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 →
Dahi bhalla with an overwhelming flavour of bada elaichi and adarak is a delightful innovation of Kashi. Also known as dahi pakodi or dahi vada or dahi gujiya, this vada made from urad dal makes its appearance in almost all festivals and celebrations. A certain measure of urad dal (sometimes moong dal) is rinsed and soaked overnight. It... Continue Reading →
One of the most iconic chaats of Kashi is the scrumptious palak patta chaat served at Kashi Chat Bhandar. Better known as palak chaat, this delicious innovation has a bit of everything - crunch, spice, sweetness and tartness. Fresh palak is thoroughly washed and wiped down. It is then dipped into a thick batter of besan, turmeric powder,... Continue Reading →
All gastronomical roads in the ancient city of Kashi lead to Kashi Chat Bhandar to sample their delicious gulab jamuns, tamatar ki chaat, palak patta chaat, chooda matar, dahi bhalla, aloo tikki and other innovative creations that are unique to the city. Fresh khoya is mixed with maida, cardamom powder, kesar and other secret ingredients and kneaded to... Continue Reading →
The finest paan of India is the celebrated Banarasi paan prepared in the world-famous Keshav Tambul Bhandar in the ancient city of Kashi. This paan has been loved by visitors from all over for years. Even heads of state including Prime Minister Narendra Modi have sampled their renowned meetha paan. Interestingly, all the ingredients... Continue Reading →
A droolworthy Kanpur delicacy that features in the prestigious Raj Bhog is imarti. This hugely popular sweet that is very often mistaken for its sister, the delectable jalebi is interestingly more of a breakfast item than a dessert or a snack in Kanpur. Imarti rabri, imarti dahi and plain imarti are available in almost every street corner and relished by... Continue Reading →
Kheer, the most popular sweet of India that makes it appearance in every social function, religious occasion and festival season is loved by one and all from children to the elderly. This delicious preparation of rice and milk with a generous helping of dried fruits is the quintessential favourite any time of the day and... Continue Reading →
Since the ancient times, it has been the practice of Hindu kings to assiduously follow the tenets as laid down in the Shilpa Shastra while building forts, palaces, mansions, temples and dharmashalas. Traditionally, these grand structures were built along river banks, seashores or lakes to observe the obligatory rites and rituals of the Hindu scriptures. ... Continue Reading →
Lazy and uninformed "historians" of Indian (commissioned by the British Raj) and British origin have done an outstanding job for over three centuries to whitewash our glorious Hindu heritage and relegate the contributions of our valorous Hindu kings to obscurity. A concerted effort to prevent one from learning about Hinduism, the oldest civilization in the... Continue Reading →
Locals from Kanpur, Lucknow and Varanasi eagerly wait for Diwali, when the famed makhan malai, the quintessential winter delicacy makes its appearance. Also known as malaiyo in Banaras, daulat ki chaat in Delhi, nimish or malai makhan, this fascinating sweet is truly a head scratcher. The best makhan malai in Kanpur can be sampled at Shukla Makhan Bhandar on Birhana Road... Continue Reading →
Kanpur has for centuries served up the best milk sweets, pure butter, namkeen and chaat made using pure desi ghee and unique samosas that will truly blow your mind! In fact, Kanpur can even be called as the samosa capital of Bharat, thanks to the ingenious Pappu Samose Waley on Birhana Road. Samosa, the quintessential snack is a triangular... Continue Reading →
Undisputedly the most relished snack across the country, the delectable golgappa known as patashe or batashe in Kanpur is everyone's quintessential favourite. This versatile dish goes by different names in the country - puchka, gup chup golgappa, pani puri, phulki and tikki to name a few. The best batashe in Kanpur can be sampled at Murli Batashe Wala and... Continue Reading →
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