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 Brown Bread
Basic. Brown bread. Most times, that means bread made from unrefined, wholemeal wheat flour. In India, that usually means bread made from regular flour with…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Dosas: South Indian Rice and Lentil Crepes
There are some things I absolutely must, always have in my fridge–cilantro, coconut, yogurt, lemons, and dosa batter. If even one of these is absent,…
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…
Egg curry and Pao
We’re a dunk family. I love immersing long, crisp khaari biscuits or rusk toasts in masala chai or filter coffee. MK will happily let…
How sugarcane jaggery is made
I have always been incredibly fond of jaggery. One of my earliest memories is of sitting with my friend Madhura on the stairs of the…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
Of missing a maid and impressing another
Mrs. B, my cook and domestic help since the time I got married and moved to this town, has gone on a month-long holiday to…
Olive, Basil, Sundried Tomato and Garlic Bread
No story this time. Just the simple desire to bake a good home-style bread. Ingredients: 225 gms. all purpose flour 2 tsp. dried yeast 1…
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…
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…
Pistachio and Cranberry Cookies
Once Diwali is over and the ingredients for your Christmas cake have been soaked in copious amounts of alcohol, you are left with huge amounts…
Pita bread and Hummus
I’ve got a lot of feedback on my Baguette post–readers telling me they loved the recipe and that they are slowly warming up to the…
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…
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 Weekday Egg Biryani
On a busy day, I turn to eggs. You know that from here, don’t you? I can eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and…
Recipe video: How to make Bread
These past few days, I’ve seen a jaw too many drop promptly to the floor every time I say anything about baking bread at home….
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 Meen Moilee (Kerala-style Fish in Coconut sauce)
I treasure my utensils and kitchen appliances with more love than my wedding ring. And if I were to choose between my Kerala-style clay pots…
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…
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…
Tomato Sauce for Pasta, Pizza, and Dips
I have always advocated freshly cooked food. If you open my freezer or pantry cupboard, you will not find even one tray of ready to…
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,…
Wholewheat and Bran Bread with Sundried Tomato, Garlic, and Rosemary
Sometimes, in the summer, I like to slip into the shoes of those old aunts and grannies who would climb up to their terraces in…
Window Garden and Black and White Wednesday No. 4
Like most people in Bombay, who have no access to backyards or dainty vegetable patches, I live my herb garden dream through my wrought iron…