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.

2/24/23 2/24/23

Kindness Counts - Set Dosa

Set Dosa

This is a variation on a classic dosa from Karnataka. It's golden brown one side and puffy and soft on the other. It's a lovely variation that is just as delicious.

9/29/22 9/29/22

Where Do We Come From? - Meethe Chongay

I am not from here. Here meaning the Midwest or even the United States. Where I am from is thousands (and thousands) of miles away, India.

8/31/22 8/31/22

Can We Really Go Home? - Ghee

Can we really go home? I visited my childhood home for the first time in years. Home, meaning the place where I grew up.

7/28/22 7/28/22

The Zigs and Zags of Life - Lemon Rice

Why did I choose medicine? Perhaps it chose me. Or it was chosen for me. Whatever the reason or reasons, I find myself along this path.

7/10/22 7/10/22

A Little Bit of Everything - Perfect Raita

Vacations. Expectations run high, and they hold so much promise. But sometimes, things don't go as planned. Sometimes things go very, very wrong.

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.

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.

2/19/22 2/19/22

What is Hygge? - Kaali Mirchi ka Chaar (Tomato Pepper Rasam)

Hygge. Or hoo-gah. It's the Danish word for a sense of cozy contentment. Or, more simply, it means the joy of the little things and being together. G first mentioned this last winter, when we were shuttered in our house, just us, distancing from friends and doing too many things over zoom.

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.