Food for wet evenings · 15 August 2026 · Siliguri
A monsoon dinner
Our home, Pradhan Nagar
Rain on the tin roof, a pot of dal that took all afternoon, and eight people who stayed past midnight.
Photo to come · 01
The table, before anyone sat down
The menu · course by course
From the first hello
to the last crumb.
To start
Gundruk soup
Fermented greens, ginger, a little chilli
The main table
Kalo dal, pork with bamboo shoot, red rice
Something sweet
Cardamom kheer
Made with jaggery from the market
A little photo album
In the kitchen
and around it.
Photo to come · 02
The last of the dal, dressed simply
Photo to come · 03
A little more rice, please
Kitchen notes, not rules
A recipe to take home.
Ingredients on one side, steps on the other. Change what is in season. We usually do.
From our kitchen notes
Gundruk soup
Ingredients
- 1 cup gundruk (dried fermented greens)
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 1 inch ginger
- 2 green chillies
- Salt
- 1 tbsp mustard oil
Steps
- Soak the gundruk in warm water for ten minutes and squeeze it dry.
- Heat the mustard oil until it smokes, then lower the heat.
- Add ginger, chillies and tomato and cook until soft.
- Add the gundruk and four cups of water. Simmer for fifteen minutes.
- Salt to taste and serve hot.