TRAVEL TALES of ranaruby

Mutton Shami Kebab Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post has affiliate links. If you buy through one of these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you Lucknow, my most endearing city, is now far away in the past. But I still carry the imprint of some delectable tastes that developed me into a gourmet. Shami Kebab is one such dish. My mother used to make it at home, and it was as luscious as the one I used to go for at a wayside stall near the Christ Church school or at a park near the Chattar Manzil. My wife, an equally good cook, picked up the culinary art from my mother and kept it going. All this to satiate my taste buds. Then, over the years, her talent for improvisation launched a new type of Shami Kebab; call it a fusion of Lucknow Shami Kebab and Tunda Kebab. The recipe here is from a preparation in Ruby’s Kitchen, and what we get to savour at home. While most kebabs are merely eaten, a true Lucknow...

Smoked Salmon Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post has affiliate links. If you buy through one of these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Christmas Market Heidelberg We savoured this delicacy during the Christma s Market in Heidelberg. The stall, set up on a plaza next to the Bismarckplatz tram junction, prepared the fish by pegging it to wooden planks and roasting it vertically over an open log fire. We literally feasted on smoked salmon while enjoying the festive crowd milling around and the glitters of the Christmas Market in the Altstadt. The flame-grilled salmon, which is said to have originated from Finland, is deeply delicious. The magic comes from slow ambient radiant heat combined with wood smoke, which yields a caramelised, slightly crispy surface while keeping the interior rich and moist. Some of these great tastes linger on our taste buds. And we try to connect with it back home, so that...

  Cambodian Chimney Soup Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post has affiliate links. If you buy through one of these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I t is known as Yao Hon (or Yaohon ) in Cambodia and is a traditional communal hot pot served in a metal chimney pot over burning coals. Its signature mark is a rich, complex broth that balances creamy coconut milk, savoury Chinese BBQ sauce, tangy tamarind/tom yum paste, and fermented soybean curd. We savoured this at a traditional Cambodian Barbecue. Dipper platters stacked with varieties such as shreds of meat, fish, and shrimp were provided separately for grilling on the chimney pot . The authentic recipe for Chimney soup prepared locally in Cambodia is: Ingredients For the Broth 1 can (400ml) coconut milk 1 can Coco Rico (coconut soda) or 1 cup fresh coconut water 3–4 cups chicken broth or water ½ cup Bull Head Chinese Barbecue Sau...

DERBY – the   entrance to the stunning Peak District As far as I could recollect, I first heard of the word ‘derby’ in connection with horse racing contests. That was quite a way back, perhaps during my college days in Calcutta, when at local tea stall 'addas', small groups of people interested in horse racing used to discuss derbies at the Calcutta Racecourse. In the new millennium, people have begun debating the rivalry between two major football clubs, East Bengal and Mohan Bagan. I have never taken any interest in horse derbies, but in the case of football, which I love, the phrase ‘derby’ stumped me when I first heard it during one of the post-COVID clashes between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan at the Salt Lake Stadium in Calcutta. Why Derby? The answer to this seemed to have been waiting for me when, along with my wife, I visited the town of Derby in England. Even the name of the city, Derby, stemmed from ‘Djura-by’, meaning 'the village of the dee...

  Ethiopian Cuisine : Great Tastes from Africa Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post has affiliate links. If you buy through one of these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Minchet Abesh & Injera : Memories of Columbus & Ethiopian Flavour at Home There are some unmissable culinary experiences in our wandering days in India as well as abroad. One of them is Ethiopian cuisine, which left a lingering mark on my taste buds, at least for a gourmet like me.  During our stay in Columbus, the capital of Ohio, we frequented Ducem, an Ethiopian eatery. A piquant standalone single-story building with a ranch house look. Whenever we visited Ducem, our son Arjun used to drive across the river Olentangy (a strange name which quite often slips out of my mind). I only remember that the river ran close to the medical centre of Ohio State University.  The atmosphere inside used to be gay, warm and...