The one good thing about being on our apartment complex’s “connect” WhatsApp group is the posts by home chefs. Last week, I tasted Andhra onion samosas for the first time, from Akula’s Kitchen in the neighbouring society. I don’t enjoy the potato filling in the north Indian samosa—the only thing that tempts me are the three crispy corners. But if you deconstruct a samosa, is it still a samosa? The samosa I can have in its entirety is the Bengali shingara. Onion samosas can be added to that list now; they reminded me of the sambusas with minced-meat filling I had in Petra, Jordan. The outer covering was flaky, crisp like a phyllo pastry, and the filling of sautéed onions had a hint of natural sweetness. They were garnished with fried whole green chillies; no garish green or orange chutneys. I am ordering puliogare (tamarind rice) next.
—Nipa Charagi
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To me, desserts are synonymous with chocolate. However, my mother doesn’t take this pursuit of chocolate too kindly. Which is why, this Mother’s Day, I decided to leave my sweet obsession aside and indulge her in something different. I ordered the almond mango cheesecake from Love and Cheesecake, an artisanal dessert and cake brand with branches in Mumbai and the National Capital Region. I took a bite of the cake gingerly but ended up taking several servings. Mango chunks make up the centre of this cake, which is layered with a mango frangipane base, creamy mascarpone frosting and sprinkled with pistachios and almond flakes—a beautiful play of textures and flavours.
—Avantika Bhuyan
In their new Netflix show, Something Special, Hannah Gadsby insists that they will keep things light and feel-good. “I owe you one,” Gadsby says. And though this feels like an elaborate set-up, the darkest part of the show is probably dead rabbits. Gadsby, most famous for the searing Nanette in 2019, spends most of their new show talking about their marriage to producer “Jenno”. Gadsby fans would understand the significance of this—for a person who delved deep into their trauma and what they suffered for being queer, to now being giddily happy in marriage, this is no regular comedy show. Gadsby’s storytelling is on point, as always, and they blithely subvert audience expectations of anything dark, proving that they don’t need trauma to make good comedy. The jokes are connected beautifully at the end.
—Dakshayani Kumaramangalam
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Working from home can be physically taxing. Especially for those who have to sit long hours. To make sure my tailbone and hips don’t feel the brunt of it all, I recently purchased the Frido Ultimate Socket Seat Cushion, which is made of orthopaedic memory foam and covered with a neat airflow mesh cover. The cushion has a wedge design which ensures correct posture when you sit. It also has two smartly placed cut-outs that ensure your hip bone and tailbone don’t feel stressed. It comes with a nice little handle on the side that lets you carry the cushion anywhere. You can use it for your office chair or even your car seat. The mesh cover is washable, so it’s also easy to maintain. —Nitin Sreedhar
