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Millets were part of our daily food for long time. Bajri (pearl millet) or jwari (sorghum) were used to prepare bhakari and was consumed at least in one meal of the day. Bhakari from bajari was prepared in winter and jwari bhakari rest of the year. Gradually this practice dwindled and we were eating chapati…

Few days back I was asked, what I can cook in twenty minutes. It was quite an intriguing question. Either you do a lot in twenty minutes or can do almost nothing .I remembered my grandmother whose kitchen was devoid of gas stove, refrigerator and even running water the luxuries we have taken granted for.…

 My mother got her pressure cooker in the year 1962.Almost till recently it was in use in her house. Adapting to the pressure cooking was not easy for my mother. But gradually using trial and error method she learnt using it.In the beginning she cooked dal and rice. But cooking mutton in shorter time was…

It happened few years back. It was a family dinner in a Thai restaurant at San Diego .We sat for dinner and were in the process of ordering food. One of us turned to be vegetarian. We searched food of her choice and it came down to red Thai curry with vegetables. On the verge…

Ganeshotsav is here and as we all know Modak is the favourite food of Lord Ganesh. During Ganesh festival, Maharashtrian houses or any house who keep the Ganesh idols, prepare Modak is a ritual. Modak is traditionally prepared on the first day of the festival. They are prepared in many ways but the flavour will…

The month of Shravan is here and one of the favourites in my family is Waalachi Sual. Peeling waal sprouts for usal or birde was meditative but peeling huge quantities of waal for a large family was difficult for any house wife or home chef. So all the available help was roped in, including the…

My mother used to make cake at home. Her mother also used to make cake. It was a time when ovens were not easily found in home. Mother was baking her cake in a cake pot. The cake used to come out as a ring or rather like a huge doughnut. Grandmother had a special…

Breadmaker entered my home as a gift. At that time I did not have any inkling that my crusade of bread making had started. As such I like bread, so far it is fresh and soft. From ‘pav’ to packaged bread any bread is welcome on our table. As we have a well-known bakery in…

Now a days we come across many combos. We like to pair certain dishes .When we order food from hotels, they also offer many combos. But the oldest combo I know is ‘Kalya Watanyachi Usal ‘and ‘Shira’ distributed as Prasad after Satyanarayan Pooja.This was a regular practice in Sindhudurg District. After Pooja everybody got one…

It’s the start of monsoon season, rain is lashing on my sea facing windows and the sea is mesmerizingly turbulent. Watching the rains with a steaming cup of tea and a plate of hot kanda bhaji is a must during rains. It’s a match made on plate and your pallet. Khekda bhaji, the crab like…

Chatani is an all-time favourite accompaniment with our food. The word chatani brings to imagination bright colours, intertwined tastes of sweet, sour, spice from chillies, making it a finger licking and yummy accompaniment to any snack or food.  . We eat chatni with practically anything like batatawada, samosa, idli, dosa etc. We love to slather…

I have worked with Regional Agmark Labs for 33 years. I was posted in spices section when I came across The Curry Powder. We were handed two types of curry powders. One was called special and the other general. The special one used to have familiar smells like Sunday special Masala, Sambar masala, Garam masala…