Kundru sabji recipe, called kundru ki bhujia or bhunjia in Bihar, is the perfect example of a North Indian stir-fried vegetable that is simple and requires few ingredients. At the heart of the dish is ivy gourd, or kundru, a small, cylindrical green vegetable with a mild, slightly sweet flavour and a firm bite when cooked well. Known as kundru in Hindi, tindora in Gujarat, and kovakkai in Tamil Nadu, this vegetable is one of the most widely cultivated gourds across India and one of the most underappreciated. Mustard oil is an important part of this kundru sabji, which is a common choice across Bihar, Bengal, and much of North and East India. The oil is smoked (to lose its sharpness) before frying the ingredients in it. Cumin seeds go into the hot oil first, which crackles, then go in with the garlic and green chillies. This is the base of flavour for the otherwise bland kundru sabji, which absorbs it while cooking. The sliced gourd is added raw and tossed immediately in the spiced oil, every piece coated evenly in turmeric and salt before the heat is lowered and the pan is covered to let the steam do its magic. The final step is to uncover the pan and stir-fry over high heat for the last two minutes for a dry-ish stir-fry finish. Kundru ki bhujia is not meant to have a sauce or gravy; it is a dry stir-fry, and its texture should have just enough char at the edges to give it depth without becoming tough. This is the bhunjia of Bihari kitchens: simple, aromatic, and cooked with certainty. Double or triple the quantity of ivy gourd, and the spice ratios remain the same; only the cooking time increases by a few minutes.

The São João festival is Goa’s monsoon festival, where an array of sweet surfaces, such as the patoleo, Alle Belle, holle and more. While the doce bhaji is not reserved for this occasion, it is often made for it. The word ‘doce’ comes from the Portuguese word for sweet, and ‘bhaji’ is a word from the Konkani language that refers to cooking. So this recipe is basically a sweet dish made from dalia (broken wheat), cooked in a thick coconut milk mixture with sugar and cardamom powder, and dotted with raisins and cashews. With locals jumping into wells, that is quite symbolic and wearing ‘kopel’, which is a wreath made with flowers, vines, leaves and fruits to honour the religious figure of St. John the Baptist, after whom this grand São João festival is observed. There is also singing with local instruments, and to sustain such energetic activities, the fibre-rich dalia, which is a complex carb with a low G.I. index, helps. You can swap the sugar with local jaggery for a nutrient boost. Ghee is also added to make the preparation special. Doce bhaji is part of Goa’s colonial past, influenced by Catholic convent-style sweets introduced during Portuguese rule, when wheat, coconut, and sugar-based desserts became quite common. Its texture is reminiscent of halwa when cooked into a thick, sliceable concoction. In some Goan Catholic homes, doce bhaji is also prepared for Christmas and church feasts, not just the São João festival, given all of the ingredients are available year-round.

Bhutte ka kees recipe is one of Indore's most loved street foods, which is as simple as porridge, but not quite so. ‘Bhutta’ is the Hindi word for corn, and ‘kees’ is the Marathi word for grated, and together they describe exactly what happens when the grated corn hits the pan – it transforms into a spiced and slightly creamy dish. Traditionally, desi corn, which is a starchier, less sweet variety common across central India, is used, though sweet corn works perfectly well as a substitute. The corn is grated rather than chopped or blended, a technique that releases the natural corn milk locked inside the kernels. That milky liquid is not discarded; it goes straight into the pan along with the grated corn, contributing to the dish's signature creamy texture. The tempering for this bhutte ka kees recipe starts with mustard seeds and cumin seeds, which crackle, then the ginger and green chilli, with curry leaves, for an impeccable flavour. Making the perfect bhutte ka kees recipe comes down to the simmering stage, which needs patience. The corn mixture gradually thickens as the milk reduces, and it continues to thicken slightly even after the heat is turned off, so it is better to pull it while still a touch loose than to overcook it to a dry, upma-like texture. Make sure to add finishing touches too – freshly grated coconut, chopped coriander leaves with a drizzle of lemon juice, completing the dish.