Paruppu Urundai Rasam was something my aunt made whenever we visited during the monsoons, and I remember thinking it was strange at first to eat rasam with little solid things …

Oven-Baked Fish and Chips became a regular dinner at home after I got tired of ordering greasy takeout that always arrived lukewarm. I wanted that crispy batter and soft flaky …

Chicken Cutlet is something I started making when my daughter began asking for non-vegetarian snacks that were not just fried chicken pieces. She wanted something she could pack in her …

Pirandai Kuzhambu is something I started making after my aunt sent me a bag of fresh pirandai from her backyard. She told me it was good for joint pain and …

Bengali Fish Fingers came into my life when I was trying to get my seven-year-old nephew to eat something other than chicken nuggets during a visit. I had fresh basa …

Tawa Pulao is what I started making when I got tired of leftover rice sitting in the fridge with no clear purpose. I first tasted it at a roadside stall …

Honey Soy Chicken Wings came into my rotation after a neighbour brought over a version she made with shop bought sauce. I wanted the same sticky sweetness but with less …

Grilled Paneer came into my regular rotation after a potluck where someone brought plain fried paneer that tasted like nothing. I decided to make a version at home that had …

Orange Peel Rasam is not something my mother made, but it is something I started experimenting with after noticing how much citrus peel I was discarding every winter. A neighbor …

Soya Manchurian became a regular in my kitchen after I tasted a version at a small Indo-Chinese spot near my college. The texture stuck with me, that contrast between the …

Grilled Vegetable Sandwich became a regular in my house after I tried to use up some leftover sun-dried tomatoes and ended up making something my daughter asked for three days …

Mutton Kofta is the dish my mother-in-law made every year on my husband’s birthday, and after watching her a few times, I started making it myself. She always said the …

Sagalay (Stuffed Brinjal Poriyal) is something I learnt from my aunt during a summer visit to her home in Palakkad. She made it on a weeknight without much fuss, and …

Egg Kurma is one of those recipes I started making when I needed a break from the usual egg curry rotation but still wanted something that paired well with rice. …

Tomato Kurma showed up on my table the first time my neighbor brought it over during a small puja gathering at home. She had made it to go with string …

Chicken with Potato Straws (Sali ma Murg) is a Parsi dish I first ate at a friend’s wedding years ago. The combination of crispy potato straws piled over tender chicken …

Paneer Makhana Curry is one of those recipes I started making when I wanted to use up makhana that had been sitting in my pantry for months. My mother-in-law always …

Pizza Dosa is one of those recipes that makes everyone at the table sit up a little straighter. It takes the familiar crispy base of a dosa and loads it …

Spinach Soup is one of those recipes that feels fancy but comes together quickly on a weeknight. The spinach gets blanched first to keep its bright green color, then blended …

Chocolate Brownie Cake is one of those recipes that feels a bit magical because it starts on the stovetop rather than in a mixing bowl. You melt butter, sugars, and …

Masala Papad is one of those recipes that feels almost too easy to be this good. You start with thin lentil wafers called papads, fry or roast them until they …