VEG-FORWARD JAPCHAE

This might be the first time you’re hearing the words sweet potato starch noodles, but I promise it won’t be the last. Japchae is one of those dishes that has no business being as good as it is—slippery glass noodles tangled with veg, a savoury-sweet sauce that hits every corner of your palate, and enough… Read more »

BEET & MISO HUMMUS

There’s always a beet lurking in the fridge a little longer than intended. This one had been sitting quietly in the vegetable drawer, still firm, still hopeful. I hadn’t planned to make hummus with it, but that’s how most good things start, isn’t it? Always roast your beets. Steaming or boiling just makes them flabby… Read more »

THAI-INSPIRED SQUID, PRAWN & GRAPEFRUIT SALAD

Somewhere between craving something light and realizing I had seafood to use up, this salad happened. It borrows a lot from Thai pomelo salad—fresh herbs, juicy citrus, plenty of crunch—but gets a protein upgrade because sometimes fruit and texture aren’t enough to count as a real meal. This is a salad that eats like dinner,… Read more »

BOK CHOY & SHIITAKE STIR-FRY

A quick yet satisfying lunch, brimming with vibrant greens and earthy mushrooms. True to the essence of a good stir-fry, it comes together in under 20 minutes, relying on pantry staples—save for the dried shiitakes, unless, like me, you deem them essential and keep a generous stock on hand. One of the best things about… Read more »

ORANGE CHICKEN SALAD

This is exactly what you think it is: Asian-style orange chicken, but served without the rice and instead fashioned into a scrummy salad. I air fried the chicken here, but you could just as easily get similar results (albeit with a bit more oil) with baking or pan-frying them.  Coat the chicken pieces (I like… Read more »

KIMCHI, TOFU & NORI FRIED RICE

I’ve been writing on here for more than 9 years now. Many things have changed and evolved along the way—priorities, methodologies, ideas—but one thing remains intact: I still forget to cook my rice. Just thought I’d point out that some things are still familiar around here. (A nifty trick – once the rice is cooked… Read more »

CHICKEN OATMEAL CONGEE

Eating a hot breakfast is a rarity in my world. It’s usually a cup of coffee and a banana (with a protein shake in hand) before I rush out the door with my toddler in tow. We do find time to make it a family affair on the weekends though, and for that I’m grateful…. Read more »

DATE BARK

Date barks are all the rage right now. It first made an appearance in a viral tiktok video (I think?) and soon started making its rounds on every food platform known to humankind. I saw it and instantly knew I had to try it. Some recipes are like that; you just know they’re going to… Read more »

CARAMELISED APPLE SALAD

Have some salad leaves wilting in the fridge? Here’s a good recipe to use it for. Don’t have salad leaves wilting in the fridge? Maybe buy some to try this recipe then? My solidly convincing arguments aside, this salad is so delicious and takes 15 mins from start (washing your lettuce) to finish (forking it… Read more »

PUMPKIN HUMMUS + SPICED BUTTER

  Pumpkin hummus. The usual crew: chickpeas, sesame (I use seeds; not store-bought tahini), lemon juice.  To dial up the natural sweetness of the pumpkin, we roast it in the oven until soft and yielding. Halve a whole head of garlic, wrap in foil, and add to the roasting tray along with the pumpkin. Once… Read more »

Latest
  • CARAMELIZED PEAR AND FETA SALAD

    Pears are surprisingly hard to come by in Chennai. Sure, you find the locally grown green ones—the ‘hill station’ pears—but those still run a certain seasonal cycle and you see them around for maybe one or two months of the year. These local varieties are usually not very flavourful however, and the texture is often… Read more »

  • KALE BUBBLE AND SQUEAK

    I know ‘bubble and squeak’ sounds like a made-up name to sneak veggies into your toddler’s lunch. Unfortunately though—at least for those of us that enjoy quirky food names: oat-thappams, anyone?—it’s pretty straightforward. Bubble and squeak originated in the UK and was a dish of cabbage and fried meat. And the name came about because… Read more »

  • ROASTED BEETS & PUMPKIN WITH CASHEW SOUR CREAM

    I always need to have beets in stock. I don’t know if this mindset came about after the lockdown or what, but I feel reassured knowing that I have a few kilos of them in the fridge. This sentiment doesn’t apply to carrots and potatoes which, realistically speaking are more versatile ‘basic’ vegetables. It’s reserved… Read more »

  • BAKED FIGS WITH PISTACHIOS AND DATES

    I admit this is not the prettiest dish. But aesthetics go completely out the window when you’re stuffing a squidgy brown paste into something. Trust me, I tried. But one bite of this and you’ll realize that its visual appearance completely belies its taste. I’m not a big fan of nuts. I don’t hate them… Read more »

  • ROASTED AUBERGINE WITH HARISSA + WHIPPED PANEER

    At first glance this dish may look and sound intimidating. And that’s exactly why I did the poll asking if you guys wanted it on here. A whopping 97% of you said yes so here we are! This recipe is loosely adapted from Ottolenghi who makes his version with griddled aubergines and feta. As soon… Read more »

  • MANGO GINGER RAITHA

    Mango ginger is one of my favourite seasonal ingredients. Around this time of the year, just before summer sets in, you’ll find them aplenty at grocery stores and in heaped mounds at outdoor markets. At a glance, mango ginger looks a lot like ginger. But once you peel away their soft skins, you’ll find that… Read more »

  • 10-MINUTE THAI CHICKEN WITH HOLY BASIL

    I realize I sound like a broken record every time I say “use thigh meat instead of breast”. That doesn’t stop me from saying it however, so here goes: it’s not because chicken breasts on a good day taste like cardboard, but mainly because chicken thighs are a lot more forgiving for meal-prep and bulk… Read more »

  • OVEN-ROASTED PLANTAINS

    More oven-roasted veg! Plantains this time but I also have an oven-roasted taro on here, and have already tackled the elephant in the room. Basically covering all my bases—and tubers—with this fool-proof method of cooking them. Taro is my personal favourite in this category of starchy veg but they are admittedly fiddly. They need to… Read more »

  • MUSKMELON AND FETA SALAD

    This muskmelon and feta salad might be my favourite salad of all time (a tall claim considering how I feel about a Thai mango salad). As much as I like the more popular watermelon version, there’s just something about muskmelon here that gives it that substantial heft that you don’t seem to get from the… Read more »

  • STOVETOP RATATOUILLE WITH PUMPKIN

    Here’s how I decide what to cook: I shop for things that are fresh in the store/market, and then rack my brain to find different ways to use them up. More prosaic than you might have thought, but that’s the truth of it (or at least most of the time). Sure, I meal plan and… Read more »

  • SPINACH AND YOGURT DIP WITH FRIED GARLIC

    I say “dip”, but honestly, I just end up eating this straight out of the bowl. (Yes, I do mean the mixing bowl.) Please don’t skip or skimp on the fried garlic – it’s really what makes this dish. How much is too much fried garlic, anyway? Rhetorical question. It couldn’t be easier: blanch the… Read more »

  • HARISSA PASTE

    I think it’s high time I put this harissa recipe out there since it’s all I’ve been on about since last week. We ate it in and on everything from paneer köfte wraps, to roast chicken, and.. the pièce de résistance: an Ottolenghi inspired flame-roasted aubergine and whipped paneer dish which might possibly be the… Read more »

  • KOREAN CUCUMBER SALAD

    Disclaimer: I’ve used regular Indian chilli powder in this recipe, and not gochugaru, the traditionally used Korean chilli flakes. I’ve done my fair share of sourcing gochugaru in the past, but have since realized that the few Korean dishes that I cook and use them in actually work well with our more ubiquitous Indian variant…. Read more »

  • SOBA NOODLES WITH ROASTED TERIYAKI MUSHROOMS & BOK CHOY

    I love a good teriyaki sauce provided it’s not too cloyingly sweet. Which, unfortunately, always seems to be the case with most dishes/recipes associated with the name. So although I say teriyaki here, you’ll find that it doesn’t really have that same sweetness that you might expect from it. All the same flavours, only, not… Read more »

  • CHEESY SAVOURY FRENCH TOAST + GARLICKY MUSHROOMS & SPINACH + CHUNKY TOMATOES

    I’m back with *another* French toast recipe. No surprises there but it’s a savoury one this time! The title is a mouthful but there’s no other way to describe what this is: you sandwich melty cheese between two slices of bread, dip in a Dijon-spiked egg mixture and cook over a low flame for the… Read more »