only devour them with aloo parathas when ready. I miss miss those...can we bring back the unforgotten human behind these forgotten dishes...:)

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  22. Sweet rice ans sweet parantha. For someone hearing it for the first time, its probably not a very appealing idea. But the parantha that ma makes, with sugar crystals on top - like those "Nice" biscuits we get - was simply lovely!

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  23. I already follow and subscribe you :)

    And what a great thought. Happy Durga Pujo to you too. I am visiting India this year for Durga Pujo and cannot be any happier as I am visiting Jamshedpur (I hope you know). The forgotten food I would like to bring back to my family is what my mom used to make: Mysore Pak (mom my makes the best :))

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  24. hi, i have already subscribed and following your blog. forgotten dish will be the fish curry with mangoes that my grandma makes. yum yum yummy...

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  25. I already subscribe you,sandeepa...u r one of my fav blogger..I had a question.Do you still accept recipes for RCI bengal?...amio tale kichu contribute kortam.....
    ar regarding forgotten food..ami khub pithe khete bhalo basi...tumi serkom kichu post korbe?
    ar happy pujo to u all, including ur 2 little angels

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  26. I would have to say " Shorer Cake" (Shor is the malai or the thin skin/film that collects over warm milk) and " home-made ghee " - Ma used to carefully and regularly skim the thick skin off the warmed milk everyday..and store them.After a length of time,when she was satisfied that she had the right amount and the " shor " has aged perfectly,she used to make GHEE out of the " shor ",followed by an EGGLESS CAKE with some reserved "shor"....I still have that taste lingering on my tongue and the smell of cardamom powder which Ma added to that cake..It was just plain heavenly.On those days when Ma made Ghee,the whole house used to be filled with this aroma,which just drove us crazy.I used to devour the browned milk solids which settled at the bottom or stuck to the pot,with rice and boiled egg.

    Best Regards
    Sulagna
    http://e-senseofspicenfragrance-sulagna.blogspot.com/

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  27. By the way,I have been your follower since last year and just subscribed to RSS as well.I just love your write-ups and a big fan of your blog :)

    Best Regards
    Sulagna
    http://e-senseofspicenfragrance-sulagna.blogspot.com/

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  28. Oh wow, thanks for the giveaway.. I would like to bring back.."polyan kheere" which is a konkani kheer made with coconut milk and bits of mini-dosas in it.. have to ask amma for the recipe..but used to taste yumm..

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  29. Hi,

    I am not a blogger can i comment? I am regular visitor of your blog. Coming to forgetten food in my family is coconut burfi(kobbari lauzu-telugu name) which my grand ma used to prepare.

    I also subscribed to your blog.

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  30. Hi! how about fara, a UP dish (sort of dumpling made of aata with udad dal filling) with plenty of ghee, salt, red pepper on the side. Yummy!!! Happy Durga Pooja!

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  31. Like you on FB (Stephanie Rosenhahn), subscribed via RSS, and a forgotten food is cream corn. I seriously haven't had that since I was little, and I miss it!

    stephanierosenhahn at yahoo dot com

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  32. Hey Bongmom, Have been your follower for about an year now...I have never delurked..mainly because I am very busy drooling over the pics of the dishes that you put up :):) I am not a bong but have a strong bong connection in the form of a mother who has been brought up in calcutta and now in laws who are in calcutta :):) Love the veggie bong food...
    Since I am not in USA, I obviously dont qualify for the giveaway..but one forgotten food in our family would be the pan (tava) cooked indianized pizza that my aunt used to make..she used to make yummy tomato sauce using fresh tomatoes, basil, oregano, chilli flakes and garlic..she used to shallow fry veggies like brinjal, potato, carrots, onions, capsicum, place the sauce on the pizza base, add the veggies and top it all with cheese and the result was a lovely mouth watering pizza I have never tasted anywhere else...
    Oh forget it, this is definitely what I am making over the weekend...thanks for reminding me about this :)So its definitely not forgotten now

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  33. i am also not staying in us but feel like sending this forgotten food.it is my mother's shol maachh maakhaa.
    ma used to make this during winter mornings may be because it was a short cut.we were in a hurry to eat our early lunch before rushing to attend the final school exam.
    she boiled the shol fish pieces (leaving the head) with salt and turmeric.then she mashed it with 'kaachaa'sarson oil and green chillies.she also added mustard coconut paste in it.she tried hard to pick the bones but fine bones were always there.
    i never had it after my marriage but still relish that smell and taste in my memory.
    love to you all.

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  34. The grated apple. I don't eat it anymore since I was three or four years, what I like!

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  35. Forgotten food would have to be fresh prawns in tamarind curry. She would add vegetables like drumstick, plantain, and brinjals along with fresh prawns. I can eat a ton of rice with this curry! I don’t make this because the shrimp I get in Michigan is always frozen and can never impart the flavor like fresh prawns. The curry and the vegetables would taste sweet from the prawns . The sweet,sour and spicy taste is something I can never forget.

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  36. i have lots of receipe , dry chicken , choosberry(it is type of biscuit). halwa, marble cake even though i get them i miss the taste it doesnt taste the same as it did when i was small.

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  37. I don't think I can list a forgotten recipe, coz I am a maharashtrian married to a bong... but love bong food:) yummmm and cook a lot of it at home for my hubby dear...I will have to ask him abt the recipe...btw thnx for the blog... really appreciate ur blog...its my easy way to bong recipes..thnx again

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  38. My mom makes haalbai, that is a sweet made with gud. I have never made it. I need to learn how to make it.

    Thanks,
    Sara

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  39. I don't live in the US of A.
    I live in Cairo Egypt.
    I subscribe to your Blog, and enjoy trying out your recipes
    I would love to win the Miss Masala Book!
    Since moving here, there are a lot of Indian foods that I miss. These were available and easy to make in my homeland of UK.
    I would love someone to make real authentic Chapatis and to serve a dhansak dish to me, nice and creamy!
    I also miss onion Bhaji. No Besan flour here in the general stores.

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  40. My grandma always made homemade hominey. I haven't had any homemade since she passed away over 20 years ago. I'd love to have some of that.
    joosbornenc at yahoo dot com

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  41. Being a foodie, how could u think that we have a forgotten recipe in our repertoire? We would have secretly tried, "failed" and tested or trashed, right?
    It has been many years I had my granny special: "minced shrimp called puttu" almost none trying in my side... Thanks for asking such a quest :)

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  42. Hi,
    I read about CHIROTA and it helps in getting rid of acne , can you share more information , i heard it is a common herb ? in a Bengali household given it's health benefits.

    Thanks

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  43. This actually made me think of so many dishes I grew up on but have never cooked since I got into the kitchen! My grandma used to cook a gravy she called "Sholay" and we loved it!

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  44. I love this sweet preparation made using ground rice, coconut and jaggery which is placed in turmeric leaves and steamed - called Patholi - a Konkani dish - I have not eaten it for years. I could attempt it, but do not know where to procure the turmeric leaf. It can be made in a banana leaf too, but the flavour would be missing and it would no longer be the special dish I crave for. We also would cook rice in coconut milk. During the cooking process a turmeric leaf would also placed in the pan, so that the flavour of the leaf permeates into the food. Yummy!

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  45. Well, I'll have you know that I read you Without Fail- you show up in my Google Reader the MINUTE you post something new :)

    Oh, the forgotten dish I would love to bring back is called "hoogie", a kheer made with chewy wheat berries, coconut milk and jaggery. Just divine. I really want to learn how to make it.

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  46. Yo BongMom!
    Can you please post a quick and easy recipe to make Butternut Squash Indian style?

    Pretty please !

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  47. facebook liker,feed subscriber too.
    The food I am always wishing we could add around my house is brussel sprouts.My whole family hates them and I can't get anyone to eat one.I always liked them growing up.Oh,and we all forgot beets!YUCK!
    jacksoncrisman@yahoo.com

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  48. "What is a forgotten food in your family that you would like to bring back"

    My grand mom used to make hand made murukkus. We have never perfected that art till today and have forgotten it. I would like to bring that back.

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  49. Just wanted to say that I love this blog!! Just brings back a lot of nostalgic feelings of having breakfast at my grandparents house. One of the food items I would like to bring back to my family is radha ballobhi with alu dom (a deadly combination wouldn't you say?!).

    Agni

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  50. Since my mother's side of the family is Polish I would have to say that I would like to bring back my mother's version of stuffed cabbage leaves. My mother passed when I was younger so I do not know her exact recipe & although I have tried other recipes it is just not the same. All those foods from childhood do bring back fond memories though. Thanks for reminding me! : )

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  51. I would love to bring back Puttu that my grandma would make!!It is made specially when girls attain puberty.

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  52. I want to bring Kadi back to our table…

    Kadi. Actually it is not forgotten food but ‘not liked food’. It is so hated food in my house that kids and hubby will not even taste it. For some reason, they just do not like it. I fail to understand it why?
    Why I want to bring it back? Simply because it is one dish you can make in 10 minutes or in 4 hours, depending on time availability.
    It’s quick version is extremely healthy, see for yourself
    1 spoon oil,
    2 spoon besan
    1 cup yogurt (if it is less sour, you can increase the qty)
    Turmeric and hing (Asafoetida)
    Water (2 cup)
    salt
    Few fenugreek seeds for tampering.

    Mix besan, and yogurt. Heat oil in pan once it is hot; add fenugreek seeds and Hing and turmeric. Few seconds later, add water. Once you see it boiling, add yogurt mix along with salt. Let it boil for at least 10 minutes (more if you have time).
    Variation: you can add sautéed veggies, pakodas, onion to this gravy…Possibilities are endless (off course, it needs preparation for whatever you want to add)
    You can even add many flavoring as well like kasoori Methi, spinach, curry patta, ginger
    You can add Boondi

    So far I have not been successful in incorporating this to our regular food.
    Here is recipe from Tarla Dalal http://www.tarladalal.com/Punjabi-Kadhi-8679r

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  53. Hi Sandeepa.I am a Manglorean married to a Bengali. In the quest for learning more about the Bengali culture, I have been a regular reader of your blog lately and have loved both your recipes and writing,especially how effortlessly you give an insight into a Bong's heart and soul.

    I would give an arm and a leg to bring back a dish called as 'Chekkda iretha Addye', which roughly translates to 'Teaktree leaf idly'. It used to be made by my grandmother in our childhood, when we had teak trees at home.
    From what I remember, it was a thick batter made of rice, jaggery, jackfruit, coconut pieces and cardomom powder. The batter was poured in huge Teak tree leaves, wrapped and steamed in a steamer. The finished "idlies" would have a reddish/pinkish hue with an aroma unmatched to anything. This is had steaming hot or cold for breakfast standalone brushed with a little ghee. But for a sweet toothed lil girl tht I was, my grandma would make a syrup of jaggery and coconut and pour it on my "addyes". Oh..this has put me to tears. But I definetely owe a big one to my Grandma and would definetely want to bring this food back into my family.

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  54. Happy Pujo dear!

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  55. My grandmom use to make this jackfruit sabji with gravy that I loved and miss so much. So many people have told me horror stories about jackfruit that I am sacred to even try it out.

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  56. I follow in FB and feed. I would like to bring back waldorf salad which I grew up on but the wife and kids say no way.

    truthhole@gmail.com

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  57. I recently 'liked' you on FB Sandeepa. Just love your lil' Bong touch to everything, that coupled with your free style writing. :)

    One food item which I want to bring back into my kitchen is - Teekhat Poha. This is a spicy n sweet Poha made during Diwali in Goa and Bombay.

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  58. Am not eligible since I am in Melbourne.
    Still.
    It would be the kerala banana halwa my mum made.YUM.
    Love your blog.

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  59. Happy Pujas! I haven't felt that 'pujo gondho' in 13 years! :(
    Your post got me thinking...
    I've been reading a lot of Bengali food posts lately - call it the result of the wafting of the 'pujor gondho' :) - and a dish that jumped into my mind...well, palate...was what some people called 'ghilu mara'. My mum just called it that 'yuck brain thing'. (My father was the one who actually used to make it, God bless his soul.)
    It was made with the head, and everything in it, of the lobster. The 'internals' would be separated and cooked, perked up with spices. Then the skull itself would be dipped in batter and deep fried.
    We'd eat that with fluffy rice, mixing the sauce into the rice, and eating the crunchy heads on the side.
    Mmmm...can still taste it! I don't know if this dish qualifies as actually 'forgotten', being as I have away from the kitchens of Calcutta way too long, but it certainly is a forgotten one for me...brought to mind by the nostalgia-inducing winds of the Bengali Pujas time of year.

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  60. i keep track of ur posts, tho got really off line last few weeks! forgotten recipes ..there is a whole lot of them lost in my household thinking of the effort involved.
    one i miss of my ma's cooking is chippi pathiri which is clam meat stuffed paranthas.:))

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  61. My grandma used to make kochop er mangsho till it became endangered and they stopped selling them in Kolkata ... in those days Calcutta. It was special because she would only make it when her whole family got together on certains days of the year ... She use to serve it with the Bengali misti pulao .... I dont think I can replicate it today !!!!

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  62. Sandeepa I have loved this post and the comments that have followed . So many different types of dood - so many memories , so much nostalgia . It has been lovely wading through them . Thank you :) muah

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  63. A forgotten food I crave is a type of curry made with huge sized shrimps. This dish has a dark red, delicious gravy, and the shrimp have large antennae that can be broken open for their contents...

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  64. Love your blog!!! One of my fav dishes (or rather sweet dishes) that has become an unique memory of the past is 'Rosh Bora'.....It was my Mom's special weekend touch during my childhood : )

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  65. I do subscribe and read all, although not always right away. I would love to bring back the Jerusalem artichoke (also known as sun choke)- if I could only find them!

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  66. tal kheer and taler bora. (we had our own tal gaach - dhup dhup kore tal porto!! ).
    kochur loti and shapla r bhela (shapla fuler dNata diye amar dida pashapashi lagiye bhela r moton dekhte kore bheje dito.. no idea how she made it).

    Stuffed fish.. very unique, another of dida's recipe. The skin of the entire fish would be whole, the inside would be taken our, made into filling, moshla diye and stuffed back again and then cooked. I think the last time I had this was after my 10/12 grade. maacher naam ta ei muhurte monay porchey na.

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  67. South Indian style black halwa- thick, black and oily and totally delicious! According to my dad, when he was young, the halwa was something that was made regularly in their home in huge vats with the hired help stirring the mix for hours. They would make enough in one session to feed an extended family of 50+ members for a season. No one in my family makes it now and we wait for people to buy us packages of it from India when they visit.

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  68. I really miss the delicious "mangshor chop" my Mom used to make for me growing up. I hope you and your family have a lovely pujo :).

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  69. I miss the wheat halwa my grandmom used to make. Whole wheat kernels are soaked and then ground to extract the milk and halwa made out of it. I never really cared for it much back them. It is rare to get them these days and I miss it real bad.

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  70. a rustic semolina cake with fruit and cream filling my mom would sometimes make for parties or birthdays when we were young. a simple but amazing gorgeous delicious cake. happy memories:) why did we stop making it?

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  71. My mom used to make the best dhoka in town, its a complicated process, and I never made it. I would love to know a simpler way to make it. Thanks.

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  72. Hey!

    The one recipe that I would like to bring back is a maacher kochori. Boneless fish with lots of onions, ginger and garlic and bengali garam masala with a sprinkling of raisins - sweetness of the fish, heat of the chillies and the crunchy exterior of the kochori! Laborious but simply awesome.

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  73. Hiya... I m quite a hopper visitor in ur blog...
    Reading about the forgotten food in my food , I would say Mambaya( Mango) kuttan.
    This is something I feel only my Ma and Grandma can do it right. Moreover I never get good mangoes out here for making them.... Need to make to get my son love it.

    Cheers
    Sandhya
    (http://www.sandhyas-kitchen.blogspot.com)
    sandhyaskitchen@yahoo.com

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  74. One of the "forgotten" recipes is Aloo, kumro and dim bhattey with a spattering of green chillies, sorse-r tel and salt...was one of my best comfort foods...

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  75. I follow your blog and enjoy reading it. Nothing seems to be as tasty as we used to have in Calcutta. Even - masoor dal with shukno lanka and onion taste different here. Any traditional bengali food recipie is really appreciated.... from Susmita

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  76. I don't win anything, plus im not in the US - but since I Like you so much :) ....

    The one thing I would love to have back in my family is pickles and vadaams - especially vadu mangai pickles - baby raw mangoes in spiced brine. Yummm.

    Happy Birthday and wishing you happiness and health this Pujo!

    Miri

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  77. I miss everything Dida used to make. recipe ache sabai banay kintu koi oi taste ta fire paina.
    dida majhe majhe onion kheer mane piyaj er payes banato apuro hoto...amar bor pechone lege thake kabe banie oke khaoabo se jonye. kintu ami jani amar dwara habe na tai chestao korina.

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  78. It would have to be my Grandma's Bodi Chura with Pokhalo... summer through October brings memories of just that...

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  79. my favourite forgotten food is called "Thalli Vadam" which is essentially a dish made only out of rice flour batter with a hint of 'Ajwain' and 'Hing'. Its a typical south indian recipie which my grandmother used to make on a rainy day! It can be eaten fried (like a papad) or steamed as well.


    .... I would give up anything in the world to eat that

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  80. Have been following your blog for some time when i found out you are on FB too :)
    Hmmm if there was something i wanted that would be my Mom's Idiyyapam. I never get it to her taste and consistency :(. Wish i could make it as well as she does and place it on our table !!!!!!

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  81. Back in India in the monsoons we used to get a special type of mushroom called Alambe. It would grow only if it had the right combination of rain+lightning and very little sunlight. This made it a priced commodity, about Rs80 for 2 cups of mushrooms. They had a nutty and earthy taste to it even after cooking which set it apart from all other kinds. The base of the dry spicy gravy was onion and coconut, writing about it makes me drool. We had to peel its outer shell if they were too hard and use the inside soft portion, if tender they were added whole.I remember those days when I would sit with my grandma in the porch on a rainy day sorting through them... super nostalgic now :(

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  82. wish u nd ur family happy dussehra,...
    forgotten food mmm it got to be potato curry which my mother prepares,..prepared few days back,..hve blogged the recipe so that i prepare it again,..:-)

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  83. "Mukand vadi" - from my paternal grandmother. I've just recently figured out that it's the same as "seitan" (wheat gluten).

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  84. I have always been a secret follower :-) of your blog never really left a comment but your question evoked so many emotions (and also the lure of prizes :-)) that I thought to myself, the day has come. Let me introduce myself first, I am a half-bong (married to a bengali) and have learnt to cook so many bengali dishes from your blog.Thanks a lot for that. I am from North India, but truly an inspired bengali (taking hints from your blog, "Who is a Bong?").
    Now the real question, one forgotten dish in my family which I would so want to bring back is "Daal, Bati and Churma". This reminds me of my childhood and the winter months in my Nani's place, Agra where we all used to enjoy the chill of the winter, the fog/smog and lick our fingers with the smell of fresh daal, baati and GHEE. That is one food which I would love to bring back to family though I know it is one of the toughest things to cook.

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  85. hmmm so much happening here! btw we love you too:) Wish you and your family a very happy Navratri.

    All my Grandmother's recipes are a never comeback:( I wish I could get my Dadi and Nani back:)
    one of them are her garam buttered phulkas with mutter/paneer subzi!!
    its a never come back as no body can master her!

    Hope you are having fun.

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  86. Hi Sandeepa,
    This is not exactly forgotten food, but my MIL's neighbor makes these moong laddoos during Diwali which are just heavenly. I have never made them myself, but the sweet smell of moong dal and ghee is just so good.
    I love reading your blog every week, the cute stories and the beautiful pictures. Thank you sharing your love of cooking and food and your wonderful gift for writing with everybody.
    -Monica

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  89. channar dalna and potoler dorma!!! I miss that ...especially the home made channa which i am horrible at making in NJ ....it somehow never tastes the same...

    I have been visiting your blog for a very long time . This is the first time i have posted ...Keep doing the great Job!!

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  90. I am a student in NJ, USA. I have tried out so many recipes of yours.You are really like my mom here, to teach me to cook. I made kalakand for my birthday last week and all my classmates loved it!! Thanks a lot!
    Love,
    Neha.

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  91. Umm.. it's October.. so Happy 4th Blog Birthday!! Also Happy Pujo!

    Where are you? New post pls. Cheerio!

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  92. Sandeepa,
    Wish you and your family shobho Bijoya.. loved every forgotten recipes mentioned , nothing more to add here..bhalo thekho ..hugs and smiles Jaya

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  93. If I could turn back time, I would bring back everything my grandfather cooked. He was the everyday cook in our house and every dish was a labour of love... I would love to bring back his prawn pulao which had just about 3-4 ingredients but was ambrosia, since then have never tasted anything like that. Also there is a dish he used to make with lau, narkel and kabuli chana, absolutely delicious.

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  94. ha! There are so many! I am a bengali but my husband is Telugu and to top it all, a vegetarian! I love spicy food so I like most of his cuisine but I still yearn to bring in at least a few bengali dishes...which is why I read your blog!!
    Shubho Bijoya and thank you for this giveaway!

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  95. Subho Bijoya Sandeepa..

    the topic itself brought back so many things that i crave for..starting from the "chapor ghonto" n so on.But for me it has to be a "Kimrani" for me...Obak hole its basically something that i insisted my mother to cook..when i was a child.It was just a easy version of Biriyani ,meat being substituted by kheema.Hence "Kimrani".It was easy on my mothers part as well being a working Mom she didnt have much time to cook.With me growing up n all somehow the dish never got made.May be it just vanished with the days of innocence.Me n my Mom still remember this dish like our small secret..just between the two of us.Thanks dear for giving this oppurtunity to share it with the world.Bhalo theko...

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  96. Long time reader and subscriber, as well. Not really eligible as I've been living in China (your recipes and stories are invaluable and much loved since most of the time when I want to consult my ma in the US, she's usually asleep owing to the immense time difference), but I wanted to share my favorite foods that we no longer make.

    When I was a little girl growing up, my parents would very occasionally take us back to Dhaka to see the family. When I first met my Ninna (Nani), she was in terrible health and mostly bed ridden, but reclining on a cot out on the veranda, where the bua had set up a makeshift chula, I observed her making her own pyara jelly and anarosh elish—with a special emphasis on elish maacher deem for her bideshi babies (me in particular). Then there was my Didda (Dadi)—I remember stopping just long enough for her to put a hot pitha—narikel, poneer, banana!—right in my mouth before I took off again, chasing after sisters and cousins.

    Just thought I would share these warm memories as thanks for your help and all the sharing you do. :)

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  97. I would like to bring back Parupu rice with Ghee(cooked toor dal with rice and ghee). An old tradition in our house, but not followed though. Not only that, Annapradasanam of cooked rice were followed in my parent's house which my in-laws are not doing so. Annapradasanam means, Just reciting prayer with having water in hand, and rounding the cooked rice just once.

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  98. forgotten food is PESARUKADIYALU..my grand mom used to make this and it is a festive dish and would love to make this sometime.

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  99. Please take a second to vote for Narayanan Krishnan as CNN Hero of the year.

    His Story:
    http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/04/01/cnnheroes.krishnan.hunger/

    To Vote:
    http://heroes.cnn.com/vote.aspx

    I would appreciate if you could promote the cause on your website being a food blogger.

    Thanks!
    Anita

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  100. Sandesh...Far away in my childhood dreams! Promises of sweetness and smile from my Dadu...Maybe not always cooked at home but they were coming in lovely pink box, perfect for a ten year's old princess!

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  101. A forgotten food in my family is my Aaji's (grandmom) home-made SUPARI. As a child I remember every summer Aaji would make a huge trip to a specific store to purchase ingredients like betel nut, aniseed, dried ginger, licorice, rock sugar and many many exotic spices. These would be sun dried for a few days on our terrace and then crushed on an iron khalbatta(mortar & pestle) by one of her trusted aides. The final SUPARI would be bottled in glass jars and distributed to family members near and far away. You never left home without a jar of Aaji's famous SUPARI. It was like a good luck charm from her……”eat anything but have this after your meal and you will be fine”. I wish to this day that one of us had taken the time to note down this recipe so that we could have continued this wonderful family tradition.

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  102. Mangshor chop. Don't know how it was done but as a kid growing up in London in the 70's the chops handed out even before dinner were the highlight. Lamb mince, soft golden sultanas, not too many. The whole succulent lot encased in soft mashed potato, rolled in breadcrumbs and then deep fried. Another age!

    Love your blog, it's the only bit of bangla in my day since I'm married to non-bong and didn't manage to teach the kids enough to have a conversation.

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  103. Happy birthday, my darling! I enjoy your blog very much, your writing, as well as your food.

    I'm already a subscriber. Which food would I like back in my family? My mum used to fry some bread dough in oil (looking a little like naan), which we had with sugar, or jam, or some savouries. It was delish! I haven't had it in years.

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  104. This is not forgotten, but never made at home because it is time consuming and so I'd like to bring back Puran Poli ( I have learnt it, but not perfected)just the way my grandmother used to make. NO ONE could make them as tasty as she used to. My FB profile is in my maiden name ( Pallavi Kulkarni)

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  105. There is a tamale-like dish that I made with my grandfather a looong time ago called ellai adai (meaning 'leaf crepe'?). I would love to try making that again as an ode to his memory..

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  106. ooh and a Happy 4th birthday to your blog!

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  107. vadaams - the sun-dried vegetables and rice chips that my grandma used to make. its time intensive and needs practise.. sadly i have neither :(

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