Recipe of the month: Ragda Patties

Chaat includes a wide array of savoury snacks, typically served at roadside stalls or carts in India but have over the years (due to their growing popularity), started to appear on the menus of even the most sophisticated Indian restaurants. With its origins in east India, chaat has become immensely popular in the rest of India and even the rest of South Asia. 

Most of my family and friends are major chaat junkies. Though I am not really a hard-core fan, there are certain chaats that I am extremely fond of. One of them is Ragda Patties. The main components of this dish are a shallow-fried potato cutlets and a warm and spicy yellow peas gravy. The potato cutlets are smothered in the gravy, garnished with finely chopped onions, tomatoes, coriander leaves and topped off with a spicy chutney and a sweet and sour date-tamarind chutney.

This dish actually serves as a complete meal and doesn’t take much time to prepare provided you have planned ahead and done the prep work.

Mesmerizing Mauritius

Mauritius is an island nation known for its unparalleled scenic beauty off the coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar. 

We had been to Mauritius for a week in October 2008. It was a family holiday that came together after months of intercountry planning and discussion as we had to coordinate mine and my husband’s schedules with that of my parents and siblings.

Before I get on with our holiday escapades, here is something you may enjoy reading

Interesting trivia about Mauritius

• The main languages spoken are Mauritian Creole, French and English

• The currency is Mauritian rupee

• The cuisine is a blend of Indian, Creole, Chinese and European influences

• More than 50% of the population of Mauritius is Hindu.

• Mauritius is renowned for having been the only known home of the Dodo bird as a result of which, most souvenir shops in Mauritius bear the image of this bird on their merchandise