Stories of food, memory & the questions that follow
botany · heartbreak · memory
Before hing blooms in our ghee, a wild ferula waits beneath a brutal landscape, only to surrender the very life she spent years building
Read the story ↗Not recipes with a childhood anecdote tucked politely above them.
These are stories, rooted in food, memory, history, and whatever refuses to stay quiet.
Recently unpacked
Essays that begin at the table and wander wherever the story insists.
brussels sprouts · cooking technique · vegetarian
Brussels sprouts look like baby cabbages. Smell like cabbages. But the right cooking technique is all it takes to transform these mini cabbages…
food memory · seasoning · Travel
Some seasonings can be that special. And some simply collect dust, as a subtle reminder that they're simply waiting for the right recipe…
elementary school · food · lunch
Why doesn't the world's best lunchbox make a kid-friendly version that actually works?
food · india · indian recipes
Have you ever wondered why your Palak Paneer recipe tastes different every single time? This particular ingredient might just surprise you.
beverage · breakfast · Chennai
The secret an unforgettable south indian filter coffee has nothing to do with the coffee bean. Read to find out.
chana dal vada · masala vadai · paruppu vadai
Nostalgic in newspaper cones: A South Indian classic Masala Vadai recipe for thundu pasi moments, with a tea kadai soul
children · clubs · kids
In an era of people lost inside 6-inch screens, the art of friendships seems to be fading away, but not entirely lost if…
andhra · food · paruppu podi
I hate Indian Podis. They are so ridiculously simple and versatile for a dish that tastes so phenomenal. And because of how insanely…
The writer behind the pakodas
A chai-time read
Hello, I’m Divya
Pakoda Stories is my corner of the internet for the stories food leaves behind: the people who fed us, the ingredients we barely notice, and the memories that return with the first sputter of a tadka. Some days I am funny. Some days I am furious. Occasionally, I make you mourn a spice.
More about me ↗A letter from my kitchen
New stories, sent only when there is something worth telling.