Indian Kitchen Jugaad 101: Desi Moms and Their Genius (Totally Wild) Cooking Hacks
If there’s one thing Indian moms are better at than cooking soul-satisfying food, it’s fixing a kitchen crisis with zero drama and full jugaad. Out of fresh cream? She’ll “malai-fy” some milk. No baking soda? Watch her magically substitute it with Eno. It’s not just cooking—it’s culinary crisis management, desi style.
Let’s celebrate the wizards behind our meals by diving into some of the wildest, smartest, and most endearing Indian Kitchen Jugaad passed down from Indian moms.
1. Raw Mango for Everything? Yup.
Ran out of tamarind? No problem. Your mom’s probably used grated raw mango in place of imli for chutneys, sambhar, or pani puri water.
Tangy, fresh, and totally genius.
2. Burnt the Dal? Smokescreen Activated.
We’ve all been there. You forgot about the dal on the stove while scrolling Instagram.
Enter Mom’s hack: Add a wheat dough ball or a slice of bread to the burnt dal and simmer. The smell mellows, the flavor saves face. Magic? No. Mom.
3. Overripe Bananas? Make a Cake, Not a Fuss.
Throwing away bananas? Not in a desi home.
Those brown bananas become soft sheera, banana halwa, or even banana puri. Because in an Indian kitchen, “kuch bhi zaya nahi hota.”
4. Garlic Hands? Rub a Spoon!
After grinding garlic or chopping onions, your hands stink like dinner for three days.
Mom’s hack: Rub your fingers on a steel spoon under water. Smell—gone!
(Science agrees, but Mom knew first.)
5. No Tomatoes? Try Curd or Ketchup!
Tomatoes just doubled in price? She’s unfazed.
Use curd to bring in the tang, or a touch of ketchup to save that sabzi.
And guess what? It still tastes like maa ke haath ka khaana.
6. Chillies That Won’t Burn Your Soul
Too many chillies in the curry?
Add a spoon of cream, curd, or a boiled potato. It neutralizes the heat without changing the dish.
Also doubles as a metaphor for how moms handle your meltdowns.
7. Soggy Namkeen? Fry It Back to Life!
Left your namkeen open and now it’s soft?
Mom tosses it in a hot pan or gives it a quick fry.
Boom—fresh, crunchy, and reborn.
8. One Dish, Many Lives
Today’s leftover sabzi is tomorrow’s filling for paratha, and possibly the base for a pulao by dinner.
Moms are the OG zero-waste chefs. She doesn’t “reuse.” She reinvents.
❤️ Bonus: Her Ultimate Hack? Love.
No matter what went wrong in the kitchen, your mom somehow made it taste right.
Sometimes the ingredients were missing, sometimes the recipe was off… But the emotion? These Indian kitchen jugaads by the mothers always kept it spot-on.
Also Read: From Himalayan Roots to Shark Tank Fame: Why Sea Buckthorn Deserves Your Attention
FGITO Delivers More Than Just Food
Whether it’s stuffed paratha with last night’s sabzi or cooling curd rice like Mom makes on hot afternoons, FGITO serves home-cooked food that feels like a hug in a tiffin.
Serving Lucknow and Noida, we bring the delicious home-cooked food by the geniuses of Indian kitchens straight to your doorstep.
Because good food isn’t just made—it’s understood.
Hungry for more stories from Indian kitchens?
Keep following us for fun, food-filled journeys that celebrate taste, nostalgia, and the timeless tricks of Indian moms. Got a kitchen hack of your own? Share it with us!
