Bilona ghee versus commercial ghee
Ghee has been an integral part of Indian cuisine for centuries and continues to be widely used even today. Traditionally, every home used to make their own ghee using the Bilona (wooden churner), a practice that is more than 3000 years old. However, with the onset of modernisation, most households have replaced home-made ghee with store-bought mass-produced ghee simply because it was more convenient. With so many brands of ghee in the market today, one is bound to wonder whether Bilona ghee is really worth the premium.
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How cold-pressed oils are making a comeback in India
Cooking oil is a vital ingredient in Indian cooking. For thousands of years (since the Harappan civilization), Indians have used cold-pressed oil – coconut, sesame and groundnut oil in the south and west and mustard oil in the north and north-east. These oils were made using a ‘Kachchi ghani’ or ‘Kolu’ – a large mortar and pestle powered by bullocks (and later by electricity).
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Rural women run their own gourmet food enterprise.
The story of how a small grassroots women’s movement in Rajasthan has blossomed into a vibrant and innovative business that is empowering hundreds of small farmer-entrepreneurs and rural women.
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The art of pickle-making
Whether it’s a paratha or a piping hot khichdi, no Indian meal is complete without a generous dollop of a pickle. For many of us, pickles are much more than just an accompaniment. It’s a journey down memory lane, of the love and labor of our grandmothers who took pride in their secret recipes and techniques passed on to them over generations. Let’s take a look at what this ancient art is all about.
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Demystifying honey – Raw versus processed honey
Bees are nature’s marvel and we must love them for their tireless toil to collect the sweetest nectar and share a part of their food with us. Pure honey is not only a delicious natural sweetener but also possesses powerful healing properties. With so many variants and brands of honey in the market, we realised that it is very difficult to recognise pure, chemical-free and unadulterated honey. In our effort to demystify this wholesome food, we put together this small note, in the hope that it will shed some light on the differences between raw and processed honey, and give you tips to guide you on your next purchase.
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10 factors to consider while choosing your cooking oil
Confused about which oil is best for you? This crisp comparison of refined and cold-pressed oils will help you decide. With the multitude of cooking oils flooding the market today, and each of them making tall health claims, it can be quite difficult to decide what is good for you and your family. Here are 10 factors that’ll help you make an informed choice.
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