Picked for the season, festivals around the corner and the time of day.
Today’s pick · For Durga Puja
Makhane ki Kheer is a North Indian classic you’ll see at home during fasts and on festival thalis. It’s gentle, nutty, and naturally suited to vrat because makhana are seeds, not grain.
For Durga Puja
This is the khichdi so many of us grew up eating across Maharashtra, Gujarat, and North India. Light, nutty, and comforting.
Good for breakfast
This one took off on Instagram and YouTube, but the buzz really picked up in Hyderabad, Telangana. It’s not a traditional recipe, just a clever, tasty idea that stuck.
Good for breakfast
Good for breakfast
For Durga Puja
For Durga PujaThe why behind the food: where dishes come from, how they differ, and what home cooks know.
Explainer
Discover the viral cucumber imli shot taking over social media. Learn how to make these tangy, spicy tamarind-filled cucumber cups at home for a refreshing snack.
3 min read
List
Discover quick, easy Navratri vrat recipes designed for busy working professionals, featuring packable lunches, fast dinners, and smart meal prep tips.
6 min read
Comparison
Discover the core differences between Litti Chokha and Dal Baati, from their regional origins and unique ingredients to their health benefits and common cooking pitfalls.
4 min read
The Indian kitchen, explained
What each spice and pantry staple does, how much to use, when it goes into the pan and how to tell good quality from bad.
Start with the spices you already have. Each guide is short enough to read while the oil heats.
Spiceहींग (Hing)
Hing is a dried resin from Ferula that smells strongly of sulfur when raw, but turns savory in hot oil. Add it to tadka for sambar, rasam, or onion- and garlic-free Jain dishes; raw lumps are more potent, while compounded hing is a ready-to-use powder.
Otherमीठा सोडा (Meetha soda)
A pinch of baking soda (meetha soda) lifts batters and speeds up chickpea or rajma cooking; too much left unreacted tastes bitter.
Spiceबड़ी इलायची (Badi elaichi)
Black cardamom (बड़ी इलायची) is the dried fruit capsule of Amomum subulatum with a strong, smoky, camphoraceous aroma; it’s used whole in rich curries and biryanis.
Spiceकाली मिर्च (Kali mirch)
Black pepper (काली मिर्च) is the dried, unripe drupes of the vine Piper nigrum. It gives a biting, warm pungency and is used whole, freshly cracked or ground across Indian cooking.
Spiceकाला नमक (Kala namak)
Kala namak is the sulfur-scented salt you finish chaats and cool summer drinks with. A pinch brings a tangy, savory edge to bhel puri, jaljeera, and raita.
Grain and riceदलिया (Daliya)
Broken wheat, or daliya, is whole raw wheat crushed into coarse pieces that keep the germ and bran. Nutty and earthy, it simmers to tenderness for dalia khichdi, lapsi, upma, and Kerala payasam.
Spiceअजवाइन (Ajwain)
Ajwain, or carom seeds, bring a pungent, thyme-like punch that cuts rich doughs and pakora batters, and wakes up dal or sabzi when bloomed in hot ghee. Use whole, or dry-roast and grind for a mellower herbal finish.
Spice blendचाट मसाला (Chaat masala)
Sprinkle चाट मसाला (Chaat masala) at the end for a sharp, chatpata kick: sour, savory, a little pungent. A fine powder that perks up chaats, fruit, and drinks.
In season · Festive season
Whole pods of green cardamom, chhoti elaichi, go in early for tadka or chai; powder goes in at the end for kheer and halwa. Choose plump, pale olive-green pods with sticky, fragrant seeds.
In season · Festive season
Kesar brings a sweet-floral aroma, warm earthy notes, and a golden hue to biryani, kahwa, and mithai. Infuse the threads in warm milk or syrup, then add at the finish.
In season · Festive season
Jaiphal is a warm, sweet-aromatic spice that you grate over a dish at the end or mix into sweets and batters. Whole or ground, it adds a nutty, woody depth.
In season · Festive season
Javitri, the dried lacy aril of nutmeg, brings a warm, aromatic lift. Add a blade to tadka or biryani, or use the reddish-orange powder in kebab marinades and finishing garam masala.
Ingredient in focus
Rasam powder is a South Indian dry spice blend of roasted coriander, cumin, black pepper and dried red chilies, often with a bit of toor dal or chana dal. Add it while boiling the tamarind, tomato and dal broth for rasam so the spices fully infuse.
Ingredient in focus
Toast suji till it smells nutty, then stream it into hot liquid while stirring for lump-free upma or halwa. This is the grainy wheat rava you reach for every week.
Photo credits: Simon A. Eugster, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsSanjay Acharya, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsJacek Halicki, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsTricholome, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsJellyboots (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsMon Œil, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia CommonsKhurram Shehzad / Flickr user: Lekum's ( https://www.flickr.com/photos/29072273@N00/ ), CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia CommonsHubertl, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsSalonik Saffron, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsRainer Z ..., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsPilotChicago, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons