Free Downloads Bong Mom's Cookbook : Stories From A Bengali Mother's Kitchen
The elaborate Sunday morning breakfasts, the seasonal delicacies, the preserves that made available non-seasonal flavours this is the stuff of childhood memories. Tragically, given the sheer pace of life today, it has become harder and harder to follow in our mothers footsteps, to recreate moments of bonding in the kitchen, to maintain family traditions, especially when it comes to food. Sandeepa Mukherjee Datta blogger, foodie and mother of two strives to make this possible in her own life, and yours. This delicious book travels from Sandeepa s grandmother s kitchen in north Calcutta to her home in a New York suburb through heart-warming anecdotes and quick-easy recipes. Find out how to cook the classic kosha mangsho, throw in a few mushrooms to improvise on the traditional posto, make your own paanch-phoron, learn how to make the traditional paayeshThough the book is not a cookbook in the strict sense but an enticing mix of food related anecdotes and traditional Bengali recipes, this new woman s spin on old traditions, Bong Mom's Cookbook is a must-have kitchen supplement for Bongs and non-Bongs alike.
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Collins India; 1st edition (March 3, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 935029429X
ISBN-13: 978-9350294291
Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.8 x 7.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #243,820 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #87 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Asian Cooking > Indian #356 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Cooking Education & Reference > Essays #2864 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International
I have followed Sandeepa's blog for many years and love it, so was eagerly waiting for the book. The book is not a typical cookbook, it is part memoir, part cookbook, with numerous funny narratives and anecdotes spun into the recipes. I like the way she tells stories and often I can identify myself in her stories having come from a similar background.However, I was disappointed with the quality of paper, binding, and lack of pictures. I was at least expecting a picture of the author.
Being a fellow food blogger and someone who is interested in both good food and writing. I have been a reader of Sandeepa's blog on and off for quite some time now. The BongMom's Cookbook has recipes for traditional authentic Bengali food that can easily recreated in the modern day kitchen.But Sandeepa's book is more than just another cookbook. She also tells delightful and humourous stories of not only her childhood but also the experiences of a modern day mother who tries to connect her children with their roots through the Bengali food that she cooks. Many of her childhood memories give us glimpses of growing up in a Bengali family where people had time to cook and savour the simple pleasures of everyday life.If you're interested in regional Indian cuisines and want to explore Bengali cooking, then this book is a good buy. Whether you cook or you don't, this book is worth buying, reading and deserves a place on your bookshelf!
I hurried to get this book as I often visit the writer's blog and do enjoy her recipes. The book is pretty much on the same lines. A lot of humorous anecdotes around the typical Bengali lifestyle and then the recipes thrown in to the mix. Definitely enjoyable from that perspective.However I must say one should not approach this as a cookbook - because that will definitely disappoint. There are not that many recipes and being a Bong myself almost all were familiar ones. I was hoping for more dessert recipes as a good book on Bengali desserts is long due but I was disappointed on that front too. Also there are no pictures and being a visual person myself that was off putting. The quality of the pages and the binding is not that great. I got the book yesterday and after a couple of hours of reading, the spine has separated from the book.To be fair I must still say overall I would still buy it and yes I prefer the blog over the book.
It's a cookbook with no index! Are we supposed to read her home stories all the time to find a recipe!It's ok to read the stories associated with the recipes once or twice (and I understand the stories are very precious to the author because it involves her family) but to fumble through the book every time to look up a recipe is painful! I made my own index and use that as a bookmark. It's a $14 book, that's not cheap, so why hold off on providing a quick index at the back or somewhere! I agree with most of the other comments.. the website is much better than the book.Author - please next time include an index!
Gave this to my wife and she said she found the recipes are hard to find as there is no alphabetical index at the back of the book and the TOC was not very helpful. You can go to a chapter and then you need to flip through the stories to find the recipe you are looking for.My wife tried a few recipes - did not turn out too good but I guess I was comparing it to how i have tasted it when others cooked it. This is more like a storybook and it does say that on the cover too but then why call it a cookbook and group it under the cookbook category.
I have been following Sandeepa's blog for more than six years and I love her writing. I was so glad to see her finally write a book, something for me to keep and have stains of turmeric and posto on. The recipes and the stories are evocative, funny and heartwarming.The part memoir, part cookbook, is presented simply with minimal distractions. The centerpiece is her storytelling just like the blog. I have several copies and didn't face any issues with binding or the quality of the paper.I recommend this book!
This book is like watching a feel good movie that you don't get bored watching over and over again. I have read this book twice already including the recipes and steps. Everytime I read it I am taken to the times she grew up and her present abode in NJ. I can literally smell the spices, hear the clinking glass bangles as her maid grinds the khuskhus on the stone grinder, walk in the streets of calcutta gobbling the street food, hear the alarm go off in the morning and rush through the morning craziness. Being a Non-Bengali I can proudly say that I have learned few bengali dishes which makes me drool everytime I think about it. The only downside is that there could have been more pages along with a recipe index.
Its just not any other cookbook, let me tell you that. It's a journey of a woman from Bengal to New York, a memoir which talks about her journey, her imperfections, her little pleasures of life which she tries to resurrect from her childhood every now & then in a far away land. Every chapter is a joy to read and the recipes work beautifully. I have tried two of them and my family simply loved them. Just like her blog, Sandeepa's debutante book is filled with moments of humor, joy, failure and finding happiness among all of them.
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