The joy of a drive. ~ By Nandita Godbole Between origin and destination, a road trip offers priceless gifts, says the author. Join her as she drives you through America, across vast landscapes and into the intimate warmth of homes at journey’s end. I came to the United States 22 years ago (1995) , as a student at a large public university. My family’s whispered sighs conveyed: this was an expensive adventure. Their hugs reinforced the loss we would all experience in time—of h

Stack of paintings waiting to be discovered ART HEALS Whether it is a painting, writing, or something else, it is little love-letters the...

What we dont talk about... ... When We Talk About Food Writing ( behind the scenes for a food writer and cookbook author) A couple of...

There are two things I don’t compromise on: fresh fruit and good bread. Life’s just too short to chew through sour strawberries or choke down a bun that tastes like soggy paper.

Makes: 4 servings. Time: 30 minutes plus soaking time

An excerpt from "Ten Thousand Tongues: secrets of a layered kitchen, the novel" (c) Nandita Godbole, 2018) Mehsana, Gujarat-Rajasthan...

About: Loss can be a devastating experience that leaves us feeling helpless and alone. But what if I told you that there are ways to cope...

My bear was part of a dance company most of the K-12 years. I would sit in all of their performances each year, and weep tears of joy, seeing how much she enjoyed it - there was a different glow on her face while on stage. The week Covid shut down the world, was the last performance she had. Fastforward, college.  Going to college far away from home, 2K miles to be exact, was stressful. Each year brought a new level of stress, and we discussed how she could do something fun o

A quick hello, and a list of recipes on my site that may help you with your Thanksgiving menu, if you are still looking for ideas. In...

Gifts from a parent I lost my father in July 2016. It was a dreadful day; the pain still haunts me. In a fit of cruel rage, someone...

For When You’ve Not Hosted In A While I’ve done a lot of dinner parties. But my favorite ones were my monthly ‘secret supper’ dinners....

Believe me, I don’t like fussy recipes - because on some days I have the attention span of a gnat (!) And on some days I have zero idea...

I will share something I said to a friend about making ghee. Some people will deliberately complicate an otherwise stupidly simple...

Being an entrepreneur is never easy. Some of you might remember what happened in 2018 - and might even know how the resulting depression...

Summer is heating up, and many places are experiencing temperatures in the triple digits. This age-old recipe is one for a traditional...

May 1 is celebrated in India as Maharashtra Day, the day when the Bombay Presidency became two states of Maharashtra & Gujarat in 1960,...

In 2022, I became a pottery student, learning to transform a ball of clay on the wheel into something useful - a small pinch plate, a...

About my newest cookbook, Masaleydaar

As this blog is about food, women and life - here is what I think of a show that threatens patriarchy as it centers around the narratives of

"The modern marvel is in its marketing, and not the product itself, for this turmeric elixir has been favored by Indian grandmothers and mothers for centuries. It is a wonderful way to end a long day, or help in recovering from an illness. It is easy to put together, and makes for a fragrant brew." ~ Seven Pots of Tea, (c) Nandita Godbole, 2020

A nearly forgotten term, for young people the word Kashayam evokes the idea that someone is punishing them. But, that isn’t the case. A...

Aviyal not only makes my South Indian husband extremely happy; this recipe is very easy to make.

Many people discount okra from their vegetarian options because they fear it is a slimy vegetable. True. It can become slimier as it...

Couch (c) Nandita Godbole, 2019 A quaint twosome on a couch for two. Sat silently. Absorbing the hours. Doing absolutely nothing, except...

A farmers' market find yielded an easy show-stopping tart.

Paisa = money, vasul = value/worth Farmers’ markets in the summer hold a special place in my heart. In summers’ past when we have been...

A quick and easy recipe for a Guava raita. Trust me on this one.

For When You’ve Not Hosted In A While I’ve hosted a lot of dinner parties. But my favorite ones were my monthly ‘secret supper’ dinners....

A few days ago, we visited the Atlanta Botanical Gardens , to see their latest exhibit, "Dream Flora" by Patrick Shearn of Poetic Kinetics , alongside Jason Gamrath's oversized blooms. If you are local, take some time to enjoy this fabulous experience. I had always loved nature and art, separately. When I became a student of landscape architecture, I learned to see how these two can come together in the same space. Sometimes placing a work of art in the landscape, but more of

(Many of you know that), that I have travelled with my daughter, solo, back and forth to India and across the US since she was 8 months old.

Hah! During some part of the editorial process for this recipe for Seven Pots of Tea , some information was accidentally missed. It happens to the best of us. So, here we have the complete recipe for Cilantro & Corn Cakes from my book, Seven Pots of Tea: an Ayurvedic approach to sips & nosh (page 215).

We drove out to our local home improvement store looking for plants one Friday evening, and I returned with a hunkering for a baked confection – since we didn’t have luck with the plants. We turned into the parking lot of our trusty local bakery to find they had temporarily closed the location for Covid and it would be a 20-mile drive to their other nearest location. It was 5 p.m. on a Friday. The chances of me driving any more were slim.

We had visited the Ojai region, just north of LA a few years ago. This region is known for its abundant and fresh produce, including...

At our home, no Holi observance is complete without the preparation of my moms favorite, Puran Poli. This holiday favorite across most of India but particularly along the west coast is incredibly decadent, rich and luscious.

I love desserts.

With the amount of research going into tea, and the number of times I was making green-tea, there were plenty of extra tea leaves. We have m

..The past few months have given us more sadness than we thought possible. The needless deaths, the destruction of civil behavior, remorsefu

A versatile recipe for minced chicken for sandwiches, soups and more

Chainsoo, a classic dish from Uttarakhand region of India. This is such a ‘dense’ dish it can be heavy on the stomach, it is best served wit

"The guy was bewildered that I did not want the ‘better looking stuff’ - maybe some carrots or butternut squash? "

Some of you may already know, I have food allergies and intolerance's. {Annoying ones that make everyone go ‘huh?’ } But mine are geneti

I have no words for 2019. I have written more than I ever expected to, done more media than before. It kept us on our toes. Yesterday, stuck in bed, in the post-surgery state, I finally picked up what needed to catch up on: my Ayurvedic studies (I’ve been working on formalizing what I already know .. because well, folks don’t take you seriously otherwise) . My laptop propped up into the sheets, I read for about two hours, listened to some of the audio lectures and started to

A poem and a reflection.

People like me, with roots in India, have struggled through the Biryani Roll controversy, the Chickpea Tikka Masala drama, the...

A traditional Daal Makhani recipe

.. I let the bee balm bloom because the bees enjoyed them more – or I would have made a bee-balm tea. The purple basil sits tucked in with t

It is unlikely that you would believe me if I simply said that many drinks consumed at room temperature are actually better for you than chi

"And of the two children, Ana seemed happier there than Sameer. She would spend each morning reaching over to pick little tendli (ivy g

"My love-hate relationship with my hair has lasted nearly five decades. I think most Indian women suffer from this malady. Hair is cove

A short poem about the cycle of Karma.