Jasmine Fried Rice first showed up in my kitchen after a friend brought back a bag of jasmine rice from Thailand and I wanted to do something different with it. …

Chicken Salna showed up on my table after I kept ordering it with parotta at a local spot near my office. The gravy had this thick, pale brown coating that …

Kashmiri Mutton Biryani is the recipe I turn to when I want the house to smell like celebration. I first tasted this style of biryani at a neighbour’s Eid lunch …

Mangalore Bun is one of those breakfast treats I first tasted at a Udupi restaurant in Bangalore, where it came alongside a bowl of coconut chutney and potato sagu. I …

Mutton and Vegetable Korma is the kind of dish my mother-in-law made on winter Sundays when the whole family gathered. She would start early, around nine in the morning, and …

Baked Cauliflower in Cheese Sauce is one of those recipes my mother used to make for Sunday lunches when we had guests who did not eat much spice. She would …

Mutton Egg Chops showed up at my cousin’s birthday party a few years back, and I kept going back to the platter until someone finally wrote down the recipe for …

Toasty Paneer Sandwich became a weekend staple in my house after I moved into a small flat with just a two-burner stove and a sandwich toaster. I needed something that …

Lamb Do Piaza is the first dish I learned to cook when I wanted to move beyond one-pot curries. My aunt made it every year for Eid, and I remember …

Flaky Paratha is something my aunt used to make for Sunday breakfast when we visited her in Pune. She would roll out the dough the night before, stack the squares …

Degchi Biryani is what my mother in law taught me during my first Eid at their home in Hyderabad. She used an old aluminum degchi that had cooked a hundred …

Duck Curry with Coconut Milk is a dish I learned from my mother in law during my first visit to Kerala. She made it for Sunday lunch, and I remember …

Carrot Sambar became a regular in my kitchen after I realized I could make a proper South Indian meal without needing six different vegetables prepped and ready. My grandmother always …

Banana and Cinnamon Muffins became a weekend staple in my kitchen after I needed something quick for unexpected guests one Saturday morning. I had overripe bananas on the counter and …

Layered Chocolate Cake became my default party cake after a friend served it at her daughter’s birthday and I pestered her for the recipe. I was surprised by how simple …

Erachi Urundai (Mutton Balls) showed up at nearly every family gathering when I was growing up, always disappearing faster than anything else on the table. My aunt would make them …

Chettinad Chicken is one of those recipes I keep making because it delivers big flavor without asking for much. I first tasted it at a friend’s place in Bangalore years …

Stir Fried Mutton Podimas is something I started making after tasting a similar dish at a friend’s place in Chennai. She made it with leftover dal from the previous night, …

Bharwan Tangri (Stuffed Tandoori Drumsticks) is a dish I started making after a friend served it at a small birthday gathering years ago. I remember biting into the drumstick and …

Key Highlights Chhattisgarh cuisine is built around rice, lentils, and locally sourced ingredients, making it simple yet highly nutritious. The food focuses on light cooking methods like steaming and fermentation …

Dahi ki Kadhi is the recipe I turn to when I have leftover curd that has turned too sour for eating plain. My mother used to make this on rainy …