Chitra Balasubramaniam

Author Directory | Chitra Balasubramaniam

Chitra Balasubramaniam is a freelance features writer in Delhi. Among other things, she writes on unusual food

India Food Nutrition Traditional Knowledge Tamil Nadu Health Medicinal Plants First Food food diversity Minerals

Food

Tangy taste: Try a twist in your daal with heiribob this weekend

Little known outside the northeast, the Peel of a wild orange adds flavour to several dishes

Food|Recipe

एक पेड़ से सीजन में होती है 1.5 लाख तक आमदनी, फलियों से बनते हैं व्यंजन

मणिपुर में अमीर परिवार बेटियों की शादी में इस पेड़ का पौ�…

Food

Meet yaipan, the wannabe turmeric

Relish yaipan, a wild flower from The Himalayas, as food or as drug

Food

These miniature brinjals can be cooked in myriad ways

Khamen akhaba is grown extensively across the northeast and used in indigenous medicines to treat asthma, allergic rhinitis, nasal catarrh, skin …

Food

Awa phadigom, a hidden enhancer

Manipur’s wild coriander acts as a flavouring agent in meat and vegetable dishes, besides being used as a medicine

Food

Indian olives: The most under-utilised fruit crop

Jalpai, the Indian olive, is an under-researched fruit which is used to make sweet and sour recipes

Food

These pods are proving to be profitable

Yongchak is a Manipuri legume used in salads, pickles and delicacies

Food

A lesser known rice bean that's healthier than most

Despite having immense nutritive and medicinal properties, the rice bean is a lesser-known pulse

Health

Here's why home-cooked food is healthier

Look no further than the plate you are served in

Food

Sip those blues away

The rich hue of butterfly pea flower comes packed with therapeutic values

Food

A flower which can treat skin cancer and prevent greying of hair

Used for worship and hair colouring, modern entrepreneurs have found new uses for the hibiscus flower

Food

Murunga elai sambar

Food

Karuveppilai podi

Food

A chilli snack manufacturers swear by

Known for its pungency, lakhori is Uttarakhand's home-grown favourite

Food

Taste the tangy

A little-known ingredient from Kerala, kodampuli, is full of medicinal properties

Food

Root unearthed

Gandrayani is a root used widely in Uttarakhand to enhance the flavour of dishes. But there is hardly any research on the health benefits of this …

Health

Divine relish

Solanum torvum or the Turkey berry is known for its spiritual, medicinal and curative properties

Health

Divine relish

A berry and its spiritual, medicinal and curative branches

Food

Beyond spice

Curry leaf is a common spice in south Indian recipes but few people outside the region know what else to do with it

Food

Pickle preserve

Popular forms of baby mango pickles from south India have multiple benefits, writes Chitra Balasubramaniam

Traditionally sumptuous

Multigrain food is not new. It has been part of the Indian diet since ancient times and comes in multitude of combinations

Food

High on green

Moringa leaves are packed with nutrients, but very few know about it

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