My Hyderabadi heritage always included preserved lemons. My grandmother, and now my mother, make these every season: limes in bottles with salt, set out in the cool winter sun until ready. Dhoop limboo, or sun limes as they are called in Hyderabad, is a dying trade, hard to find commercially, and few chefs use them anymore. The history of preserved limes begins in Morocco, dating back almost 1000 years. Known locally as l'ḥamd mraqqad, they were a way for ancient tribes to pr

This contemporary dish brings together two flavors and techniques. Tomato kut is a rich gravy from the Deccan region of Hyderabad. The sauce is made from slow-simmered ripe tomatoes, occasionally mixed with tamarind for an additional tart punch. Here, it is cooked down into a thick gravy and becomes the dish's main flavor. It pairs superbly with mildly spiced raw plantain dumplings. The cutlets are soft and delicate, allowing the tomatoes to shine. This pairing is superb, and

Rice is central to the Indian subcontinent, and many historians consider it the grain's birthplace. Rice is grown abundantly in the South and the Northeast belt, dependent on the monsoon rains and hot weather. India boasts about 500 rice varieties in every form and color. Basmati rice is most common, but shortgrain varieties are also abundant, along with pink, red, brown, purple, and black rice varietals from across the country. I am happy to see numerous organizations reintr