radsonfire

Savya Rasa: A Taste of Coastal Karnataka

By now my friends know how much I love to eat and have begun to seriously indulge me. The effervescent Minoti Makim is no exception and she was sure to invite me to a very special Guest Chef ‘s Tasting Menu at Savya Rasa, Pune recently. Savya Rasa is a South Indian fine dining, standalone…

Summer fruit

Indian summers are so extreme. Here in Pune, the mercury hits 40C+ and it’s pure hell. The whole world is wilted and wrung out. Food is a distant memory. I can’t even imagine eating anything I cannot slurp, preferably cold. I hate the heat in the kitchen. Soups, casseroles, stews and gravies seem like far…

Snapshots from Serbia

Why would anyone want to visit Serbia?? Given it’s long and bloody history, anyone would have reservations and wonder what is there to discover in a post-war, post -communist country in Eastern Europe. But why ever not? What’s not to discover in a country with a long and varied heritage ranging from Roman conquerors to…

Kashmir: Paradise frozen

This was my second trip to Kashmir, also in the middle of winter. It was, as last time, freezing cold. There are two sides to Kashmir: the poet Amir Khusro’s immortal Moghul wonderland or ‘Paradise on earth’ sadly juxtaposed against a valley filled with bitterness and pain, a people homeless and despairing . Which is…

The Search for Harisa

My recent trip to Kashmir in freezing January was as a tourist on my Producer Husband’s shoot for a car commercial. Our Key Grip is a known foodie and he had been grumbling about a local delicacy ‘harisa’ at every meal. He claimed he was longing to eat it, it was delicious. And his ravings…

Christmas spirit

We celebrate Christmas a home and despite my best attentions, I am way out of my league where my Mother-in-law and other relatives are concerned. I’m just never that organised or ready for Christmas. I don’t dunk my Christmas cake fruit in brandy each September. I don’t have a menu planned or a guest list…