Welcome, 2025!

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“And now we welcome the new year full of things that have never been.” – Rilke

Happy New Year! Let us head into the coming year with wonder, hope, and possibilities – moving towards the best version of ourselves that we can dream of.


This is not a call for perfection but, rather, an invitation to kindness. We need to accept the beauty that is within us and in other people and treat ourselves, and others, with kindness, respect, and compassion. If we’re doing something that is disrespectful to others, or disrespectful to the best version of ourselves, in most cases we have the power within to stop.
By choosing kindness, compassion, and respect at every step of the way, we will find our way down the path we should be on, ready to welcome a new year full of things that have never been.

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Shakunthala’s Potato Bhaji Recipe

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Over the past few years, our new family tradition has been to gather on New Year’s Day and make pooris and potatoes, while working on a jigsaw puzzle all day. Pooris are a puffy, deep-fried Indian flat bread and they taste especially good with a spicy, tangy, potato curry. It is one of my favorite meals and my mother made it for almost all of my childhood birthdays!

My mom is such an amazing cook that I wanted to share her recipe for these potatoes with you all, in case you would also like to try making some! So, without further ado, here’s the recipe to Shakunthala’s Potato Bhaji:

POTATO BHAJI

INGREDIENTS

3 medium Russet potatoes cooked in water with skin. Remove skin after it is cooked and 

coarsely mash. 

1 medium yellow onion, chopped 

1 teaspoon black mustard 

1 teaspoon of urad dal 

2 whole dry red chilies 

2 hot green chili peppers, split

5-6 curry leaves 

1 inch fresh ginger finely chopped 

1⁄2 teaspoon turmeric powder 

1 tablespoon lemon juice 

Salt to taste 

2-3 Tablespoon vegetable oil 

2 tablespoon cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped 

1 cup water 

STEPS

Step 1: Heat oil in a wide pan and first add mustard and when it pops, add urad dal, dry red chilies, green chilies, curry leaves, ginger, onion, turmeric powder, and salt continuing to sauté until the onion becomes translucent. 

Step 2: Add water and lemon juice and bring it to boil, then add potato and cilantro while mixing well until it is thick and loose. Transfer to serving dish and enjoy!

And here’s what pooris look like! If you don’t feel like making pooris, you can also enjoy these potatoes with rice or stuffed into a tortilla!

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