Being vegetarian has never been an option in my household. But when my newly vegetarian friend asked how I could be a “woke” animal lover and still eat meat, I didn’t have an answer. The worst part? The judgment from my parents – my mutton-kebab-eating parents.

The humble varan bhaat toop is as versatile and ubiquitous as Radhika Apte’s appearances on Netflix. Sometimes it is plain simple comfort food, at other times it’s part of an elaborate offering to Bappa. A love for varan bhaat toop is the epitome of Maharashtrian-ness.

Gujaratis inherit a penchant for "food terrorism". There were Gujarati kids at school who wouldn’t drink “jhoota” water in case it had been touched by a meat eater. And there was my grandmother who’d remind me that I was Jain every time I’d go for an evening snack.

If there’s one piece of advice I could pass on to you in 2020, it’s this — don’t break your head on Swiggy and Zomato over where to eat. If you pass by a restaurant that has a table full of elderly ladies, step in. If you can get past the talk of potential marriages, I guarantee you’ll have a meal that will fill your soul.

Empty seats drive customers quicker than a pile of funky garbage at the front door. Nobody ever wants to be the only customer inside a restaurant.

On Pujo, the lives of the big-eyed, gentle-faced, and maach-guzzling Bengalis are marred by a potent shadow of the world’s most deadly dose of ABC – ambol (acidity), bodhojom (indigestion), and constipation.

Dear jackfruit, you are about to replace moringa as the next best thing to have happened to the white gut. The Brits have branded you a “vegan sensation”. Be prepared to be passed off as a burger patty, meatballs, or a crab cake.

On Maharashtra Day, we celebrate the state's biggest celebrity -- and the hero of Mumbai's street food scene. Jai Maharashtra!

Gone are the days of good old steamed idlis and paneer-capsicum pizza. Today restaurants that serve pav bhaji fondue and red velvet dhokla flourish. It doesn’t matter if the food tastes awful. Just like our lives online, it is only important that the food we eat looks great.

A hard day at work? A special birthday meal request every year? A cure for a broken heart? It's always the same answer. Irish stew — despite comprising none of the spices and masalas Indian food is so famous for — is a cure for all ills.

Ditch the cooking and toss up this spicy, tangy chaat with ponkh or tender jowar. Guaranteed to take away the back to work blues.

Strength of character is directly proportional to the colour of chai. #ChaiPeCharcha

In India, poverty isn’t just a state of mind, and paisa-vasooli is a way of life. Yet, people buy an extra birthday cake, just to smash it gleefully in some unfortunate soul’s face. What gives?

Hello friends, chai kha lo, with this simple chai mousse sandwiched between Parle G biscuits. Chai time was never this tasty.

This new year, the only resolution you should worry about is that of your phone camera.

The average Gujju salivates at the very mention of undhiyu, hunger and childhood nostalgia kicking in at once. In a state famous for its dhokla, fafda, khakra, and khandvi, it is the haughty undhiyu that has a national day of its own. But is the hype worth it?

Even in the coldest of Finnish winters the comfort of ghar ka khana can warm your heart enough to brave the sharp chill in the air and the stinging ice in your face. And nobody understood that better than my maa.

All grandparents seem to share a universal love of feeding their grandkids. YouTube’s favourite Grandpa of Grandpa Kitchen fame, who cooked for orphans, was no different. Thank you for reminding us that to make a difference, sometimes all you need is a little Loving, Caring, and Sharing.

Last month, when Alps, a four-decade-old beer bar at Colaba, shut down unannounced, no one seemed to instantly notice. It didn’t warrant blockbuster social media obituaries like Cafe Zoe did. That’s the thing about Alps, it never hankered for attention or loyalty. It just waited until it earned it.

Ask any TamBrahm, and they would swear by their kula deivam (family God) that not wrapping up a meal with thayir-sadam (curd rice) and some lemon pickle is enough to get you ostracised.

Khichdi ke hai teen yaar - dahi, papad aur achaar.

My mum and I are locked in an endless deathmatch: She’ll continue to ask me what I want for the next meal, before rejecting my suggestion outright, accusing me of making “kingly demands”, and serving us lauki for dinner anyway.

Toto’s didn’t need gimmicks to sell us drinks. Toto’s didn’t need bands to sell us nostalgia.

It takes a bit to get used to Britannia’s eccentricities: the sleepy cat on the counter, the Union Jack and cut-outs of the British royal family on the walls. But of all the quirks of this nearly 100-year-old cafe, there are none that approach the legendary status of the proprietor himself.

Ring in the new year with this Garlic Bread Ring recipe.

We managed to make chicken lollipops reasonably healthy so you can binge without feeling too bad.

There's no better way to celebrate #WorldEggDay than making the fluffiest omelette ever.

We love food. There’s no two ways about it. So how does the average twenty-something in India find the patience and money to buy avocados, chia seeds, quinoa, and coconut milk to replace their staples of breads and spreads?

Hostel nostalgia taaza karo, bread ke beech mein bhujia bharo.

Turn your plain old masala Maggi into crunchy spring rolls with this easy recipe.