As I stirred the jaggery into the hot milk and watched the granules disappear and become one with the milk, I was transported to the time when I was a six year old in my grandparents home in Bangalore as I watched my grandmother do the same thing, while I eagerly waited to relish the delight that every spoon would bring. After the jaggery had melted into the milk, ajji stirred in allittu or aralittu into the sweetened milk, mixed in a dollop of golden yellow ghee and then handed over the bowl to me, putting an end to my sweet anticipation.  As I relish this bowl of comfort made ..read more

On this last day of Deepavali 2020, I’m sharing a very special heirloom recipe with you all. Sharing of food has been such an integral part of our culture and in our childhood, thanks to the wonderful friends of our parents we were exposed to different communities and the regional food they cooked.  Lakshmi aunty is my mother’s very dear friend and I have such fond memories of eating delicious food in her home, including this payasa. I remember she used to consecutively win the first prize at the local cookery competitions for her puliyogare (south Indian tamarind rice) and her ghasghase ..read more

Today is Dhanteras which marks the first day or the beginning of the 3 day Diwali or Deepavali festival in India. This day also happens to be the birthday of Lord Dhanvantari, who is known as the father of Ayurveda.  We all know that the real wealth is our health and so today is a good day to pray for our physical health and also emotional and spiritual well being. Our body, mind and spirit are like a triangle and only when they are in balance we reflect health ans happiness and the principles of Ayurveda go a long way in showing us how to bring about this balance.  Today ..read more

Diwali is approaching and I have lost count of the number of times I have spoken about Diwali in my childhood. If you happen to read any of my previous posts on Deepavali or Diwali you will know what I am talking about.  Lakshmi Pooja on Deepavali used to be a highlight in my parents place of work as friends congregated after an elaborate Lakshmi Pooja. The excitement of new clothes, delectable sweets and the joys of people coming together make festivals so special and unique. Today I’m sharing a very special recipe from my paternal ancestral cuisine which is  the Havyaka Brahmin com ..read more

These days I see such an interest in herbs and spices for their medicinal value. Ginger root, the superstar turmeric, fennel, coriander and cumin are all spices and herbs that are incorporated in indian cooking. These spices provided immunity, strength, healing attributes and the requisite flavours in the dishes for our ancestors to remain healthy in the tropical climate prone to bacterias and viruses.  I have been cooking so many of my favourite recipes using a multitude of fresh herbs and spices  throughout the lockdown. In these pandemic times, the task of fetching fresh fruits an ..read more

Every year I make an elaborate cake for Ro on his birthday. In the past I have created some exquisite birthday cakes which you can see in the recipe index of this site. This year being in lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, I wanted to create a simple carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. I had my recipe written from scratch, loosely adapted from one of my previous experiments, but at the last minute I didnt find the required ingredients for the cake as one of the premium grocers in town did not deliver as promised.  A birthday without a cake is incomplete, so I made this basic eg ..read more

I have been having turmeric milk for many years now. My previous post on Turmeric milk was written in 2016 which gives a general overview of the health benefits of turmeric in general and turmeric milk in particular, but considering the present COVID-19 pandemic and the questions I have been getting on my social media channels, I thought I should write about it again. Also, I wanted to share with you all the many ways in which I have been having turmeric milk which only further justified another post for the same.  Turmeric and Immunity Immunity is our body’s natural ability to protect itself ..read more

“Betty bought some butter but the butter was bitter so Betty bought some better butter to make the bitter butter better butter.” This was one of my favourite tongue twisters as a child. And now as an adult, making butter is one of my  favourite activities.  Like many other things, I learned how to make butter from my grandmother Shanta. I diligently collect the cream from the boiled and chilled milk from a local farm each night, mixing in a little fresh yogurt to prevent the cream from turning bitter. And when the container is full, which takes about 12 to 15 days for a litre of milk (a week ..read more

It’s been a long time since I have written in this beloved space of mine. After having gone through a severe viral attack for the first time in my life with a prolonged recovery period, I realised that for full healing to happen, apart from the nutritional needs of the body, one also has to address the mind body system. In my quest for complete well being, I delved deeper into aspects like chakra healing, hand mudras and other alternative therapies known in the modern world as energy healing systems. After deep research and practice, I’m not only healed but also feel well equipped for the jour ..read more

If you have been a regular here or watched my digital shows “Divine Taste With Anushruti” and “Kiddies Corner With Anushruti” you will know my fondness for good kitchenware, cutlery and crockery.  When Hamilton Beach India mailed me about the launch of their new Hamilton Beach Professional Juicer Mixer Grinder in June this year, I was very eager to try it and test recipes in my kitchen. But as luck would have it, I fell ill with a dengue/chikungunya kind of viral attack when I was visiting my parents and I was on a forced holiday to rest and rejuvenate from this viral attack. Ever since I got ..read more