Shrikhand Recipe | Gujarat’s Saffron-Cardamom Sweetened Hung Curd Dessert
Shrikhand is the the kind of dessert that needs almost no cooking, just patience and good curd, which somehow makes it feel more special. It’s one of my favourite deserts. It’s easy to make and yummy. What is Shrikhand? Shrikhand is a sweetened dessert made from hung curd (curd with the whey strained out), flavored […]
Gulab Jamun Recipe | India’s Classic Deep-Fried Milk Dumplings in Sugar Syrup
No Indian celebration feels complete without a plate of warm, syrup-soaked gulab jamuns making the rounds. I still remember the first time I made these from scratch instead of using the instant mix, the moment they turned that perfect deep golden-brown and puffed up in the syrup, I felt like I’d cracked a secret code. […]
Puran Poli Recipe | Maharashtra’s Festive Sweet Stuffed Flatbread
My mother says, a kitchen doesn’t smell like a celebration until it’s filled with the scent of jaggery and cardamom cooking down together. I used to think it looked complicated from the outside, but once she showed me her trick for rolling it, I realized it’s more patience than skill. What is Puran Poli? Puran […]
Motichoor Ladoo Recipe
My aunt makes motichoor ladoo every year for Raksha Bandhan, and the smell of ghee and cardamom hitting the boondi batter is basically the sound of Rakhi morning in our house. She always says the secret isn’t the sugar syrup, it’s keeping the boondi tiny and the ghee hot, and after years of watching her […]
Ghevar Recipe | Rajasthan’s Iconic Disc-Shaped Teej Sweet
The first time I watched my friend’s mom make ghevar in her Jodhpur kitchen, I was convinced she was doing something wrong. She poured a thin, watery batter into hot ghee a ladle at a time, and it hissed and bubbled into a lacy, honeycombed disc right before my eyes. That mix of nervousness and […]
Ada Pradhaman Recipe | Kerala’s Festive Onam Payasam with Rice Ada and Jaggery
Ada Pradhaman is a beloved traditional dessert from Kerala, made with rice ada, jaggery and coconut milk, and finished with ghee-roasted cashews, raisins and coconut. It is especially famous as part of the Onam Sadya, where it is served as a festive dessert after the elaborate vegetarian feast. It is also prepared during Vishu, weddings and other special […]
Kaju Katli Recipe | Rakhi Special Cashew Diamond Fudge
Every Raksha Bandhan, my brother’s first question isn’t about the rakhi, it’s whether I’ve made kaju katli yet. There’s something about that thin, diamond-cut cashew fudge with its silver shimmer that makes any occasion feel festive. It looks like it took hours of work, but once you know the trick, it comes together in one […]
Moong Dal Halwa Recipe | Rajasthan’s Rich Festive Lentil Pudding
My grandmother would start stirring the moong dal halwa an hour before anyone was even hungry, standing by the stove until her arm ached and the whole house smelled like roasted ghee. It’s not a quick dessert, but every slow minute of stirring is what makes it taste like nothing else. What is Moong Dal […]
Makhana Kheer Recipe | Janmashtami Special Fox Nut Pudding
With Janmashtami just around the corner, my kitchen has already started smelling like cardamom and warm milk. Makhana kheer is one of the first things I make for the festival — it comes together quickly, feels indulgent, and is exactly the kind of prasad that disappears within minutes of being offered. If you’ve never cooked […]
Besan Ladoo Recipe | Easy Rakhi Special Gram Flour Sweets
Growing up, the week before Raksha Bandhan always smelled like roasted besan in our house – my mother would stand at the stove for what felt like forever, stirring gram flour in ghee until the whole kitchen turned warm and nutty. She’d let me roll the ladoos once they cooled just enough to handle, and […]