March and April were pickle season at home when we were children and the smell of salted mangoes filled the house. It was to fun to open the piece of muslin cloth that covered the tall porcelain jars of chopped and marinating fruit and pick a piece to taste it instantaneously without our...
Actor M R Radha famously derided Tamil love of traditions by saying Tamils use steam to make steamed food (puttu) whereas in Europe they use steam to drive engines. But today our steamed foods are discovered to be quite modern and healthy. Steaming comes under moist heat cooking (boiling,...
Among the newsmakers in the Nayan-Shivan wedding was Jackfruit Biryani that was served to guests. This mock-meat dish may have helped guests eat a biryani with the texture of meat but without actually eating meat. But how healthy is jackfruit biryani? Can biryani be made healthier while...
Shawarma is one of the most popular Middle East foods. Its vertical cooking style cooks the meat in its melting fat. Although vertical cooking of meat was introduced by the chefs of Ottoman Empire, it was Iskender Effendi, a Turkish man, who first made shawarma in 1870. It was called kebab. The...
Millets were once a staple food but their use gradually declined. As the population increased, high yield varieties of rice helped to feed hungry mouths. Nutrition took a back seat. Besides this, wheat was introduced during famines, and migrants brought in their own cuisines. But now the...
The use of flowers is not rare in Tamilian cooking. Find out the significance of edible flowers and why they’re getting back into kitchens.
Honey has been used since ancient times as a preservative, a medicine and a beauty treatment, but there are some kinds of honey that were used during wars to poison the enemy.
One of the reasons why Indian cooking is tasty is because of our fried foods. Most of us prefer to have poori over chapathi, gulab jamun over payasam, and even French fries over mashed potatoes. The richness in our various cuisines comes not only from the wonderfully spiced dishes, but from the...
As people are becoming more and more health conscious, they’re not only focusing on what they put on their plates but also what vessels they cook their food in. For this reason, cast iron cookware is making a big comeback into Indian kitchens, replacing their Teflon counterparts. While cooking...
Donkeys have been associated with human beings for ages. While horses were regal and associated with the rulers, donkeys were the common man’s means of transport. Donkeys have been with us carrying heavy loads meekly. Biblical references are plenty on donkeys. Jesus rode a colt to enter...
