I adore Punjabi food. Here in the U.K., most Indian restaurants cook Punjabi-style dishes, so I grew up eating things like chole bhatura, palak paneer, Punjabi vegetable samosa, malai kofta, saag, and dal makhani regularly. However, when I learned to cook, I delved into Indian home cooking and discovered even more delectable dishes, like this Punjabi dum aloo recipe!  Firstly, we’ll start with crisp, golden-brown baby potatoes. I know that already sounds irresistible, but wait! The curry perfectly coats each tender, soft potato with flavor in every bite. No bland ..read more

The Manchester Dishoom location is where my love affair with the Dishoom brand started. Opened in 2018, the restaurant has since cemented its place in Manchester’s culinary scene — a rare feat, considering the sheer number of eateries in the metropolitan city. It’s rare to walk past the restaurant past 5 p.m. without a line at least ten people deep snaking out of the doors onto the streets. Yes, it’s that popular! An eatery with quite that much demand has to offer something unique. Here in the U.K., that’s hard. Indian takeaways crowd the streets of every city, town, and village, while countle ..read more

Some of my most cherished recipes are those prepared for festive celebrations. After all, the best dishes often mark special occasions! These ukadiche modak for Ganesh Chaturthi are a perfect example. Come late August or September, Maharashtrian households are ablaze with festive spirit as they prepare for the 10-day festival of Ganesh Chaturthi, which marks the birth of the Hindu deity Lord Ganesh (or Ganpati Bappa) with many prayers, chanting, large public gatherings, and countless modak. The festival boomed in popularity when the legendary Marathi freedom fighter Lokamanya Bal Gangadhar Til ..read more

Excluding my garlic chili oil and zucchini instant noodles, this vegan tantanmen ramen is the first Japanese noodle dish shared on Oh My Veg. Can you believe it? It’s been more than three years of blogging, and this is my first ramen recipe! Oh well, that’s all about to change! I recently reviewed tan tan ramen at House of Fu Manchester and found the dish far too spicy … However, always the optimist, there was a silver lining: this was the perfect opportunity to make it at home! So, I worked on this recipe for weeks, slowly perfecting the nutty flavors, the umami taste, the crea ..read more

Does anyone remember the vegan popcorn chicken bucket from KFC? Launched in 2019 as a collaboration with Beyond Meat, the menu item was discontinued surprisingly quickly and hasn’t returned to the U.S. since. At that time, I was in California, so you can imagine my disappointment and irritation when it didn’t stay around for longer! Here in the U.K., we have a Quorn vegan chicken burger on the menu. Buuuuuut … Miss a bucket full of crispy KFC chicken wings? Nothing fills that craving. Until now, that is. I can say with utter confidence that this recipe is the best vegan fried chicken on t ..read more

Whenever I hear people saying that European foods lack flavor, I always do a double take! I adore highly spiced dishes like vegan lauki kofta or dal tadka as much as the next person — and learning to use spice is essential when you’re trying to master cooking — but sometimes simple foods and ingredients shine too. Perhaps the best example I can think of is pesto, which contains only a handful of ingredients yet boasts incredible flavor. Of course, the best thing about pesto is there are so many variations: basic basil pesto, foraged wild garlic pesto or dandelion ..read more

If you’re always on the lookout for the best dining spots, you’re probably acquainted with the prestigious Michelin Guide — Michelin stars are one of the most coveted accolades in the industry, and a surefire way to tell you’re going to eat a meal of a lifetime. Gaining a Michelin star is almost universally recognized as a symbol of unparalleled quality. Having multiple stars to your name makes you a legend amongst chefs, and worldwide acclaim follows. In an annual event hailed by many as the most significant foodie award of the year, the Michelin Guide has unveiled an updated roster of the fi ..read more

Let’s explore one of Manchester’s newest and hippest Japanese dining spots together, House of Fu! First started as a pop-up in Leeds, the concept was created by Ben Iley. Ben is a chef with a passion for ramen so strong he lived in Japan for over nine years and was married in the country, too! The pop-up, which had, by this time, won several awards, evolved into a fully-fledged restaurant in 2021. Two years later, House of Fu expanded to the North West, opening its Manchester location in October 2023.  The restaurant brands itself as a “day to night” location, boasting not only the upstai ..read more

Can you believe I had never tasted Japanese food until recently? I’d always heard that it was seafood-heavy, and my small seaside city didn’t have any of the vegetarian options that chain restaurants like Wagamama, Itsu, or Yo! Sushi boasts. That all changed when I visited San Diego and tried the most amazing vegan gyoza and sushi from The Yasai. From that moment onward, I was hooked on sushi and gyoza — intent on recreating that experience in the comfort of my kitchen. Well, it may have taken me two years, but we’re here: I’ve quite possibly made the best vegetable gyoza recipe. The vegan veg ..read more

Indian recipes know how to make one of the most basic, humble ingredients — lentils — shine. I mean, look at dal makhani or dal tadka! Both dishes, amongst many more, are beloved worldwide. On the other hand, this drumstick dal is a regional Maharashtrian dish that doesn’t feature on restaurant menus or have a substantial online presence. However, in every Maharashtrian household, drumstick dal, known as shevgyachya shenganchi amti, is a staple dish the whole family enjoys.  That’s why this dish is close to my heart. I feel eternally grateful to have the opportunity in this lifetime to ta ..read more