Tomato and corn salad and comfort fits

Now that the mornings are cooler, I have been sorting kids clothes, adding some layering, full shirts and t-shirts and removing clothes that are too small and storing stuff that can be used next year.

I had a lot of clothes to give away this time, mostly Tiny M's because he is suddenly a toddler and I have bags full of baby clothes. It took some time, but I had to sorted by months. They were then separated into many piles - going to india to MIL's neighbor, Aswin's cousin who will soon have a little baby, a colleague friend and donation.

What do you do with the clothes that don't fit anymore?

After coming back from India we have been at the Farmer's market and it is overflowing with so many fresh vegetables and fruits. I picked up cantaloupe, tomatoes, corn, radish, beetroots, eggplant and herbs this week.

The tomatoes and corn came together nicely in a salad we had with tandoori chicken. The beetroots went into a pachadi and the greens were a quick stirfry.

B is for Bhaate Sheddo

I am back with ABC of Bengali cuisine.

Now, B can lead us to many crunchy Bengali food journeys with bhaja (fried) and beguni (dipped & fried eggplant). But I want to deviate to talk about simple comfort food that has been had in almost all Bengali households -  bhaate sheddo.

 I love a good bhaja and had a good share of them while in India.This kumro bhaja with fresh kumro (pumpkin) was just divine and was perfect with a hot cup of chai after the rains.

Bhaate sheddo literally means cooked with rice. It becomes a one pot meal where most commonly potatoes and sometimes even eggs are cooked with rice. Sometimes lentils like mushrir dal (masoor dal) will be put in a pouch and dropped in the boiling rice water to have some boiled lentils on the side.

When the rice is cooked, the potatoes, eggs and the lentil pouch is separated. The potato and the eggs are mashed with oil, salt and green chilli. One can also add some chopped raw onions to the sheddo mix.

My thakuma would burn or fry a red chilli and mash it in the alu sheddo. It tasted divine. Now thakuma had rice for breakfast, and lunch. Most of the times, her breakfast was bhaat aar sheddo. When me and my cousins were little we would sit around her during her breakfast time. She would make a little round ball of rice and sheddo and each of us would get a bite.