Blog & Recipes
A Kind Kolkata We Know
We grew up in this city. We were born in this city. And this city – Kolkata -- was known as Calcutta for a long time because British colonial rulers could not pronounce it properly. And they imposed it on us, just the same way they imposed their way of thinking on us....
We Brought Rain With Us
Last week, after a very long fourteen-hour flight from New York to Delhi and then after a five-hour halt in Delhi, another two hours of flying, we landed in Kolkata. This is the city we grew up in, and every time we come here, it brings a deep joyful sense of...
Valentine’s Day, Indian Style
Valentine’s Day, Indian StyleMukti Banerjee, muktiskitchen.com Today, it’s very Americanized when it comes to celebrating Valentine’s Day. Thanks to Indian and multinational corporate media, every American thing is glorified across India, and Valentine’s Day is no...
Learn to Make Khichdi
Khichdi is a very basic and healthy food. You can make with many different vegetables, rice and lentils. Ingredients: 1 cup rice½ cup moong dal½ cup masoor dal 1 cup small florets of cauliflower (1”x ½ “)½ cup small cubes of potatoes (½ “x ½ “)½ cup green peas 1...
Our Gregarious Durga Puja in a Strange Year of Isolation
Durga Puja, or the worship of Goddess Durga the demon slayer happens in Bengal, India and in the Hindu communities across the world. It’s a lot of fun, with cultural activities such as drama, movies, music and art.
My Journey from Biology to Cooking
New virtual classes available Ten years ago, when I started Mukti’s Kitchen, I began a journey that would help me bring authentic, healthy Indian food to everyday people and make my dreams a reality. I started from scratch and had no idea what the future held for me....
Simple Food and Lifestyle Changes Can Be Simple Stress Busters
Many people have written about how to minimize stress in our lives. They have written books, and they have given speeches. I am not the first one to talk about it. But as a mother, wife, and self-motivated individual who dealt with many different varieties of stress...
Diwali, the Festival of Lights
Diwali is here. All over the world, Indians are celebrating the Festival of Lights. It’s a beautiful, colorful, fun, and happy festival. Children play with firecrackers, women dress in colorful saris and various regional costumes, in some places boys and...
Bengali New Year’s Day
April 14 is often observed as the Bengali New Year’s Day, or Pahela Baisakh. It’s also the Punjabi New Year’s Day, and they call it Vaisakhi. The first month in some Hindu lunar calendars is Baisakh or Vaisakh. Some other states and ethnic groups...
Hindu Festivity: Durga the Demon Slayer
This week, for four days, we have our wonderful, colorful, fun-filled, music-filled Hindu religious festivities. The religious part is called Durga Puja, or invocation of Goddess Durga. But truly, for many of us, it's as much cultural as it is religious. The essence...