Dal Baati Churma Recipe | Rajasthan’s Iconic Wheat Dumplings with Lentils
The first time I had real Dal Baati Churma was at a roadside dhaba somewhere between Jaipur and Udaipur, where the baatis were roasted over coal until they cracked when you pressed them. I have been trying to recreate that smoky crust in my own oven ever since, and while it is never quite the […]
Pav Bhaji Recipe | Mumbai’s Buttery Vegetable Mash with Pav
There’s nothing quite like standing at a Mumbai street cart on a rainy evening, watching a mountain of butter melt into a sizzling pan of mashed vegetables while someone toasts soft pav on the side. The smell alone pulls you in before you’ve even ordered. This is my home version of that same magic.. buttery, […]
Palak Paneer Recipe | Creamy North Indian Spinach and Cottage Cheese Curry
Every time I make palak paneer at home, my kitchen smells like the winters at my nani’s house in Delhi, where a big kadhai of spinach curry was almost always simmering on the stove. It’s one of those recipes that looks fancy enough for guests but is honestly so simple that I make it on […]
Dal Khichdi
What is Khichdi? Khichdi is a wholesome and comforting one-pot meal made from a combination of rice and lentils. It is a popular dish in Indian cuisine and is known for its simplicity and nourishing properties. Dal Khichdi is easy to prepare and is often considered a comfort food, especially during times of illness or […]
Rajma Recipe | Punjabi Rajma Masala with Kidney Beans
Rajma Recipe | Punjabi Rajma Chawal at Home Rajma chawal is comfort food in its purest form for a lot of North Indian households, and once you’ve got the basic technique down, it’s genuinely hard to go back to store-bought or restaurant versions. What is Rajma? Rajma refers to red kidney beans, and Rajma Masala […]
Sambar Recipe | South Indian Lentil & Vegetable Stew
Every time I make sambar at home, the smell of mustard seeds crackling in hot ghee and curry leaves hitting the pan takes me straight back to my aunt’s kitchen in Chennai, where a pot of this fragrant lentil stew was always simmering on the stove. It is the kind of dish that instantly makes […]
Bisi Bele Bath Recipe | Karnataka’s Comforting Spicy Rice and Lentil One-Pot
Bisi bele bath was the dish my friend’s mom always had simmering on the stove whenever we visited, and the smell of that spice powder toasting in ghee still means ‘home’ to me. It’s the kind of one-pot meal that turns rice, dal and whatever vegetables are in the fridge into something deeply comforting. I […]
Avial Recipe | Kerala’s Onam Special Mixed Vegetable Curry
Every August, as Onam gets closer, my mind drifts straight back to my Kerala friend Meera’s kitchen, where I’d sit on a stool and watch her stir a giant pot of avial for her family’s sadya. The smell of curry leaves and coconut oil crackling together is genuinely one of my favorite kitchen smells of […]
Litti Chokha Recipe | Bihar’s Roasted Wheat Balls with Smoky Mashed Vegetables
A friend from Patna once told me that no restaurant version of litti chokha ever tastes quite as good as the one made over a wood fire at home, and after making it myself, I finally understood why – the smoky char on the baingan and the toasty, nutty sattu filling are impossible to fully […]
Baingan Bharta Recipe | Smoky Roasted Eggplant Mash
There’s a particular smell that means dinner is close in a lot of Indian kitchens — an eggplant charring directly over an open flame, skin blistering, smoke curling up. My grandmother used to roast hers on the gas burner with nothing but a pair of tongs and a watchful eye, and baingan bharta was always […]