Traditional Heirloom Recipes and Food Wisdom

A tip from my mother-in-law for packing kosambri in a dabba. Don't soak the moong dal. Just wash it and add it directly to the cucumber. It will soak up the water from the cucumber and be perfectly soft, not watery, by lunchtime.

What I ate on New Year's Day with my grandmas. We had shavige with kai haalu for breakfast, a full lunch with bisi bele bath and badnekai sasive, and homemade shrikhand. Sharing these traditional meals is a joy on a cellular level.

My mother explains the meaning of "Ellu bella thindu olle maathadi" during Sankranti. It's a reminder to think and speak good things, to be positive, as we enter the new year, while eating nourishing food.

The best beauty elixir is in your garden. Musk roses are a beauty tonic, help reduce bloating, and even manage anxiety. I made Gulkand, a simple rose petal preserve, which is a wonderful way to get the benefits of this flower.

As a nutritionist, I'm telling you this is the season to eat that bonda. Deep-fried food, when done right, can be part of a balanced diet. I'm making a banana flower bonda, a recipe that connects me to my culture and provides satiety like nothing else.

Bael leaf is not just an offering to Shiva; it's also one of India's most important medicinal herbs. I'm making a traditional chutney with it. The leaf is anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory, but it's potent, so I recommend using only a few leaves per serving.

This heirloom recipe, Agra, is a digestive bitter that saved me from repeated infections as a child. Made with lemon peel, pepper, and jeera, it's for those with low immunity and weak digestion. It's a reminder of what we did before supplements and probiotics.

We celebrate birthdays, but what about death? This is a meal from my Ajja's thiti, an homage to our deceased loved ones. Eating these ancestral foods, like raw jackfruit and bamboo shoot, connects us to our heritage and introduces unique micronutrients into our diet.

Have you heard of digestive bitters? Agra is the Indian version my ajji makes. This one is made with Kanakambra flowers. These traditional concoctions are used to improve immunity, give skin a glow, and reduce inflammation.