FOOD

Even at 6:30 am on a December morning, there isn’t one specific smell, sound, voice or vibe that I can ascribe to Shahjahanabad (known as Old Delhi or Purani Dilli…

The path was less than two feet wide. Jagged, shifty, discouraging. On one side were the forbidding hills; densely covered in trees, giant cobwebs and thorny bushes. On the other,…

Earlier considered the common man’s food, now a delicacy, Zhunka Bhaakar (or Pithla Bhakri) is synonymous with everyday Maharashtrian food. What does someone born and brought up in Madhya Pradesh…

Chota Imambargah or Imambargah Hussain Mubarak is a popular tourist destination in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, but serves a more significant role in the history of Lucknow’s Muharram traditions. Locals say…

Our notion that only the edible can qualify as an ingredient is an effect of insufficient imagination. Peter Fernandes was awaiting us at the big black iron gate that opened…

Cumin (jeera) seeds start to crackle in hot oil and the journey begins. The path from seeds to sauce is one that hasn’t always translated to the western palate. Often…

Winter time in Mumbai means a lot of nice things (think green garlic, papdi, good spinach, etc.), it also means the skin and the hair start to dry out in an…

We drove through the town of Madikeri looking for a meal. It was a little over 2 pm and we were desperate for substantial lunch. Looking around, we found a…

I still remember the first visit, a few years ago. It was a sweltry afternoon. We had been walking around town since morning. A dangerous combination of hunger, heat and…

Kirat karna ; vand chhakna te Naam japna[ Earn.. (a) living by.. (doing) labour, share it with others, and repeat the name of Almighty. ] I’ve always wondered what is…

I spent an hour doing absolutely nothing, transfixed by the magnificence of the Mattupetty lake. “I’ve been here before,” I kept thinking. In fact, I was so sure I had…

I dipped a charred piece of bread into a rich gravy that soaked each crumb like a sponge. I raised it to my mouth and closed my eyes, and that…

Imagine an enormous, lush island, quietly existing at the heart of a gigantic river. So enormous, that once you’re a little away from the banks, you will find it hard…

It’s hard to put your faith in sustainable and healthy food practices when the options offered to you aren’t as appealing, if not better. After all, it is the era…

The elderly have no regard for calculated talk. They’ve understood the futility of filtered lives and hence prefer to just cut to the chase. When she first answered my phone…

On the morning of Thiruvonam, we accompany our friend to pick some flowers and the best banana leaves available in the area. A day before, her mother makes a trip…

It had been about five minutes since we were standing at the chowk (square), staring in admiration, at the jalebi batter being swirled into the spluttering desi ghee (slow-cooked clarified…