"Associate Yourself With Each and Every Dish You Make" - Purabi Naha

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1. Tell us about your background and journey.

Ever since I started food-blogging after quitting Journalism, there has been no looking back! My blog Cosmopolitan Currymania, which started in Hong Kong in 2011, has come a long way. The blog is my voice on how good food and positive thoughts can bring about an instant connect and transformation in us.

My blog is also about how food and travel lead to the road of self-exploration. I love writing on food and particularly like showcasing old Bengali recipes that are getting lost in time. Also, my blog has a lot of global recipes.

I love giving my own touch to any recipe and I believe that little extra from my side makes my dishes stand out. Each of my blog posts is detailed and I really slow down and take time while writing and photographing for each post.

I hosted Bengali Meal Popups in Mumbai, to propagate the flavors of Bengal, particularly the forgotten Bengali recipes. As a Mumbai-based home chef, I have cooked in professional kitchens too, including Renaissance Mumbai and Taj Lands End Bandra.

Cosmopolitan Currymania has won Women’s Achievers Awards 2020, Best of India.Biz Award 2018, Pinnacle Fame Awards 2018 and the prestigious IFBA Award 2015 under the “Best Recipe Blog” category. I also won Vir Sanghvi’s #Blogger_Dream_Team 2015 in the “Food and Travel” category.

Few highlights in my blogging career are dining with Chef Marco Pierre White last year and appearing in an episode of Master_Chef India Season 4 on Star Plus Channel in 2015, where I was one of the top Indian Food Critics who judged the dishes made by top eight contestants.

Apart from that, my recipes have appeared in various publications. I have been featured in Bombay Times, Mid-Day, Being Woman magazine, Architectural Digest and Outlook India.


2. Which is your favorite cuisine and dish?

Bengali cuisine is easily my favorite cuisine, as I am a Bengali myself. I love traditional Bengali food, cooked to perfection and served with love. The beauty of a Bengali meal is that all the dishes are varied in flavor and texture.

Some of the dishes use minimal of spices, but taste delicious! I also like the fact that in a typical Bengali menu, there are as many vegetarian dishes as are the non-vegetarian ones.

Bengali sweets are something I am totally addicted to. My favorite Bengali dish is Niramish Mangsho: a mutton dish that doesn’t use any onion or garlic.

Apart from that, my favorite cuisine is Japanese. I love the freshness and completeness of a good sushi. I love a hearty and meaty ramen soup. I am also fond of Teppanyaki and Mochi. I adore an artistic Bento and appreciate Japanese food presentation. The food is healthy and just perfect for my taste-buds.


3. Should food blogging be just a passion or can it become a regular career?

Food-Blogging can be a career option as well. We have food-bloggers around the world who earn by doing exceptional work in the field of food in terms of food research, hosting food festivals, doing content development, consulting and jaw-dropping food photography for brands.

Ads on website/YouTube channel can also generate decent revenue, just like collaborations with good brands.


4. Which restaurants/food joints would you recommend to food lovers?

I really liked the Thai food by the recently opened (just before the lock-down) Mumbai restaurant called Thai Naam by Chef Ananda Solomon. I also love visiting Shanghai Club, Seefah, Papaya, Mizu, Yauatcha, Ostaad and Uno Maas. May these restaurants flourish again after the lock-down is eased.


5. What makes you appreciate a particular dish or a restaurant and talk about it on your blog?

When I visit restaurants for reviews, it is the whole story that matters: the ambiance of a restaurant, the hospitality, quality food, presentation, pricing and the uniqueness of a menu. I am particularly intrigued by traditional dishes presented with a spin.


6. Is there a dish you particularly associate yourself with?

These days, bread is my muse. I have successfully made Sourdough Bread from scratch and discussed about it in detail on my Instagram (@purabinaha). I plan to incorporate Bengali spices in Sourdough, when I bake it next!

I associate myself with each and every dish I make. I have a wonderful and popular recipe on my blog, which is called Rampuri Taar Korma: my absolute favorite.

7. Which is your favorite book and why?

I love reading and re-reading books on Japanese ways of living. The book called Ikigai, meaning purpose of life, is my favorite. I keep reading cookbooks, too!

Interviewed By - Nupur Jha