September 11, 2026
A Preacher Called Durga Puja Fish Dirty. Bengalis Are Pushing Back.
Bageshwar Dham’s Dhirendra Shastri called fish and meat around Durga Puja dirty. Bengalis are defending festival food practice, including Kalighat’s fish bhog.
Spice Desk
Spice Literacy: How to Read a South Asian Kitchen
Culture, history, region, memory, and taste from pantry to spice box
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This week
Spice of the Month·July 2026
Fenugreek: Seeds vs Kasuri Methi
Seeds in the tadka, kasuri methi at the finish. Same plant, different jobs.
Recipe of the Week·This week
Everyday Dal Tadka
The weeknight dal most tables already know. Pantry logic, not a test-kitchen claim.
Open the recipe →Regional Tables
Cuisine by place — Punjabi bread and dal, Gujarati thali logic, Tamil rice meals.
The Kerala Table: Matta Rice, Fish Curry, and Appam
Sadya is the feast. Most nights are coconut oil, a souring agent, and one pot of fish or stew.
Sindhi Cooking After Partition: Sai Bhaji, Koki, and Sour Kadhi
A cuisine rebuilt without a state of its own: greens stew, onion flatbread, yogurt-free kadhi, and the Ulhasnagar pantry that still feeds diaspora kitchens.
The Punjabi Table: Bread, Dal, and Everyday Meals
A guide to Punjabi meals built around bread, dal, seasonal vegetables, dairy, and the histories behind better-known restaurant dishes.
Recipes
Starter templates
Text-only working ratios — pantry logic, not a test kitchen.
- Jeera AlooPotatoes tossed with toasted cumin, ginger, chilli, and a little amchur.
- Green Chutney, Pantry VersionA cilantro-forward herb jar for chaat, sandwiches, and leftover tiffin — not every green chutney under one name.
- Tamarind Chutney, Quick SimmerSweet-sour imli for chaat — keep the jar thick, thin it when you assemble.
- Jeera Rice for When the Main Needs a Quiet PartnerCumin-scented rice that supports dal and gravy — bloom the seeds, rest the pot, fluff once.
- Cucumber Raita for Hot Days and Hotter CurriesCooling side that belongs next to biryani, not as an afterthought.
- Chaat Board for Living Room HostingAssembly-forward entertaining — no fryer required if you shop the chaat section smartly.
Chai Break
Masala Chai, Batch Logic
A scalable chai template for mornings and guests — proportions first, preferences next.
City guide
Delhi: Chaat, Karim's, and the Seasonal Calendar
Old Delhi mornings, Lodhi garden picnics, and when to chase nimbu-pani instead of another kebab.
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Newsletter
The Weekly Tadka
One email a week: spice notes, festival timing, city dining drops. No recipe spam.