From the Degchi kitchen

mustard oilBengali cooking

How to Use Mustard Oil in Cooking: A Plain Guide

Mustard oil smells sharp and does odd things when you pour it in cold. This guide covers heating it, using it raw, which of our recipes need it, and how to read the label on your bottle.

Usama Alam · 8 November 2026 · 5 min read

machher jholBengali fish curry

Machher Jhol Recipe: Thin Bengali Fish Curry

Machher jhol is the thin, turmeric-yellow fish curry Bengali homes cook on an ordinary weekday. Here are the two versions in our library, side by side, and the small moves that stop the fish breaking.

Usama Alam · 8 November 2026 · 5 min read

chicken tikka without tandoorchicken tikka recipe

Chicken Tikka Without a Tandoor: Oven, Grill or Pan

A tandoor is just very high, dry heat. Your oven can get close if the marinade is thick and the chicken is dry. Here is the recipe from our library and what to do on a grill pan.

Usama Alam · 8 November 2026 · 5 min read

why do shami kabab fall apartshami kabab recipe

Why Do Shami Kabab Fall Apart? Five Fixes

A shami kabab that cracks or dissolves in the oil is almost always a water problem. Walk back through the recipe step by step and find where the moisture got in.

Usama Alam · 8 November 2026 · 5 min read

seekh kabab recipe at homeseekh kabab

Seekh Kabab Recipe at Home: Juicy, No Tandoor Needed

Dry, crumbly seekh kababs that slide off the skewer are a mince problem, not a tandoor problem. Here is the recipe in our library, step by step, and why each habit matters.

Usama Alam · 8 November 2026 · 5 min read

handi vs karahichicken handi

Handi vs Karahi: Which Pot, Which Dish?

A handi is a deep slow pot, a karahi a steep wok-like pan. The dishes follow the pot. Here is how our chicken handi and chicken karahi differ, and what to do without either pot.

Usama Alam · 8 November 2026 · 5 min read

chicken qorma vs kormaqorma recipe

Chicken Qorma vs Korma: What Actually Differs

Qorma and korma are one word spelled two ways, but the two chicken recipes in our library cook very differently. Here is a side-by-side, and which one to make tonight.

Usama Alam · 8 November 2026 · 5 min read

ginger garlic pastehomemade paste

Ginger Garlic Paste at Home: Ratio and Safe Storage

Equal parts is the ratio most of our recipes use. The harder question is storage, so here is what to do with the jar, the tray and the freezer bag.

Usama Alam · 8 November 2026 · 5 min read

garam masala vs chaat masalacurry powder

Garam Masala vs Chaat Masala vs Curry Powder

Three jars, three jobs. What each blend contains, which one goes in at the end, which one gets sprinkled on top, and why curry powder is a different animal.

Usama Alam · 7 November 2026 · 5 min read

what is tadkatarka

What Is Tadka? Tempering Explained With Real Recipes

Tadka, tarka, baghar, chaunk: one move, many names. What goes in the pan first, how long each spice gets, and which recipes use it at the start or the end.

Usama Alam · 7 November 2026 · 5 min read