Articles written by
Raj Chakraberti grew up in the Southern US (Tennessee, Alabama), and is of Indian ancestry. His interest in cooking grew after he moved to New York City in 2002. Being away from his Mom’s Indian homecooking resulted in furiously looking for ways to replicate the foods he grew up with. It was during this time he came to appreciate the books of Madhur Jaffrey and Chitrita Banerji among others. Raj has written for Alimentum Journal, a Literary food journal, Little India Magazine (NYC), Khabar (Atlanta), and India Abroad (NYC).
Indian Sweet Crepes (Patishapta)
A Hindu celebration of the harvest, Sankranti is an occasion on which sweet and savory rice flour crepes known as Patishapta are eaten
Sweet Farmer’s Cheese Balls (Roshagullas)
Roshagullas, simple golf ball-size sweets created by kneading and forming farmer’s cheese into a ball and boiling it, are one of the most widely eaten sweets in India
Molasses and Mango Nut Balls (Gurer Sandesh)
Sandesh, simple sweet cheese balls, are the Bengali lifeblood, and there are confectionery shops on practically every corner that prove it
Coconut Cham Chams
Cham chams are among the most vibrant of Bengali sweets. Frequently colored in hues of pink and yellow, these oblong treats are covered in coconut powder
Indian Cheese Base (Chhana)
Some of the most popular sweets in Eastern India are based on chhana, which is similar to farmer’s cheese or ricotta without the salt
Indian Rice Pudding (Payesh)
Payesh is a special occasion food in the Bengal province of India. While birthday cake rules supreme in the west, in Bengal this Indian rice pudding is king
