About

Adaab, Hello and Namaste!

Zaiqa, the title of my culinary blog, in Urdu language means ‘taste’. Cooking and experimenting with food has always been my love and passion. I am a passionate Hyderabadi foodie muslimah, currently living in Canada, attempting to make an insight into the method of cooking in the Hyderabadi households, a modern take on authentic recipes. Here, I publish some of my favorite recipes, mostly Hyderabadi in origin, taught to me by my beloved Ammi~Mother, and some from my other collections, a few of my own creations including the usual and routine ones too, all tried and tested by me and my family in my kitchen.

I have seen that there are very few cookbooks and resources that write about Hyderabadi cuisine and showcase the recipes. The rare and outstanding Hyderabadi cuisine seems to be fading away. This blog, with all my recipes and stories is a labor of love, with abundant amounts of patience and effort, a journal of most of my Hyderabadi recipes, both authentic and the routine ones, the way I was taught by my elders to prepare and cook the dishes. In simple words this is a chronicle of all my recipes.

You could send in your recipes to me too. If you are a Hyderabadi in origin and share the same passion for Hyderabadi food as me, and your dishes are raved by your loved ones, feel free to get in touch with me and share your Hyderabadi recipes and tips. I will be more than happy to hear from you.

I could never have gone this far, made this website and published all the recipes that I have till now without the support from my love, my dear hubby~Irf. Your encouragement, and cooperation has been and will always be too invaluable to me.

Cooking a delicious meal is so much satisfying and gives utmost joy to anyone. So go ahead, prepare those you like and enjoy the food, always the healthier way. If you any recipe requests, or any queries on my recipes, feel free to leave a comment below the particular recipe post, or contact me at zaiqa(dot)mona(at)gmail(dot)com and I will get back to you soon.

Luv,
Mona