10-minute Rasmalai
This is barely a recipe–and worse, it’s not the kind I really advocate considering all the canned stuff it’s made from. But. I will make…
A dancer never dies.
I was still in school when I quit my dance class. I had been going for more than 5 years and was one of my…
A third set of grandparents and a recipe for fruitcake
As grandmothers go, she fit the bill perfectly. Her softly starched, block printed or sheer woven Chanderi sarees would whisper as she walked slowly around…
A Walk with Finely Chopped (and Bread Coma inside Yazdani Bakery)
A few weeks ago, Sir Knife, or Kalyan of Finely Chopped fame, announced his second Food Walk–this time, he was going to Fort. I had…
An Amma is always an Amma
One year ago, on the 24th of November, my twin boys were born. Yanked out of my humongous belly at 35 weeks—at least 3 weeks…
Avanee’s first stage performance
When the school first announced the Parents Day celebration and the fact that each child in the play group and nursery will perform something or…
Baked Karanji and Baked Namakpare
The original, Marathi version of this article appeared in Loksatta on November 10, 2012 and can be read here. I got married on Dassera, and…
Baked Lemon Cheesecake
Give me a roomful of chocolate desserts and one miniscule piece of baked lemon cheesecake, and you know what I’ll choose. That I love cheesecake…
Being
Way back in 2010, a few months after my daughter, Avanee’s birth, I had written this (very) short story for a contest online. I thought…
Being a Work-from-home mother
Being a work-from-home-mum has its disadvantages. You tend to switch on the laptop shortly after you’ve brushed, hoping to check your email before the rest…
Being married
MK and I will be married seven years tomorrow. It feels like yesterday that I first met him. Online. (Yes, there’s a reason why I’m…
Best 1 Bowl Chocolate Cake Recipe (No butter)
If you bake a decadent chocolate cake for my birthday, I will probably be a tad bit disappointed. I know. “80% ” means little to…
Brioche
One of the foods Amma offered me when I was ill or generally low, was a fruit bun and a mug of hot Bournvita. It…
Cabbage, Orange, and Spring Onion Salad
My mum and I are salad freaks—we love a good salad any time of the day. This is a salad that she’d make back when…
Carpe Diem: A Lesson in Refrigeration
It struck me as I was throwing out a ziplock bag full of once-frozen strawberries that had now turned a bag of red liquid with…
Challah Recipe (And what I did all year)
It’s the end of the year, and it’s time to look back. I’ve been lucky. For starters, the year opened with some very interesting offers…
Cheat’s Haandvo Recipe (Baked!)
Almost every corner kirana (grocery) store in Mumbai stores little plastic packs of Idli, Khaman (Yellow dhokla), Dhokla (the white kind), and Theplas, each with…
Chocolate Cake with Coffee Cream Cheese Frosting
My dear friend, Rhea Mitra-Dalal loves her coffee. It’s so easy to please her–a good cup of unpretentious coffee and loads of gupshup is usually…
Christmas Fruit Cake
A few days ago, a journalist from a popular daily called to ask if I could help her with some information for a story on…
Chutney pudi
When my great grandmother passed away and the family started sorting her things, they found a great deal of writing—diaries full of the family’s…
Ciabatta
A few weeks ago, when someone posted a picture of a Ciabatta loaf on one of the social media forums I follow, I was very…
Coconut Fudge and Jam Tart
Every Thursday, when the family would fast for the family deity, my great grandma would make naralachi vadi or coconut fudge squares for prasad or…
Coffee and Hazelnut Biscotti
The original, Marathi version of this article appeared in Loksatta on October 6, 2012. When I was a kid, a middle-aged, tall, bearded, slightly annoyed…
Crab and Pineapple Curry
{Scroll down for the giveaway!} This year is going to be about stepping out of my comfort zone. In the kitchen and otherwise. I think…
Creamed Corn (Maharashtrian style)
When we were kids, the only kind of corn we got in the markets was the white corn. Like a string of the best pearls,…
Crisp Koli Masala Prawns
A few months ago, when I first met an old blogger friend, Anjali Koli for the first time, she showered me with treats–some homemade peanut…
Croissants (and getting published in BBC Good Food)
It’s been breads, breads, and breads for a while now. Let me start with the highlights: 1. I did a feature for BBC Good Food…
Crumbs!
Writing a book is a long, laborious and very deeply isolated exercise. I have been at it for a while now (and that’s an understatement)…
David Rocco’s Eggplant Pasta
When my brother and I decided to start our recipe video channel, we were greatly influenced by food shows from abroad–the extreme close ups showing…
Diabetic-friendly Carrot Cake
It’s been a while since I posted a recipe for cake. The truth is, the overload of frostings, fondants, and other forms of “perfect” cakes…
Digestive aftermint
When it rains, I feel like eating. Something hot, something carb-heavy, something very inappropriate. Like spicy batata vadas and chhole-bature, like cheesy gratins and smoky…
Easy Bread Recipes
I thought it would be a good idea to compile all my easy bread recipes in one post. Hope you find something you’d like to…
Easy Chocolate Pudding (or Cheat’s Chocolate Panna Cotta)
Playing mum to a pair of newborn twin boys and a hyperactive kindergartner while working on one’s debut book is not easy; take it from…
Easy Garlic Butter Prawns
It has been “winter” in Mumbai and after the long and seafood-deprived monsoons and unbearably hot October, good quality seafood is finally back in the…
Easy Strawberry Tart (Video)
A trip to Mahabaleshwar, a hill station in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra, has become an annual tradition of sorts. Of course, it gets cool…
Easy Vegan Chocolate Almond Cake (and a lesson in tolerance)
Harini is one of the first food bloggers I met in Mumbai, and we instantly became friends. It’s not very difficult to make friends with Harini–she’s…
Easy Victoria Sandwich Cake
My local fruit vendor told me recently that he can now procure “egg-jotic” fruits for me at a day’s notice. These exotic fruits being my favourite…
Eggless Microwave Raspberry Muffins
Every so often, I get the urge to bake something, and fast. Remember this? And this? Usually, this urge comes-a-calling when I am chasing the…
Eggplant in Chili Garlic Sauce
One of the staple dishes I always insisted Amma made for my birthday was this–Eggplant in Chili Garlic Sauce. It is a decidedly Indo-Chinese dish,…
Ginger, Lime and Meringue Tart for Asahi Kasei
If you’ve been following this blog long enough, you’d know that I don’t do too many (if at all) promotions. I’m making an exception this…
Gingerbread Cake with Jaggery and Molasses
I usually soak fruit for my fruitcake the moment we enter into the new year, just days after I make cake for Christmas. The fruit…
Good Food Day at ITC Grand Central
When Soma Bahadur of the BBC Good Food Magazine writes in to invite you to the Good Food Day celebrations, you don’t decline. My favorite…
Hokkaido Milk Bread Loaf and Nutella Rolls
If you’ve been following this blog lately, you’ll know that I’m participating in Aparna’s fantastic year-long festival, We Knead to Bake. Breads are my Achille’s…
How Gampu came back
When I was a child, we went to my paternal grandparents’ home for Ganpati celebrations every year. My grandmother was in poor health since as…
How to make Ghee
Ghee. That quintessential Indian fat that must make an appearance as a cooking medium or condiment at every authentic Indian meal. I don’t know what…
I’m still here.
I know. It’s been a while. But I’m still here. And I am back a new person. No, I didn’t go on some spirituality trip…
In Defense of Yeast
Shortly after the release of Crumbs!, the Centre for Science and Environment (Delhi), published a report that laid bared the fact that commercial breads contained…
Inspirational People: Harini Prakash | Recipe: Lemon Cake with Mint Syrup
I’ve always talked about how this blog gives back to me much more than I give it–over the years, I have benefited in terms of…
It is time
As I looked out of the autorickshaw onto a deserted road, I noticed how thick with smog the air was. Day had not broken yet,…
Kaale Gaajar ki Kaanji
Come spring, Radha kaku would try and find out if her sister, Auntie Evie had any plans of coming down to Mumbai. Radha kaku had…
Kairi Panhe | Aam Panna | Raw Mango Cordial
I’ve been feeling a bit uninspired lately. There’s too much going on at once and I feel I’ve lost all creative abilities. The scorching heat…
Kitchen kindred
The creaking fan that needed to be rewound was the only company she had. The monotonous sounds of the autorickshaws punctuated by the shocking screeches…
Kokum Juice Concentrate
Before Maushi and Kaka moved to their lovely little red bricked bungalow in Khanapur, they lived in a rented love nest on the upper floor…
Kolhapur
Too many alleys leading up to too many Maha Dwaars Too many gods in one temple Which one am I looking for? Every year, a…
Mangoes, pickles, and a home lost
The Khanapur house had three mango trees. Against the red brick exterior of the house, the mature green trees offered a majestic and warm welcome…
Marathi Mejwani at APB Cook Studio
Rushina, my dear food writer friend and pioneer Mumbai food blogger, is always one to encourage regional cuisine awareness and give it a bit of…
Meeting Matt Moran
This post is a tad late, but I couldn’t not write about not write about my fan girl moment on the blog, so here goes….
Mini Strawberry (and Mango) Pavlovas
Here’s the latest on the Pavlova scene! These were made this last strawberry season: Since the TV debut, a lot of people have been writing…
Mocha cake
It all started with a craving for Tiramisu. I had gathered all the ingredients the day before–went all the way to the supermarket to buy…
Mulberry Jam
I first saw them in 1989, I think. The year my brother got lost in the crowds at Venna Lake. Amma was frantic and I…
My Dada
This morning, I was rummaging through my mother’s stationery drawers, looking for a notepad. As I dug deeper, I found an old, yellowed, barely used…
My first class: A Desserts Workshop
So. I did a workshop this Saturday. It was my first real workshop (I mean I charged fees) after this dry run. 10 women, 3…
My first home-grown tomato | Taking a Blogging Break
Almost by reflex, the first thing I tend to do the moment I jump out of bed is go check on my plants. Even before…
My time, our time.
Thanks to her nanny and the “bus aunty,” Avanee has grown quite fond of; no, quite obsessed with wearing salwar kameezes. She wants to wear…
Naarali Bhaat
Apart from the fact that Naarali Poornima is the day Coastal Maharashtra celebrates the coconut and that fisherfolk offer coconuts to the sea on this…
Phansaachi Athla-Gara Bhaaji (Stir fried Young Jackfruit)
Summers in Khanapur were redolent with the heady fragrance (or stench, if you didn’t like them) of ripe jackfruit among other aromas such as mango…
Pineapple sukkem (Goan-style Pineapple Curry)
Last year, on our annual trip to Goa, we ate at Mum’s Kitchen. This quiet little place located in a quiet little residential area near…
Plum Jam and Vanilla Mascarpone Roulade
I share my mum’s love for Roulades. Swiss Rolls, as they are known in bakeries here. When we were kids, my mum would make a…
Pull Apart Pesto Rolls
This is something I first made a year ago, at least and have been making and teaching a lot ever since. It’s a simple bread…
Raspberry Cream Cheese Tarts
It’s that part of the year again, when the stone fruits have gone and the berries have yet to come. There’s pears and apples galore…
Recipe video: Blueberry Focaccia
I generally prefer local fruits over imported ones. I cannot tell you how much juicier and tastier our Indian plums are over the “Chinese” ones…
Recipe video: How to make Calzone
It’s been a while since I posted a recipe video. A few days ago, we finally got down to shooting a casual one as we…
Recipe video: How to make Zabaglione (Zabayon/Sabayon)
The sweltering Indian summer brings with it the greatest bounty of fruits–mangoes, lychees, cashews, melons, jamuns, and other juicy fruits that make the heat bearable….
Recipe video: Peach Upside Down Cake with Warm Cherry Sauce
I love this time of the year because it brings in my favorite fruits. I never mourn the end of the mango season because it…
Recipe Video: Sol Kadhi
Of the few Marathi-Goan dishes that appeal to a universal audience, is Sol Kadhi. It is typically served with indulgent fried seafood and other spicy…
Restaurant review: Botticino, The Trident
A few weeks ago, I was invited by my super talented food blogger friend, Nikhil Merchant, the Nonchalant Gourmand and The Trident to a lunch…
Restaurant review: Dum Pukht, ITC Maratha
When you’re invited to partake in opulence, the sheer anticipation starts having its effects on you for days before the event. I was invited by…
Saffron and Cardamom Lemonade
On Ranade Road in Dadar, there once sat a man who sold lemonade. Limbu Sarbat, actually—the Maharashtrian version of lemonade. On a crowded corner of…
Saffron Sondesh
Many years ago, in the bright and airy classroom of Grade 1, I was first introduced to Bengali Mishti–Bengali sweets. My classmate and bench partner…
Sesame Cookies (and memories of Sankranti)
After all these years of having grandmas scream down our ears that seasonal, local produce is good for the body, we now have bomb-charging nutritionists…
Signal girl
She stands at the busiest signal in the suburb. Her hair is a hay-like brown from undernourishment and her skin is tanned from standing in…
Spanish Flatbread with Chorizo, Oregano and Tomato
Finding fresh herbs in the suburbs may have become easier than before, but supply continues to be unreliable. So, when one does discover an innocent…
Spring and Summer: An Ode to the Tabebuia Rosea
*Dedicated to the long line of Tabebuia Rosea trees along the Eastern Express…
Stollen
The original, Marathi version of this article appeared in Loksatta on December 22, 2012 and can be viewed here. Mumbai has never really had a…
Sun Tea with Mandarins and Citron
The Internet has been carrying a lot of buzz about Sun Tea. It seemed like something I would like to do (if and when I…
Sundried Tomato Couscous Stuffed Baby Peppers
The market is flooded with color (who needed Holi and its painful issues with water and chemical color?). There are greens in a zillion shades,…
Tender Cashew Stir Fry
Early summer is when the cashew trees bear fruit. And nut. All along the rich, fertile coastline of India, cashew trees are laden with a…
Thalipeeth Crackers with Thecha Dip
{Scroll down for the giveaway winners!} All of last year, I spent in wrapping some projects up, writing my book, being pregnant, and then of…
To god, with love
Last weekend, we performed a small pooja at home. There has been a spate of illnesses and other sudden and unexplained, seemingly unjustified challenges at…
Tomato and Raisin Chutney
My current favorite snack is a couple of crackers dipped into or topped with something. Non fussy, easy to put together, enjoyable, and filling. That’s…
Top 10 Easy Cake Recipes on saeekhandekar.com
Every day, I have at least one e-mail or comment asking for a cake recipe. Turns out, I post cake pictures often enough to prompt…
Top 10 Monsoon Recipes on My Jhola
As I watch the rain crashing down from my little suburban window and sip on lemongrass tea (freshly picked lemongrass from a rain washed window),…
Top 10 Winter recipes on My Jhola
I’m just back from a quick weekend getaway in Jodhpur, where I was invited to the launch of a book on the Temple Food of…
Top 5 Tips for a Home Run Food Business
In the 8 years that I have been blogging, I have worn many hats—I have taught cooking, manufactured food products for sale, designed food products…
Top 8 Mango recipes
Every year, when the first tart green raw mangoes make their appearance in the market, I start planning the dishes I want to make. I…
Translated Loksatta Article: Beyond 2 Minutes and a Pad Thai Recipe
The original, Marathi version of this article appeared in Loksatta on September 1, 2012 and can be read here. In the swanky, heavily air conditioned…
Translated Loksatta article: How to make Sundried Tomatoes and Sundried Tomato Bread
Last month, I wrote my first Marathi food article for a leading Marathi daily, Loksatta. For those of you who wrote in and called with…
Translated Loksatta article: Iced Kaleidpscopes and a Recipe for Alphonso Mango Sorbet
This article appeared in Chaturanga, the magazine section of Loksatta on June 2, 2012. View the original article here. Iced Kaleidoscopes If you grew up…
Translated Loksatta article: Tempura
The original Marathi version of this article appeared in Loksatta on July 7, 2012. Click here to read the Marathi version. It takes just a…
Vaatli Daal
It would be incorrect for me to say that some of the traditional Indian recipes I have here are of tremendous archival value. They’re not–they’re…
Vegan, Gluten-free Granola Bars
Every year, a day before the Hindu month of Shravan, Mrs. B takes the day off, no matter what (she takes a lot of other…
Watermelon and Mint Soup
You heard that right. It’s a soup, not a juice, not a smoothie. It’s a liquid that you ladle into a soup bowl, garnish, and…
Welcome to my new home, everyone! And a recipe for Methaamba (mango relish/chutney)
Since I started writing My Jhola in 2008, it went through several avatars, progressing in appearance, content (intent, even) through the years. Early this year,…
When did my baby grow up?
Every time I blow my nose into an inadequate piece of tissue, Avanee comes up and strokes the side of my thigh, looks up at…
When she didn’t come
When I was just married and for several years after that, I had a daily visitor. A friend. A confidante. I looked forward to the…
{New video series} Everyday Gourmet | Cinnamon French Toast
First, a big, big thank you to everyone that’s subscribed to our YouTube channel and offered us help, advice, props, ideas, and humour. What started…
{Recipe Video} How to make Dinner Rolls
Amma learned how to make dinner rolls from a Tarla Dalal book. They used to be pretty but a tad yeasty–thanks to the substandard domestic…
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