GETTING TO KNOW ME OVER CHAI

Greetings! Before I tell you about myself and we do a lil meet and greet I think, at the risk of appearing bossy from the get-go, that you should step away from the computer, make some chai, and come back to get to know me. I say this only because I truly believe that all it takes is one good cup of masala chai to cement any relationship so, shall we?

MASALA MERRYNADE CHAI (4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces water
• 4 ounces whole milk
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 heaping teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
• 5 green cardamom pods, crushed
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon powder
• 3 cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• 3 tablespoons loose leaf black tea

How to throw down:

• Place water, milk, and all the masalas in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil. Remove from heat. Add tea. Steep for 2 minutes. Strain out leaves and masalas. Pour into cup and read my blog.

Now, a bit about tea before a bit about me. Chai preferences and procedures vary from person to person and from household to household. Depending on where home is in India, you may use fennel seeds, black peppercorn, star anise, and condensed milk instead of or along with the ingredients I listed. Green tea may be used instead of black. Milk quantities may outweigh water. The recipes are endless! Even in my family of five, chai preferences differ from Satpathy to Satpathy. My parents tend to only add freshly grated ginger and sugar. In fact my dad, despite eagerly slurping down any cup I put in front of him, often gripes that my chai is too strong and sugary. But like I always say, I prefer my chai like I prefer my men: dark, bold, and sweet. Can I get an AMEN? Or can I just get a man. Too early for such banter? Ok. Moving on...

Very recently, in an attempt to have just a wee lil less of me to love, I have omitted sugar from the process. Instead, I add a little agave syrup to my cup and that does the trick. Some people wake up with a raging hard-on. I wake up with a raging sweet tooth. It happens. But fret not, even without sugar, there’s a still lot of me to love. I tend to have an appetite for life and love and that’s where this blog comes in.

So, a bit about me. I’m 33 years young and a bunch of other stuff all at once. Woman. Cook. Daughter. Sister. Mausi (aunt). Friend. Lover. Writer. Indian. American. Dreamer. Self-appointed Bollywood superstar. Clumsy. And always hungry. I was born and bred in Nashville, Tennessee which accounts for my sometimes big hair. I’d like to think there are sometimes big thoughts in all that big hair, thoughts about food and culture, culture and love, love and food, who we are, how we eat, what we cook, who we cook for, how we gather around food, what we eat when we’re alone in the dark. Who we want to be seen as in the light. Ah, the categories and topics, much like a possible ingredient list for masala chai, are endless.

The big hair and big thoughts, and everything in between, have served as my constant companions in New York. Five years here (with a brief stint abroad somewhere tucked in there) has seen a degree in classic French cuisine, the pursuit of a Masters in Food Studies, numerous internships and jobs in recipe development, colorful meals, colorful men, and meaningful conversations and interactions that have colored my worldview. Lots of color and vibrancy. Lots of everything really, be it questions, answers, friends, or food. Think of me as the Curry Bradshaw of New York if you will.

Aside from musings from friends and experiences here in New York, you’ll see cameos in written form from my family. They have shaped and continue to shape who I am.  My mother has single-handedly molded my culinary world view, so much so that I am currently working on a cookbook that captures, or strives to at least, her culinary prowess. Its my way of giving props to her and our shared identity of cultivating a sense of self not through food alone but, more specifically, through cooking and filling the bellies of the ones we love with what we make.

You’ll find me referencing anecdotes from my parents and my Odia upbringing quite a bit. Chances are you have no idea what Odia is or where on the map of India Odisha sits. You'll quickly learn however. My hyphenated identity of straddling two worlds of being both an American Southerner and American Odia permeates my food and my language for better or for worse. I love my shrimp tharkari (curry) with grits. I'm trying to come up with a fool-proof recipe for masala fried chicken. I like my mashed potatos made with ghee. I feel torn between how to spend my energy: shall I perfect my buttermilk biscuits or do I play with flavor profiles to make the most sumptuous chutneys? You’ll find recipes for that and so much more here.

The posts will be frequent as my hunger for merriment deepens. So enjoy your chai and feel free to post comments, suggestions, recipes, tips, and anything else you desire on my blog along the way. Welcome to MASALA MERRYNADE and gratitude in advance for stopping in!