Tyohaar Ki Thaali

It's the occasion of Holi and Sakshi can't stop singing! She prepares Thandai from soaked almonds, melon seeds, pistachios, poppy seeds, and milk. Sakshi is joined by her friend Kanu and they make Gujiya while recalling the joy of preparing festive delicacies in a group. Sakshi also shares a few mythological stories about the festival. More friends join them and also make Aloo Tikki ki chaat.

Festivals call for freshly made, hot, tasty food. But among these is one which forbids the eating of just that, and instead asks for a day-old food. Dedicated to Sheetla Devi, Basoda is one such festival, on which you eat 'Basi' dishes. Sakshi tells us of its origin as she prepares Ker Sangri. She also makes a savory bajre ki raab that she would have as a child on this day.

Sakshi starts her New Year celebration by making Ugadi Pachadi. It's a preparation from Andhra Pradesh and also part of a ritual bhog. To celebrate the Maharashtrian new year Gudi Padwa, she makes the very local Kothimbir Vadi. Sakshi is excited to host her friend Renuka Shahane and welcomes her with a Marathi greeting. They go on to make Shrikhand and recreate a version of the traditional Gudi.

Gangaur is a special festival of Rajasthan which calls for the worship of Shiv-Parvati and has fun customs associated with it. Sakshi creates miniature mud figures of Shiv and Parvati and breaks into a Gangaur song. After preparing Gune, a sweet fritter, it's time to accept her mom's challenge and make a smashing preparation of Ghevar.

To celebrate the birthday of Bhagwan Mahavir, Sakshi cooks a Jain dish often made in households in Gujarat: Tamatar sev nu shaakh. Diced tomatoes are sautéed in spices, curry leaves and a pinch of sugar as well! And of course, a generous helping of sev added on top. She enjoys the shaakh with a bhakri and then makes a Kuttu Pulao from buckwheat and talks about how Kuttu is eaten on festivals.

On the occasion of Easter, Sakshi invites some children home to celebrate it with her. She makes an Easter special Simnel cake wirth marzipan, dry fruits and tutti-frutti. She also makes a quinoa salad and some tasty hasselback potatoes.

Sakshi shares a story narrating the ingenuity of Akbar and Birbal. She celebrates Pohila boishakh by making Bhapa puli pittha, steamed rice dumplings. Ranveer Brar joins her and makes a delicious Aate ka Halwa with jaggery. They also prepare Dhokar Dalna, fried lentil cakes in a potato gravy.

Sakshi celebrates Akshay Tritiya by doing what she does best, telling stories and cooking delicious food. She narrates the story of Hrishabhdev and that of Krishna and Sudama. The celebration is complete once Kangni Kheer made in sugarcane juice and besan ke gatte are on the table

Sakshi shares her memory of the beautiful Arunachal Pradesh during the harvest festival of Mopin. She makes Bamboo shoot stir fry and also recreates Zan, a recipe that she had in a small, simple restaurant in Arunachal Pradesh.

Sakshi celebrates the wisdom of Gautam Buddha on Buddha Purnima. She makes 'Khaapse' or sweet dough fritters. Sakshi's school mate and actor Anup Soni surprises her. While they try to nail the braided detailing of the Tibetan Buddhist snack, a bunch of school memories come up. While Anup leaves for his shoot, Sakshi makes another dish for the occasion; Conjee, a rice porridge with celery.

Mulling over the perception of Sita's life, Sakshi decides to celebrate Sita's perseverance. She also shares an interesting story that precedes Sita's Swayamvar. As the lotus stem is relevant to a Vanvaas story in the Ramayan saga, Sakshi prepares Kamal kakdi ke kofte. She then makes an elephant foot yam and jackfruit pulao.

One of the many questions that intrigued Sakshi as a little child was the greatness of the river Ganga. She thinks of her aunt who unravelled some of Ganga's secrets and instinctively cooks Chainsoo, a traditional daal from Uttarakhand. Speaking of the dramatic advent of Ganga on earth, she also makes a Ganga Dussehra special - Sattu Paratha.

Sakshi has bought home some fresh flowers when a sudden remark from Kohli aunty makes her think of the beloved Sai Baba. She decides to make Chatpate Amrud and Angur ki chutney, which resembles a grape compote, to celebrate the revered spiritual master. Also on the menu is Palak Khichdi which Sakshi prepares while remembering Sai Baba's practice of cooking khichdi for his devotees.

As Sakshi reminisces about an old college friend, she introduces us to the unique Odisha festival of Raja Sankranti which celebrates women's menstruation and fertility. Preparing the Odisha delicacies like Poda Pitha, a traditional cake and Kanika, a sweet rice, Sakshi laughs over funny Indian euphemism for a woman's menstrual cycle and expresses her pride in Odisha.

What's better... Pulao or Kabuli? After a heated debate among friends, Sakshi resolves to find out for herself by cooking this Eid special rice dish - Kabuli. She invites her friend Ayaz Khan to relish the Qubooli and celebrate Eid-ul-fitr with her, which is sweetened further with Sakshi's mouth watering preparation of Sheer Khurma.

The wedding day of Goddess Meenakshi & God Sundereshwarar is celebrated with a colossal feast for her devotees. Sakshi also celebrates their wedding at home by cooking Tindli Thoran, Curd rice and Rasam, and of course, by enthralling us with tales of the heroic goddess.

On a beautiful, poetic afternoon Sakshi invites her poet-friend Piyush Mishra to celebrate the great mystic Kabir. Piyush speaks about the influence of Kabir while sharing his famous couplets as well as giving us a sneak peak of his own writing. They have a lovely time as Sakshi makes her Dadi's recipe of Chuni ki Roti and Kheere ki Sabzi.

Sheikh Tahir, Uderolal or Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, many names but one unifying force for the Sindhi community- Jhulelal is the center of Sindhi culture and tradition. Sakshi celebrates all things Sindhi with her friend Shweta Keswani by making a delicious preparation of Vaishnav Bhaji. Together, they also make Thoom ware Chawar and Arbi Tuk ending with the joyous Jhulelal song.

They say that the Mahabharata has a story in it about virtually every theme in the world and Sakshi plans to make recipes related to this epic saga. She first cooks Avial, a mix vegetable preparation with grated coconut - a dish believed to be innovated by the mighty Bheem. She also makes Mungphali ki Kheer as a tribute to the slain warriors of Mahabharata while sharing a story around it.

Sakshi talks about her desire for discovering customs of a place along with its food and people. On arriving in Maharashtra, she had heard about Vitthoba and Vari and she expresses her wish to celebrate them. She makes Pitthla, bhakri and thecha in Asal maraath mol (true marathi spirit)! She speaks of the Bhakti Parampara of Pandharpur and narrates an amusing story about the name 'Vitthoba'.

Looking for a traditional Guru Purnima dish, Sakshi comes across her favourite recipe of Badam ka Halwa in her mother's diary. Popular radio jockey, RJ Anmol, comes over and tries his hand at cooking. They bond over their excitement over little joys that come along with cooking - the sounds and aromas in the kitchen. They share Guru Purnima folk tales and make Matar ki Puriyan and Kadu ka raita.

The auspicious month of Shravan is about meditation and spirituality. Sakshi celebrates the monsoon month by narrating tales of Shivji and making Sabudana khichdi - a favourite Maharashtrian fasting staple. Savoury done, also on the menu is something sweet - a sweet potato or Shakarkandi ka halwa.

Actress Tanaaz Irani joins Sakshi to celebrate the Parsi new year, Navroz. Tanaaz is in for a big surprise as Sakshi decides to make a vegetarian Dhansak, which is traditionally a meat-based preparation. The two friends discuss the history of the Parsi community and make Dhansak masala from scratch. The duo also make brown rice with fried potatoes along with Ravo, a traditional sweet dish.

It's time for siblings to bond as Sakshi's sister is home for Raksha Bandhan. To surprise her Seema Didi, Sakshi makes Gulaab Jamun, a sweet that's popular in her family home. They then fry dough parcels with a paneer and bell pepper stuffing. The sisters recall childhood memories and make a video call to their beloved brother, complete with a Rakhi thaali in hand.

To celebrate Janmashtami, Lord Krishna's birthday, Sakshi prepares Gopalkala and sings Krishna bhajans. She makes Mohanthal and also some Dahi ke Kebab. We learn about the various avatars of Krishna in different Indian states and in the Mahabharata. Sakshi is overwhelmed with emotion as she speaks to her parents on a video call. They even sing a Krishna Bhajan together.