Dear Komal (birth name), When I think about my own history of abuse and my path to healing, I realize that grief comes up. I grieve for the lost innocent child who was astonished and shocked to be slapped out of the blue, for no logical reason. With each unfair transgression to the child I […]
Psych Central describes triggers as: “A trigger is something that sets off a memory tape or flashback transporting the person back to the event of her/his original trauma.” Wikipedia defines a trauma trigger as: “A trauma trigger is an experience that causes someone to recall a previous traumatic memory, although the trigger itself need not […]
The common Indian spice turmeric has been coming up a lot in various news stories and studies Awareness of its benefits seem to be growing everyday. I am being prompted to cook more and more Indian food which normally includes turmeric. http://wakeup-world.com/2014/11/01/turmeric-extract-improves-brain-function-in-one-dose/
I recently saw a commercial parody on SNL that highlighted some of my issues with the term and label “Asian.” It’s such a catch-all term that just seems to indicate how lazy the Western world can be in learning the actual country someone is from, so they choose a big continent as label instead. Take […]
Book Review: Threading the Needle by Marie Bostwick
In Threading the Needle, Marie Bostwick discusses friendship lost and then found. She explores the ways we create the experiences of our past and future, along with the impact of relationships with family and friends. Bostwick uses as the background of her story the recent economic downturn in the US. One character becomes the wife […]
Share your story of reconciling your bi-cultural heritage and seeking authenticity, anonymously. Email it to priamba6@gmail.com. You may find that sharing is cathartic and healing. You may also find support and connection. I will make certain that there is nothing to identify you (unless you state otherwise).
We all grow up with a certain sense of how we perceive the mothering we receive and the role of motherhood in our lives- whether as mothers ourselves or as children in need of mothering. This role evolves throughout our lives – whether it is about our changing how we parent while keeping in mind […]
For many South Asians, summers have meant a trip back home, especially while growing up in the states. Our parents wanted to make sure we were getting a good dose of our heritage to balance out all the Western exposure and values we were subject to the rest of our time. For most of us, […]
When we are “American Born Confused Desis” or even become “American Born Confident Desis,” how do we reconcile past cultural expectations of us with our quest to be our own empowered authentic women? Do expectations of our upbringing fit with our quest to be true to ourselves or do we have to make adjustments? If so, what are they?
One of the key differences I’ve observed and experienced as differences between the culture of my heritage and that which I’ve grown up in is the level of focus on individualism. Much in the Western and particularly American culture is based on the value and importance of the individual.
Kadhi or curried buttermilk is a popular side dish from India that can also be enjoyed as a soup. It is consumed by villagers and urbanites. Kadhi is great served over rice or khichdi (or khichadi) – a delicious and healthy porridge made from rice, lentils and vegetables. In this photo, red cabbage was incorporated. […]
I love to improvise and play around with Indian cooking. To me, spices are like paints for an artist. Therefore, cooking is more of an art rather than a science. I like to use what I think would taste good. I often replicate a method rather than using a specific recipe. Substitutions are a rule rather than exception in my kitchen. In this case, I made my version of potatoes and tofu, Indian style.
I had two heads of cauliflower to use up from my organic produce delivery and a lot of red potatoes. So the first thing I thought of for the two ingredients was alloo gobi. Sometimes, I add tofu, but this time I didn’t, since I was also making masoor dal, which would suffice for protein.
Masoor dal (red lentils/Egyptian lentils) cooks easily and is tasty. It can also be substituted by mung dal. This is an easy recipe that is sure to please. Although oil or ghee can be used, the ghee adds a richer flavor.
Cauliflower and Potatoes Cooked with Fenugreek and Fennel Seeds (Alloo Gobi) is from “World of the East Vegetarian Cooking.” I’ve had this cookbook at least 20 years and it shows my love with its pages coming out and cooking stains. I’ve lovingly tried to put all the loose pages in order whenever they fall out.