Lamb Tikka showed up in my kitchen after a visit to a friend’s place in Lucknow, where her mother served this as a weeknight dinner, not a special occasion thing. …

Chicken and Avocado Baguette started showing up in my kitchen after a trip to a café in Bandra where they served something similar, only it cost far too much for …

Vangi Bath is one of those recipes I learned from my aunt during a summer visit to Bangalore, and I still make it her way. She would fry the masala …

Soft cubes of paneer are simmered in a rich, buttery tomato gravy to create this classic paneer butter masala. The smooth, creamy sauce is gently spiced and balanced with a …

Punjabi Chicken Masala is the dish I turn to when I want something that tastes like it took effort but does not actually demand much attention. I first made this …

Green Banana Curry showed up at my house the first time my mother in law visited after I got married. She made it without a recipe, frying the bananas in …

Homemade Frankie became a regular in my kitchen after a college trip to Mumbai where I first tasted one from a roadside stall near the Gateway of India. The vendor …

Luqmi came into my kitchen through my neighbour, who would bring a plateful wrapped in foil every Ramadan. I finally asked for the recipe after the third year of hinting. …

Kashmiri Pulao first showed up at my table during a family wedding lunch, and I remember thinking it was odd to see grapes sitting on top of rice. But that …

Ariselu always remind me of my aunt’s kitchen during Sankranti, when she would line steel tins with these golden discs and hand them out to neighbors. I started making them …

Parda Tandoori Murgh is one of those recipes I kept seeing in old Mughlai cookbooks but never tried until a friend served it at a dinner party years ago. The …

Cauliflower and Pasta Soup became a regular in my kitchen after a particularly cold January when I needed something warm that did not require a trip to the market for …

Stuffed Tomato Curry is one of those recipes my mother in law taught me during my first Diwali at her house, when I was still nervously trying to prove I …

Konkani Masala Pomfret came into my kitchen through a neighbour who grew up in Mangalore and made this every other Friday. She would roast the coconut and spices until the …

Coconut Chicken Curry became a regular in my kitchen after I tried a version at a friend’s place in Kerala. She used drumsticks instead of boneless pieces, and the difference …

Jewel Prawns showed up at a small Chinese restaurant near my college, tucked into a corner where we would go for end of semester treats. The prawns were always plump …

Chicken Noodles with Hoisin Sauce is something I started making on weeknights when I wanted the flavours of takeout without the wait or the oil. I first tried a version …

Sweet and Sour Vegetables became a weeknight regular for me after I kept ordering it at a small Indo-Chinese place near my college. I finally asked the cook there what …

Bengali Fish Curry is one of those dishes I started making after spending a summer at my aunt’s place in Kolkata. She would make a version of this every Sunday, …

Egg Manchurian came into my kitchen through a neighbour who used to make it for potlucks, and I was always curious about how she got those perfect little egg cubes …

Paneer Khurchan showed up in my kitchen rotation after a small dhaba meal in Amritsar, where the cook scraped the kadhai sides to mix the charred masala bits back into …