Porn Star Martini to mango pickle: Here are India's top 10 recipes of 2024

Mango pickle

It was the fiery, down-to-earth mango pickle or ‘aam ka aachar’ with its piquant taste, which grabbed global attention and also captured the top slot of the most searched recipe in India.

There's nothing in the world that can beat tucking into wholesome, healthy curd rice or a lauki khichdi with mango pickle and appalam. It can transport you to heavenly places and leave you there for a while. most avidly searched in Goa, Kerala, Karnataka, Assam, and Telangana.

Also watch: Top Google searches in 2023: News that trended big in India | Chandrayaan-3 |

Porn Star Martini

It cannot just be the name that lures people to this popular cocktail, we’ve had Sex on the Beach for the longest time. But, this sugary, vanilla vodka-based drink spliced up with fresh passion fruit and passion fruit liqueur and splashed with lemon juice, seems to have caught the fancy of Indians. Served with chilled Prosecco or champagne, it is not everyone’s cup of tea.

The Porn Star Martini creator Douglas Ankrah bequeathed its creation, concocted at a bar in west London in 2002, with this name probably thinking that it can become a signature drink for porn stars! But, to the horror of the fastidious British, this 'hipster' drink became big in Britain in 2021, when it briefly toppled the wholesome mojita to become the nation’s favourite cocktail. Not many Britishers approved though!

Dhaniya Panjiri

This dish was also searched for in a big way on Google. This dish, considered to be Lord Krishna’s favourite, is especially churned out on Janmashtami. This traditional prasad item teems with nuts and ghee. It can also be churned out pretty quick.

Not difficult to make, young people probably turned to good ole family man, Google, to help make this dish to keep the gods happy.

It is made up of freshly roasted coriander seeds grinded to fine powder, and mixed with roasted nuts and dried fruits like almonds and cashew nuts. Roasted and coarsely ground melon seeds and grated dried coconut are also dropped into the glorious mixture and topped off with ghee and jaggery.

Ugadi Pachadi: Recipe of emotions

Indians seemed to have scoured the Net for festival dishes particularly. Maybe, they had misplaced their grandma's recipes!

The Ugadi Pachadi made traditionally for the Telugu New Year is made of neem flowers, raw unripe green mango, jaggery, pepper powder, coconut and salt.

It is known as a recipe of emotions because the different ingredients make up the range of emotions one experiences in life and carries the message of acceptance of the good and the bad that comes one's way.

Neem flowers are known to symbolise bitter emotions, jaggery in the dish is all about the sweetness in life, the sour and tangy tamarind juice symbolises the ups and downs in life, while the raw mango is meant to signify surprise and unpredictability.

Similarly, another festival dish, the Charnamrit, or Panchamrit, a sweet drink made of milk, curd, basil leaves, honey and Ganga jal also hit the most searched Google items in India. This drink is especially prepared on Guru Purnima and Janmashtami.

Also read: Top Google searches by Indian netizens in 2023: From Chandrayaan-3 to G-20

Ema Datshi

This dish clearly hit big time online after Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone drooled over it in an interview.

Ema Datshi is a spicy Bhutanese dish made from hot chilli peppers and cheese. This dish went viral in India after actor Deepika Padukone confessed she loved it. It is a spicy combo of chillies and cheese mashed together. An equivalent to our "local achar", the cheese takes it another level, gush fans of this dish online.

Ema Datshi is served with red rice, flatbreads, or cilantro or parsley. The footnote here is that the cheese used is a native Bhutanese cheese called “datshi” ,which happens to be more like a cottage cheese, if you are planning to rustle up this dish at home.

Flat White

On March 11, 2024, Google made this espresso based beverage a bit of a celebrity when it created its famous doodle around it. This was done as a nod to the date the word was added to the Oxford English dictionary.

So, for the unlearned, a flat white is a coffee drink made up of espresso and steamed milk. It is an espresso shot topped with steamed milk and a thin layer of microfoam and is traditionally served in a ceramic cup.

It’s for people who prefer less foam than a cappuccino or latte. The true origin of the drink is unknown, however the drink started popping up in food menus in outlets in Australia and New Zealand during the 1980s.

Kanji

This is not our rustic South Indian rice gruel but refers to the traditional North Indian fermented drink made with water, black carrots, beetroot, mustard seeds and asafoetida.

This healthy probiotic drink, rich in antioxidants, is spiced with ground mustard seeds, red chilli powder and black salt or salt. The carrots, spices and seasonings are mixed with some boiled cooled water and kept to ferment for a few days. The fermentation process changes the flavours of the drink and makes it probiotic. The taste is mild sweet, sour and spicy with that unique aroma of a fermented drink.

It is often served as an appetizer drink and is meant to be an acquired taste.

Chammanthi Podi

Now, this condiment got fame and made it to the ten most searched food items on Google in India after two Tamil Big Boss 8 contestants had a bitter fight over it.

One of the contestants, Anshida, prepared chamanthi chutney for her housemates on Bigg Boss and refused an extra spoonful to another contestant, Sanchana. Sachana spewed rage and this ruled the weekend episodes led by host Vijay Sethupathi. .

However, this inconspicuous podi/chutney is not exactly material for triggering emotional outbursts. Instead, the recipe for this flavoursome dry chutney from Kerala is simple. It is made up of roasted shredded coconut and spices which are later ground to be made into a powder.