I don’t know about you but my day doesn’t really get going until I’ve had my morning masala chai. English breakfast tea doesn’t come close. So what is it about Indian chai? It’s served in a cup or glass a bit smaller than an English tea cup or mug. Generally, chai is milky*, sweet and […]
Ridge gourd or Dodka in Marathi, was never my favourite. But since I moved away from my homeland and saw less of it, the more I missed its mild flavour and subtle sweetness. So recently I decided to make it slightly more interesting by adapting my Mum’s recipe a bit. It’s not the most visually […]
There are some jobs in the kitchen that still need to be done the hard way. The labour-saving gadget that my husband craves the most is the auto-methi-leaf-picker™. Alas, modern science has yet to fulfil his needs. So I know that I’m going to get a few moans whenever I bring 3 or 4 bunches […]
Many ingredients that I grew up with are hard to come by in the UK. So it’s always exciting to see a tray of cluster beans at my local Indian grocer. And this is how I love to cook them. It has to be simple and rustic. I want straightforward flavours that don’t overpower the […]
The most popular usal (उसळ) dish in Maharashtra, the state in India I hail from, is undoubtedly the classic – matkichi usal. If that name sounds unfamiliar to you, then you just need to know what matki and usal are. Matki means moth beans (pronounced ‘moath’ or ‘mote’) and usal (pronounced ‘oo-sul’ or ‘oo-sal’) is […]
Autumn is the time for warm soups. Hearty, comfort food. Ready for dunking crusty white bread or sprinkling with croutons. The perfect antidote to the rainy day blues. Having said that, we are having one of the warmest autumns on record. So there is still basil growing in my garden in mid-November. So how do […]
The nights are getting longer, the skies are getting greyer and though it’s rather late this year autumn is upon us. When it gets gloomy outside and we all start to feel a bit chilly there’s nothing more comforting than a nice bowl of warm soup. But you need something substantial to keep the shivers […]
If you like a punch of garlic in your snacks then there’s nothing more garlicky than this ‘lehsuni sev’. Every year for Diwali I peel a load of garlic and my husband, who has a thing about garlic breath, usually says something like ‘… there goes our social life this Diwali..’ Needless to say, this […]
I am not one for compromising on taste to keep the waistline in check. Neither am I prone to shortcuts in my cooking technique just to save time if I know that flavour will be compromised. I have always been known amongst my peers for taking a rather long-winded painful path to achieve the desired […]
Kothimbir vadi is to Maharashtrians what pakoras are to the rest of the world. Not that we don’t enjoy pakoras too – both have their own charm, but kothimbir vadi is the classic. It even has its own designated spot on a Maharashtrian thali served at weddings or festivals. The mere sound of a thunderstorm […]
Indian borage leaf, also commonly called carom leaf or ‘ajwain ke patte’ is no novelty to Indians. Like many, I grew up watching my Mum tend this herb in her garden and when the Monsoons hit Indian shores, she’d make these pakoras as our evening snack. I decided to have a go at growing this […]
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Hi, I’m Rieethaa, a food photographer and recipe developer but most of all I just love cooking simple flavourful food that wakes up the sleepiest tastebuds, and I want to share some with you here. So come in and help me chop some onions, will you?
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