“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients.” ― Julia Child
Hi Folks ! I am Prachi Garg. Born and raised in India and now residing in the US. An Industrial Designer by profession, passionate foodie and a budding cook. I am on a constant lookout for new ingredients, interesting collaborations and fun experiences to add to my culinary journey.
My connection with the world of food
As a teenager, i was always a helping hand to my mother in the kitchen. I would stand observing her, as she dished out nutritious, healthy yet scrumptious meals day in and out. I not only loved to eat what she cooked but food became a communication medium between me and my mother. Over the years I discovered my “love for food” and I grew fonder of cooking. The more I cooked and experimented with spices and cooking methods, I felt a strong connection with food and found cooking therapeutic. I kept learning tips and tricks through the years by observing my mother and over the years, cooking started becoming a passion for me.
How did Divine Spice Box start?
In December, 2012, i got married and shifted to Montreal, Canada. It was a paradigm shift for me, both culturally and professionally. I was not working at that time and was in need of something which would keep me creatively motivated. That is when i took to cooking. Sometimes, shifting to a new country can bring a change in the way passion works ! Cooking soon became a passion for me with an artistic expression and started fueling my creativity. I started the blog “Divine Spice Box” in May 2013 with a sole purpose of documenting my daily culinary adventures but soon the blog became a source of sharing my culinary experimentation with the world and I got hooked to it 🙂
During my 2 years in Canada, I conducted various cooking workshops and ran events like Restaurant day which gave me an opportunity to share my talent and love of food with people. I shifted my base from Canada to USA in Oct 2014 and now I call the sunny, beautiful city of San Diego my home.
So, what is the forte of Divine Spice Box ?
DSB is all about developing vegetarian recipes with an International flair. This blog serves as my artistic expression of food. I believe that just like design, food is more than just a gastronomical experience. It is not only for the taste buds or other sensory receptors, it is a language in itself. Food need not be complicated but needs to be adaptive. With this philosophy, DSB tries to bring food which takes inspiration from varied cuisines and meld them together to create simple, artistic food which are easy to prepare at home and can be enjoyed everyday.
Divine Spice Box Journey so far
Its been a little over 2 years since i started this blog. It began as an experiment to understand food in depth and develop recipes which emphasize the true qualities of fresh ingredients and traditional cooking techniques. The blog has been well received by people and DSB got lots of great opportunities to meet new people and collaborate with them. DSB has been teaching the basics of Indian cooking to non Indians for over 2 years now which is gaining popularity and more people are showing interest. DSB also engages in product reviews and specialized product development for new and exciting products.
Interested in Collaborations?
DSB loves to work on exciting and unexplored ingredients. Being a self motivated, self running, non commercial blog, it is often challenging to get new supplies for recipe development on a continuous basis. In the past, some of the companies have collaborated with DSB for a taste test/review and/or recipe development. If you would like to get together and work on something fun and exciting, Let’s Collaborate!
200+ recipes and stories to share, here i am with my collection of little divine cooking experiences which daily adds new spices to my life. I love experimenting with ingredients from all over the world in my little kitchen and create recipes which pack the various flavours of the world in a single spice box.
All the recipes you find here would be vegetarian.
A little Note : I like fusion cooking. I believe that it is not absolute necessary to follow recipes in the exact manner. If my heart tells me to take a little deviation from it, i follow it. Nothing bad can happen if the heart says it 🙂 Many of the recipes i post might be ordinary and known but often with my interpretation & a little twist. Open the doors of your refrigerator and let the ingredients inspire you today to cook something new !!
very nice didi very nice
Thanks Anirudh
all veg recipes..:-(
Well vegetarian recipes are great too… you must try the ones i posted and i am sure u will not be sorry 🙂
HI PRACHI!! its nice to see you posting some awesome stuff 🙂
i will surely try some of ur recipies.
Thanks Dawn Paul.
Hope u and ur wife are doing great !!
Do suggest me nice recipes u guys make and which are vegetarian and i can try those and maybe include them @DivineSpiceBox 🙂
Great work 🙂
Thanks Aditi. Do keep reading the blog and suggest some awesome new recipes that u/ur mom cooks and i can include them here !!
you have made my work easy… u remember I used to ask certain recipes from you…. surely I am going to try them……..I also like foodie people around me demanding something new… now I can serve them something new…
Lovely recipes! I am your newest follower!!
Thanks a lot Anjana !! Btw, saw ur blog too… i am so motivated now.. its simply amazing (i am ur newest follower too ):)
Lets keep the cooking community going stronger !:)
i think even u were unaware of the talent u have within..u have a thing with flavour…keep it strong..! happy cooking sis..! love..! 🙂
thanks for always motivating me tanvi 🙂
Love your blog Prachi! I am new to the world of food blogging-have just started a blog on wordpress. But feel like I have so much to learn. Are there blogging tips that you can share? What is your blog hosted on? Is this a paid service? Sorry for asking all these questions! 🙂 Keep posting on your blog- you seem to have a flair for art! 🙂
Cheers
Shivani
Hi Shivani ! Welcome to the world of blogging !Well as far as blogging tips go, i think i myself am learning and have been able to self-learn looking at other people’s work online. It would be nice if u have a certain theme in mind. If it about food, it can be fun for people to read about ur process of coming up with a certain recipe, similar to what i try and do. Invest some time into the content you share (recipes, pics etc), don’t overthink and just write the way you like and soon you will find ur language of words.
y blog is hosted on wordpress. I have bought the domain name and certain services from wordpress which provides me with a little freedom to choose my own website name and overall look and feel. I am using a free theme from wordpress itself but stylized it as per my taste.
Thanks for stopping by my blog. Do share your blog link with me here 🙂 Welcome Aboard
Looks great! Keep up the good work!
Thanks a lot for ur motivation 🙂
Awesome blog via through Epicurean Delight
Thanks a lot Preethi ! 🙂
Great blog. I look forward to checking it out more. 🙂
Thanks a lot ! I am so elated !
🙂
I’ve been reflecting for ages upon the fact that a vego like me – meaning someone who doesn’t eat anything that was once a living creature, but who has no problems with dairy or eggs – should be looking more at Indian cooking. And then I keep thinking that restricting one’s intake to one ethnic source is silly.
And here you are, talking about fusion ! – perfect. Goodonyou !!!
What is “Vada Pav” ?
Hi Margaret. Thanks for stopping by my blog. Ever since i moved out of India, I have had the same problem. I am a vegetarian and in India, Veg food is exactly your description of food – nothing that is killed but does include dairy products. In India, Egg is also considered part of non-veg.
Given the above, i have been an Indian style Vegetarian and hence when i moved to Canada, choices were limited and i started cooking every single meal. In India, we don’t often get such a variety of lovely, amazing ingredients and i was really tempted to try them out.. hence, i found my passion in creating a palate for fusion food with an Indian touch 🙂
I am happy to see that i actually have someone who appreciates this 🙂
AND is drooling with anticipation ! 🙂
I am happy to know ! Well please do try out some recipes and let em know if u like them. I also have some fusion mexican, thai, turkish dishes. have a look 🙂
In time, I mean to check out every single recipe !!! [grin]
Thanks ! Well it would really help if u give me feedback along your journey of creating your own “divine spice box”
I also plan to write a book someday soon and at the moment, trying to figure out what i am really good at.. maybe u can help me identify it 🙂
If all your recipes are as mouthwatering as the vada pav, I can tell you right now, Prachi …
But let us advance our blogging friendship, eh ? – I look forward to it so much.
Sure 🙂 having the company of people like you would be entirely my pleasure. I have so much to learn from everyone here. I am still very young and have loads to learn as i go 🙂
Don’t let it faze you: I’m very old and I still have loads to learn ! 😀
🙂 thats true… learning is a ‘forever” thing !
I have given some details of what vada pav is inside my post. Did u have a look ? It tells what it is in very simple terms.
About the history of its origin, it started off as a worker class meal. It was something which was dry and easy to pack, eat and carry. Also, it was pretty a cheap meal solution as there are no fancy ingredients. It started of at that level but gained a huge popularity within few years and as of today, it is one of the most famous “to eat” food if u are traveling West of India.
This vada pav is a still spin off on the same classic dish 🙂
SORRY, Prachi – I had just found it for myself, and was about to tell you so. I’m browsing your super blog while being constantly interrupted by Comments coming in, and my writing is somewhat incoherent. 🙂
Lovely blog and i am still exploring!
Thanks a lot for stopping by 🙂
Wonderful space!!! Got to explore it via some foodie group and happy to connect 🙂 I’m Shruti J, a vegetarian food-blogger @ http://cookingwithsj.com… See you sometime at my space 🙂
Thanks a lot Shruti ! I must say ur blog i exquisite !
Amazing Blog. Happy to follow you!! 🙂 Keep up the good work.
Amazing blog! Happy to follow yours! 🙂 Keep up the good work!!
Thank u so much !
Following 🙂 Just discovering my joy for cooking. So this is heaven sent – thanks for posting on the foodaholics group!
Thanks Prajakta for stopping by !
I hope you like my creations. Feel free to interact with me and have a great time cooking ! I love people who share the passion for food 🙂 Have a great day
Hello there Prachi
You have a great blog with some great recipes and a great story. I am reaching out to you from http://www.itspotluck.com a social platform for Indian/Desi food lovers. It is a community of About 400 food bloggers with thousands of recipes and counting. You might find some fellow bloggers from India and abroad as well on our platform. It is developed by someone like you who is a Indian mom/wife/daughter who is passionate about technology and in need of new recipes. This platform is aimed at addressing the love for Indian food by creating:
> A one stop shop for all Indian food related information.
> Create a democratic platform for home cooks to get noticed, appreciated and rewarded.
> Share the creative ways people are exploring Indian food – In fact going by number of Indian food blogs it’s quite evident that the real fun in Indian food is happening in the kitchens of Indian homes and not in star restaurants & cooking schools. Therefore, we also want this to be a platform for home cooks to get together and share ideas. We believe this platform would truly democratize the Indian food blogger community and give an equal opportunity for everyone to succeed.
The current services are just a beginning and we will be adding additional functionalities that will truly make this a global platform for Indian food.
We hope you like what we are presenting and would join our growing community of Indian food lovers. Don’t wait and join today. Our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/its.Potluck is frequently updated with food related news and some exciting recipes so stay connected via facebook as well.
If you face any challenges in registering please contact us at comments@itspotluck.com
Thank you and looking forward to having as part of itsPotluck community.
Please ignore this email if you are already a member.
itsPotluck.com
http://www.itspotluck.com
Nice to meet you Prachi! You have a lovely blog and with some great recipes. 🙂
Thank u so much Indu. Ur blog looks delicious too, I am your newest follower !
Nice to be here Prachi!!! We live so close , I am put up in Irvine 🙂
Oh wow ! Irvine? Thats pretty near by 🙂 We should definitely try and meet sometime soon !Lets talk more on fb sometime, get to know each other 🙂
A very nice blog. Glad I found it 🙂 Keep going 🙂 🙂
Thank u Arasi for the following ! lets learn from each other 🙂 How did u find my blog?
your post “CHOCO MOCHA ICED COFFEE” in euphoric delights,FB took me here 😉 so we literally met over coffee 😉
Oh thats the best way to meet, is’nt it <3
coz a lot can happen over coffee 🙂
😉
Prachi,
Great blog! Love the combination of all my favorites- mango ,coconut and tres leches in one yummy cake!
Oh Thank u so very much Sandhya for dropping in ! I am glad u liked the tres-leches recipe. I hope u give this a go sometime and let me know what u think about it 🙂
Sure I will. My only fear is that I will devour the entire cake:)
Prachi, I love your blogs. I wish you stayed nearby. I would have been your No1 client. Anyway, now I will religiously follow your blogs.
Thank u Bhagirathi aunty ! I am so glad you checked out my blog and found it interesting 🙂 If you like, you can subscribe to the blog (placed on upper right side of the blog page) and that way you will get email notifications whenever i post something new ! Thank u again <3
Great Blog Prachi ! Keep on going like this. The amazing pictures you take of your food makes me want to try that recipe instantly.
Aww that is lovely to know Priya ! <3
Prachi,
I love your blog! That is why I have nominated you for the Encouraging Thunder Award!Plesae find all the details at You know I love your blog ! So I have nominated you for the Encouraging Thunder award. Please find the details here-https://indfused.wordpress.com/2015/07/29/3-awards-in-july/
Thanks Sandhya !! <3
your blog has grown leaps and bound and maturing everyday. Great going. Keep the good work rolling!
Hi I chanced upon your blog via Lynz and as I am participating in an A-Z people edition challenge and am on “D” I am lookig for a blog I can promote…Am I correct that all your food is vegetarian? Would you be happy for me to do a blog on you ? it is also a factor for me that you don’t have to trawl through pop up’s and ads to read a recipe, it is most disconcerting isn’t it? Look forward to hearing from you 🙂
Hi Carol !! Thank u for writing to me and considering my blog for a feature on your blog. I am honoured and would love for you to write about my blog. Yes, this blog contains only vegetarian dishes.The blog’s forte is fusion vegetarian food with an Indian touch.
Please let me know if you have any questions and if you would like any further information. You can reach me at my email here – prachi.garg87@gmail.com
Looking forward to interacting more with you.
Thanks!!
Hi Prachi
Thank you for your response to my request…I will be using your blog for “P” now which will soon come round …be about 3 weeks time. I love your blog because not only are the recipes great there are not lots of annoying ads popping up everywhere. I look forward to reading and trying out more of your recipes…Have a lovely weekend : Carol 🙂
Love your blog, now a follower. Also a Julia Child fan. I will be visiting you more often. Please if you have a moment, hop over to my blog and see what’s cooking on my end.
Thank u for following my blog Esmè ! I got to know a bit about you from you “About section” and it is great to read your motivation behind the blog. I sort of started the blog with the same thing in mind (my mother and grandmother collected recipes for many many years- All handwritten and tested) and i thought i should start documenting them 🙂
I love the cooking ideology of Julia Child.. so nice to meet a fellow fan 🙂 Btw, now i am your newest follower ! Lets keep in touch
Divine Spice Box = Great to meet you and see you here and thanks for following. Its awesome to have like minded friends. Hope you will enjoy what’s cooking on my end. I will for shure pop over more often. Have a great day