It’s warm, the sun is shining and most importantly, it’s the weekend! Can there be a more welcoming sight than your resident cocktail waiter (the husband) bringing you a fresh kairicha panha mojito cocktail as you sit in the garden?⁣ 🙊⁣ ⁣ This drink works well as a mocktail when you need something cool, fruity and refreshing. But today being Friday, I've added a slug of vodka to round off the week. I just shared the recipe for the humble kairicha panha कैरीचं पन्हं or raw mango drink together with a boozy mojito variation over on the blog. I have also shared a few insights about its origin and a few improvisation tips. ⁣ ⁣ Happy weekend everyone!⁣ ⁣ ⁣The recipe is here:⁣ https://zanzaneetkitchen.com/kairicha-panha-mango-mojito/⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ #zanzaneet #britainsbesthomecooks_ #cocktailrecipes #mocktailrecipes #veganonthemap #veganos #veganofig #kairipanha #aampanna #aampannarecipe #tropicaldrink #fridaydrinks #panha #mangorecipes #ukfoodblogger #southasianblogger #marathirecipe #marathilove #laibhari #recipecreator #summerdrinks #mangotreat #mangomojito #kairichapanha #vegandrink #drinkoclock #cocktailsathome #rawmango #mangomango #marathipost @marathiduniyaa @maharashtratourismofficial @maharashtra_foods_sanskruti @marathifc @foodtalkindia @ndtv_food

Back in Blighty after a short stay in India and the first thing I wanted to unpack was these coconut burfi or नारळाची बर्फ़ी my Mum prepared for me to bring home. The coconut is from my parents’ garden. Fresh coconut shredded, cooked in sugar syrup, set then cut into squares for random snacking urges! ⁣ Although my mum’s recipe is dairy free, my version on the blog involves cooking fresh coconut in milk and reducing it for that unctuous mouthfeel.⁣ ⁣ Here’s my recipe : https://zanzaneetkitchen.com/fresh-coconut-burfi-with-reduced-milk-naralachi-burfi/⁣ #zanzaneet #homecoming #coconutburfi #naral #unctuouseats #indiavisit #ukmaharashtrians #britainsbesthomecooks_ #burfirecipes #burfi #shreddedcoconut #recipecreator #foodbloggeruk #marathisweets #mithai #glutenfreetreats #festivetreats #festivalsofindia #ukfoodblogger #ukfoodie #marathifestival #foodsustainability #dessertsofinstagram #eatprettythings #glutenfreeuk #vegetarianismo #heritagefood #nariyalburfi #memarathi #beingmarathi @marathiduniyaa @maharashtra_foods_sanskruti ⁣ ⁣

It was Mother’s Day in the UK today though not everywhere. No idea why the countries of the world couldn’t pick one date but I digress… I thought about writing a ‘proper’ Mothering Sunday post here earlier. But my daughter greeted me as soon as I stepped sleepy-eyed from my bedroom. She was clasping several cards and a bunch of handmade gifts she had been making for over a week to hand to me today. Since then I’ve been rather distracted. Social media had to take a back seat whilst I just enjoyed being a Mum.⁣ ⁣ And as I enjoyed the cake and pizza that my daughter helped make, I reflected on how lucky I am to have the strong influence of wonderful women in my life. I thought about the sacrifices my Mum made to give me the life choices that were never available to her or her ancestors. My grandmothers who never curbed my rebellious feminism. And my Mum in law who has always been intrigued and accepting of my Indian ways.⁣ ⁣ So to all the mums out there, whenever Mother’s Day falls for you, I wish you a happy one!⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ #ofloveanddreams #mothersday #zanzaneet #intergenerational #motheringsunday #mothersdayuk #mygrandmother #mymothersdaughter #firstgenerationimmigrant #motherdaughter #grateful #fullcircle #ilovemymum #mummy #momlife #gratitude #stayandwander #bepresent #mummysgirl #mumsofinstagram #mum #loveher #meetmymum #britishindian #mixedheritage #ukindians #mothersdaygift #momlifebelike #mixedracemums

Millions of Indian farmers begin their day before sunrise. They prepare their breakfast and a packed lunch before trekking off to the fields for a day’s work. There is nothing particularly fancy about this food. Farmers need to make use of the produce they grow themselves. Seasonal local food is a way of life for them not a lifestyle choice.⁣ ⁣ In Maharashtra this is the kind of food that sometimes appears in a farmer’s lunch, especially when there’s a shortage of veg. The carbs, along with plenty of fibre, are provided by a freshly made sorghum bhakri. A little pile of dry peanut, chilli and garlic chutney is moistened with a glug of oil. Finally a smashed onion adds a bit of crunch and amps up the savoury flavours to the max.⁣ ⁣ She finds a shady spot at the edge of the field for a break and tucks into this humble yet nutritious meal. No frills doesn’t mean no flavour. ⁣ ⁣ Something to ponder when you sit at your desk ready to munch another shop bought sandwich. Maybe it’s in my genes but I still prefer a rustic home-cooked lunch like the farmer’s. ⁣ ⁣ The recipe for ‘jwarichi bhakri’ ज्वारीची भाकरी aka sorghum flatbread is on my blog:⁣ https://zanzaneetkitchen.com/sorghum-bhakri-flatbread/⁣ ⁣ Recipe for red peanut garlic chutney/ shengadanyachi chutney शेंगदाण्याची चटणी⁣ ⁣ 1 cup whole roasted peanuts without skin⁣ 4 garlic cloves⁣ ½ tsp cumin⁣ 2 tbsp Bedgi or Kashmiri red chilli powder⁣ 1 tbsp oil⁣ Salt to taste⁣ ⁣ Roast the peanuts in the oil. Pound all the ingredients together ideally in a pestle & mortar (or use a grinder)⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ #zanzaneet #sorghum #bhakri #jowarbhakri #shengadanyachichutney#jwarichibhakri #jowar #flatbread #recipealert @maharashtratourismofficial @marathiduniyaa @being_marathi_official @maharashtra_foods_sanskruti @ndtv_food @punetimesonline @timesofindia⁣ @maharashtra_ig @maharashtra_desha @incredible_maharashtrian⁣ @veganvultures @goodoldvegan @plantbased.green @hollandandbarrett

If you are looking for some delicious handmade pasta India is probably not the first place you would go to. But in my home state a kind of vermicelli we call ‘shevaya’ is lovingly made, often to make ‘shevayacha bhat’, a simple traditional favourite in which the shevaya is boiled and served with ghee, milk and sugar.⁣ ⁣ Perhaps because it is such a labour of love to make shevaya this simple dish is considered essential at the pre-wedding ceremony known as ‘kelvan’. Growing up I attended a few ‘kelvan’ parties, and unsurprisingly it’s the food that I was served that stuck in my head. So I grew to love shevayacha bhat from an early age and still associate it with the happy occasions that I attended.⁣ ⁣ I was lucky enough to be given some handmade shevaya by my Mum on my recent trip back home.⁣ ⁣ My recipe is a riff on the classic technique. ⁣ Find the recipe in your inbox today and subscribe to my substack, if you haven’t already.⁣ ⁣ https://zanzaneetkitchen.substack.com/p/an-ode-to-shevayacha-bhat⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ #substack #substacknewsletter #substackwriter #shevaya #shevayachabhat #vermicelli #vermicellibowl #vermicellibreakfast #kelvan #indianpasta #veganrecipes #shevai #semiya #semiyahalwa #heirloomrecipes #recipeshare #vegansuk #veganrecipeshare #maharashtrianfood #marathifood⁣ #vegetarianrecipes⁣ #britishvegan #vegano #britainsbesthomecooks_ #ukfoodies #maharashtrian #foodbloggeruk #memarathi #britishindian #ukindians @maharashtratourismofficial @marathiduniyaa @being_marathi_official @maharashtra_foods_sanskruti @ndtv_food @timesofindia⁣ @maharashtra_ig @incredible_maharashtrian

It was International Women’s Day yesterday. I have mixed feelings about this particular ‘celebration’ of all things female. I don’t mean to be churlish, I realise it’s a positive if it makes people stop to think more about the role that women play in society. But what’s the good of an annual pat on the back if we all go back to accepting the male domination for the other 364 days of the year?⁣ ⁣ My biggest bugbear is that it’s not just men that put women down, to misquote the song, ‘sisters are doin’ it for themselves’. All too often we are told by other women that we should adjust and accept being what is effectively a second class citizen. That it’s wrong to prioritise our careers, passions, hobbies, love and anything else that might make us feel fulfilled. If we don’t give each other the support to live our lives as fully fledged members of the human race then how can we expect men to do the same?⁣ ⁣ And let’s look at the state of the world in 2023 for women. We’ve got several countries taking backward steps to suppress their female populations. No more school for girls in Afghanistan. Women being shot by police in Iran for asking for basic rights. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Misogyny is rampant on social media poisoning the minds of impressionable young people. I’ve certainly not seen a whole lot of progress since last year, so you’ll have to excuse me if I keep the champagne on ice.⁣ ⁣ I will of course celebrate my daughter. I still hope that she will grow up in a better world than we live in today. I know she is intelligent, compassionate and resilient. And I am not raising her to accept second class treatment from anyone.⁣ ⁣ Here’s more, should you want to know why I am not ready to celebrate it yet 👇🏽⁣ ⁣ https://zanzaneetkitchen.substack.com/p/why-i-am-not-ready-to-celebrate-international⁣

Here’s a trip down memory lane, when I first came to the UK I have to say I struggled to find food that I really wanted to eat. When I ventured out shopping for groceries I could never seem to find the right ingredients as I craved some home comforts. This was my way to make the best of the situation. A quick and easy Maggi noodle brunch was one of the dishes that got me through that time when I was finding my feet in a new country (and was less enlightened about plastic waste).⁣ ⁣ I wanted to make the noodles anything but boring, but all I had, to go with them were some odd scraps of vegetables I had salvaged from the bottom of my grocery basket. I chanced upon a bunch of fresh asparagus we had picked from our local PYO the day before. Suddenly the cogs started whirring in my culinary brain and an idea germinated.⁣ ⁣ My eagerness to try something new with this novel vegetable got the better of me as it introduced a whole new dimension to supposedly mundane Maggi noodles. Tender asparagus sautéed in butter was kept aside to toss in right at the end. A quick stir fry of onions and diced potatoes was followed by Maggi spice mix, noodles and hot water. A couple of minutes later I had a little bowl of comfort and familiar flavours fused with something new and exotic. Those days seem a long time ago now but I can still recall the flavour of the noodles. My tastebuds often take me on a nostalgic journey down memory lane and all the vivid emotions come flooding back. Do you have a recipe that takes you back to a different time in your own life?⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ #zanzaneet #magginoodles #maggi #noodles #maggilover #improvisedcooking #jugaad #lowwaste #recipeshare #vegansuk #chindian #veganrecipeshare #veganrecipes #veganofig⁣ #britishvegan #vegano #asparagus #indochinese #indochinesefood #britainsbesthomecooks_ #ukbloggers #ukfoodies #vegansofinstagram ⁣#foodbloggeruk #britishindian #ukindians #bestofbritish #onepotmeal #dominutemaggi #quickmeals

Katachi Amti कटाची आमटी is a spicy broth (for the lack of an exact translation) prepared from the leftover stock of the boiled chana dal used to make puran poli. ‘Kat’ in Marathi means the residual stock of dal or lentils and ‘amti’ refers to any soupy concoction that’s spicy and perhaps tangy. So ‘katachi amti’ is essentially a spicy soup cooked with leftover dal stock. ⁣ ⁣ This runny lentil stock based spicy dish is cooked in various ways, depending on the region of Maharashtra you’re in. Whereas in Pune, this dish is a tad tangy and sweet aside from being spicy, it’s predominantly spicy in the region where my ancestors lived. There’s no jaggery, nor is there any tamarind involved in the making of this traditional dish. My ancestors enjoyed the simplicity of flavours and hence the tanginess was all down to a humble lemon squeezed in just before serving. And as it’s traditionally paired with sweet puran poli, they felt it completely unnecessary to add jaggery. I have never seen it cooked any other way during soirées at my ancestral home. ⁣ ⁣ The recipe for my knockout katachi amti कटाची आमटी is on the blog:⁣ ⁣ https://zanzaneetkitchen.com/katachi-amti/⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ #zanzaneet #katachiamti #dhulivandan #puranpoli #holi #holifood #zerowasterecipe #heirloomrecipes #lowwaste #recipeshare #vegansuk #veganrecipeshare #veganrecipes #maharashtrianfood #veganofig #marathifood⁣ #britishvegan #vegano #holicelebration #britainsbesthomecooks_ #ukbloggers #sweetdelicacies #ukfoodies #vegansofinstagram ⁣#maharashtrian #foodbloggeruk #memarathi #beingmarathi #britishindian #ukindians @maharashtratourismofficial @marathiduniyaa @being_marathi_official @maharashtra_foods_sanskruti @ndtv_food @timesofindia⁣ @maharashtra_ig @incredible_maharashtrian

Cold weather and school don’t get in the way of Holi celebrations when you have a six-year old with a handful of gulal, a pichkari and a bucket full of coloured water. With Holi falling on a school day we had to move the multi-coloured fun forward a couple of days. It was decidedly chilly unlike last year and Aarya’s aim with the pichkari had become even more deadly, so a few more layers of clothing were called for. Nevertheless grown-ups and the child alike had loads of very messy fun so I think we did full justice to the festival of colours again, even if our neighbours thought they were living next to a bunch of lunatics 😂⁣ ⁣ Those unfamiliar with Indian festivals might think you’ve lost the plot when you go out in your garden for a coloured water fight in the middle of winter. But they are totally missing out on all the fun.⁣ ⁣ Happy Holi everyone 💛💚❤️🧡💙💜⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ #zanzaneet #holi2023 #holicelebration #holi⁣ #rangpanchami #holihai #happyholi #indiandiaspora #buranamanoholihai #colourfulholi #festivalofcolours #colourfulholi #hindufestival #pichkari #gulal #holibattle #colourplay #britishindian #rangdebasanti #rangbarse #ukbloggers #ukfoodies #foodbloggeruk #6yearsold #hinducelebration #culturaleducation #mixedheritage #gratefulthankfulblessed #ukindians #mixedculture⁣ @marathiduniyaa @maharashtratourismofficial @maharashtra_foods_sanskruti @marathifc @foodtalkindia @foodnetwork @foodandwine @ndtv_food @foxlife_india @fbciofficial @toifood