Spices and Friends - Bengali Cuisines and more

17/04/2024

Kolkata on a plate!

One more day to prebook the delightful Kolkata style biryani, and only a few slots are available.

16/04/2024

Chingri Kosha

Orders that went out on Sunday, 14th April, for Poila Baisakh.

Shubho Nobo Borsho 🙏🏼

13/04/2024

A special friend/client with a special request!
"Rohiniiiii, please make me that wonderful Caramel Custard Cake of yours. I want to surprise my husband with his favourite dessert."

So, here we are with the making of the Caramel Custard Cake. 🍮 🤗

12/04/2024

Over the years, our Apple Pies has been making our clients very happy and, in turn, making me happy, too 😀
It takes its time, and no, you can not rush the process. For me, making a pie is a true test of patience and a complete stress buster.

We are taking orders EVERY DAY for Apple Pies, Cashew Crunch Pie, and Lemon Pies until 20th April.
Give us a call on 91 9136043005 if you'd like some delivered to your doorstep anywhere in Mumbai or Thane. (Orders to be placed 3 days in advance).

Orders for MAINS continue 👍

11/04/2024

Orders that went out in the afternoon for Eid celebrations this evening with Mutton Biryani.

A small clip of 2kgs layered Mutton Biryani just before it was put on dum. 😊

10/04/2024

Pre Eid celebrations with Lobongo Lotika in Bandra.

5 boxes of 12 pcs each of the ever popular signature dessert from Spices and Friends is going out shortly 😊😊

09/04/2024

Celebrate Poila Boisakh witha feast from Spices and Friends

Call us on +91 9136043005 to prebook your orders. You may opt for multiple quantities and dishes, too.

Final order/s by 10am on Thursday, 11th April.

03/04/2024

My birthday lunch yesterday at Jimis Burger was a place we've been wanting to go to for so long, with my bestest people!

Between the mother, husband, and I we had, the stuffed herb cheese chicken burger, Jimis bacon cheeseburger, and the chorizo pork cheddar burger with the best onion rings and french fries as siders

Jimis Burger didn't disappoint one bit in terms of taste and quantity and freshness. The best burgers in town for sure!

Make sure to try them in Sangli, Malad, Bandra, or Powai. 😋😊

21/03/2024

The Vegetable Biryani from Spices and Friends has it all. Mixed seasonal vegetables, saffron, dry fruits, ghee, and fried onions with basmati rice, slow cooked in dum. 😊

Pairs brilliantly with our Gur'er Payesh and/or Mishti Doi for Dessert

Call on 9136043005 to know more.

20/03/2024

The things we love to cook ❤️
A chicken curry with mild spices and potatoes.

It MAY look oily, but for 2 kilos of chicken, only 3 tbsps of mustard oil have been used.

Marinated and refrigerated for 8 hours with curd and
And, while it cooks on slow fire, the marination too releases oil.



Video 1 : The final product
Video 2 : 2kgs Chicken being cooked in a large kadhai

13/03/2024

I was born a Bengali and brought up in Delhi. Sometimes, I even consider myself half a Punjabi and love anything that's remotely punjabi-esque. ❤️

My taste buds crave the cuisine, and given the slightest opportunity, I would cook up a North Indian delight. It makes me super happy, especially when clients order our specials, such as Daal Makhani, Bharwa Baingan, and Butter Chicken.

P.S: The punjabi style masala chhole is a little chatpata and spicy (not on the menu) and was made for home 😋

See to

12/03/2024

When the mind switches off of social media, a short break is much required to help unwind.
So, off we went to Kochi on a mini holiday with family and friends.

There were so many places and food joints that piqued my interest, but, alas with the paucity of time, it was impossible to fully immerse oneself in the surroundings. Hopefully, another longer trip can be made soon.

PS: A craving for Kochi food led me to make a Kerala style Stew with Chicken and Vegetables (in the picture).

10/03/2024

Friday was all about CELEBRATING WOMEN and emphasising it was one such husband who surprised his wife with a dinner for 15 people, which we catered for at Worli. 

It was an eclectic menu with some of our classics:
Spinach Corn Tarts,
Our very special Daal Makhani,
Goan Fish Curry with Pomfret, 
Yakhni Mutton Curry,
Jeera Rice, 
Patishapta and the Cashew Caramel Crunch Pie for dessert. 

Well, if you’re craving for a meal from Spices and Friends or planning a get together, give us a call on 9136043005 and we will deliver the food to you anywhere in Mumbai and/or Navi Mumbai. 
Minimum orders for 4 people. Maximum for 30 people. 

28/12/2023

Thanks to both my parents, who are ex Taj employees, Christmas for me, since as a child, I have always been associated with the plum cake from La Patisserie at the Taj. It's been a familiar taste I've grown up on, making it my favourite plum cake, ever!
This year was no different, and I loved it. ❤️

05/12/2023

A slow cooked gravy over very low flame is the key to the special Bhuna or Kosha Chicken at Spices and Friends.

Give us a call/message on 9136043005 to get our full menu.

04/12/2023

Food anthropologist, Caroline Hobkinson, mentions in her discovery that a bite into a "cookie" brings calm and happiness within minutes of consuming it, due to the easily digestible carbohydrates, thus, elevating your mood and relieving stress ... more than your cup of tea.

Today, 4th December, is International Cookie Day, and that's exactly what we baked today!
Fresh out of the oven, dollops of vanilla flavoured happiness ... oops, cookies. 😊😉

Boxes of 200gms and 500gms will be made available for Christmas 🎄

call us on 9136043005 and place your orders by 20 December for deliveries on 23/24 December.

25/11/2023

Sunday Lunch Order prep work.

Oftentimes, I get asked:
Why do you need 3 days in advance for an order delivery on Sunday? Why can't we just book on a Friday.

SIMPLE :
A. The ingredients of the food I cook for you is ALWAYS procured fresh off the market.
B. Hence, once your orders come in, I collate them and place orders with my vendors on Thursday, and they come in on Friday.
Prep work begins.
C. Some items, like Kosha Maangsho and Lobongo Lotika, take hours to prepare.
For e.g: in this short video, I am making Kosha mangsho, and we have 2kgs finely chopped onions that will now slowly cook and brown over the next 1½ hours in only 50gms mustard oil. The meat has been washed and marinated. And the cooking of the meat itself will take over 5 hours on very low heat. After which, it need to rest for at least 2 hours before I send them out for tomorrow's lunch delivery.
D. Most importantly, we are a home kitchen and not a restaurant, wherein the half prepared food is cooked from days in advance.
E. Everything is cooked from scratch.

So, typically, for a weekend menu, details are sent out out on a Monday with a cut-off day for Wednesday evening. A last-minute order on a Friday very often is declined.

21/11/2023

Nothing beats a Punjabi style Kadhi Chawal for a Tuesday vegetarian lunch.

Orders that went out early this morning. 😊

05/11/2023

Gur'er Sandesh, a favourite Bengali mishti made at Spices and Friends.

These fish shaped ones weigh 250gms each and make the perfect gifts, too.

Call us on 9136043005 to place your orders, and we will deliver them to you anywhere in Mumbai.

For orders outside Mumbai, you may place your orders on JustMyRoots

Photograph by Chirodeep Chaudhuri

04/11/2023

And then this happened at a local snack joint in the Kurseong market.

Since, this was my first trip to Darjeeling (and Kurseong), my checklist had a few much talked about eateries, namely, Keventer’s and Glenary’s.
Keventers’ was lovely! Every single thing we ate was super tasty and between the 4 of us, we ate a LOT. It really was the perfect Brunch! 8/10

Cannot say the same about Glenarys’ though. Food was strictly average and all HYPE. Oddly expensive! It was like picking up desserts from a fancy bakery in Bombay. The ambience was great, though. Coffee terrible! 3/10

A little more of a walk and we stopped for tea at a pretty café. But it had a warmer ambience & better service. 7/10

On my next trip, I’d definitely like to stay at Darjeeling for at least 2 days, and try out the rest of the smaller eateries - starting out with breakfast.

Keventers Darjeeling

03/11/2023

Getting noticed by the favourite brand in the world definitely makes one smile. 😊

It's Diwali time, and Cadbury Celebrations has chosen to feature Spices and Friends on their online food store until the 12th November '23.

Give us a call on 9136043005 prebook your Diwali hampers and/or a catering for your house parties.
(Only in Mumbai/Navi Mumbai and Thane)


Cadbury Joy Deliveries

02/11/2023

🪔DIWALI CELEBRATIONS🪔

Let's celebrate the auspicious occasion of Diwali together. We have our classics and two new desserts for you this season.

CALL US ON 9136043005

Pre-order your gift boxes soon.
1. Lobongo Lotika
Box of 8pcs
Box of 12pcs

2. Gur'er Sandesh
Box of 10pcs

3. Apple Pie x 1
Serves 6

4. Classic Lemon Pie x 1
Serves 6

5. Caramel Cashew Crunch Pie x 1
Serves 6

Please place your orders by Tuesday, 7 November.
All deliveries on 10th and 11 November.
*Delivery charges as per actuals.
*Only in
*Orders confirmed on advance payment only.

Thank you for your continuous support and wishing you an abundance of happiness this season and all year through. 🙏🏼

“Spices and Friends” is a personalised delicious home-made food service.

01/11/2023

I LOVE freshly baked products and confectionery. So, at Glenary’s I was happy to see the array of desserts and savoury treats all neatly laid out, with ‘made on’ and ‘eat by’ dates mentioned. Perfect. Being gluttony, I filled out trays with one of almost everything there was, cream rolls, muffins, quiches, cheesecakes, pastries. AND tea cakes for back home, to eat with our hot cups of Makaibari tea in the evening.

Between the 4 of us, we were hugely disappointed with ALL of the items. While fresh, the food lacked a taste that lingers on in your mouth. Two bites from each is all we managed. Rest sadly wasted. Back home, the tea cakes were opened, which were ummm not bad but not great either. I’ve definitely had better and I MAKE/BAKE much better. So, for me Glenary’s got a 3/10.

TWO days later, while walking the markets at Kurseong I kept an eye out for local bakeries and stumbled upon one, namely, ALIM SALIM BAKERY, that ‘spoke to me’. Turns out it is actually one of the best and popular. No, It wasn’t fancy and all la di da … just another shop in a busy market. But the aroma did me in. Carefully I first asked to try some cookies … yummm. And made my call. I picked up fresh breads, cookies, cakes and oh! the cream roll! Every item was 10 times better than at Glenary’s.

Some of us never give the smaller places a chance and especially now since it’s all about instagrammable food. Go for it. Go LOCAL. I always prefer it.

Photographed by Manzar Khan

31/10/2023

I LOVE MY TEA

With family visiting us from Kurseong, I’ve had a chance to enjoy Makaibari tea for the past few decades now. So, while there, it was a must to visit the Tea Gardens.

While there, we managed a splendid tour of the place. The guide, Laltu insisted on the factory tour to understand the stages of the tea sifting and manufacturing process first before a visit to the gardens to watch the plucking of leaves, answering our every question in great detail.

On reaching the gardens, I was in awe for the ladies I must say, were incredibly nimble - some being rather elderly! Very sweetly, they let me carry their baskets and of course me being me, I stumbled and dropped it. It wasn’t heavy, I was super clumsy! Apologetically, I helped gather their hard labour back into the basket. Once I got a hang of it, plucking leaves from one shrub in roughly 15 minutes seemed like a big feat achieved, until I realised, that these hard working ladies are there everyday from 8am scouring over a vast patch and by 3pm, their respective baskets are taken to be weighed. Who would have thought the daily wage earners, they get paid as per the weight brought in? Back at the factory, the process starts almost immediately, for even an extra hour wasted, the leaves could easily fall off the premium segment.

So, the next time you have your cup of Darjeeling tea, savour it … for every leaf has carefully been handpicked for you.

28/10/2023

The Chicken Burst Pizza at (Bird Box Bistro Café) is so so good. One of the best pizzas I've had.
It's made from scratch from when you place the order. But what's the hurry, especially when there's a chilled glass of beer, meeting friends and listening to some great music.

Make it a point to visit the café the next time you're in Kurseong and travelling towards Darjeeling.

BIRD BOX BISTRO CAFÉ is near the prabhat petrol station.

28/10/2023

When in Kurseong/Darjeeling eat LOCAL.

And that is pretty much what we gorged on during our trip early this month. Organic and different types of leafy vegetables, momos, noodles, pork, chicken, accompanied with a side of pickle.

And might I add, if you can take the heat ... a must try is the Dalle Khursani Red chillies. I was forewarned by the family where we were staying (Mona and Aunty) that IT IS HOT! CAREFUL!!
That said, I had to try it. So I had a teeny weeny bite of a raw chilli. BOOM ... they weren't wrong is all I can say. 😁😆
However, I absolutely loved the aroma and by the end of our travels, I had a bit of the pickle almost with all my food, when at home. I even brought some back to Bombay. 😊😀

27/10/2023

When at Durga Pujo, we Bengalis first think of food.
Rightly so.
All year we wait to have bhog from different places and then gorge away in the evenings with Fish Fry, Biryani and Rolls.

And that's exactly what we did this time around, too.

Until next year, Shubho Bijoya and have a great year!

PS: Don't forget to call on us for your favourite Bengali meals at 9136043005.