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…
Being Ghaati
I was blessed with great hair. It was in the genes. It was jet black, thick, long, wavy, healthy and a matter of pride. My…
Bhadang
MK loves munchies—with chivdas and bhadangs topping the list. No matter how large a batch of chivda you make, it gets over in no time….
Black and White Wednesday No. 5
Tapeli; traditional Maharastrian copper utensil used for cooking rice. Every time I go to Pune, I go to the Tulsi Baug Market, which is Pune’s…
Chivda
MK loves his munchies, as you know from here. It’s been a while since I made any. And because we’re just recovering from a tiff,…
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…
Chutney-stuffed pomfrets
My fisherwoman has been getting us the cutest little pomfrets this past week. They fit snug in the palm of my hand (which, I assure…
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…
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…
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…
Maharashtrian Goda Masala Recipe
My great-grandmother was the world’s best cook. I know everyone says this about their mums and grans and aunts and other members of the maternal…
Maharashtrian style stuffed chilies/peppers
One of my favorite things in the vegetable market, to look at and shop for, is the variety of chilies/peppers. I love the hotness and…
Mango chutney
My maternal grandmother always had some chutney or other in her refrigerator. It’s a tradition I try to maintain. Not half because I like to…
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…
Masale bhaat with field beans
Rice is globally loved—one, because it’s versatile enough to accommodate almost every flavor; and two, because it cooks fast. I think a traditional masale bhaat…
Metkoot Recipe (and a Metkoot-based Salad)
My daughter has a stomach infection. Why? Because she’s teething at the speed of light and is tempted to help herself to whatever she finds…
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…
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…
Patole: Rice and coconut dumplings in turmeric leaf
Aai’s picture, courtesy: Nirmala Purushotam My maternal gran has been one of the biggest influences to my culinary obsession. As a kid, I would…
Patra or Alu vadi: Colocasia leaf rolls
Nothing can get fresher than a bunch of recently cut greens. A bundle of un-torn, fresh-as-the-morning greens tied up in string or with a blade…
Puli Inji Prawns: Prawns in Tamarind and Ginger sauce
Being born into a Maharashtrian Brahmin family usually means eating chincha-gulachi aamti (tamarind and jaggery based lentils) at least thrice a week. We have tongues…
Quesadilla
When I got home yesterday, hungry and tired, I wanted to sink my teeth in something substantial and satisfying. I had asked Mrs. B to…
Recipe video: Batatyacha Kees or Indian Hash Brown Potatoes
Every Thursday (like many other Indians on many other days of the week), my staunchly non-vegetarian, whiskey-loving grandfather would decide to please the gods and…
Recipe video: How to make Chicken Curry
My maternal grandmother has a thing against tomatoes. Especially when they’re used in traditional Indian dishes. See, tomatoes came to India very recently. Souring agents,…
Recipe video: How to make Jowar (Sorghum) Raita
The Japanese have their cherry blossom parties; Maharashtrians and Gujjus have their Hurda or Ponk parties. Unfortunately, most urban dwellers have no clue what this…
Recipe video: How to make Masale Bhaat (Spiced rice)
I know, this makes it two rice recipes back-to-back. But it’s one of those things–those modes one tends to fly into. You know, like when…
Recipe video: How to make Tomato Saar or Tempered Tomato and Coconut Soup
No matter what part of the world you grew up in, I’m sure a teeny bit of your childhood memory store is occupied by tomato…
Recipe video:How to make Nut chikki/Brittle
Lonavla. That tiny spot on Maharashtra’s map that looks like a piece of broken chikki. The entire town is perennially wafting with the aroma of…
Restaurant review: Diva Maharashtracha
After losing interest in Ovenfresh after a long queue thanks to renovation (and their conversion to vegetarianism), Amma and I headed to Diva Maharashtracha in…
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…
Spice box | Black and White Wednesday No. 7
This is my contribution to Susan’s weekly Black and White Wednesday event. It is a picture of dried red cherry chilies and cumin seeds–one…
Stuffed Chili Pickle
One of my earliest memories of eating pickle is from way back when I was in primary school. Because we lived in a company township…
Surmai curry: Kingfish in spicy coconut curry
I’d been trying to clear out my fridge for the past three days with a good success rate in preparation for the Amritsar-Dharamshala trip. (Yes,…
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…
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 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: 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…
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…
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,…