An Indian Food Blog

Maple Masala Paal
The trees towered above them. The canopy stood high above and dwarfed Poet and Flower. Flower was carefully carrying a a very full bucket of sap when plop, she tripped over her feet and fell into a sweet, sticky mountain of maple sap.

The latest recipes.

9/29/21 9/29/21

Art Beyond the Museum - Pawpaw Meringue Tarts

Art doesn't have to be in a museum. I found that out much later in life. I grew up going to museums. As a kid, my mom loved art in the very traditional sense. She loved museums, and we would travel far and wide to see art. She shared that love with me.

9/15/21 9/15/21

A Love of Baking - Spiced Apple Hand Pies

My mother's love of baking may have started at McDonald's. She emigrated from India knowing how to make kheer and halva, but baking was completely foreign to her.

9/8/21 9/8/21

The Great Uni the Unicorn Tantrum- Gajar Halwa

Parenting is like a sea of landmines. One wrong move and you're left with yelling, crying children. But if you acquiesce every time, you have complacent, entitled children who always get their way.

7/20/21 7/20/21

Partners in Crime - Flour's Famous Banana Bread

I married a big kid. Or perhaps we are all just kids at heart. G loves all things that are playful and fun. Before we had Poet and Flower, he would climb the kids' play structure and wave from the top.

6/22/21 6/22/21

The Summer of New Memories - Mango Lassi Popsicles

6/6/21 6/6/21

Trying to Unplug From the World - Pistachio Marshmallows

We drove, finding ourselves on a one-lane road with signs saying 'high elevation, drive in the lowest gear'. We turned onto an even smaller road deep in the woods. It was our first vacation in over a year, and we were looking forward to being out in nature and simply relaxing.

5/25/21 5/25/21

Weekends are For Farmer's Markets - Ginger Lime Cheesecake

G hates farmer's markets. Perhaps that is somewhat strong. As we tell the kids, he does not prefer farmer's markets. This weekend, for the first time in over a year, we ventured back to the market.

3/29/21 3/29/21

We Can Do Hard Things - Ginger Limeade

Avoid trail three at all costs. We had received a fair amount of advice about hiking in a new park. We had crossed the suspension bridge (a little unsteady, but not too bad). Then we climbed 70 steps (according to the sign), and we were now at a fork in the path.

3/15/21 3/15/21

Jumping into the Deep End - Sabudana Kheer

I jumped into the deep end with careless abandon. I was maybe 5 or 6 years old and had taken a few swim lessons. As a master of the pool, I thought I could fearlessly swim on my own. But within a few seconds, I began to sink despite paddling furiously.

2/22/21 2/22/21

Learning to Love the Outdoors - Seviyan Kheer

good cup of masala chai. I would check the temperature outside and think about how many months there were until spring. This year the pandemic has turned everything upside down.

1/24/21 1/24/21

Less is More? - Ricotta Ras Malai

It is the simple things, a recurring theme over the last year. When G and I first met, I loved fussy food. I mean food that required 20 different ingredients (perhaps a little bit of an exaggeration).

12/20/20 12/20/20

Boys Like Pink Too - Falooda

Boys can like pink too. Poet loves his pink sneakers, pink jogging pants, and a pink hoodie. For one winter, his favorite pants had pink llamas on them. He would wear them every day, so often that he had a row of pink llama pants in his closet, his little power suit for school.

Hi! I’m Sameena

Welcome! I'm Sameena. I'm a physician by day, mom on call round-the-clock and avid cook. Poet and Flower is an Indian food blog celebrating my passion for food and family. I learned to cook in my mother's kitchen. My kids, Poet and Flower, are both the inspiration for the blog and the main distraction which keeps me from it.