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.

6/19/22 6/19/22

The Great Duck Race - Spiced Indian Coleslaw

Thousands of ducks raced by us. The canal was filled with them—little yellow rubber duckies with cute red noses. For a moment, you would have thought someone's bathtub had overflowed. It was the annual Duck Race.

6/12/22 6/12/22

Happy Birthday! - Bagara Khana (Hyderabadi Rice with Peas)

6/3/22 6/3/22

The Lazy Days of Summer - Spiced Cauliflower

Summer rules! The lazy days of summer are finally here after a long and soggy spring. Indiana weather is fickle, and this year was no exception.

5/25/22 5/25/22

I'm an Old Mom - Masala French Toast

I'm an old mom. I wasn't twenty-nine or thirty. I was older when Poet and Flower were born. Or, in medical terms, I was what doctors refer to as advanced maternal age or AMA. Written in big capital letters in all my medical records from pregnancy. What does that even mean?

5/10/22 5/10/22

Going to the Movies - Naral ka Char (Coconut Egg Curry)

It was a big green monster. Or was it? On closer look, it wasn't a monster at all. It was a frog. It was a cute, cuddly green frog that talked. The Great Muppet Caper was the first movie I went to as a kid. I remember going to the movies for the first time.

5/2/22 5/2/22

How to Beat the Heat - Rose Lassi

Poet and Flower sat slumped on the bench. It was hot, very hot. After a rainy spring, the weekend turned out to be warm and sunny. It sounded like the perfect day to spend outdoors, running around and burning off all that little kid energy. But nobody was prepared for the heat.

4/24/22 4/24/22

Tired of Waiting - Adrak Chai

I'm waiting. I spend a good part of my life waiting for things. I wait at the grocery store in line. At school, in the car line to pick up the kids. I will get there with several minutes to spare, only to find a long and tortuous line of moms who spend even more time waiting than I do. But when is it ok to say I'm tired of waiting?

4/15/22 4/15/22

Who Are We? - Coconut Banana Bread

Mom? Flower was almost asleep but said the word softly, checking gently if I was still there or had quietly slipped out of the room. And for an odd moment, I thought she was talking to someone else. But there was no one else, just me. I'm mom.

4/1/22 4/1/22

The Allure of the Claw - Shrimp with Green Bananas

"The claw is our master." It is one of my favorite lines from the movie Toy Story. Those cute little aliens are looking up at the claw while in the giant toy machine. They don't realize the menace in this giant claw. The claw machine is one of my favorites at the arcade. It has the same powerful draw for me as for the little aliens. Maybe we all look up to the sky for different reasons.

3/27/22 3/27/22

I Want to Go to Claire's - Seviyan ki Burfi

Flower was not enthusiastic about the tattoo parlor. Why would a little kid want to go to a tattoo parlor anyway? Flower had approached us suddenly, saying she wanted her ears pierced.

3/20/22 3/20/22

We Are All Artists - Kachumber Salad

What makes someone an artist? One thing is for certain, I have never thought of myself as an artist. Or at least until now. For the longest time, I was a daughter or sister. And then a physician, which has been a big part of my identity. But recently, that has changed. Which makes me thing about we view ourselves and a question about identity.

3/9/22 3/9/22

Learning Through Others - Better Weeknight Kheema

We learn through our children. A friend said it recently. I hadn't heard that phrase in years, but I knew I had heard it somewhere. It took some time and reaching way back in my book of memories, and it came to me. It was something my mother said too. I've never really thought about it until now. And perhaps it is true in many ways.

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.