The Indian kitchen of the 1960s looked very different from today. There were no instant noodles, ready-to-eat meals or supermarket aisles packed with dozens of snack brands. Yet packaged food was slowly becoming part of urban life.Some products that once felt familiar have almost disappeared from everyday conversation. Others survive only as old tins, faded…
An idli stand can be used for more than just making idlis. The small moulds and stacked plates make it useful for steaming many other foods at home. You can use it to steam vegetables, momos, and dhokla, or prepare rice noodles and traditional sweets. It can also help you cook small portions without using…
Elephants and Rajdhani (Instagram) Assam is a beautiful Northeastern state known for its exotic wildlife and dense jungles. The state has a close relationship with elephants. But sometimes, Assam’s wildlife comes much closer to everyday life than expected. Recently, an unexpected encounter between these gentle giants and a famous Indian train made the headlines. The…
It has been part of the food habits of nomadic communities for generations. A traditional cheese made from yak milk in the high-altitude villages of Ladakh has found international recognition. Yak Churpi, made for generations by pastoral communities, won a gold medal at the Mundial do Queijo do Brasil 2026 in São Paulo, Brazil. The…
When Indian breads come to mind, naan, roti, paratha and kulcha often take centre stage. They are familiar, widely available and deeply woven into the country’s food culture. But travel further south and the idea of what counts as a bread becomes far more varied. Across Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana,…
Walk into almost any temple, old or new, and the first thing we do right after entering is ring the bell, or ghantas. We spot it even before reaching the deity. The bell is a heavy metal Ghanta hanging right at the entrance, worn smooth by generations of hands reaching up to ring it.It’s such…
Once a child shows real intellectual promise, it’s tempting to treat literally everything as a teachable moment, quizzing them at dinner, correcting their grammar mid-sentence, or steering every conversation toward something “productive.” The problem is that this can quietly strip away the ordinary, unstructured downtime kids genuinely need to just be kids, play pretend, get…
A school day can involve hundreds of little things that barely register in your mind. You pull open the classroom door, grab a chair, borrow a pen, press the lift button, use the washroom, and head to the canteen. None of these moments feels particularly dirty. But when hundreds of students repeat the same routine…
Dal chawal is one of those meals that rarely needs an introduction. It is comforting, filling and easy to put together, whether it is a simple weekday lunch or the meal you turn to when you want something familiar. Dal already provides plant-based protein, but a few small additions can make the bowl more protein-rich…
Thai food is often associated with fish sauce, shrimp paste and meat, but that is only one side of the country’s remarkably diverse food culture. Across Thailand, vegetarian cooking draws on the same balance of sweet, sour, salty, spicy and aromatic flavours, using ingredients such as tofu, mushrooms, vegetables, coconut milk, herbs and rice.If you…
