Nonee Cooks

Wishing everyone a very Happy Ganesh Chaturthi & Teej! 🪔🌼
May Shiv-Parivar bless us all with abundance, good health, happiness, and the warmth of family, and may every new beginning bring peace and prosperity. 🙏🏼✨

Ganpati Bappa Morya! Har Har Mahadev! ❤️

Teeja begins a day before the fast.

In Chhattisgarh, the night before Teeja is marked by Karu Bhaat—a dinner meal where karela (bitter gourd) takes centre stage.

It’s traditionally eaten before the Nirjala fast begins. The bitterness of karela is almost symbolic—a reminder that fasting isn’t just about celebration, but also about discipline, devotion and preparing oneself for what lies ahead.

For many families, Karu Bhaat is also that last, hearty meal before a day without food or water.

And perhaps that’s what makes it special:
before the rituals, the songs and the celebrations of Teeja, there is this simple plate of bitter karela and rice—an old food tradition quietly marking the beginning of the fast.

A bitter bite before Teeja. A tradition worth remembering.

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Pora Tihar 🌾🐂

Every year, on भादो अमावस्या, Chhattisgarh pauses to thank the ones who have carried its farms through the year — the bail, the bullocks.

They are bathed, rested, decorated and worshipped.
Clay Nandi bulls and little मिट्टी के बर्तन are brought home for the children.

But Pora is also connected to the earth and the paddy growing in her गर्भ — this is the time when the rice crop is believed to be in its garbh, quietly nurturing the grain that will become the harvest. 🌾

And the kitchen fills with the familiar tastes of the tihar — ठेठरी, खुरमी, गुलगुला, भजिया and more.

Pora is a celebration of farming, livestock, rice, soil, the farmer and the promise of a new harvest.

And perhaps that is why I love its little मिट्टी के संसार so much — children playing with clay bulls, janta and chulha, learning the culture without anyone having to sit them down and teach it.

A tihar where food, farming, मिट्टी and memory all meet. 🤎

Pora Tihar — a little piece of Chhattisgarh I hope we never stop passing on.

Save this for Pora. And send it to someone who grew up celebrating it.

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Angakar roti + tikhi mircha-patal chutney ❤️🌧️

Some mornings just call for food that feels like home.

A rainy Pune morning, an Independence Day celebration in our society, and the sweetest start to the day—watching the kids put their hearts into their performances. There was something so warm and joyful about seeing them sing, dance, act and simply be themselves. ❤️

And then, back home for brunch: hot, rustic angakar roti, made for tearing and sharing, with a fiery mircha-patal chutney of green chillies and tomatoes.

The kind of meal that makes you pause between bites and think—haan, bas. Aaj ka din isi ke liye tha. 🇮🇳

A little rain, a little nostalgia, a lot of home—and a very happy Independence Day. 🇮🇳🌿

ChhattisgarhiCuisine RegionalIndianFood IndianFoodCulture FoodAndMemories HomeFood Noneecooks

Hareli Tihaar 🌿💚
A celebration of the rains, the lush green fields, and our deep connection with the land.
In Chhattisgarh, Hareli is more than a festival. It is a day to honour the earth, farming, livestock, and the traditions that have nourished generations.
The fragrance of neem, beautifully adorned cattle, green courtyards, and the joyful memories of gedi—Hareli brings all of these together.

A celebration of our soil.
Our memories.
Our way of life.

Hareli Tihaar ke gada-gada badhai! 🌱💚

ChhattisgarhiFood CentralIndia FoodCulture FoodHeritage Noneecooks

This is how ChatGPT sees me! 😃😃

Regional cuisine paglu yes! Slightly chubby than before now- also yes! 😆😆😆

When you have Bengali friends - soul satisfying, melt in mouth, full of love patishapta is sure to reach you on Makar Sankranti - like you manifested it! 🥹🥹

Happy Makar Sankranti, you’ll!
Thank you and and uncle aunty who are not on Instagram - my heart is full! ♥️♥️♥️