Kusli is a traditional sweet prepared in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh for Teej. Commonly known as gujiya, this deep - fried sweet is prepared from desi ghee, spices, desiccated coconut, dried fruits and nuts, homemade khova and maida. Maida and desi ghee are mixed in a large bowl till the mixture reaches the right consistency (should be... Continue Reading →
A traditional summer dish of Rewa that is eaten either as a snack or with hot rice and vegetables or chapati is aam panna bagja. Locals use native mangoes and spices to prepare this age - old dish. In a large kadai or frying pan, red chillies, cumin seeds and coriander seeds are dry roasted till they become... Continue Reading →
Rewa, a former princely state is famous for its contribution in the 1857 First War of Independence that saw many nationalists lose their life, diverse agricultural produce and natural resources and Bagheli cuisine that derives its name from the Baghelkhand region of which Rewa is a part. Their most iconic dish that is also... Continue Reading →
The delicious kale chane ki ghugni, originally a Bihari innovation is offered as prasad on the auspicious occasion of Durga Ashtami. This protein - rich dish is best enjoyed with hot puris and halwa. As this is the traditional preparation for Navaratri, it is made without onion and garlic. Kala chana (black chickpeas) is soaked overnight, washed thoroughly and pressure cooked with... Continue Reading →
Sattu, often referred to as the 'poor man's protein' is hugely popular in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and the border villages across the North - East. Sattu is fibre and protein - rich flour prepared from powdered chana (Bengal gram) or other pulses or barley or jowar or wheat. It has been traditionally... Continue Reading →
Tamatar bonda, a rainy season snack is sold mainly by small shops near the Banaras Hindu University. Best enjoyed with a piping hot cup of adrak chai, this delicious snack is hugely popular among locals. A couple of medium - sized potatoes are boiled, peeled, mashed and allowed to cool. Paneer is also added... Continue Reading →
One of the most fascinating winter sweets of Kashi is the centuries - old palangtod that literally translates to bed breaker! Though the name makes one laugh out loud, its taste will definitely leave you speechless. Known to be an expensive sweet because of the time, effort and labour involved, this sweet has been given the... Continue Reading →
Thekua or khajur as it is known in Uttar Pradesh is a traditional deep - fried sweet offered as prasad during Chhath Puja, Saraswati Puja and Navaratri. Though the dish originated in Bihar, it is now hugely popular in Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh. Thekua is made from wheat, jaggery or sugar, desi ghee, spices and nuts. It has a... Continue Reading →
A delicious milk sweet of Kashi that has been served as prasad in most of the temples for centuries is the humble doodh peda. Made from full fat milk that is in abundance in Varanasi and Ghazipur districts and areas around the Ganga River, this simple milk innovation is hugely popular among locals and visitors and makes... Continue Reading →
Kashi's most iconic milk sweet is the centuries-old Lal Peda that has been praised to the hilt by travellers, food connoisseurs and historians. This traditional dairy product of Kashi is offered as prasad in the Kaal Bhairav Temple, Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple. In the olden days, the abundance of milk in the... Continue Reading →
One of the most iconic and celebrated sweets of Kashi is Tirangi Barfi. Also known as Rashtriya Barfi, this unique creation is the handiwork of Shri Raghunath Das Gupta of Shree Ram Bhandar in Thatheri Bazar. The British from the late 1700s right up to the mid - 1940s had managed to successfully loot the ancient... Continue Reading →
One of the best chaats of Varanasi is its very own stuffed aloo tikki served at Kashi Chat Bhandar. This delicious chaat is unbelievably flavoursome with a bit of everything - crunch, spice and wholesomeness. Potatoes are first boiled and divided into two portions. One portion is grated when hot and mixed together with... Continue Reading →
The traditional breakfast of the ancient city of Kashi is the piping hot puri sabzi, kachori and droolworthy jalebi! Interestingly, the lightly spiced raswale aloo sabzi with greasy puris followed by kachori served with chana, meethi chutney and hari chutney and topped off with sinfully sweet jalebis (normal serving is four in a plate) really hits the spot! The batter is made by... Continue Reading →
One of the most delectable sweets of Kanpur that in fact was first created in Banaras in 1947 is the kesariya barfi. Also known as tiranga barfi, this sweet pays rich tributes to our National Flag with the kesar symbolic of the saffron colour, pista representing the green and almond depicting the white colour. This delicious innovation... Continue Reading →
A delicious innovation found only in Kanpur is gadbad chaat that literally translates to confusing chaat. As the name suggests, this speciality of Kanpur has a variety of flavours and textures thrown into one snack designed to leave you confounded! This five-decade old recipe has pretty much everything a chaat bhandar sells - khasta, papdi, sev, bhoondi, puri and sometimes even a luchi.... Continue Reading →
Another fascinating innovation of the late Ram Avatar Pandey, the founder of Thaggu Ke Laddu is Badnaam Kulfi that literally translates to disreputable kulfi with the famous tagline 'मेहमान को चखाना नहीं, टिक जाएगा, चखते ही जेब और जुबां की गर्मी हो जाएगी गायब |' that means 'do not offer it to your guest, for he will... Continue Reading →
The quintessential sweet for festivals, social gatherings and religious ceremonies across India is the hugely popular laddu made with a variety of local ingredients and desi ghee. The most iconic laddu that has made its way to Russia, USA, UK, Asia and Europe is the sinfully rich Thaggu Ke Laddu from Kanpur. Thaggu Ke Laddu... Continue Reading →
A droolworthy Prayagraj delicacy that is commonly had as breakfast is dahi jalebi! Yes, dahi jalebi in Prayagraj is more of a breakfast item than a dessert or a snack and is relished by locals and visitors. Interestingly, dahi jalebi, jalebi rabri, imarti rabri, imarti dahi and plain jalebi or plain imarti are hugely popular breakfast items not only in Prayagraj but... Continue Reading →
Prayagraj has an enviable reputation of serving up the best gulab jamun (known here as dehati ke rasgulle) and samosa in the world. Both Banaras and Prayagraj prepare some of the most delicious sweets and namkeen using pure desi ghee that truly enhances its taste. Age-old methods and secret recipes handed down from generation to generation have... Continue Reading →
Banaras, a gastronomical haven offers a staggering variety of scrumptious sweets like malaiyo, jalebi, gulab jamun, rabdi and others but launglata is undisputedly the choicest sweet of this holy city. Believed to be derived from the Bengali lobongo latika, this sweet is said to have made an appearance in Banaras more than 500 years ago. Also known as lavanga... Continue Reading →
An authentic preparation of Bihar called litti chokha made its appearance in eastern Uttar Pradesh and specifically Varanasi a few decades ago. This scrumptious dish took on a new avatar in the holy city and was coined baati chokha. Baati chokha is essentially a harmonious combination of baati (wheat balls stuffed with sattu roasted over charcoal) and chokha (curry... Continue Reading →
The narrow lanes in Old Banaras prides itself on having the best mouth-watering traditional dishes that are truly in a class of its own. A gastronomical quest for the best street food in Banaras is deemed complete only if one samples the delicious kachori sabzi, the quintessential breakfast of Banaras and pretty much the whole... Continue Reading →
Tamatar ki chaat as the name suggests is essentially a chatpata chaat with tomato at the helm. Though the tamatar ki chaat sold in Prayagraj and Lucknow is amazing, the Banarasi tamatar ki chaat is in a class of its own. The explosion of flavours - spicy, sweet, sour, tangy and crunchy in each bite is pure... Continue Reading →
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