There is No Sincerer Love Than Then Love of Food.

Indian food is most popular for its diversity. The variety of foods, spices and dishes that are native to India makes Indian food one of the most wholesome foods in the world. Punjab is known as “the land of five rivers”, vast agricultural lands, larger than life people, and most interestingly-scrumptious food. The culinary practices of the state are simple, rustic, yet exotic in their own way. Punjabi traditional and simple preparations are known for their hearty and versatile ingredients which are incredibly tasty with a lot of health benefits.

My Love affair with Homemade Indian Food!

My life’s journey starts from the city of Jalandhar, where I was born to a family with a humble background. My grandparents moved to this city during the Indo-Pak partition in 1947. I was raised in a joint family culture where my earliest memory is of eating jalebis on Dusshera and enjoying the festivities.

My father was a Civil Servant, with relocation to a new district every three years. Growing up as a teenager in Chandigarh, fashion and flavour was my spice of life….as an active member of the Gidda team since childhood, colours of Punjab and phulkari were very much a part of my life…. Weekly get-togethers, dance parties & extended family dinners offered an opportunity to taste a variety of flavours cooked by either aunties or my mother at home or by professional cooks.

The Sindhi connection

I take pride in claiming that my Maternal grandmother was from Sindh province in Punjab (Pakistan) made the best Sindhi Curry, made of vegetables instead of Pakoras. My husband belongs to Jammu & Kashmir, and I was fortunate to enjoy the lip-smacking Dogri & Kashmiri Wazwan cuisines home-cooked by my mother-in-law with love. Having learned secret recipes I often cook that exquisite Sindhi breakfast, when I have friends visiting over.

Punjabi flavours of Jalandhar, Amritsar & Baisakhi

Hailing from Punjab, no visit in the memory lane can be complete without a visit to Harmandir sahib & lanes of the old city full of eateries serving delicious Chole-Bhature, Lassi, Phirni, Chat-Papadi to name a few. And not to forget the wonderful memories of attending Baisakhi Mela, the harvest festival for Sikhs and Hindus, full of colour and vigour has been one of the most impactful moments of my early life.

Life in Delhi

Getting married and moving to the Capital of India Delhi started a new chapter in my culinary journey of north Indian food. Likes of Karims, Paranthe Wali Gali, Moti-Mahal at Darya Ganj (home of Dal Makhani and Butter Chicken) Choor- Choor nan of Paharganj, Chicken Changezi, and Shawarma at NFC, Momo’s at Sikkim stall and thali Nagaland stall at Dilli Haat and Khandani pakora at SN market. Taste of Bengal at C R Park, Chicken curry at Rajinder ka Dhaba and so so many more….

Being in the heart of the Golden Triangle, I was spoiled for flavours. Be it the Mirchi-vada, Kachori or Gulab-halva from Jaipur and Jodhpur or Angoori Petha of Agra, being a foodie, I have had the pleasure of enjoying this varied cuisine.

Who doesn’t love kebabs and Biryani! Melting flavours of Seekh, Tikka, Kalmi, Ghlawati, Tundey Kakkori, Boti kababs of Lucknow or Awadhi cuisine of aromatic Dals and biryanis finishing with a Banarasi Paan. :yum: Kebaabi Kavita

Moving to Glasgow

On moving to Glasgow, the biggest challenge for me was the food or the lack of “proper” Indian food, about which I constantly complained, until my exasperated husband asked me to start cooking what I wanted to eat, be it Punjabi or Kashmiri or even Sindhi food. When in 2014 I started working in Garden Fresh Exotic I found a respite, here I could find all Indian fruit, veg and spices, which allowed me to cook all that I missed here and share with friends and family whenever I got the opportunity. Over the last 7 years, I have also seen how the supermarkets started from no Indian food to selling ready to eat pakoras, samosas and other meals. However, these still lack the authentic taste of India, which was confirmed by the feedback I have received from my survey, which ultimately lead to the action and ‘Homemade Indian Food’ was born.

Phulkari Logo

Phulkari means “flower work “, Phulkari Dupatta is every Punjabi girl dream, first styled by the romantic protagonist ‘HEER & RANJHA‘. True to the essence of the word Phulkari – Phul meaning flower & Kari meaning craft – intricately embroidered with beautiful colours to bring out the pattern of flowers. Technique and way of stitching were originally not documented but verbally said. The heritage was preserved with Sikhs but was also shared with Hindus and Muslims. The art form made a strong come back after the India and Pakistan partition, but for people in Punjab on both sides, it is not just a style but a family tradition.
Likewise, our recipes are Phulkari’s of Flavours. While our homemade Indian food tiffin is inspired by various Indian cuisines, authentic to their core, Punjabi dishes indisputably form the soul of our versatile menu. All in all, we are all about serving truthful and flavoursome food using traditional north Indian recipes and high-quality ingredients in a hygienic home kitchen.

It's a matter of taste!