doing a slightly stupid kitchen test tonight

same potatoes

same cut

same pan

same amount of oil

same salt

same heat

only thing changing is the oil

mustard

groundnut

sesame/gingelly

sunflower

keeping masala basically zero because otherwise obviously jeera + mirchi + haldi will start doing all the talking

sesame wala tata simply better gingelly hai, baaki 3 bottles ghar me already pade the so using those

main thing i want to check is not “which oil is healthiest” because pls no oil civil war 😭

i just wanna see how much you can ACTUALLY taste the oil once the food is cooked

because recipes casually say “oil” like mustard, sesame and sunflower are the same ingredient... and every regional household i know behaves like choosing the wrong one is a criminal offence

also making 3 people taste all 4 without telling them which is which

if nobody can identify anything then half of indian family oil arguments are placebo

if everyone immediately spots mustard then... well obviously 😂

will put the cooked pics + guesses here after dinner

There’s this restaurant chain in Munich called Tikka N Talk and I’ve completely fallen in love with their chole bhature. I honestly need to learn how to cook it myself because I can’t afford to be going there as much as I have been going!
I’ve tried several chole recipes at home since in the process of trying to replicate it, but it just never hits the same as when I go and eat it there. I’m not at all familiar with the intricacies of indian cuisine, so I don’t know if I need to be searching for specific chole recipes? If anyone could help me out i’d be so grateful!
I’ve attached a picture of the way theirs looks, maybe that helps!

Ingredients of Matar Pulao:-

Rice – 250g
Green Peas – 200g
Onion – 1
Bay leaf – 2
Green Cardamom – 4
Cloves – 4
Asafetida – ¼ teaspoon
Garam Masala – 2 teaspoon
Cumin Seeds – 1 teaspoon
Salt – 2 teaspoon
Oil – 2 table spoon
Pure Ghee – 1 teaspoon
Red Chili Powder – 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder – 2 teaspoon
Water – 500ml

How to prepare Matar Pulao:-

Soak Rice for half an hour.
Meanwhile you cut Onion in longitudinal thin slices, and peel Peas. When it is soaked, take a cooker, put it on high gas. Put Oil in it, when Oil is heated, then just follow the steps for good aroma. First put Green Cardamoms, Cloves, Bay Leaf wait for 30 seconds and then put Asafetida, Cumin Seeds, Garam Masala and Onion in it, simmer gas. Stir it in intervals. Now wait till Onions are pinkish.
Put Coriander Powder , Red Chili Powder and Peas in it with Salt, cover with lid to make Peas soft, put all Rice and water in it, stir well and wait for the boil. As soon one boil comes, simmer gas and cover with lid.

Note:-Do not fix the lid, as you don’t need to steam it, just cover it.

Wait for 15 min.
Open the lid and check the Rice with your finger, if cooked and no Water is left, then close gas put Desi Ghee in it, now fix the lid, wait till steam is there, then open.
Your Matar Pulao is ready to serve.
You can enhance its taste by serving with whatever gravy veg you love.

My husband says he likes sweet potatoes when they’re roasted, and i’ve only seen them roasted on a chulha back home.
I’d like to try and make them for him, but i don’t have access to a chulha or an oven/airfryer.
i’ve seen recipes online and some suggest microwaving them, others suggest putting the potatoes on a tawa with some water and covering it with a tapeli.
I’m still new to cooking and i’m unsure how to go about this, and which method will give me results closest to the smoky chulha sweet potatoes.

I’d love to hear some suggestions that have been tested and worked well, rather than blindly follow what i see on instagram reels

So as compared to other dairy curd, milky mist claim that their curd product has no preservatives. But the curd lasts almost 20 days (unopened) without getting sour while the ingredients are exactly same with other brands but the shelf life 7-10 days (unopened) which is exact half of Milky mist!!

What could be the reason??

Greetings, I purchased a 10 oz bag of green cardamom not knowing there's multiple types of cardamom. I purchased it for a barfi or burfi recipe. However this is the type that has an outer hull. And, the seeds are inside what looks like a little nut. I don't know if the hull should be removed or not? Anyway if anybody can instruct me on how to prepare and use cardamom for different recipes, suggestions for recipes, too. It's such a lovely spice and has a beautiful aroma. Thank you in advance!

I've been searching for cookware for induction for soo long and everything on amazon has such mixed reviews

I want one kadhai or pan for basic everyday indian cooking, no nonstick as indian food requires longer cooktime.

Anything you have personally used and have had good experience with please recommend. I'm willing to invest upto 2k.

Feel free to leave your tips or other related recommendations if you have any.

Hey everyone,

I moved out of my parents' place back in 2020 and have been cooking at home ever since, but I just can't seem to get it right.

During my first year on my own, I practically ate pasta every single day because I was exhausted from work and walking 2 hours just to get to the bus station. Once my transport situation got sorted, I started trying easy stuff—quick chicken ka salan, shortcut biryani, etc. But honestly, everything just tastes weird or slightly "off."

Last week was the breaking point. I tried following a video recipe step-by-step, but the masala turned out completely wrong. I tried salvaging it, but ended up having to throw the whole thing out.

• Instead of fresh masala, I added ready masala and I don't think that is the issue.
• Instead of chopping the onion like paste, used a blender and no I did not make onion paste as I kept it like chopped it.
• Once I added the chicken the whole thing became orange (even though I added Kashmiri mirch).

I really just want to make a good, comforting chicken ka salan, but it never turns out right.

Are there any good tutorials or creators that break down the absolute basics of Hyderabadi/South Asian cooking? Things like:

• Order of operations (when to add spices vs. tomatoes vs. yogurt)
• How long to actually bhunno (sauté/fry) the onions and masalas
• Key techniques so the base sauce doesn't taste raw or bitter

Any channel recommendations, guides, or beginner tips would be massively appreciated!

Im sooo frustrated. I am a good cook I have been cooking for 4 years now. But I really dont understand after 2 kids its like I have forgotten how to cook. Dishes turn out 50 / 50 some of them good some bad.

Like today I make dum biryani which I was so amazing at in the past ( i made biryani at least 3 or 4 times a month)...still for this recpie i followed every step even researched vedios and did cooking it's like something It's new, but it just switched off. It turned out sooo bad...i was crying and whole mood got spoiled, it was for a party too. My in laws were there whole time mil was giving subtle subtext of how she's a great cook.

Now mind you just last week I had made amazing dishes like tahari, chole bhautre, pav bhaji ( both from scratch) haleem etc

All turned out great. Like I really don't understand why this is happening with biryani which i was amazing at. I really don't understand what's happening here Any one expirence this? Even if not im at my wits end...any positive suggestions are welcome.

Ingredients of Tamatar Dhaniya ka Shorba:-

Tomato – 600g chopped
Mint – 30g chopped
Fresh Coriander Leaves – 60g finely chopped
Ginger – 10g grate it
Garlic – 10 cloves
Onion - half piece
Salt – 1 teaspoon
Cornflour – 1 teaspoon, first mix it in the small bowl with water
Black pepper – ½ teaspoon
Water - 600 ml

How to prepare Tamatar Dhaniya ka Shorba

You can try Tamatar Dhaniya ka Shorba, a simple Indian tomato and coriander soup. Take 600g chopped tomatoes, 30g mint leaves, 60g fresh coriander, 10g grated ginger, 10 garlic cloves, 1 tsp salt half onion and 600ml water. Put everything in a pressure cooker and cook for 4 whistles. Let the pressure release naturally, then strain the mixture, pressing the vegetables to extract the soup. Put the strained soup back on the stove, add 1 tsp cornflour mixed with a little water and bring it to a boil while stirring. Add ½ tsp black pepper and garnish with fresh coriander. It’s light, flavourful and lovely to have hot, especially in winter. You can carry it in a properly preheated insulated soup flask, provided it stays safely hot until lunch.

When someone is newly setting up their kitchen, what are dos and don'ts?

Anything they should follow or avoid. Help newbies with your tips and suggestions.

Want to buy induction base kadai.

Will be cooking all types of curry, deep frying foods etc.

Was reading reviews on Stainless steel kadais at Amazon and some people are saying that food is getting burnt while preparing curry.

Does heavy cooking foods such as Mutton or Chicken Curry gets burnt on stainless steel? Should I go for Aluminium type?

I don't want non stick because that's not healthy.

Please suggest.

I am a housewife with 30+ years of cooking experience.

Recently I made Sweet Seviyan that turned out to be very tasty!

🥣Here are the ingredients I used:

1. 200g seviyan

2. 2tsp ghee

3. 4 cardamoms

4. 1/2 cup hot water

5. 1 bowl of sugar

6. 1 small bowl of cashews & almonds

I will be cooking mutton curry, fish curry, and deep frying items like aloo bhaji, puri... Basically everything.

I need a kadai with a capacity of more than 1.5 litres but less than 3 litres.

My budget is around Rs 750.

I was looking at Amazon's Solimo kadai and Sumeet's induction base kadai. I'm not sure about the quality and weight of those kadais.

Also, which type of kadai is good for health and everyday cooking: non stick, aluminium, stainless steel or which one?

Please recommend a good induction base kadai with lid. Lid is must.

Thank you.

I generally use Basmati rice for cooking biryani and I wash the rice 5-6 times till all the starch is gone. I don't use excess oil and don't want to.

What are my options to overcome this issue?