Zanzaneet Kitchen

Since I talked about sprouting horse gram at home a few of you have asked about the process. So I’ve written about it in a bit more detail on my blog (tap the bio link). Turns out it’s much easier to do than it is to describe it! But let me know what you think.⁣ ⁣ Horse gram is one of the forgotten treasures of my Indian food heritage. Inexpensive, sustainable, healthy and tasty. But sprouting takes this humble ingredient to another level. It really accentuates the earthy flavour of the seeds, lends them a lovely texture and they look gorgeous on the plate. Nutritionally it’s also a big win because it helps to release vitamins and minerals that might otherwise be hard for the body to absorb.⁣ ⁣ There’s something magical about seeing the little sprouts appear overnight that I never seem to tire of. And did I mention my fool-proof method is easy too? ⁣ ⁣ Bookmark this: https://zanzaneetkitchen.com/how-to-sprout-horse-gram/⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ #foodsustainability #zanzaneet #sprouts #sproutingseeds #homesprouting #horsegram #kulith #sustainability #sustainabilitymatters #vegan #veganos #veganofinstagram #veganofig #sproutingtechniques #veganuary2022 #veganuary #vegansuk #ukbloggers #britishindian #indiandiaspora #nutritiontips #britainsbesthomecooks_ #usal #plasticfreeliving #letsgogreencontest #sustainabilityblogger #foodbloggers #foodbloggeruk #laibhari #farmtotabledinner⁣ @marathiduniyaa @maharashtratourismofficial @maharashtra_foods_sanskruti @marathifc @foodtalkindia @foodnetwork @foodandwine @ndtv_food @thekitchn

To me a good thali is as fine as fine-dining gets. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had some lovely experiences in European restaurants where the unquestioned convention is to serve dishes one at a time starting with appetisers and ending up with the sweet course. But what if you want to try a bit of this and then a bit of that? Rigid serving sequences are less common in Asia and the thali is the perfect embodiment of the ‘all together’ style of eating that I so love. (Diversion: I’ll talk about the formal orderliness in Maharshtrian thalis in another post.)⁣ ⁣ So let’s eat, I think I’ll start with a bit of mixed-vegetable bhogichi bhaji enveloped in a piece of soft chapati; next a spoonful of cool as a cucumber ‘khamang’ kakdi koshimbir; then I’ll take a scoop of dal and rice, or maybe horsegram ‘hulgyachi’ usal and rice….help me out here, I just can’t decide! And what if I can’t wait until ‘pudding time’ for a bite of that sesame-jaggery flapjack ‘tilgulachi vadi’? Decisions decisions…⁣ ⁣ Detailed recipes for bhogichi bhaji, hulgyachi usal and tilgul vadi are all on the blog (tap the link in bio)⁣ ⁣ Bookmark this:⁣ Horsegram usal ‘kulith usal’ https://zanzaneetkitchen.com/maharashtrian-horse-gram-curry/⁣ ⁣ Maharshtrian mixed vegetable curry ‘bhogichi bhaji’⁣ https://zanzaneetkitchen.com/bhogichi-bhaji-maharashtrian-mixed-vegetable-curry/⁣ ⁣ Sesame jaggery flapjack ‘tilgulachi vadi’⁣ https://zanzaneetkitchen.com/tilgulachi-vadi-sesame-peanut-flapjacks/⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ #zanzaneet #recipeshare #bhogichibhaji #vegansuk #thalisofindia #horsegram #usal #bhogi #koshimbir #veganrecipes #newblogger #vegan #vegano #thalifans #vegcurry #tilgulghyagodgodbola #marathithali #ukbloggers #curriesofindia #vegetarianthali #sankrantispecial #marathifood #vegansofinstagram #britainsbesthomecooks_ #maharashtrian #foodbloggeruk #currynight #memarathi #beingmarathi #thali @marathiduniyaa @maharashtratourismofficial @maharashtra_foods_sanskruti @marathifc @foodtalkindia @foodnetwork @foodandwine @ndtv_food @thekitchn

Happy Makar Sankranti/Lohri/Pongal/Bihu/Uttarayan🪁🌾 As one must today, I made a batch of these sesame-peanut flapjack ‘tilgulachi vadi’ to share with friends and family. The festival of Makar Sankranti is about more than just changing seasons and a celebration of winter produce. It is also about people - people like you and me. The sheer act of benevolence and affection as you share these vadis with your family, friends and neighbours whilst reciting ‘tilgul ghya ani goad goad bola’ sums up this day. ⁣ ⁣ I’m hoping that by sharing this picture I can tempt you to rustle some up for yourself though I am sure you’ve already made these. These vadis are easy enough to make and I’ve put a detailed recipe on the blog.⁣ ⁣ Bookmark this : https://zanzaneetkitchen.com/tilgulachi-vadi-sesame-peanut-flapjacks/⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ #zanzaneet #recipeshare #tilgul #glutenfreesnack #newblogpost #happysankranti #makarsankranti #veganrecipes #newblogger #glutenfree #tilgulghyagodgodbola #pongal #lohri #happylohri #happybihu #happypongal ⁣ #ukbloggers #sankranti #foodphotographyandstyling #foodphotographer #sankrantispecial #marathifood #maharashtrian #foodbloggeruk #memarathi #beingmarathi #marathifestival #sesame #til #fudge @marathiduniyaa @marathifc

If there was ever a festival that celebrates seasonality of produce, it’s Makar Sankranti - the first Hindu festival of the year that’s celebrated across India under various names. And this thali featuring ‘bhogichi bhaji’ is just a beautiful way to commemorate this festival through food. The day before Makar Sankranti is Bhogi and it’s the day for the Maharashtrian farmer to show gratitude to Mother Nature for the generous bounty of the winter harvest.⁣ ⁣ I have just published the recipe and ramblings for bhogichi bhaji on the blog (LINK IN BIO). It has all that I know about Sankranti. ⁣ ⁣ Happy Bhogi everyone!⁣ ⁣ Bookmark this: https://zanzaneetkitchen.com/bhogichi-bhaji-maharashtrian-mixed-vegetable-curry/⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ #zanzaneet #recipeshare #bhogichibhaji #bhogi #newblogpost #happysankranti #makarsankranti #veganrecipes #newblogger #glutenfree #vegan #vegano #thalifans #vegcurry #tilgulghyagodgodbola #marathithali #ukbloggers #curriesofindia #marathisanskruti #glutenfreevegan #sankranti #sankrantispecial #marathifood #britainsbesthomecooks_ #maharashtrian #foodbloggeruk #currynight #memarathi #beingmarathi #thali @marathiduniyaa @marathifc

Perhaps not the best thali to see on a Monday in January but if you look past your vegan resolutions for the month, I hope you’ll appreciate the humility in this Maharashtrian ‘gavran’ chicken thali, lovingly cooked by my mum even though she won’t eat meat herself. It’s actually ‘गावरान कोंबडीचं रस्सेदार कालवण’ or indigenous chicken ‘curry’ for the lack of better words in the English dictionary. Yeah, I helplessly fallback to the notorious and overly-used ‘c’ word here.⁣ ⁣ Laced with the scent of the typical Maharashtrian ‘kala masala’ spice-mix and punctuated with the pungency of roasted garlic and onion to make ‘vatan’ (masala), this ‘curry’ (oops there I go again!) has nothing but nostalgia written all over it for me.⁣ ⁣ One morning I woke up to the aroma of roasted spices wafting through my bedroom in Pune. It was 9am. I walked through the kitchen doors to find my Mum toasting whole spices, onion, garlic, coconut et al. As usual, I got nosey to find out what was cooking. She duly informed me that  the plan for the day was to go shopping, but not until we’d had lunch at home, with something I usually miss in the UK. She rolled some chapatis whilst the chicken simmered in the pressure cooker. I barely helped her. As usual, Dad chopped the salad and the lunch was served on the floor to be sat down cross-legged and devoured by hand. Even Aarya enjoyed each perfect morsel clasped between her fingers.⁣ ⁣ There’s a legacy of food-culture so strong in Indian households that it's hard not to seek comfort in the familiarity of the food passed down for generations. It’s also what makes the food ‘regional’ and binds communities together. So don’t let anyone tell you to lock your grandmother’s legacy and wisdom in a box. Relive those memories through your granny’s, aunt’s, dad’s and mum’s cooking.⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ #zanzaneet #mothersrecipe #britishindian #marathifood #chickenthali #gavran #nonveg #thali #rassa #taat #gavthi #thalifans #maharashtriancuisine #regionalfood #nonvegetarian #masala #regionalflavours #chickencurry #curries #curriesofindia#ukfoodblogger #indianthali @guardianfeast @guardian @marathiduniyaa @marathifc⁣

Here is a ‘real’ Indian grandmother taking a break from all that fast food. Maybe she’s had enough burgers and milkshakes for one day and wants to get back to basics, but here she is preparing ghee just the way her own mother did. This Indian grandma relentlessly seeks joy in making things at home even though a wide variety of choices are at hand in the shops down the street. ⁣ ⁣ This blob of (white) butter or ’loni’ or ‘makkhan’ hand churned out of cream is a common sight in many Indian households even today. My Mum’s thrifty way of life is illustrated by the way she patiently collects the excess cream from her everyday buffalo milk in a jar until there’s enough to make a batch of ghee.⁣ ⁣ First she hand-churns the cream to separate the butter (makkhan) from the buttermilk. By the way, it would be sacrilege in her books to throw that buttermilk away. The day Mum makes ghee, we are sure to be treated to kadhi for dinner - a mildly spicy, sweet-sour, velvety buttermilk dish. The recipe is on the blog.⁣ ⁣ Anyway, last time I was there she patiently heated up this makkhan to make ghee so that I could take it home with me. The precious liquid gold glistened as it was poured into this repurposed pickle jar for storage and was used generously to enrich all sorts of sweet and savoury dishes in the months that followed. I’m sure you could even improve a bowl of maggi noodles with it. Perhaps our ‘mythical grandmas’ in modern India could do with this tip!⁣ ⁣ Recipe video coming up soon!⁣ ⁣ Kadhi recipe is here: https://zanzaneetkitchen.com/maharashtrian-kadhi/⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ @guardianfeast @guardian @marathiduniyaa @marathifc @foodnetworkuk ⁣ @toifood @goodfoodindia @goyajournal @foxlife_india @walkwithindia @foodandwine @lifeandthyme @marathi_food_lover @punetimes @tastemadeuk

I feel this video of my mum making pearl millet bhakri warrants a mention here to further reinforce the credibility of heritage Indian cooking inspired by our grandmothers, mothers and fathers! ⁣ ⁣ I’m often asked to share the step-by-step technique for making ‘bhakris’. I am no expert but my mum certainly is! So here’s the pearl millet flatbread called ‘bajrichi bhakri’/ बाज़रिची भाकरी that my mum cooked daily when we were last in India. I decided to document it for posterity partly because I never had a formal training in cooking. Everything I cook today is self-taught, largely by simply observing my mother cook when I could. Growing up, there was no pressure to learn to cook but the curious child in me was always eager to pick up new skills. And one cannot ignore it when there’s so much interesting cooking happening around you.⁣ ⁣ These bhakris are made from our homegrown pearl millet that’s stone milled locally (in a ‘chakki’ or ‘गिरणी’ in Marathi) where my parents live. ⁣ ⁣ Bajri or pearl millet is considered one of the best winter staples as it provides much-needed body heat. It’s gluten-free, low in calories but full of nutrients and fibre. But most importantly, it’s the food I grew up eating so it’s naturally palatable to me. ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ #wintermeals #farmtotable #pearlmillet #flatbread #veganuary #veganuary2022 #glutenfreemeals⁣ #millets #vegan #bhakri #bhakrirecipe #glutenfreevegan #sustainablysourced #sustainablygrown #vegansofig #winterfoods #recipevideo #authenticindianfood #authentic #marathi #marathifood #lowcaloriemeals #lowcaloriediet #latergram #veganuk #farmtofork #recipes #recipeshare #healthyrecipes #howtomake @foodnetworkuk ⁣ @toifood @goodfoodindia @goyajournal @foxlife_india @walkwithindia @foodandwine @lifeandthyme @marathi_food_lover @punetimes @tastemadeuk @indianfoodgallery @foodgawker @bbcgoodfood @foodtalkindia @tastingtable

Following on from my previous post, sharing another meal cooked by mum during my last visit to India. Enjoying seasonal and local produce comes naturally when your food ethos is influenced by lineage. Despite modernisation in cities, a large segment of the Indian population simply can’t afford to order food in from apps. Add to that, the refined Indian palate for simple, satvik and wholesome meals make such people especially the older generation seek comfort in the food they cook at home. My English husband demands the comfort of a bowl of pasta after three days eating Indian. So whether or not you’re partial to curry puffs and milkshakes you will, sooner or later, resort to the comfort of the food you grew up with. And that comfort often comes from reminiscence of a mother’s or grandparents’ cooking. Cooking in India is not just a tradition; it’s a culture that keeps growing on you, especially when you’ve left home.⁣ ⁣ It was December. My mum had freshly milled a few kilos of pearl millet out of a large sack from our ancestral farm. I had picked some fresh fenugreek & green bell peppers from the local farmer’s market in Pune. The proud lady selling the veggies assured me that the ‘dhobli mirchi’ aka green pepper was very affordable (according to her :)) and that she was selling an indigenous (gavran) variety. As much as I enjoy haggling for old-time’s sake, I hold back, especially with street vendors. ⁣ ⁣ My mum quickly cooked ‘methichi bhaji’ (fenugreek stir-fry with mung lentils) and ‘bharli dhobli mirchi’ (stuffed green peppers); hand patted bhakris in her ‘parat’ whilst sat in the most comfortable position and then roasted them. The whole black masoor (red lentil) dal was cooked in a jiffy. Dad chopped salad whilst I dawdled around exploring the garden with Aarya. The red peanut garlic chutney and green chilli ‘thecha’ were already prepared in anticipation of my arrival, in the knowledge that I’d ask for them with my meals. That’s the India I’ve seen & grown up in. ⁣ ⁣ Feel free to showcase the food inspired by your own mother/grandmother; better still cooked by them. Don’t forget to tag me.⁣ ⁣ The recipe for the stuffed green pepper https://bit.ly/3znKPaa

When your food culture gets labelled as inauthentic in a major publication, based on one sad person’s poor judgement, then you feel compelled to show what real Indian food inspired by grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts and mums looks like. When the authenticity of Indian food culture is being called into question by a handful of second/third generation British Indians who probably never met their grandmothers, let alone see them cook, you really have to show them what grandmothers and mothers in ‘modern’ India cook today. I can promise you they don’t all order curry puffs & milkshakes on their smartphones (tech savvy though they are). ⁣ ⁣ As the credibility of Indian cooking inspired by mothers & grandmothers has been questioned, I’m going to share some of the food my mum has cooked for me over the years. Of course, I am inspired by my grandmothers’ and mother’s cooking and I shall continue to draw inspiration from them. I’m not alone; neither is this a particularly Indian trait. What Italian or French chef doesn’t cite his nonna or maman as an influence? I don’t think every Indian cookbook author, especially from the first generation Indian diaspora, mentions their grandmothers, unless they really had that rich experience of watching them cook. Either way it’s fine. ⁣ ⁣ Here’s one of the meals my mum cooked during my stay in India just before the pandemic. Sorghum harvested in our ancestral farm, milled locally by my mum and hand-patted in ‘bhakri’ (flatbread) served with locally grown green aubergines stuffed with some of her homemade spices like kala masala is testimony enough to prove that today’s mothers still churn out such wholesome meals. Also seen is the Maharashtrian kadhi, green chilli ‘thecha’ along with red garlic and peanut chutney. The recipe for the kadhi is on my blog.⁣ ⁣ https://zanzaneetkitchen.com/maharashtrian-kadhi/⁣ ⁣ I’ll leave you to judge for yourself.⁣ ⁣ P.S: When a food writer who seems to have no first hand experience of real Indian cooking goes off the handle and distorts the long standing culture of heritage Indian food inspired by grandmothers, then it can only be seen as a self-rant and publicity stunt for an upcoming book launch.