An independent writer with over 10 years of experience. I write about the intersection of food, society and culture, and cities and their foodscapes.
How Maggi Created a Generation of Experimental Cooks
The iconic instant noodles packet turns 40 in India, its biggest market, this year. Here’s how Maggi, despite a 2015 ban in the country, reshaped snacks and meals forever.
How Chillies Came To Rule Over Our Palates
From condiments to cheeky cultural references, chillies permeate every aspect of life in South Asia. Here’s a quick summary of how this foreign ingredient became synonymous with the subcontinent.
How travellers shaped the cuisine of Amritsar
History and geography have shaped the city's street food, which shows influences from Afghanistan to Bangladesh
The Rooh Afza Renaissance
The ubiquitous, cooling drink known for its permanent spot on the Iftar spread is also indelibly linked with the history of partition.
How Soya Nuggets Became a Household Ingredient in India
Vegetarians find it too meaty and meat-eaters find it too bland — yet a strange twist of history made this plant-based protein a feature of Indian cuisine.
The Story of Sattu and How So-Called Peasant Foods Become Mainstreamed
As an undergrad, I had to travel from my hometown in eastern Uttar Pradesh (UP) to my hostel in Rajasthan, a trip that required me to take an overnight train journey followed by a few hours ride in a state transport bus. My mother would pack two meals for me, one for the night in the train and one for the morning after. The second meal often consisted of parathas with a filling of sattu—flour made with roasted Bengal gram.
The qorma that was served at Shah Rukh Khan's wedding
The festive season is around the corner in Delhi. And Abdul Hakim’s qorma shop in Old Delhi’s Lal Kuan, is busy churning out the kilos of their signature offering.
Popti, the winter campfire dish of the Konkan region
A lesser known one-pot meal from the Western Ghats celebrates the winter harvest of the region.
From Himachali dhaam to Malabari duck mappas, these Delhi homechefs are whipping up a storm
Delhi is known to be a melting pot of cuisines from different states and regions in India; no other Metro can match up to the North Eastern fare available here and my recent exploration has led me to discover a sizable number of restaurants serving food from Kerala. While these food experiences were earlier limited to dining out, there has been a surge of home chefs and delivery kitchens serving food from their respective homelands. A lot of it can be credited to the pandemic and subsequent l...
Street food around the country celebrates winter bounty
'Khoya', dry fruits and tender 'jowar' brighten up food stalls in the streets of Gujarat, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh
Cultural Cuisine: Seasonal Eating in India
In a country as expansive as India, nearly every season imaginable exists. There are the snow-clad peaks of the Himalayas, the rainforests of Kerala, the massive deserts of Rajasthan, and an expansive ocean coastline.
The best way to understand the food is by looking at the varied climates.
Relishing Varanasi’s Hindi Heritage
Far removed from the chaos of Dashashwamedh Ghat, a bungalow in the ancient city upholds the city’s literary past.
Tehri, A Dish that Crosses Borders & Connects Communities
Shirin Mehrotra finds that the beloved UP Tehri appears in many forms, with avatars that stretch across the Deccan plateau, to the mountains of Kashmir, and cross the border to Pakistan, each with its own fascinating origin story.
Kutch’s Best-Kept Secret
Experience the expanse of the white desert in Rann of Ekal, away from the hordes of tourists flooding Dhordo.
Following the trail of the ghee roast in Mangaluru
Seafood, Byadgi chillies and community-specific foods define Mangaluru’s culinary culture