Regular readers of this column will be familiar with two regulars of Rude Food. The first is the great biryani hunt, which is now into its second year with disastrous consequences for my shape. And the second is my admiration for Pratibha Karan, the retired IAS officer, who I regard as one of India’s finest home cooks. Read more

The term khurchan is usually associated with milk products. It can mean different things but one common usage is that when you reduce milk, the khurchan is the stuff you scrape off from the bottom. And indeed, the term khurchan comes from khurachna or to scrape and therefore suggests the scrapings from the bottom of the pot. Read more

The Baked Alaska was one of the great show-off desserts of the 1970s (and perhaps the 1980s). Unfortunately, chefs don’t bother with it much these days.

At university, we were divided first, into colleges, and then, within the college, into staircases marking the blocks where we actually lived. Each staircase had about a dozen undergraduates and possibly, a don or two. Read more

I first met Vijay Karan around 1993. He had retired as Director of the CBI but his real claim to fame was as one of the best commissioners of police Delhi ever had.

It was Karan who told the Delhi police that they were perceived as being rude and insensitive and began the process of sensitivity-training that still continues. (All that “Delhi Police – With You, For You” stuff is his legacy.) He also stopped the police from beating up suspects routinely and cleaned up the force. Read more

I have always been told that one of the distinctive features of the Internet is that it is an interactive medium. This sounds okay in theory, but ever since I’ve launched my personal website, (virsanghvi.com), I’ve discovered what it means in real terms. Read more

Why does wine often not taste right? The answer lies in a little-known chlorinated compound called TCA, which can taint corks and sometimes even entire wineries… Read more