Recipe: Steamed Sweet Potato with Panch Phoran and Spice Mix

 

A warm, spiced sweet potato dish that’s simple, wholesome, and full of flavour. Perfect as a side, snack, or light lunch.

Ingredients:

• Sweet potatoes – 2 medium, peeled and chopped into bite-sized chunks

• Panch phoran – 1 tsp (a Bengali 5-spice mix of mustard, fennel, fenugreek, nigella, and cumin seeds)

• Coriander powder – 1 tsp

• Jeera (cumin) powder – 1/2 tsp

• Kashmiri red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp (adjust to taste)

• Dry ginger powder – 1/4 tsp

• Salt – to taste

• Lemon juice – 1 tbsp (or more to taste)

• Fresh coriander leaves – a handful, chopped

• Oil or ghee – 1 tsp (optional, for tempering)

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Instructions:

1. Steam the sweet potatoes:

   • Steam the chopped sweet potatoes until tender but not mushy. Set aside to cool slightly.

2. Prepare the tempering:

   • In a small pan, heat 1 tsp oil or ghee.

   • Add the panch phoran and let it crackle and release its aroma (about 30 seconds on medium heat).

3. Add the spices:

   • Lower the heat and add coriander powder, cumin powder, Kashmiri chilli powder, and dry ginger powder. Give it a quick stir (do not burn the spices).

4. Mix it all together:

   • Add the steamed sweet potatoes to the spice mix and toss gently to coat.

   • Add salt to taste and mix well.

5. Finish with freshness:

   • Turn off the heat. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the mixture.

   • Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves generously.

6. Serve:

   • Serve warm or at room temperature as a side dish, light meal, or filling for wraps and salad bowls.

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Tips:

• You can add a handful of roasted peanuts or grated coconut for crunch.

• For a no-oil version, skip the tempering and just mix steamed sweet potatoes with dry spices, lemon juice, and fresh herbs.

The Drawer with No Lock

I wrote my #MeToo story years ago. Quietly. Privately. I didn’t name him. I just needed to put the memory somewhere outside of my body. He was a man who hurt me eighteen years ago — an actor, admired by many.

Today, when I was just trying to make it through an ordinary, exhausting day — coffee in hand, a comforting song playing on YouTube — I saw his face.

There he was, in an old video.
Being interviewed.
Smiling.
Congratulated for his talent, his craft, his charm.

The internet is always pulling ghosts from the past.

And suddenly, without warning, it was there again — that familiar ache in my chest, a bitter twist in my stomach.

I felt sad.
Ashamed.
Angry.

That particular cocktail of emotions is potent. It makes your limbs heavy, your throat tighten, your breath catch. It either forces ugly, snotty tears out of you or it buries you in a silence so deep you feel invisible — and worthless.

Today, I felt both.

I wish I could say it gets easier.
But the truth is: it just gets older.
The memory gets pushed back into a drawer in your mind. But the lock is flimsy. Sometimes, it doesn’t exist at all. All it takes is a glimpse — a name, a picture, a headline — and that drawer bursts open again, spilling the hurt across your day like ink.

And yet… that wasn’t the only drawer that opened today.

There’s another.

The one with the story of a five-year-old girl.
Just a child.
Playing with her brother’s friends.
Too young to know that one of them would carve something out of her that would never fully grow back.

I don’t know what I’ve been looking for ever since.
Closure?
Justice?
Relief?
Language?

I still don’t know.
Some wounds are so old they calcify — and yet so raw they still bleed when touched.
Some wounds you didn’t even know you had.
Some wounds you never asked to carry.
And some… you don’t want to handle.

Not today.
Not again.

But here they are.
And here I am.

Still breathing.
Still writing.

Because even if the drawer doesn’t lock, maybe sharing the story makes the weight a little lighter. Maybe it helps someone else feel less alone in their own remembering.

If you’re reading this — I don’t need you to say anything.
Just… know this:
You’re not alone.
And neither am I.

No Music in My Heart

No Music in My Heart

No music in my heart today—
Only silence, only sorrow.
For those who took flight…
And crashed.

They trusted you,
Air India.
Innocent students,
Prayers still warm on their lips.

People in their homes—
Now broken open.
I ache for the survivors,
And those helping at the wreck.

No more music should play today.
Let nothing drown
The cries of families.

Have answers ready,
You with corrupt hearts.
Be ready—
To face the families left behind

poem: I cleaned my room...

I cleaned my room to avoid thinking about you

Watched a sitcom

sorted my rings, and trinkets

chatted with pappa

shouted at the evil electrician

took a music class

sang a song

made a video

walked in the garden

chose a play to read

decided to order in

chatted with friend 

walked up and down the house

finally rested

and there you were hiding 

behind my eyelids. 

IK / Monsoons / 2025

Forever 💎

the comedy of unrequitedness

I keep looking for you

He thinks I look at him

You are turned away from me

He is always facing me, 

You dont like me,

He likes me, and I like you

unrequitedness comedy!

Recipe: Moth Beans Usal

 

🌱 Matki Usal (Sprouted Moth Beans Curry)

🕰 Prep Time:

8–10 hours (for sprouting)
15 minutes (active prep)

🍳 Cook Time:

20–25 minutes

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🧺 Ingredients

• 1 cup matki / moth beans (sprouted)

• 1 small onion, finely chopped

• 1 small tomato, chopped (optional)

• 2–3 garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped

• 1 green chilli, slit or chopped

• 1/2 inch ginger, chopped or grated (optional)

• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder

• 1/2 to 1 tsp red chilli powder (adjust to taste)

• 1 tsp goda masala (or garam masala if unavailable)

• Salt to taste

• 1 tsp jaggery (optional, but traditional)

• 2 tsp oil

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🌿 For Tempering (Tadka)

• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds

• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds

• A pinch of asafoetida (hing)

• A few curry leaves

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🌱 Garnish

• Fresh coriander leaves, chopped

• Fresh grated coconut (optional but delicious)

• A dash of lemon juice (optional)

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🥣 Method

🌞 1. Sprouting the Matki

1. Wash 1 cup moth beans well and soak overnight in plenty of water.

2. Next morning, drain, rinse again, and place in a sprout box, sieve, or muslin cloth to sprout for 8–10 hours.

3. Once sprouted, rinse lightly and keep ready.

🍲 2. Cooking the Usal

1. Heat oil in a kadhai or heavy-bottomed pan.

2. Add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add cumin seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves.

3. Add garlic, green chilli, and ginger (if using). Sauté until fragrant.

4. Add chopped onions. Sauté till golden.

5. Add tomatoes (if using), turmeric, red chilli powder, and a pinch of salt. Cook till soft.

6. Now add the sprouted matki. Mix well.

7. Add about 1 to 1.5 cups water to cover the sprouts. Add salt and jaggery. Mix.

8. Cover and cook on medium heat for 10–15 minutes, or until matki is tender but not mushy.

9. Add goda masala (or garam masala). Simmer uncovered for 2–3 minutes to let flavors meld.

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🌿 3. Garnish and Serve

• Top with chopped coriander and fresh coconut.

• Serve hot with chapatis, bhakri, or plain rice.

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💡 Tips

• Add a spoonful of ground roasted peanut powder for a richer, nutty taste.

• If you like it tangy, add a squeeze of lemon juice before serving.

• For a thinner consistency, add a little more water and let it simmer.

Nuchchina Unde (Steamed Lentil Dumplings)

 

Nuchchina Unde (Steamed Lentil Dumplings)

Images  belong to their owners

Ingredients:

For Soaking:

• 1 cup Toor dal (split pigeon peas)

• ½ cup Chana dal (split Bengal gram)

• Water (for soaking)

For Grinding:

• 3–4 green chilies (adjust to taste)

• 1-inch piece of ginger

• 1 tsp cumin seeds

• ½ cup fresh grated coconut (optional, but traditional)

• A few curry leaves

• A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

• Salt to taste

For Mixing:

• 2–3 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves

• 2 tbsp finely chopped dill leaves (optional but traditional)

  (I used Moringa leaves)

• 2 tbsp finely chopped onions (optional)

• ¼ tsp turmeric powder

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Instructions:

1. Soak the Lentils:

• Wash and soak toor dal and chana dal together for 3–4 hours.

• Drain the water completely before grinding.

2. Grind the Mixture:

• In a mixer, coarsely grind the soaked dals along with green chilies, ginger, cumin seeds, curry leaves, coconut, and hing.

• Do not add water while grinding — the mixture should be thick and coarse, not smooth.

3. Mix the Ingredients:

• Transfer the ground mixture to a bowl.

• Add chopped coriander, dill leaves, onions (if using), turmeric, and salt. Mix well.

4. Shape the Dumplings:

• Grease your hands and shape the mixture into oval or cylindrical dumplings (like fat fingers or small cakes).

• Place them on a greased steamer plate or idli plates.

5. Steam the Dumplings:

• Steam in a steamer or idli cooker for 15–20 minutes on medium heat.

• Check with a fork or toothpick — it should come out clean when done.

6. Serve:

• Serve hot or warm with coconut chutney or majjige huli (a spiced yogurt-based curry).

• Can also be enjoyed as-is or with ghee.

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Tips:

• You can skip onions to make it satvik (onion-free) for festivals.

• Adding dill gives it an authentic, earthy flavor — don’t skip it if you can find fresh dill.

• Leftover steamed unde can be crumbled and sautéed with mustard seeds and curry leaves for a delicious upma-style snack.