Baked to perfection
Avanee Khandekar, born April 28, 2010–baked to perfection.
Basic Chocolate Cake
I’m not particularly fond of chocolate. Did I ever tell you that? I don’t remember throwing tantrums for chocolate or chocolate-y things. Except once. When…
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…
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….
Bisi bele bhath: Sambar rice
When down, eat rice. I always go by that. Nothing can comfort you like a good serving of carbohydrates. This Bisi Bele Bhath (BBB) or…
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…
Chakolya/Daal dhokli
A long forgotten Sunday lunch dish; a close cousin of the Gujarati daal dhokli, this lentil-based pasta is a favorite with my family. Just what…
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…
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…
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,…
Eggless Vanilla Cake with Grandma’s Plum Jam
The ever-so-kind gadget guru dad has gifted me a brand new, kickass camera. The Canon 500D. Everything I wanted and more. The obsession with photography…
Eggless wholewheat pancakes
Long, long before Betty Crocker’s red boxes made their way to India, my nine-yard-saree-clad great grandmother was busy experimenting in her kitchen with a pancake…
Every mother’s Krishna
Like most pregnant women, I would spend a few seconds more than usual, stopping and staring at pictures of cherubic babies and toddlers, picking qualities…
Finally, some courage!
After much encouragement from family and friends, I’ve finally decided to take my writing a tad more seriously than before. As a first step, I’ve…
Freedom or Recharge?
As the car drove out and onto the flyover, she let out a small sigh. She was far away from home now—far enough, anyway. Away…
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…
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…
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…
Lemon Curd in Vanilla Bean Cake
I don’t exactly remember when I first tasted lemon curd although it could easily have been at Radha Kaku’s Radha kaku was my great grand…
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…
Mango sasav: Mango curry
If you’ve been reading my blog (ahem), you will remember this mango curry recipe. I make it every season, by the kilos, and it gets…
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…
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…
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…
Paakatlya purya: Indian fried breads in syrup
One of the fondest memories MK has of his paternal gran are of her “paakaatlya purya.” I had never even heard of this super traditional…
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…
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…
Puliyogare Gojju (Masala) Recipe
Geeta came to the Gore family as a young girl to work as a general help around the house. She would lay the table and…
Ragda Pattice
My mum insists she hates cooking. She’s an artist, a dreamer. She says she’s rather spend a day at the art gallery or reading a…
Rava-khoya laddoo: Semolina and evaporated milk balls
Avanee turned four months old this 28th. The rate at which time passes by these days! A whole year has passed by since I got…
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 Undhiyu
The last time I wrote about Undhiyu (albeit with a different spelling), I promised you better pictures. This season, I am back with something even…
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…
Shrikhand
I sometimes wonder if my in-laws think of me as the eternal “jeans-wearing,” “diet-food-eating,” “rebel feminist” soon (daughter-in-law). Which, I guess, I am (evil laughter)….
Thank you, Dolly
Avanee with Dolly; Me with Dolly About 25 years ago, Dada (my maternal grandfather) brought me this beautiful doll from one of his trips abroad….
To playschool or not to playschool
Avanee is 18 months old. She looks older because she has a full head of hair that’s usually tied up in little ponytails on either…
Ukdiche Modak: Steamed rice and coconut dumplings
As a child, perhaps the only reason I waited for Ganesh Chaturthi was the modak. An order would duly be placed with a Vile Parle…
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…
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…