Food and Recipe Listicle: Rediff's Top 10 Recipes For 2025

We look back at the 10 Recipes Rediff Readers Loved Most in 2025.

It's an unusual mix of quick breakfasts, festive treats and comfort classics, but it was these dishes and their recipes that sparked the most interest in the year gone by probably for their simplicity and taste.

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Photograph: Kind courtesy Preeti Tamilarasan/Wikimedia Commons

1. Probiotic Bhaat Kanji

In Maharashtra, rice kanji takes the comforting, homespun form of Bhaat Kanji, a humble, fermented rice preparation, that's as nourishing as it is nostalgic and it's not surprising it was the most popular recipe of the year for Rediff Readers.

Mayur Sanap offered a fuss-free Maharashtrian take on the age-old dish that makes use of yoghurt and a simple tadka of mustard and cumin seeds.

Please find the recipe here: Bhaat Kanji

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Photograph: Kind courtesy Shailesh V Nigawale/Wikimedia Commons

2. Chilled Solkadhi

Mayur Sanap nails the recipe for the much-loved Maharashtrian drink. Effortless to make, the coconut and kokum-based refresher, with a tiny bit of theekapan, comes together in under 10 minutes if served over ice. Prefer it chilled? Just allow a little extra time in the fridge.

Please find the recipe here: Chilled Solkadhi

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Photograph: Kind courtesy Sapanabehl/Wikimedia Commons

3. Stuffed Karela

This bharwa karela dish gets a yummy treatment in a recipe by the late gourmet Arthur J Pais. The vegetable is carefully cut open, the seeds removed, packed with a spiced onion, tomato and garlic filling and then shallow-fried till golden and crunchy.

Please find the recipe here: Stuffed Karela

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Photograph: Kind courtesy Nikita shashikant patil/Wikimedia Commons

4. Holi Thandai

Between bursts of colour and laughter, Holi celebrations are always perked up by tall, chilled glasses of traditionally-prepared Thandai.

Food blogger Siddhi Panchal shares her own method of prep for the festive drink using nuts, kesar and fennel seeds.

Please find the recipe here: Holi Thandai

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Photograph: Kind courtesy Sushant savla/Wikimedia Commons

5. Madras Tomato Rice

A South Indian homey, any-day menu special, Madras Tomato Rice has bold, lingering flavours.

Joseph Isa easily transforms ordinary rice into a fragrant, tangy meal, ideal for quick lunches or tiffins by frying it up with onions, tomatoes, garlic, dal, ginger curry leaves and more.

Please find the recipe here: Madras Tomato Rice

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6. Achaari Paneer Fry

Ready in a cinchy 15 minutes, Zelda Pande's paneer delight is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser -- it's secret ingredient ensures that.

Please find the recipe here: Achaari Paneer Fry

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Photograph: Kind courtesy Amazon

7. Sankranti Gur Makhana Laddus

Light, wholesome and naturally sweet, Chef Kunal Kapur's laddus put the spotlight on makhana (fox nuts) and jaggery, combining them to form a delicious, relatively guilt-free treat.

Please find the recipe here: Sankranti Gur Makhana Laddus

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Photograph: Hemantkumar Shivsharan for Rediff

8. Dadpe Poha

Jhatpat to make and rather flavourful, it's a go-to Maharashtrian fave full of peanuts, chillies, fresh coconut.

Manisha Deshpande Kotian's recipe for the dish works just as well for breakfast as it does for an anytime snack.

Please find the recipe here: Dadpe Poha

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9. Gobhi Manchurian

Sheetal Mahurkar has a recipe for this much-loved, standout desi-Chinese cuisine snack. A firm vegetarian favourite, the combo of cauliflower with ginger and Chinese sauces is lipsmackingly good.

Please find the recipe here: Gobhi Manchurian

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Photograph: Vishaka Rautela for Rediff

10. Aloo Poha Vade

Blurring the line between breakfast and snack, Vishaka Rautela presents an inventive Mangalorean recipe that fits both. Her Aloo Pohe Vade, as its name suggests, uses both potatoes and flattened rice and is big on taste thanks to the various masalas.

Please find the recipe here: Aloo Poha Vade