About Spice Chronicles

Welcome to Spice Chronicles! This is a place for delicious dependable cooking, with a focus on simple sustainability. It chronicles my love for everyday clutter-free, spice enhanced dishes with a touch of the Hudson Valley. Years ago, I was determined to ensure that family meals did not get into a boring rut to cater to the daily rigors of practical living – work, school, life as we know it.  I am constantly looking for ways to simplify my cooking.

About the recipes

This food blog offers you practical options towards breaking the monotony of the dinner rotation.  The recipes are created in my New York kitchen. The stories around the recipes chronicle the experiences of an Indian immigrant life. They have nourished my children from crayons to now college. They work through a journey of starting a home, having and empty next, and working towards developing a new definition of home and life.

My hopes are that some of these recipes help you find new traditions and new favorites for your family meals. Some of mine include my coconut fish curry and a Bengali Khichdi that is summoned on cold and snowy days. Then there is my daughter’s favorite banana bread, that I have to make at least once a month for care packages to college. My kitchen is well seasoned and has an Indian soul. The food I cook is inspired by my Indian childhood, life of extensive travel. and the melting pot that is New York.

How to work and find a recipe?

I have arranged the recipe index (of over 750 recipes) over in many different ways. You should be able to by find a recipe by type, cuisine, diet and so much more. Ingredient, spices and the list goes on. You will find recipes like the perfect rajma, my daughter’s must have mac and cheese.

Why I write?

This site is a personal effort at chronicling the recipes that I created. It also showcases my small commitment towards reducing my food/foot print. Everyday meals tend to be healthy-ish. This is always a work in progress, and lots of festive indulgences along the way.

Like most of the good cooks in my life, most notably my grandmother and mother, my cooking is very practical and approachable. The essence of Home cooking is in everyday kitchens. Traditions thrive and emerge in the home kitchen.

I do not believe saving time and authenticity have to be at odds with each other. Finding a time saving device such as the instant pot, to whip up a perfect channa masala from the scratch makes a lot of sense to me. Sometimes, new devices help you re-discover old traditions like fermenting dosa batter or reviving the daily ritual of making yogurt.

A Love Story

Cooking is something that I love on good days and bad. My meals are practical, diverse, and usually made to fit into a busy on the go lifestyle. O I love playing with spices and flavors. It offers me a level of freedom and spontaneity that almost sets me free.

My recipes demystify Indian Home cooking in a practical manner and offer you interesting ways to use your seasonal produce. This is what I teach in my classes, where I share and learn from my students.

Along the way there are three cookbooks,

The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles – Now in an expanded second edition
Spices and Seasons – Simple, Sustainable Indian Flavors
Instant Indian – Classic Foods from Every Region of India Made Easy in the Instant Pot

For questions on any of my recipes please email me at spicesandseasons@gmail.com.