From the Degchi kitchen

qatayeframadan desserts

Qatayef at Home: Batter, Folding, and Fry vs Bake

Qatayef pancakes are cooked on one side only, filled, folded shut and dunked in syrup. Where batches go wrong, and a Ramadan prep plan that spreads the work over two days.

Usama Alam · 12 November 2026 · 4 min read

gahwaarabic coffee

Gahwa and Dates: How to Serve Arabic Coffee at Home

Gahwa is light, spiced and poured in thimble-sized cups. The brewing times from our recipe, how to pair it with stuffed dates, and the small manners that go with it.

Usama Alam · 12 November 2026 · 5 min read

bengali lunchmusurir dal

A Bengali Weekday Lunch Plate in Under an Hour

Rice, thin dal, one fried item, one mash. A cooking order that puts all four on the table together, with timings drawn from our recipe library.

Usama Alam · 12 November 2026 · 5 min read

maach bhajabengali fried fish

Maach Bhaja: Crisp Bengali Fried Fish, Step by Step

Fried fish steaks with only four seasonings. The timings from our recipe, the dry-fish rule that prevents splatter, and what to change if your fish is frozen.

Usama Alam · 12 November 2026 · 5 min read

bhorta recipealoo bhorta

Bhorta at Home: Aloo, Begun and Dim, Three Ways

Bhorta is mash plus raw mustard oil plus something sharp. Three versions from our recipe library, the order to mix them in, and the mistakes that make them taste flat.

Usama Alam · 12 November 2026 · 5 min read

spice storageold spices

A 10-Minute Spice Shelf Audit: Keep, Refresh or Toss

Instead of guessing whether the cumin is still good, run a ten-minute audit with your nose and a spoon. Three piles: keep, refresh, toss.

Usama Alam · 12 November 2026 · 5 min read

rice cooker cuprice cooker water ratio

Rice Cooker Cup vs Measuring Cup: Why Rice Goes Wrong

Your rice cooker came with a little plastic cup, and it is not the same as the one in your kitchen drawer. Here is how that mismatch ruins rice, and how to fix it.

Usama Alam · 12 November 2026 · 5 min read

air fryer reheat samosareheat paratha

Reheating Samosas, Parathas and Kebabs: Air Fryer vs Tawa

The air fryer is great at one kind of leftover and poor at another. A dish-by-dish guide to reheating samosas, parathas, kebabs and pakoray without losing the crunch.

Usama Alam · 12 November 2026 · 5 min read

dum biryanibiryani without dough

Dum Without a Dough Seal: Foil, Towel or Tight Lid?

The atta ring is tradition, not magic. Here is what a dum seal actually has to do, three substitutes, and how to tell in 30 seconds whether your steam is escaping.

Usama Alam · 12 November 2026 · 5 min read

how to season tawairon tawa

How to Season and Clean an Iron Tawa (No Rust)

A new iron tawa sticks, smokes and rusts if you treat it like a steel pan. A first-use routine, a daily wipe, and the rust fix, with the dough from our roti recipes.

Usama Alam · 12 November 2026 · 5 min read