brussels sprouts · food · rice noodles
Think You Hate Brussels Sprouts? It Might Be The Cooking Technique
This is not a gloat post. But I have never understood why people hated Brussels sprouts.
Featured story08 · 2026
botany · heartbreak · memory
When The Asafetida Plant Finally Got To Bloom In Ghee
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
The story
cupboard
Essays that begin at the table and wander wherever the story insists.
Read story ↗
american seasonings · food · italian seasonings
American Seasonings: A Culinary Miss or A Capitalistic Win?
Have you ever wondered why American seasonings feel different from the ones you have used in another country? Maybe you’ve even dreamed about…
elementary school · food · lunch
Dear Zojirushi, I love you. But I have one tiny complaint.
We’re still months away from National Bento Month. Yes, if you didn’t know, such a phenomenon exists. I didn’t either until I came…
food · india · indian recipes
Why Palak Paneer Tastes Different Every Time
I’m not a food historian or from the North Western part of India. But I am a food enthusiast and I love dissecting…
beverage · breakfast · Chennai
The Secret to a Good South Indian Filter Coffee Has Nothing to Do With the Coffee Bean.
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 Newspaper Cones: Tea Kadai Masala Vadai | Chana Dal Vada Recipe
Nostalgic in newspaper cones: A South Indian classic Masala Vadai recipe for thundu pasi moments, with a tea kadai soul
children · clubs · kids
Why Kiddy Clubs Matter Now More Than Ever
In an era of people lost inside 6-inch screens, an interesting idea is to start clubs for little kids to make new friends…
andhra · food · paruppu podi
Why I Hate Indian Podis and Why You Should Too
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
I write about food. Mostly.
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
Come for the pakodas.
Stay for what follows.
New stories, sent only when there is something worth telling.