What are Masalas or spice blends?
I will share something I said to a friend about making ghee. Some people will deliberately complicate an otherwise stupidly simple...
Mrittika: Fragrant Earth
Being an entrepreneur is never easy. Some of you might remember what happened in 2018 - and might even know how the resulting depression...
Recipe: Phudina CHaas
Summer is heating up, and many places are experiencing temperatures in the triple digits. This age-old recipe is one for a traditional...
On Statehood, AAPI Month & Masala Dabba's
May 1 is celebrated in India as Maharashtra Day, the day when the Bombay Presidency became two states of Maharashtra & Gujarat in 1960,...
Itty-Bitty & Oh So Pretty!
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...
MasaleyDaar
About my newest cookbook, Masaleydaar
On Bossy Women
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
Recipe: Haldi Ksheerapaka / Turmeric Milk
"The modern marvel is in its marketing, and not the product itself, for this turmeric elixir has been favored by Indian grandmothers and...
Recipe: Cardamom & Tulsi Kashayam
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...
Recipe: Acorn Squash & Broad Beans Aviyal
Aviyal not only makes my South Indian husband extremely happy; this recipe is very easy to make.
Recipe: Easy Okra
Many people discount okra from their vegetarian options because they fear it is a slimy vegetable. True. It can become slimier as it...
Verse: Couch
Couch (c) Nandita Godbole, 2019 A quaint twosome on a couch for two. Sat silently. Absorbing the hours. Doing absolutely nothing, except...
Recipe: Easy Cheesy Chanterelle & Chicken Puff Pastry Tart
A farmers' market find yielded an easy show-stopping tart.
Paisa Vasul "Market Days."
Paisa = money, vasul = value/worth Farmers’ markets in the summer hold a special place in my heart. In summers’ past when we have been...
Recipe: Guava Raita
A quick and easy recipe for a Guava raita. Trust me on this one.
Recipes: For an Easy Dinner Party
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....
Resume or Résumé?
A few days ago, we visited the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, to see their latest exhibit, "Dream Flora" by Patrick Shearn of Poetic...
Traveling with Your Teen
(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.
Recipe: Cilantro & Corn Cakes
Hah! During some part of the editorial process for this recipe for Seven Pots of Tea, some information was accidentally missed. It...
Recipe: Tangerine Walnut Mini-Muffins
We drove out to our local home improvement store looking for plants one Friday evening, and I returned with a hunkering for a baked...
Recipe: Tangerine Raita
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...
Recipe: Puran Poli
At our home, no Holi observance is complete without the preparation of my moms favorite, Puran Poli. This holiday favorite across most of...
Recipes: TWO Easiest Vegetarian Tarts: Chocolate Chestnut & Chocolate Raspberry
I love desserts. This holiday season, I wanted to make something using some pre-cooked chestnuts that came in a gift-basket from...
Recipe: Fermented Green Tea Leaf Salad
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
Finding The Vanishing Point
..The past few months have given us more sadness than we thought possible. The needless deaths, the destruction of civil behavior, remorsefu
Recipe: Versatile Chicken Meatballs/Shami
A versatile recipe for minced chicken for sandwiches, soups and more
Recipe: Chainsoo/ Roasted Urad Daal
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
Wilted turnips
"The guy was bewildered that I did not want the ‘better looking stuff’ - maybe some carrots or butternut squash? "
Food allergies & my cookbooks
Some of you may already know, I have food allergies and intolerance's. {Annoying ones that make everyone go ‘huh?’ } But mine are geneti
No resolutions. No reservations.
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,...
Traces
A poem and a reflection.
What is in a name of an Indian dish?
People like me, with roots in India, have struggled through the Biryani Roll controversy, the Chickpea Tikka Masala drama, the...
Recipe: Maa-ki Daal / Whole Black Urad Daal / Daal Makhani
A traditional Daal Makhani recipe
My Summer Garden of Scents & Sensibilities: a meditation on the ordinary.
.. 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
Naturally cooling drinks for the summer.
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
Old Ghosts & New Ghosts (chapter excerpt & recipe)
"And of the two children, Ana seemed happier there than Sameer. She would spend each morning reaching over to pick little tendli (ivy g
The Coveted
"My love-hate relationship with my hair has lasted nearly five decades. I think most Indian women suffer from this malady. Hair is cove
Landscape & Karma
A short poem about the cycle of Karma.
Just Do It.
".. I see all of this as my sweat equity, my investment in creating something that is so singularly unique that may be mimicked, never
Enough parenting
"This woman shared her expert perspectives on how adults and young people see time and needs differently, how men and women respond to
Really? Is it today?
It was a brisk cold February morning. I had tried washing a teal green silk salwar kameez in the bathtub earlier that week, laundromats...
Recipe: Spicy Paneer Burger
Well, I'll talk about the Forbes piece one of these days. But the McDonalds story had a funny start. For a piece on cheese, a freelancer
Verse: The tale of a traitor
Happy Friday!! On World Hindi Day, I wanted to share something about my fondness for writing verse in Hindi. I rummaged through old...
If you know, you need only ask - Helena Ravenclaw
The second half of this famous dialog comes to mind today, uttered by Helena Ravenclaw, scripted by author J K Rowling (yes, Potter fans...
Gifts For Artists: Part Two
Although art can happen on any surface and in any medium, this post shares some wrap-able and practical gifts for the artist on your shoppin
Gifts For Artists: Part One
This is part of a two-part post on gifting for the artist. This piece shares notes on the basics, the tools of the trade.
Winter Spice: Fenugreek
In my kitchen, my immediate go-to masala dabba contains many basic spices: black mustard seeds, turmeric, cumin, cayenne pepper powder,...
Intentions: Simple Festival Dishes
As part of the observances of Ganesh Chaturthi (this year, on Sept 12 in US, on Sept. 13 2018 in India), prayer offerings are most often sim
The Promise of New York
"The office parking lot was already full, so I parked on the side of the Golf-course parking, and walked in from the side entrance into
About rich people liking free stuff & Karma
"During and after the movie, I reflected on many things – perception, truth-and-lies, family secrets, the power of media, gossip, ‘repr
