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    About Me

    Hi there! I’m Hari Chandana Ponnaluri, the creator, recipe developer, and photographer of Blend with Spices, a food blog where I share flavorful, approachable, and authentic vegetarian recipes from India and beyond with step-by-step photos and videos.

    A Little Bit About Me

    Glad you’re here! You’re probably looking for recipes of vegetarian dishes that are explained well enough for you to give them a go at home? I can assure you that you’re exploring the right place! Blend with spices is a food blog where you can find authentic, innovative yet simple vegetarian dishes with step-by-step photos and videos (in most cases, I’m catching up on upgrading my old content!). Let me also briefly introduce myself just in case you’re interested to know about my journey.

    I am Hari Chandana Ponnaluri, an Indian food blogger currently living in Hyderabad. I started this blog over 16 years ago, while still in college, with a camera in one hand and a love for food in the other. With the constant encouragement of my parents and sister, I slowly began documenting the vegetarian recipes I grew up with — from everyday comfort foods to festive specialties.

    What began as a passion project has now turned into my full-time business, filled with hundreds of home-tested recipes that thousands of readers try every day.

    So far, I’ve published 1000+ vegetarian recipes, and I’m still just getting started.

    Whether you’re a beginner looking for simple Indian classics or someone excited to try festive sweets and Instant Pot dishes, you’re in the right place. I’m here to make vegetarian cooking fun, easy, and rewarding — no matter where you are in the world.

    Living Abroad, Cooking from the Heart

    Enter Surya, who took over the reins of encouraging me and getting excited even at the sight of me boiling some milk (for obvious reasons☺), I’ve started enriching my content with videos and expanding my social media reach. Ever since, I’ve to say I’ve been happier and more hungry (pun intended!) and as a result, I’ve started expanding my horizons to many other vegetarian cuisines of the world. Our living in Switzerland and Spain, and travelling widely across Europe definitely helped in this respect.

    Now based in India again, I continue to explore traditional and modern vegetarian dishes from around the world, always keeping flavor, simplicity, and culture at the core of what I create.

    What you’ll find on Blend with Spices

    • Authentic Indian Recipes
      From South Indian-style chutneys to traditional festival dishes like Vankaya Pachadi, Sorakaya Pachadi, Rava Pulihora, Upma, Gutti Vankaya, Kasuri Methi Paratha and Poornam Boorelu.
    • Quick & Easy Vegetarian Meals
      Perfect for busy days, including Instant Pot and one-pot recipes like Instant Pot Lemon Rice and Instant Pot Palak Paneer, and Mango Quinoa Salad.
    • Traditional Indian Sweets & Snacks
      With clear steps, perfect for festivals and gifting — try Moong Dal Ladoo, Paan Ladoo, Custard Rasgulla, Gulab Jamun Turnovers, Paneer Puff and Avarekalu Vada.
    • Seasonal & Festive Recipes
      Celebrate Ugadi, Diwali, Christmas, Sankranti, or Easter with special dishes like Lauki Ki Kheer, Malai Modak, Chocolate Crinkles, Chocolate Kiss Snowball Cookies, Santa’s Whiskers Cookies, and Easter Popcorn.
    • Global Vegetarian Recipes
      Influenced by my travels and life abroad — from European comfort meals to eggless bakes like Greek Spinach Rice, Tomato Coconut Pasta, Pasta e Piselli, Greek Easter Cookies, and Swedish Chocolate Balls.

    More About Hari & the Blog

    How did you come up with the name?

    To me, spices bring a dish to life. Whether it’s a sweet or a savory recipe, there’s always a little magic in the mix. That belief is what led me to name my blog Blend with Spices.

    How long have you been blogging?

    Since 2008 — and I’ve loved every messy, delicious, heartwarming moment of it!

    Is everything vegetarian?

    Yes! My blog focuses only on vegetarian and vegan recipes, many of them naturally vegan or easily adaptable. All my baking recipes are eggless.

    Can I request a recipe or ask questions?

    Absolutely! Feel free to reach out on Instagram, YouTube, or email — I love hearing from my readers.

    What kind of camera do you use?

    Right now, I use Canon 90d for videos and Sony A58 for photographs.

    A Few of My Top Recipes:

    • Baci di Dama (Italian Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies)
    • Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins
    • Double Chocolate Snowball Cookies
    • Mango Lassi Chia Pudding
    • 5 Ingredient Raspberry Chia Pudding Recipe – Step by Step Photos + Video
    • Instant Oats Idli
    • Sweet Potato Pizza Bites
    • Instant Pot Avial (Kerala Mixed Vegetable Curry)

    Let’s Stay Connected

    I hope you’ll like what you find here. I can also assure you that I will take your suggestions into consideration (e.g. new recipes that interest you, old recipes that need further explanation, more photos etc. – you get the idea!). I’m quite active on social media where I spend a lot of time with more than 300K of my followers on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube. I’d be happy to interact with you on any of these channels.

    See you soon and happy thoughts!

    Primary Sidebar

    A little about me..

    Hi!
    Glad you’re here!. I am Hari Chandana Ponnaluri, an Indian food blogger currently living in Spain. Blogging and photography have been my world for about 13 years now and all I need are – a camera, some ingredients & props, and an internet connection to make your while worth on my website!☺ .. Read More…

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