2-minute Microwave Chocolate Mug Cake
If you have a food blogger for a wife, chances are she won’t ask you get her a Louis Vuitton bag or Jimmy Choo shoes…
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…
Apple Pie with Samosa Pattis (or Wonton wrappers)
Baking in India is a challenge. It is highly upsetting to walk into the best of markets and not find all the gorgeous bakeware and…
Arbi Tikkis: Deep fried Colocasia Nuggets with Yogurt Dip
It’s really hot in this part of the world right now. Metabolisms are sluggish, and kitchens are too hot to cook anything in. I have…
Avanee’s first birthday cakes
I just realized I hadn’t put up any pictures from Avanee’s first birthday. Considering I write a food blog, it’s quite a shame I don’…
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…
Baklava with Samosa Pattis (or Wonton Wrappers)
No, I’m still not coming to terms with the fact that Indian stores do not carry ready rolled pastry. Surely you remember this rant? I’m…
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…
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…
Blueberry muffins
Few things go well with coffee–any form of fresh bread slathered with butter, khaari biscuits (an Indian flaky pastry), and cake–no frills cake. So when…
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…
Caramelized Onion, Mushroom, and Paneer Tart
For quite some time now, I have been complaining about the lack of baking material in India–especially the complete absence of ready-to-use pastry. You know…
Cashew and Vanilla Bean Cookies
I had been reading about the Arusuvai chain on Indian blogs for a while and watching everything like a silent passerby when I realized I…
Cheese and Chive Crackers
Avanee likes cookies, and thankfully, she is equally excited about savory crackers. I try to bake them as often as I can because then I…
Chinese Checker Cake
Phew. This one took a lot out of me. Two hexagon-shaped chocolate walnut cakes, one cut into triangles and glued to the other, the whole…
Chocolate and Strawberry Tart
I’m a sucker for all things seasonal–strawberries top my list because they come for only a while, and I love them. In season, there is…
Chocolate Cake Balls
Ever since this little thing came out of the oven, I have been dreaming of practicing things from this baker superwoman’s blog. One of the…
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…
Coconut and Pistachio Cake
I am not a big fan of dried coconut. Dessicated coconut, at least the kind we get here is probably worse—it is dry and tastes…
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 Orangette cake | Black and White Wednesday No.2
A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to the Mumbai launch of Café Coffee Day’s new premium coffee, Mysore Royal. I have…
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…
Donuts
Two days ago, my nieces, Shreya and Ananya, kicked up a racket when their grandma came over to pick them up from my place. They…
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 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 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…
Eclairs and Profiteroles
Choux pastry. I made it last when I was studying Confectionery in college. That was gods knows how many decades ago. Then, last week, I…
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…
Food processor focaccia and 100 posts
Turns out, the last post I wrote was my 100th. This little jhola of mine has been with me through so much–I started writing the…
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…
Grilled Lamb Chops with Sumac, Rose, and Spices
I’d choose lamb over chicken any day. And yet, I have not a single recipe for lamb on this blog. In all these years. You…
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…
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 and Blueberry Pound cake
Blueberries are rather rare here in Mumbai. Thanks to some exotic food stores, however, we’ve been getting an occasional supply of good blueberries without having…
Lemon and Vanilla Madeleines
I did a course in Bakery and Confectionery. Did I tell you that? Long ago. Two years. Of which, we did only breads one whole…
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…
Low sugar Coffee and Cream Cake
My father is a simple man. He has few needs—three mobile phones, two laptops, and god knows how many cameras and music players; a good…
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…
Marmalade and Valencia Orange Cake
When we were children, WIT (Women’s India Trust) would rent our school’s prayer hall for their exhibitions. On sale were beautifully block printed aprons, bedspreads,…
Mawa and Doodh Masala Muffins (and what I did in 2014)
I am not one to write posts about a year gone by. Reflections are lessons of a personal nature, and resolutions are best kept secret,…
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…
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…
Mushroom Risotto and Quick-fix Garlic Bread
One night, when I was craving the goodness of cheese and the comfort of rice at once, risotto seemed the obvious choice. The only risotto-able…
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 recipes now on Gourmet Company
So it looks like the year is ending on a good note. Today, Gourmet Company launched Saee’s Corner, a recipe section on their website, authored…
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…
No-bake Mango Cheesecake
I have always loved cheesecake—baked or chilled, I have always loved the sharpness of this otherwise delicately flavored dessert. However, I have, at the same…
Pan-grilled prawns
I don’t own a barbecue. I don’t even own one of those fancy stove-top grills. What I do have, however, is my trusty old cast…
Pan-grilled Tandoori Chicken and Spinach Raita
I was craving for some tandoori flavors but the thought of all the grease was scaring me. With cuz Ashish’s wedding barely a week away,…
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…
Peach and Cherry Cake Squares
When I was little, and there were no supermarkets around, we would buy our stock of weekly fruit (which was usually a lot) from Amitabh…
Peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies
I use peanut butter for cooking; but somehow, I can’t bring myself to slap it in between slices of bread. MK likes his bit of…
Pineapple, Tomato and Onion Salsa
There are some things that you must have when you’re entertaining. For me, it is this salsa. It is a ridiculously easy thing that you…
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…
Plum Upside Down Cake (Eggless)
I love upside downs. I think they make for pretty tea cakes, and they look gorgeous with very little effort. I’m always on the lookout…
Potato and Pea Samosas with Sweet Fennel and Chili Dipping Sauce
It was in the dark space under the main staircase. The chapel was right next to it but who cared about god other than during…
Prawn Karanjia (Prawn Turnovers)
MK can’t stand my fisherwoman. I don’t blame him. She’s kind of…insistent. Unfortunately, when she comes in every other morning, I’m usually attending to Avanee’s…
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…
Pull-apart bread rolls
Way back in the 1970s, my maternal grandmother picked up a copy of one of Tarla Dalal’s first cookbooks—The Delights of Vegetarian Cooking. A lot…
Quick Chocolate Strawberry Cream Tarts
I think Marathi cookery shows are a disgrace. The sets are ghastly. The props are mediocre. The photography is ridiculous. The cooks are downright untalented….
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: 1 Bowl Chocolate Orange Cake
This is a perfect cake or those sudden cake and chocolate cravings. It is a lovely moist cake with the aromas of orange coming through…
Recipe video: How to make Bebinca
When I saw this video on Nags’ blog, I knew that I had found the easiest way to convince my filmmaker brother to make a…
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 Gingerbread cookies
Every year, we celebrate Christmas with as much (if not more) enthusiasm than we celebrate Diwali. We put up the tree and do gifts. I…
Recipe video: How to make Mango burfi (Fudge) and Diwali wishes
I hope you’re having a lovely Diwali–surrounded by loved ones and so drunk on happiness that the diyas and lanterns are all dimmed by the…
Recipe video: How to make Pita Bread
Remember this? A lot of people wrote in and oohed and aahed at the possibility of making pita bread at home. And because my determination…
Recipe video: How to make Quick-fix Orange Panna Cotta
When I first started cooking, my mum introduced me to this recipe and I made it for every little party that happened. I made a…
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: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…
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…
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)….
Slow roasted Cherry Tomatoes with Garlic and Thyme
As kids, my brother and I would satisfy mid-meal hunger pangs by pulling out a juicy red, plump tomato from the fridge and eating it…
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…
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,…
Tagine-inspired Chicken with Root Vegetables and Saffron Couscous
When the first real showers of the Mumbai monsoon finally strike, I go into one-dish-meal mode. I cannot, cannot, cannot bring myself to make or…
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…
Tiramisu Liqueur Cake with Vanilla Mascarpone and Strawberries in Syrup
As a foodie, any excuse for cooking is welcome–one goes all out of the way to cook the best recipes, confident of the oohing and…
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…
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…
Translated Loksatta article: The Perfect Birthday Cake
The original, Marathi version of this article appeared in Loksatta on Saturday, August 4, 2012. Click here to read the Marathi version. We never bought…
Vanilla and Coconut Panna Cotta with Fresh Strawberries
My love for strawberries continues. Check out my super simple recipe for Vanilla and Coconut Panna Cotta with Fresh Strawberries on Gourmet Company’s recipe section….
Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon and Vanilla Royal Icing
For many weeks now, I have been looking at this Cupcake goddess’s blog in sincere awe. The course I took in bakery and confectionery back…
Veggie wraps
It’s funny how the day I decide to write my second ever blog post also happens to be the day Mrs. B has taken off…