Cracking the Code‒ Your Guide to Cooking Lobster

“Bon Appetit!” Julie in Julie and Julia readies to poach her first lobster, in a bid to cook the legendary Julia Child’s Lobster Thermidor. You don’t really need to read a guide for cooking lobster; you can easily watch the legendary Julia Child handle, cook and serve these live crustaceans ranging from a small chicken-sized kid to a 20-pound “Bertha Behemoth” on her classic The French Chef. The charmingly high-pitched Julia picks up a rustling creature with a firm, steady hand, the same way most of us would lift an…

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Broth-erly Love

The last couple of weeks have been all about the wet chill in the air, made better by shades of lush green around—gorgeous verdant foliage dripping with tiny beads of sparkling moist shine. As much as the palate craves hot oil-produced crunch and crispness (succumbing, we dedicated a whole day to frying fish, true comfort lies in a hot mug, or a steaming tureen, or a scalding bowl. Whatever your choice of serving container, soups and stews will warm and soothe the coldest heart and smoothen the roughest edges of…

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Fish & Chips Done 3 Ways – Part 2

And we’re back with the other 2 Chippy shop fare fried fish and chip dishes – we already did Jamie Oliver’s Fish and Chips with an Olive Tartar Sauce and we’re concluding this mini series with Kolkata Bhetki and Chips with Homemade Kasundi and an Asian-inspired Halibut and Chips with Peanut Sambal. Kolkata Bhetki and Chips with Homemade Kasundi This one was adapted from Kolkata Kuisine, and is as Kolkata and maach as they come. The bouquet of smells that come together when the crumbed fish hits shimmering oil brings back…

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Fish & Chips Done 3 Ways – Part 1

Honest disclaimer: I can’t deep-fry food. I’ve probably tried it once or twice in all my years of cooking, but am fundamentally against immersing food in a pool of oil to cook it. Which is not to say I don’t enjoy stuffing face with deep-fried pakoras, samosas and kachoris, fries and chips, fritters and croquettes, meats and seafood etc. Especially that last one. From popcorn shrimp and crunchy calamari to maach bhaja and fish and chips; when great fish meets hot oil and other ingredients, it’s a deliciously magical ride.…

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Celebrating Eid: The Seafood Story

The month of rigorous fasting ends in a celebration featuring rich desserts like Sheer Khorma (vermicelli and milk pudding), and a big feast. Families and friends gather round sharing hugs and gifts. The day is spent in thanksgiving for having successfully completed Ramadan, and is called Eid al-Fitr or the Festival of Fast-Breaking. While meat dishes are more common for an Eid feast, many nations and cultures around the world celebrate with seafood. Here are six recipes that you can easily cook up at home and share with friends and…

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