Akhil & Sana Recommend

Sana's favourite purchase, in her words: "the purchase that Sana is most happy with is this wok." It's the pan you'll see on our stove again and again. Ours came from IKEA; this Calphalon is the closest match on Amazon.

▶ Chicken Cutlets▶ Shrimp Tacos

Akhil's baking sidekick for our banana bread, the surprise chocolate cake Akhil baked for Sana's birthday, and our first cake together (her grandmother's dates & carrot cake). For batters at home, a simple hand mixer is all you need.

▶ Banana Bread▶ Amazing Chocolate Cake

The whistle you hear in every Indian kitchen. It cuts cooking time for dals, beans and curries. Ours is a stainless stovetop cooker like this Hawkins, and it's back in action in our comeback episode.

▶ Crispy Kerala Chicken Cutlet Burgers, Toddler-Approved

It grinds the masala pastes behind curries like Akhil's special chicken roast and our Chicken Chettinad. Preethi is a popular pick for Indian-style grinding in the US.

▶ Akhil's Special Chicken Roast▶ Chicken Chettinad

Our "fancy trays from Amazon" for taco night. They keep the tacos standing and make dinner feel like a party. Ours are pink and yellow zig-zag stands; this is a similar colorful set.

▶ Shrimp Tacos

The bamboo board shows up in our chopping shots. It's gentle on knives and big enough for all your prep.

▶ Tofu Red Curry Noodle Soup▶ Chicken Cutlets

A lesson learned on camera: Akhil broke a knife trying to open a can. Do yourself a favour and keep a proper can opener in the drawer.

▶ Tandoori Enchiladas

Thai red curry is Sana's favourite dish, and this little jar is our shortcut. You'll spot it on the counter in our Thai curry videos.

▶ Thai Chicken Red Curry▶ Tofu Red Curry Noodle Soup

The rooster bottle behind our sriracha mayo, as seen in our shrimp tacos and chilli fish. Mixed with mayo, it goes on everything.

▶ Shrimp Tacos▶ Chilli Fish Roast

Desi-Chinese in a jar. A spoonful of Ching's Schezwan sauce is our shortcut to that spicy, tangy Indo-Chinese kick, like in our chilli fish.

▶ Chilli Fish Roast

Street-style pani puri at home without making the puris from scratch. The Haldiram's kit powered our 20th-episode pani puri challenge.

▶ Pani Puri Challenge

The chickpea pasta behind our spinach alfredo. It's a higher-protein swap for regular pasta, and it holds up well in a creamy sauce.

▶ Spinach Alfredo Pasta

One of Sana's Whole Foods favourites: crunchy almond flour crackers with a sun-dried tomato and basil kick.

▶ Best of Whole Foods

Another pick from Sana's Whole Foods favourites: a soothing, caffeine-free cup at the end of the day.

▶ Best of Whole Foods

It gives curries that deep red colour without too much heat. It's in at least five of our recipes. We keep ours in glass jars, and MDH is a reliable brand.

▶ Akhil's Special Chicken Roast

The finishing spice in more than a dozen of our recipes. A pinch at the end brings everything together.

▶ Chicken Chettinad

Ghee shows up in at least five of our recipes, from sweets to tadka. A good jar of grass-fed ghee is worth keeping in the pantry.

▶ Amazing Chocolate Cake

We filmed our full 3-hour drive from Louisville, Kentucky to Bloomington, Indiana on a dash cam. A tiny one like the Garmin Mini 2 hides behind the mirror and records the whole drive.

▶ 3 Hours of Scenic Driving

We brought Kiara's car seat with us to Switzerland for the scenic drives. A slim, FAA-approved convertible seat makes flying with it much easier.

▶ 5 Days in Switzerland with Family

Grindelwald, Interlaken and Lucerne with a toddler meant a lot of strolling. A light, foldable stroller is a must when you're hopping between trains and lakeside promenades.

▶ 5 Days in Switzerland with Family

Lesson learned: the Alps surprised us with rain, and we hadn't packed ponchos. Next time a packable poncho is going in the bag.

▶ 5 Days in Switzerland with Family