Oh! The Things We’ve Seen
A monthly roundup bringing together the incredible conversations that play out on our Local Food Club WhatsApp groups.
“It’s eaten like Bhel!”
“A really delicious snack that welcomes the winter!”
Guess the Mystery Ingredient?
“Can anyone identify what is the 1st item on right?”
‘Anna He Apoorna Brahma’
“My mum’s visiting and made Mutton Chuka Curry from Shahu Patole’s book Dalit Kitchens of Marathwada.”
“Guess what flower this is?”
“Clue: Turns into a very popular spice!”
Where are South Delhi folks getting their paneer from?
“There were some reports about adulterated paneer floating about, and we had stopped consuming it.”
What’s your cooking style like?
“My mother works like a mad scientist, aggravating me in the kitchen even when she has taught me to be methodical and slow.”
“Just replace the rice with a millet!”
“I’m on a bit of a mission to switch my diet from wheat to millets, but I’m not quite sure how to cook with them”
‘We found my Grandmother’s recipe book from 1989’
“It’s a gold mine and speaks volumes on how recipe-sharing worked in the pre-TV and pre-internet era”
The 14 greens of Choddo Shaak
“The name Choddo Shaak means “14 greens,” and each type of leaf is believed to represent different parts of life and nature”
Do you mean Churpi?
“I know it should be soaked to soften enough to eat or cook. Any idea how?”
‘I found my baking mojo again’
“Since I was an intuitive and irreverent cook, I tried to wing my way around baking and made lots of blunders”
Starfruit Stories Across Cities
“Its chutney tastes out of this world”
Ever tried making Jowar popcorn?
“I’ve never had popped jowar before. Does it taste like popcorn?”
Discovering Singhada Flour
“I was passing by a market in Jabalpur and picked up some. I’m excited to cook with it”
Anyone up for some Kantola Kulfi?
“I mean, if people are putting onions in kheer, why not?”
In Search of the Sharpest Kasundi
“I love kasundi. It is so much better than English mustard”
“I take the leaves whenever I go!”
“I love coriander in any form, but some people find culantro to be slightly sharper in taste as a garnish”
“She would have been so thrilled to see her work appreciated so many years after she wrote the cookbooks”
“I make her dhansakh masala regularly. And have made so many other recipes. A must-have cookbook”
How Do You Master the Hilsa’s Bones?
“I think they debone the Hilsa by cutting first, then using fine tweezers, they pick the bones individually”
Fresh and Foraged: Cooking With Nalli chi Bhaji
“तालाब के किनारे-किनारे ये सब्जी उग आती है।”
No Scraps Left Behind
“First attempt at making stock with scraps. Any tips from pros?”
“Our Club inspired me to make a small comic strip”
Who would win the prize for monsoon snack par excellence? Chai and Bhutta, it would seem.
On the Elaborate Indulgence of Dawoodi Bohra Thals
“As a community, we are known for our love for food. As the saying goes: “Be kharaas, be mithaas, pakku bypass”, which translates to: Alternating two savouries and two sweets is a surefire recipe for a bypass.”
After the Heat Softened, Before the Evening Set In
“It was the time of day when the clatter of kitchens quieted, when families gathered for tea on the balcao, often with pão, a slice of cake, or something savoury just out of the oven.”
Nostalgic for School Lunches and Old Friendships
“Thick, flaky, and full of spice, Koki smelled like comfort wrapped in ghee.”
What to Do with Karonda?
“In Ahmedabad, most pickles are made during summers, but Karvanda pickle is a rare one prepared during the monsoons.”
On Deep-Frying for Shitala Satam
“All the dishes are fried, and high on the spices, for preservation.”
Abandoned Rail Tracks and Knives With a Full Tang
“These are made from steel that comes from abandoned railway tracks from the British era, which is why the quality is solid. This is what I was told in Kutch.”
On Musical Throwbacks and What ‘Delhi Food’ Even Is
“It’s a very sweet, fun throwback, and it’s good to know that some things about Dilli’s food are still the same!”
One Drumstick, Many Ways to Cook it
“A friend from Ooty had once brought me a drumstick clear soup.”
On Railway Cutlets and Nostalgia
“There was something oddly perfect about the railway cutlet—those neon-orange breadcrumbs, the mysterious filling, and a cup of overly sweet chai to wash it down.”
On Chammanthi and Intrepid Mother-in-laws
“My favourite is a fish we call para (Malabar Trevally). Any dried fish will work, but it has to be fried until crisp, so the flat ones are better.”
Overripe Bananas, Underconfident Bakers
“Bakers to the rescue! The middle of the cake isn’t coming out clean. I mean… it’s still batter in the middle… What should I do now?”
On Mothers and Dibba Rottis
“Slowly, Amma stopped making [the dibba rotti], and I started craving it.”
On Fathers and Local Mangoes
“If I close my eyes, I can still hear the weird squelching sounds of the mangoes being squeezed to an inch of their sweet lives.”