Mallika Basu
@mallikabasu.bsky.social
Recipes with spice and flavour, musings on food, people and planet from a food writer, presenter, adviser.
Planet-friendlier features in Good Food Mag
Substack: In Good Taste
2 x Cookbooks
youtube.com/mallikabasu
Planet-friendlier features in Good Food Mag
Substack: In Good Taste
2 x Cookbooks
youtube.com/mallikabasu
In pleasing climate action news, a rarity, Immediate Media Company hosted a thought provoking and packed out Climate Action Day recently for their teams with practical sessions, tips and intel. They have an audience of some 21m so this is good stuff. If you ever get to hear Clover Hogan, do
May 2, 2025 at 8:07 AM
In pleasing climate action news, a rarity, Immediate Media Company hosted a thought provoking and packed out Climate Action Day recently for their teams with practical sessions, tips and intel. They have an audience of some 21m so this is good stuff. If you ever get to hear Clover Hogan, do
Really enjoyed this podcast on social and gender inequity in food conversations from Table. We need to cook and eat more “real”food. Who do we think is going to shoulder this burden? open.spotify.com/episode/1PTM...
TikTok masculinity and the Tradwife (with Feminist Food Journal)
Feed: a food systems podcast · Episode
open.spotify.com
April 6, 2025 at 9:07 AM
Really enjoyed this podcast on social and gender inequity in food conversations from Table. We need to cook and eat more “real”food. Who do we think is going to shoulder this burden? open.spotify.com/episode/1PTM...
Reposted by Mallika Basu
Can we launch a class-action lawsuit against recipes that say "30 minutes preparation time!", then leave you - two hours later - a broken-down ruin, standing in the burning rubble of the kitchen, practically wearing the contents of the fridge?
April 4, 2025 at 10:42 AM
Can we launch a class-action lawsuit against recipes that say "30 minutes preparation time!", then leave you - two hours later - a broken-down ruin, standing in the burning rubble of the kitchen, practically wearing the contents of the fridge?
I’ve been plotting with the adult learning team at @britishlibrary.bsky.social and went in yesterday to check in with my partner in crime there Katy Jackson for some four years now (also known as “client” in polite circles). A glorious day for it and I can’t wait to tell you more
April 1, 2025 at 11:43 AM
I’ve been plotting with the adult learning team at @britishlibrary.bsky.social and went in yesterday to check in with my partner in crime there Katy Jackson for some four years now (also known as “client” in polite circles). A glorious day for it and I can’t wait to tell you more
Eid Mubarak! Felt like an apt day to celebrate the contribution of Mughals to the Indian Subcontinent yesterday at the V&A Great Mughals exhibition with mum and sis. Worth a visit! Did you know the word moguls was inspired by them? (That’s an atashpan used to live cook meats at royal banquets btw)
March 31, 2025 at 8:45 AM
Eid Mubarak! Felt like an apt day to celebrate the contribution of Mughals to the Indian Subcontinent yesterday at the V&A Great Mughals exhibition with mum and sis. Worth a visit! Did you know the word moguls was inspired by them? (That’s an atashpan used to live cook meats at royal banquets btw)
Reposted by Mallika Basu
My book is called ‘MANDALAY: Recipes & Tales from a Burmese Kitchen’ because Mandalay is where my heart lies.
My father and my brothers were all born in Mandalay, and my parents met at Mandalay Medical School.
My tastes, my food, my vocabulary are that of a Mandalay-thu (မန္တလေးသူ - ‘Mandalayan’).
My father and my brothers were all born in Mandalay, and my parents met at Mandalay Medical School.
My tastes, my food, my vocabulary are that of a Mandalay-thu (မန္တလေးသူ - ‘Mandalayan’).
March 30, 2025 at 9:37 PM
My book is called ‘MANDALAY: Recipes & Tales from a Burmese Kitchen’ because Mandalay is where my heart lies.
My father and my brothers were all born in Mandalay, and my parents met at Mandalay Medical School.
My tastes, my food, my vocabulary are that of a Mandalay-thu (မန္တလေးသူ - ‘Mandalayan’).
My father and my brothers were all born in Mandalay, and my parents met at Mandalay Medical School.
My tastes, my food, my vocabulary are that of a Mandalay-thu (မန္တလေးသူ - ‘Mandalayan’).
“Climate breakdown is the mutant offspring of European scientific racism and colonialism, conceived in the suffering millions of Africans, Asians and Indigenous Americans endured at the altar of capital accumulation.”
This is now going on my reading list: www.theguardian.com/news/2025/ma...
This is now going on my reading list: www.theguardian.com/news/2025/ma...
Dark Laboratory: groundbreaking book argues climate crisis was sparked by colonisation
Tao Leigh Goffe argues climate breakdown is the mutant offspring of European scientific racism and colonialism
www.theguardian.com
March 29, 2025 at 9:26 AM
“Climate breakdown is the mutant offspring of European scientific racism and colonialism, conceived in the suffering millions of Africans, Asians and Indigenous Americans endured at the altar of capital accumulation.”
This is now going on my reading list: www.theguardian.com/news/2025/ma...
This is now going on my reading list: www.theguardian.com/news/2025/ma...
Reposted by Mallika Basu
And one of the kedgerees mentioned is by Bury's own Bay Tree Cafe!
Describe your perfect weekend brunch in one pic. Mine is kedgeree. I wrote a deep dive on it for the latest issue of National Geographic with my perfect recipe and best places to eat it in the UK too! Home made curry powder makes all the difference
March 23, 2025 at 4:45 PM
And one of the kedgerees mentioned is by Bury's own Bay Tree Cafe!
Describe your perfect weekend brunch in one pic. Mine is kedgeree. I wrote a deep dive on it for the latest issue of National Geographic with my perfect recipe and best places to eat it in the UK too! Home made curry powder makes all the difference
March 23, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Describe your perfect weekend brunch in one pic. Mine is kedgeree. I wrote a deep dive on it for the latest issue of National Geographic with my perfect recipe and best places to eat it in the UK too! Home made curry powder makes all the difference
There is a soil exhibition on at Somerset House and it’s worth a visit. Lots of absorbing digital installations, photography, video and sculptural work
March 7, 2025 at 8:25 AM
There is a soil exhibition on at Somerset House and it’s worth a visit. Lots of absorbing digital installations, photography, video and sculptural work
This piece has blown my mind. What do Italians here make of Grandi, please? www.bbc.co.uk/travel/artic...
Is there no such thing as Italian cuisine?
Italian cuisine may be one of the most recognised and loved in the world. But now, a food historian is arguing that the Italian food as we know it is barely a few decades old.
www.bbc.co.uk
March 4, 2025 at 7:33 PM
This piece has blown my mind. What do Italians here make of Grandi, please? www.bbc.co.uk/travel/artic...
In recovery mode from cooking this lunch for my outlaws (former in laws). Citrus, honey roast chicken with Zaa’tar, roast potatoes, oat and buckwheat apple crumble and a random salad with an equally random dressing pulled together last minute because a I ran out of time! Roll on Monday
February 23, 2025 at 8:09 PM
In recovery mode from cooking this lunch for my outlaws (former in laws). Citrus, honey roast chicken with Zaa’tar, roast potatoes, oat and buckwheat apple crumble and a random salad with an equally random dressing pulled together last minute because a I ran out of time! Roll on Monday
I’ve written free to access in depth pieces about cultural appropriation, racism in food TV, the disconnect between food and farming etc on my Substack. I wrote one about air fryers and it’s become my most successful in 3 years 🤷🏽♀️. If you fancy a read, it’s here: open.substack.com/pub/mallikab...
The honest truth about airfryers
And fresh new beginnings
open.substack.com
February 23, 2025 at 4:49 PM
I’ve written free to access in depth pieces about cultural appropriation, racism in food TV, the disconnect between food and farming etc on my Substack. I wrote one about air fryers and it’s become my most successful in 3 years 🤷🏽♀️. If you fancy a read, it’s here: open.substack.com/pub/mallikab...
I really needed to see this today
Just a reminder that it’s ok to unplug from socials and email today. Or tomorrow. Or whenever. And definitely as often as possible
Take some time to rest and touch grass!
(image from computerlovesrecords on IG)
Take some time to rest and touch grass!
(image from computerlovesrecords on IG)
February 23, 2025 at 4:46 PM
I really needed to see this today
My 1st planet friendlier feature for Good Food Magazine was on beans and pulses and it’s now online, if you fancy a read: www.bbcgoodfood.com/sustainabili...
6 reasons to eat more beans and pulses
Mallika Basu explains why you should get over your ‘beans hesitancy’ to improve your diet, navigate the cost-of-living crisis and fight climate change
www.bbcgoodfood.com
February 22, 2025 at 11:52 AM
My 1st planet friendlier feature for Good Food Magazine was on beans and pulses and it’s now online, if you fancy a read: www.bbcgoodfood.com/sustainabili...
This just arrived! Vegetable-forward recipes from Eastern Europe by Alissa Timoshkina. It’s beautiful and I love how the contents page and vegetables are so accessible.
February 18, 2025 at 11:54 AM
This just arrived! Vegetable-forward recipes from Eastern Europe by Alissa Timoshkina. It’s beautiful and I love how the contents page and vegetables are so accessible.
If you fancy another longer read with your cuppa I wrote about how to banish bean hesitancy and shared my (controversial) opinion that meal planning doesn’t work: open.substack.com/pub/mallikab...
Banish bean hesitancy...
...And embrace meal thinking
open.substack.com
February 17, 2025 at 10:08 AM
If you fancy another longer read with your cuppa I wrote about how to banish bean hesitancy and shared my (controversial) opinion that meal planning doesn’t work: open.substack.com/pub/mallikab...
Great read to kick Monday off
The world produces more than enough #food to feed everyone.
Yet it is shamefully misallocated.
BigAg firms make more profit by exporting food for animal feed, biofuels, or ultra-processed foods, than selling it to poor people. 1/3 of all food is simply wasted.
ipes-food.org/only-politic...
Yet it is shamefully misallocated.
BigAg firms make more profit by exporting food for animal feed, biofuels, or ultra-processed foods, than selling it to poor people. 1/3 of all food is simply wasted.
ipes-food.org/only-politic...
Only politics can end world hunger - IPES-Food
"Hunger persists because we allow injustice to endure. Food isn’t scarce but many people can’t access it.” To give people access to food, we must confront power & inequality.
ipes-food.org
February 17, 2025 at 9:55 AM
Great read to kick Monday off
I buy myself flowers every V Day, alone for the sixth year. Don’t bother this year because last year’s dried flower arrangement is still going strong. Better to be alone than badly accompanied methinks. Hope none of my ex’s are on here!
February 14, 2025 at 1:20 PM
I buy myself flowers every V Day, alone for the sixth year. Don’t bother this year because last year’s dried flower arrangement is still going strong. Better to be alone than badly accompanied methinks. Hope none of my ex’s are on here!
Is anyone avoiding eating salmon? I’ve seen the Wildfish report this week and wondering if I should write a post about what’s going on with Scottish Salmon and why so many food writers are avoiding it entirely. Would welcome your thoughts!
February 13, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Is anyone avoiding eating salmon? I’ve seen the Wildfish report this week and wondering if I should write a post about what’s going on with Scottish Salmon and why so many food writers are avoiding it entirely. Would welcome your thoughts!
If anyone needs a cheery meal also designed to clear any germs, bugs and sinus I went to Sambal Shiok and it is still excellent. The mango pudding was a refreshing end to the meal. I first met Mandy nine years ago when she did a pop up in Soho! Not sure where that time went
February 10, 2025 at 6:01 PM
If anyone needs a cheery meal also designed to clear any germs, bugs and sinus I went to Sambal Shiok and it is still excellent. The mango pudding was a refreshing end to the meal. I first met Mandy nine years ago when she did a pop up in Soho! Not sure where that time went
Just emerging from a long lunch with the family. I cooked Raan, roast leg of lamb, fenugreek and spinach dal, biryani style rice and Ren Behan’s Polish stonefruit bake with apples. Tired but happy, and full!
February 9, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Just emerging from a long lunch with the family. I cooked Raan, roast leg of lamb, fenugreek and spinach dal, biryani style rice and Ren Behan’s Polish stonefruit bake with apples. Tired but happy, and full!
Reposted by Mallika Basu
Just saw someone saying “please share so I can have more followers so I can finally stop posting on Twitter where I have a lot of followers”
May I suggest two simple steps to achieve this,
1. Stop posting there and delete your account there
2. Post here
May I suggest two simple steps to achieve this,
1. Stop posting there and delete your account there
2. Post here
February 8, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Just saw someone saying “please share so I can have more followers so I can finally stop posting on Twitter where I have a lot of followers”
May I suggest two simple steps to achieve this,
1. Stop posting there and delete your account there
2. Post here
May I suggest two simple steps to achieve this,
1. Stop posting there and delete your account there
2. Post here
Really liked this. So much doom, gloom and futility, but African Philosophy highlights complementarity: “Complementarity holds that the relationships that unite individual things can extend to prove the value of every contribution, no matter its size”
Your choices influence others. Changes you make for the climate are acts of solidarity.
Why personal climate action matters – according to experts
Your choices influence others. Changes you make for the climate are acts of solidarity.
tcnv.link
February 8, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Really liked this. So much doom, gloom and futility, but African Philosophy highlights complementarity: “Complementarity holds that the relationships that unite individual things can extend to prove the value of every contribution, no matter its size”