Homemade Indian and Middle Eastern recipes plus baking-from a small expat kitchen in the UAE. Written for curious cooks who eat well beyond their postcode. You'll find everything from Indian curries and breads to Lebanese casserole and Arabic desserts.
Trending Recipes
These are my tried, tested and loved-by-you recipes. It makes me super happy when you share your feedback.
- Chicken Cutlet Recipe (Kerala Style)
- Kacchi Mutton Biryani
- Kalathappam Recipe (Small Batch Cooker Appam)
- Kerala Beef Fry
- Chai for Two
- Lahsa Recipe | Yemeni Spiced Eggs with Creamy Cheese
- Varutharacha Malabar Chicken Curry | Chicken Curry with Roasted Coconut Sauce
- Vermicelli Pudding with Condensed Milk
- Cream Kunafa
- Tiramisu without Mascarpone (No Eggs, No Alcohol!)
- Baked Samosa Recipe
- Kaipola | Ripe Plantain Egg Cake
Browse by Cuisine
Middle Eastern Recipes
- Maamoul with Dates Recipe
- Chicken Fatteh Recipe with Rice
- Om Ali Recipe (Mini Croissants)
- Margooga (Emirati Chicken and Pastry)
South Indian Recipes
- Moru Curry without Coconut (Buttermilk Curry)
- Kerala Mutton Stew with Coconut Milk (Instant Pot)
- One-Pot Chicken Donne Biryani Recipe
- Dal Fry Recipe with Chana Dal
About Famidha Ashraf
I'm Famidha, a chai lover, an Indian in the UAE, a Hooman of two cats, a Malabari who loves Tamil food and the cook cum writer behind But First Chai. He is Mr F, my husband, who gets to taste whatever I cook. Couch dinners, favourite shows, and our cats for company, that's our kind of evening.
Dessert Recipes
Who is not sweet-toothed? Discover desserts for both small and large occasions that will satisfy your sweet cravings.
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trending recipe!
Quicker, easier, and made with spiced minced meat cooked in a tomato, yoghurt, fried onion, and herb mixture, then layered with saffron-infused basmati rice. A dish that's festive enough to impress yet simple enough to satisfy a weeknight craving.
Keema Biryani
Sweet Bread Bakes
Some popular sweet quick-bread recipes are not just banana bread.
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Latest Recipes
viral recipe!
★★★★★
Mango Ice Cream
This 3-ingredient no-churn mango ice cream is creamy, intensely flavoured, and shockingly easy to make. From prep to freezer, it takes about 25 minutes, and the hardest part is waiting the 6 hours for it to set.