Curry Leaves Are Not Optional – They’re Ancestral
There’s something magical about the scent that fills the air when you add a sprig of curry leaves to hot…
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Amchur: The Sour Note That Bypasses Your Tongue and Hits Your Childhood
If I ask you to think of sourness in Indian cooking, chances are, your mind will skip straight to tamarind…
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Jaggery Knows What Sugar Doesn’t
There’s sugar, and then there’s jaggery. And once you’ve grown up with the latter—sticky, golden-brown, wrapped in crinkly newspaper from…
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Kasuri Methi: The Dust of Winter Fields
Open a packet of kasuri methi and take a whiff. That dry, leafy scent that hits you? That’s not just…
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Fresh Coriander Is Not a Garnish – It’s a Personality
You can tell a lot about an Indian kitchen by its coriander. Not the dry, powdered version we toss into…
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Hing: The Stinky Secret Behind Great Dal
The first time you encounter hing (asafoetida), it’s likely not by sight but by smell. And what a smell it…
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Salt, by Any Other Name (Kala Namak, Sendha, or Just a Pinch)
In most kitchens, salt is just… salt. A white, pourable staple that sits in a shaker and quietly does its…
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Coconut in Everything: From Oil to Laddus to Last Rites
In my mother’s kitchen, coconut wasn’t an ingredient. It was a given. A default. It didn’t need an introduction or…
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Basmati: The Grain That Demands Attention
There’s rice, and then there’s basmati. The latter doesn’t just sit on a plate. It introduces itself. With its perfume,…
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Chili’s Slow Takeover: How Heat Became Heritage
When people say Indian food is “spicy,” they usually mean it’s hot. As in, tears-in-your-eyes, sniffles-on-your-shirt kind of hot. The…