It’s 7:30 on a Tuesday. The dal is good tonight, you know it is, you tasted it twice while it simmered. The rice is soft, the way your daughter likes …

Keema Chapati entered my life through a college friend whose mother used to pack them for long train journeys. They would arrive wrapped in foil, still faintly warm, and they …

Beetroot Chops were not a success the first time I made them. The filling was too wet, the coating slipped off in the oil, and what came out of the …

Black Bean and Spinach Tacos have become one of those meals I reach for when I am tired, the fridge is half empty, and I genuinely cannot decide what to …

Mango Lassi is the drink I make when the temperature climbs past bearable and I cannot face standing over a stove. That is the honest reason it comes up so …

Udipi Saaru has been a point of quiet debate between my husband and me since we first made it together. He grew up eating the version his aunt made in …

Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream is the recipe I kept coming back to every summer, even when I told myself I would try something new. There is a particular craving this …

Chettinad Lamb Bone Sambar is one of those dishes I started making because of a meal I had at a colleague’s home years ago. She was from Karaikudi, and she …

Spinach Croquettes were something I kept getting wrong before I finally landed on this version. The first two times I made them, the filling was too wet and the croquettes …

Chicken Tortilla Soup became a regular in my kitchen because my husband kept requesting it every time I had leftover rotisserie chicken sitting in the fridge. At first I made …

Rava Besan Laddoo has quietly caused arguments in my family for years. My mother insists the rava should go in first and cook longer, while my aunt swears that adding …

Peanut Chutney is one of those recipes that I keep coming back to not because it is impressive, but because it is fast and I almost always have the ingredients. …

Egg Kara Kuzhambu is one of those recipes I kept coming back to on evenings when I wanted something sharp and satisfying but did not want to spend an hour …

Akkaravadisal is one of those recipes I got completely wrong the first time I made it. I added the jaggery directly into the hot milk and rice without straining it …

Paneer Popcorn was not something I landed on correctly the first time. My earliest attempt had a coating that slipped right off in the oil — the batter was too …

Paneer Naan was the first yeasted dough I ever completely ruined. I used water that was too hot, killed the yeast before it had a chance, and ended up with …

Chicken with Pineapple sounds straightforward until the first time you make it and realise the coating has turned into a thick, gluey mess because the oil was not hot enough. …

Coconut Jam Drops are one of those biscuits that people argue about in the nicest possible way. My neighbour Sheela swears you should roll the balls in coconut before the …

Potli Tikka came into my regular cooking life because a close friend kept asking me to make something “different” for his birthday dinner – not a biryani, not a standard …

Curried Stuffed Peppers is one of those recipes I kept coming back to just because the craving for it would not leave me alone. There is something about tamarind simmering …

Lamb Koftas in a Spicy Sauce was the recipe I nearly abandoned after the first two tries. Both times, the koftas fell apart in the sauce. I kept stirring too …