Moving back to India was a challenging mission. Avyan was just 4 months when he took his first flight, 21 hours from San Francisco to Bangalore, and he was a total sport. He slept through the flight, didn’t fuss a lot and it took him just three days to adapt to a different time zone. It was we, the grownups, who were having a hard time. After arriving in India, we spent few weeks with family in Kolkata. Everybody was eagerly waiting to meet our baby and he was thoroughly enjoying all the attention. It was a much-needed break for us too. Gatherings, laughter’s, lots of food and of course, catching up on sleep. It felt so good! And just like that, a month zoomed by before the madness started once again - finding a place to live in Bangalore, endless shopping list and of course, adjusting with life in general. What kept our spirit elevated in the midst of the chaos was the festive season; the colors, the bling and the non-stop feasting. India, the land of many cultures and languages, shines brighter at this time of the year. Last week, we celebrated Diwali, festival of light.
I prepared Malpuas for Diwali celebrations. It’s are one of the popular Indian sweet treats and probably, one of the easiest desserts to prepare, even on a busy day. These are like mini pancakes, deep-fried until golden brown and then either dipped in sugar syrup or thickened cream called Rabri. I prepared the malpuas using chhena (fresh paneer) and that made it much more softer in texture. Dipped in golden syrup, flavored with cardamom powder and hint of saffron, these malpuas were quite a delight!
