This recipe of the cauliflower blooms with the rustic flavors of almost roasted tomatoes and ginger cooked in the fragrant mustard oil.

I am back! Thanks to all of you for your emails and comments and concerns and for “being there” while I was not. It definitely feels wonderful to be a part of a community with so much understanding and concern where we have not even met one another… strong bonds. Thank you.

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Late afternoon – a few jingle of the  Ghungroo/Ghungur ( Images of  Ghungroo) & a holler ” Garam Chanachur” (Hot Spicy Mix) ,would draw all the kids in the neighborhood out of their front door to the iron grilled entrance gates of their houses, the little ones clamoring & climbing over the horizontal bars of the gates for a better view.

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The Shak/Shaag (any leafy green) Bhaja (Stir fried or deep fried) is a big part of the Bengali/East Indian Cuisine. Back home, if I was having a typical Bengali meal, I do not recollect a single day that went without some kind of leafy green, & unlike many kids I would love every preparation of the Shak.

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Pui/Poi/Pohi/Valchi or the Ceylon Spinach/Malabar Spinach are all but different names for this leafy Spinach like Green “fast-growing, soft-stemmed vine, reaching 10 m in length. Its thick, semi-succulent, heart-shaped leaves have a mild flavour and mucilaginous texture.” (Wiki). The Scientific name for the Pui is Basella alba. You can read more about it in the Herb Society of America.

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This is one bowlful where the simplicity leads the flavors,  a very Bengali recipe, made with very Bengali seasonings & cooked by not so Bengali husband. This is  a recipe well loved & perfected by my hubby after many trials. The taste of childhood still lingers with him, when his Bong neighbors would sometimes treat them with this cauliflower. But when you are a kid, you do not ask for recipes. Ever since we got married, I heard him talking about this, expecting his Bong wife to recreate his fond memories, but the magic in my hands did not match the magic of his neighbors. At last he gave up on my trials & picked up the task himself. I will proudly say that he nailed it this time & we did have a very lovely treat with “Luchi” (Poori is called Luchi in Bengal & it is made with maida instead of the regular wheat flour).

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This is being sent to Jugalbandi’s Click:Crusts.

The arrival of fall here, with crisp air, and wide fluffy clouds in the deep blue skies reminds me very much of Durga Puja. Having grown up in the West Bengal, in the eastern regions of India, this is the biggest religious festivals for the Bengalis. The festivities continues for a month, but the actual ceremony lasts for 5 unique days characterized by unique tastes for each day.

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