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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Dum ka murgh is the legendary Hyderabadi chicken curry, slow cooked in a richly spiced creamy sauce. I cooked it today for Gatari Amavasya (गटारी अमावस्या), the new moon night when Maharashtrians indulge in meaty feasts and binge on booze before the onset of the holy month of ‘Shravan’ when they’re required to abstain from […]
I have almost zero recollection of the time as a kid when I enjoyed red amaranth stir fry in India. Lal math, as it’s called in my native language, Marathi, never enticed me as a kid. But last summer when I decided to grow red amaranth from seed purely as an experiment, I was astonished […]
Bottle gourd, also known as dudhi in India, is a very versatile vegetable. Although it’s classed as exotic produce in the UK, it has become a common find in Indian grocery stores across the UK. A long pale green bottle gourd with delicate white flesh inside dotted with soft edible seeds is rather delicious (and […]
During the British asparagus season from late April to June, I enjoy eating the spears raw as their sweet crunch and aroma is so appealing especially when they’re fresh from the farm. Add to that some shavings of fennel and you have the makings of a delicious spring salad. Who wants a boring tasteless salad? […]
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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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