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Petpuja.com is where food meets curiosity! Explore delicious recipes, traditional Indian food, cooking tips, food science, forgotten culinary traditions, myths and the fascinating stories behind what we eat. From everyday kitchens to the history of our food, we uncover the why, how and wisdom behind every bite. Come, savour food with us—one story, recipe and discovery at a time.

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BRICS 2026: What Did the World Leaders Eat in Delhi?

Posted by Neerja Bhatnagar on September 15, 2026

BRICS 2026 BRICS Summit culinary diplomacy Delhi Delhi food food culture Indian cuisine Indian Food millet recipes regional Indian food

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Why Does Restaurant Paneer Taste Different From Homemade Paneer?

Posted by Neerja Bhatnagar on September 01, 2026

Food Science Indian Food Indian restaurants paneer paneer recipes Petpuja restaurant food restaurant paneer restaurant secrets The Restaurant Files

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The Restaurant Files: What Really Happens Before Your Food Reaches the Table

Posted by Neerja Bhatnagar on August 28, 2026

dining out food facts Food Psychology Food Science Indian Food Petpuja Restaurant Files restaurant food restaurant kitchen restaurant secrets

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Why Does Rice Become Sticky? The Science Behind Rice Texture

Posted by Neerja Bhatnagar on August 22, 2026

basmati rice cooking science Food Science Indian cooking Kitchen Science rice rice starch sella rice sona masuri Sona Masuri rice sticky rice sticky rice in pressure cooker why rice becomes sticky

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Why Does Milk Curdle? The Science Behind Paneer & Curd

Posted by Neerja Bhatnagar on August 13, 2026

casein cooking science curd dairy Food Science Indian cooking Kitchen Science milk milk curdling paneer Petpuja Top Blog at blogchatter Top post on indiblogger whey

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FOOD ITEMS FROM "Q"

"Q" is an alphabet, not many food items start with. I would like to recorrect this - not many Indian food items start from "Q". Anyway, now, as they say, the world is shrinking (literally and metaphorically too), so let us take food items from Q, irrespective of their origins. Before listing the other food items, I will share what comes to my mind with Q - this one is everybody's favourite - Quaker's oats. Quaker is a popular brand that produces many healthy(?) breakfast options. The other is Quesadilla is a Mexican Pic Wikipedia dish made with a tortilla filled with cheese and other fillings. There is a post in my blog about it. Please do check here . It has an Indian cousin invented by Indian mothers made with the available leftover roti and sabzi. :) Even Quinoa (pronounced as k iː n . w ɑ) is something we have recently introduced to. When I read about it and searched online, I found it very expensive. But to my Pic : Wikipedia surprise, I went to...

Semolina pancake / Sooji ka cheela

May and June are the harsh summer months and no one wants to stay longer in the hot kitchen. I am no exception and look for recipes which are light on oil and does not require me to stay in kitchen for long. 😋 I prefer one dish meals during summers, which do not require long time in kitchen 🕒. I move on to induction plate to cook food in summers instead of gas stove as it allows to work with fan on. Today, I am sharing the recipe of sooji cheela (semolina pancakes), which does not need much time in preparation and cooking, never the less, it's very tasty and healthy. Sooji or semolina is the coarse and granulated product made from wheat flour and wheat millfeed mainly, though it's also made from rice and maize flour too, maize sooji is not so commonly available in India. Grooved steel rollers are used to mill wheat into flour. The space between the rollers are adjusted such that the space between them is slightly less than the wheat kernels. The rollers remove the br...

Why Does Milk Curdle? The Science Behind Paneer & Curd

AI Image Why Does Milk Curdle? The Science Behind Paneer, Curd and That Ruined Cup of Tea Have you ever poured milk into a hot cup of tea, only to watch it suddenly separate into tiny white lumps? Or added lemon juice to hot milk and watched it transform into curds and whey? The first reaction is usually: "Oh no! The milk has curdled." But here's the fascinating part: curdling isn't always a bad thing. In fact, some of India's most loved foods—including paneer and chhena—depend on this very process. So what actually happens when milk curdles? Why does lemon juice make paneer? Why does milk sometimes split in tea or tomato-based gravies? And how can we prevent unwanted curdling? Let's look at the food science behind this everyday kitchen mystery. What Is Milk Made Of? Milk may look simple, but chemically it is a remarkably complex food. It contains: Water Milk fat Lactose, the natural milk sugar Minerals Whey proteins Casein proteins Casein is particularly...

From Farm to Plate: The Invisible Labour Behind Every Meal We Eat

AI image Every plate of food carries a story — of effort, struggle, hope, and countless unseen hands. Have You Ever Wondered How Food Reaches Your Plate? Yesterday morning, while eating my usual bowl of oats with nuts and seeds, a simple thought crossed my mind: How did this food actually reach my table? We often talk about recipes, flavours, restaurants, and healthy eating. But very rarely do we pause to think about the long journey our food takes before becoming a meal on our plate. Behind every roti, every cup of tea, every bowl of dal, there exists an invisible network of farmers, labourers, transporters, vendors, and homemakers whose efforts quietly keep India fed. And honestly, once you begin noticing this journey, food starts feeling very different. It All Begins in the Fields A few years ago, during a visit to a village, I met an elderly farmer standing quietly in his wheat field early in the morning. His hands were rough from years of labour, but ...

Why Does Rice Become Sticky? The Science Behind Rice Texture

AI Image Why Does Rice Become Sticky? The Science Behind Rice Texture You put rice on the stove expecting separate, fluffy grains. Instead, you open the lid and find them clinging together in a soft, sticky mass. Why does this happen? Is it too much water? The type of rice? Overcooking? Washing—or not washing—the rice properly? The answer lies mainly in starch , but starch doesn't work alone. The variety of rice, amount of water, temperature, cooking time and cooking method all influence the final texture. And this is particularly interesting in Indian kitchens, where the same family may use aromatic Basmati for biryani, Sona Masuri for everyday meals and Sella rice for certain biryanis. So let's look at what is really happening inside those little grains. The Main Reason Rice Becomes Sticky: Starch Rice contains starch, and starch is primarily made up of two types of molecules: Amylose and amylopectin. Their proportions have a major influence on the texture of cooked rice. Amy...

KHUBANI KA MEETHA - APRICOT SWEET

This is rakhi time. Though with the availability of vast spectrum of sweets available off the counter, there is no comparison of the home made sweets served with love. I am sharing a very easy and very tasty indian ( not so common) sweet, which you can prepare a day or two before. Apricot / khubani ka meetha is a new sweet to me, which I had tasted for the first time at my sister's place on my last visit to Roorkee, this July, '18. A very easy to make recipe and "oh so tasty" sweet is the perfect case of sharing on the blog. I am avoiding the adjective "amazing" as this word is used so often, it has lost its uniqueness. This sweet is really unique. Khumani ka meetha is a famous sweet dish of Hyderabad. It's made in a combination of apricot and custard in Hyderabad. I have used rabadi instead of custard and it tastes awesome. Ingredients: 1. Dry Apricot - 500 gm 2. Full cream milk - 2 litre 3. Milk powder - 250 gm 4. Sugar - 2 table spoon P...

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