Weight loss and detox diets have mushroomed like crazy in the past few decades, and seeing as the pandemic has effectively rendered all of us sedentary in the past year, these alternative diets have acquired a particular kind of currency now more so than ever. In this very timely episode, Payal is in conversation with somebody special this time: her Nutrition and Food Sciences teacher in college Malika Janakiraman. Malika ma'am picks up one of these diet alternatives and gives us the scoop on...

This episode is a welcome change, and an important one at that. Payal has three male guests this time - Vivek Doddamani, Dinesh Choudhary and Abhimanyu Prajapati, who've come to the kitchen via a very different root from our previous guests. Its necessity that drove them, and that reflects in their experiences as well. From personal independence to equitable sharing of domestic responsibilities, these men have learned to cook from the most unconventional of teachers and carved their own...

In this episode, Payal is in conversation with reputed chef Akshay Kulkarni, who is the head of culinary operations at Culinary Academy of India, Hyderabad. Sit back and take notes (if that's your thing), because a veritable symphony of multisensory detail awaits you in this episode. From a protracted discussion on how to identify (non-visually, of course) when your onions are the right shade of golden-brown, to the baffling matter of what contributes to the colour of your gravies and how to...

CW: kitchen accidents, brief discussion of major burns. In this 2nd episode of the Experts Talk series, Payal is in conversation with a wonderful set of people - Alefiya Tundawala, Ashmira Hirani, Geetha Shamanna and Gunjan Khurana - who've encountered hell, high water, and healthy amounts of encouragement along the way to becoming culinary experts in their own right. They each talk about how the great adventure first began, their one unforgetable experience in the kitchen, and their positive...

Join us in the third season of Rasoi Ke Rahasya- Experts Talk! If you have ever wondered what makes someone an expert, you have to give this first episode a careful listen. Payal is in conversation with two accomplished women- Preeti Monga & Veena Verma, who share their journey from being novices to becoming experts. From hesitant beginnings, to confident strides; from recipes gone wrong,  to perfectly cooked meals… There's a little  of everything here! And as always, don't forget to...

A bonus minisode myth busting the theories about Salt.  Follow us and let us know what you think, on our social media:  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RasoiKeRahasya/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rasoikerahasya_/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rasoi-ke-rahasya/message

As the curtain comes down on Season 2 of Rasoi Ke Rahasya– Methods Of Cooking, Payal takes us on a tour of the chemistry lab that is "Baking".  The thought of Baking immediately brings to mind tantalizing  aromas of breads, cakes, pies, tarts, pastries… And so much more! Did We just hear you say you suddenly love chemistry? Payal gives a detailed account of what makes baking The science that it is. The precision of a recipe holds more importance here than anywhere else.  Listen on as Payal...

We're well under way with the cooking with dry heat series; this episode is yet another triple whopper. Payal gives us the dummy's introduction to roasting - a very comprehensive section packed to the gills with necessary information, suggestions and quick tips about the roasting process, roasting times, and how to go about roasting vegetables and meet in a variety of ways - in an oven, on a stove-top pan, and in a tandoor(!). We also get interesting side-notes as we go along (did you know...

We're gathering speed, folks. Here's Payal with the first of the dry-heating methods already! She takes us through different frying techniques, starting with deep-frying, that most complex-sounding of all the frying methods, especially if you're blind. Getting a handle on deep-frying is a landmark by itself for most people, and Payal gives us a very comprehensive overview on optimum temperatures, technique, amount of oil, type of vessel and loads more tips so we can comfortably and...

We're in the last leg of our cooking with moist heat series, all set to explore other avenues very soon. But before we start off on that track, Payal gives us a super-compact, three-in-one episode that introduces us to simmering, gives us a few quick tips to acquaint us with the process (and variables to adjust depending on what we're cooking), and goes on to explain important processes like the Millard reaction (no spoilers here!). She proceeds to give us two bonus methods - braising and...

We really like digressions, and going off-script once in a while to chase after things we find while researching for episodes. So we thought we'd do the occasional minisode in the middle of the episodes, and go down the proverbial rabbit-hole sometimes to bring you good stuff we encounter along the way. In this first-of-its-kind minisode, Payal talks about a squillian different things you can do with your veggies besides make sabzi in the conventional sense of the term - if the thought of...

Idlis and Dhoklas (among other things) are a testament to the fact that steaming is by no means a process new to Indian cooking. In this episode, Payal talks primarily about steaming in the context of vegetables. Starting on a cautionary note about steam burns and ideal steaming arrangements, she goes on to talk about commonly-employed methods of steaming, ranging from the classic stove or other cook-top method to steaming in the oven and the microwave. This is a fun section that answers all...

In this podcast, Payal talks at length about the seemingly straightforward phenomenon of boiling. She leads us through the six stages of boiling, with visual and nonvisual descriptions for each with ways of telling them apart, as well as their practical applications in the kitchen. There are two whole dedicated sections on things to remember while boiling, characteristically chalk-full of dead useful info ranging from the proportion of water to vegetables, the boiling in an open versus closed...

In this episode, Payal familiarises us with the "subtle science and exact art" of blanching. Being one of the most basic methods of cooking vegetables, blanching interestingly puts me in mind of Goldilocks - blanch too little and you end up with blotchy, burned vegetables; blanch too much and you're left with a misshapen, tender lump. Payal seamlessly leads us through the science of blanching - the six-step technique, the three blanching media, the salt-or-no-salt debate, blanching time for a...

Welcome back to Season 2 of Rasoi Ke Rahasya!   Dry-fry some namkeen, let your tea steep, sit back, and get ready for some word-crunching that'll help you positively sail through most any culinary instructions and recipes that come your way! In this episode, Payal deftly walks us through a concise glossary of Indian and international culinary terms focusing on methods of cooking (think boiling, basting, steaming and roasting). It sounds nothing like an encyclopedia, we promise! In her...

Rasoi Ke Rahasya is back with a brand new season! We would like to  dedicate this season to Sakina Dhariwala, who was one of the channel's most avid followers. Her sudden death is definitely a huge huge loss for us.  After successfully completing the orientation series, it is now time to step up to the cooktop. Introducing the new season – Methods of Cooking. I  would also like to say thanks to our graphic designers –  Drishti, and Mounika. Aparna, Mayank, and I have had great fun planning...

Payal considers a bevy of ancillary cooking equipment - milk-boilers and rice-cookers, blenders and smoothie-makers, beaters and choppers, ovens and sandwitch-makers, and the food-processor,that veritable Swiss-army knife and ultimate behemoth of the kitchen. She talks about using all of this equipment as a blind person, suggests nifty hacks to make some of these easier to use without sight, and also recommends pairing these with a variety of assistive tech options ranging from bump-ons to...

In this episode, Payal gives us the miniature product-comparison guide we've never had before, all from a blind person's perspective. She familiarizes us with the most common kinds of cookware available, and addresses some frequently-asked questions. How safe is it to cook on teflon-coated nonstick pans? Is there any way to cut down on the risks that teflon poses in conjunction with high heat? What about ceramic, glassware, stoneware, and induction-compatible cookware? The episode is...

Do you hear the clanging? In this episode, Payal does a quick run of the utensils that you cook with - pots, pans, spoons and stirrers, whisks and graters, tongs and squeezers. She talks about the most conducive instruments to stir, flip and mix a variety of foods. The episode is peppered as usual with interesting bits of trivia - why is a saucepan called a saucepan? Go give it a listen to find out! There's a cautionary note at the end about kitchen safety, complete with tips to avoid...

This is a continuation to the previous episode. In this episode, Payal walks us through pealing and cutting larger fruits like melons, pomegranates and mangos, in the meticulous, exacting detail we've all grown familiar with.

Sink your teeth into this deliciously fruity episode (and remember to not sink your teeth into the fruits themselves before you've verified they're good to eat!). Payal takes us through a veritable orchard of fruits galore - tart and juicy, citrus and tangy, she guides us through cutting and/or pealing them, and storing them if need be. Brownie points if you spot the oblique dessert-y reference!

In this episode, Payal walks us through a wide variety of ways to peal and chop vegetables, from (you guessed it!) slicing, mincing, dicing and scraping, to more intricate techniques like cutting juliennes, brunoise, and chiffonades to knife your way to culinary glory (pun not intended, of course!). The episode is all but hands-on instruction, with Payal's minutely-detailed descriptions. Also, kudos to you if you know some or all of this kitchen-speak already!

There's just a few more things to take care of before you can finally make your glorious and much-awaited entree into the secret society of the culinarily-adept. In this episode, Payal takes us through those things in her characteristically precise stile. She talks about do's and don't's in the context of vegetables and flours, and covers other odds and ends that make optimised workflow look like magic. Buckle up! We're all set now - can you hear the engine revving?

In this episode, Payal walks us through storing our most commonly used vegetables - from the usual washing, drying and securely storing in appropriate atmospheric conditions, to the more unconventional practises of pure enterprising genius like freezing your tomato purey so that it has an uber-long shelflife. *wink-wink, nudge-nudge* If you're one of those people who likes their jar of coffee to remain all nice and granulated the way God intended it to be, then there's definitely something in...

In this episode, Payal talks about vegetables - tubers, leafy greens, vegetables that aren't actually vegetables - you name it, she talks about it. It's a veritable menagerie! Brownie points for guessing what commonly-used vegetable she left out, we promise it'll make it into a future episode for sure. There's tips for buying, tips for storage and tips for detecting any creepy-crawlies that might've wormed their way into your veg, too.