We come across many food blogs that explore Indian cooking from within — rooted in family recipes, handed-down spice mixes and meals shaped by memory. I run one of them myself. On Crazy Masala Food I spend most days writing listicles about pulao variations or ranking mithai by syrup drippiness. Yet every now and then I stumble on a site that approaches the cuisine from the outside and still manages to say something new. Beyond Chutney is that recent discovery.
The author isn’t from India and doesn’t claim a deep family connection. What he does have is patience. The first post I read was about burning mustard seeds. I smiled because I’ve done that too. He wrote that the smell sat in his flat for a week — a reminder that heat in Indian cooking is perfume and peril in equal measure. That sentence felt honest, so I kept reading.
Beyond Chutney is small, almost like a kitchen notebook. No ads scream from the side, no popups ask for an email. The recipes arrive like quiet experiments. One week it’s a roasted pumpkin mash with hing and ajwain. The next, a raw mango relish loosely inspired by kanda-lasun masala, adapted to what’s in season nearby. He doesn’t label the substitutions as “fusion” — he just works with what’s available.
It made me think about my own swaps. I’ve used oregano in place of kasuri methi and thickened rasam with tomato paste. Not because I wanted to get creative — just because I was hungry. It’s comforting to see that same practicality play out in another kitchen.
What stands out most is his attention to technique. One entry compares mustard oil with olive oil in tempering — not to say which is better, but to observe how they behave differently with heat. Another post is basically a note on grinding urad dal by hand, counting the minutes, noticing the texture, and admitting he’d probably use a grinder next time. It’s not performance cooking — it’s process.
If you’re expecting butter chicken and restaurant-style paneer, this blog might disappoint. But if you’re interested in how a lentil porridge gets depth from toasted coconut and a few crushed curry leaves, or how someone learns to fold samosas without anyone ever showing them how — you’ll probably find something to hold on to.
I tried that porridge recipe with some leftover moong dal. I was skeptical, but it turned out warm and grounding — something between familiar and new. It’s not a recipe I’d rank in a listicle, but I’ll be making it again.
That’s the thing about Beyond Chutney. It’s not trying to teach or impress. It’s just one person figuring things out in the kitchen, and that’s something I can relate to 😀
