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About

Rupal Bhatikar Melbourne

Hello people on the internet! I’m Rupal and I’m so happy to see you here.

I was born and raised in Goa, India with all the joys of small town life, great beaches and the freshest seafood. Like many around me at the time, I went to university, got a Masters Degree in Marketing and Finance (MBA) followed by a 10 year career working for some of the biggest multi-national corporations, managing some of the world’s most recognised brands. I moved from India to Dubai, UAE in 2009 and made it home base for 9 years.

That time in Dubai did so much for me – I found my voice and values as an adult, an incredible partner/husband who is generally just a great all-round awesome human, made travelling/exploring the world a life mission, made my first kitchen and began cooking food at home everyday. All of our travels around the globe shaped my understanding of people, cuisines, cultures, historical context and how it all comes together on a plate of food we eat. I understood life’s greatest lesson – we are all fundamentally the same, have similar aspirations and seek comfort in the familiar. What’s unique is our own perspective, life experiences and what we bring to the table in terms of our specific skills, values and actions.

Indian Food by Rupal Bhatikar in Melbourne Australia

What started off as a way to enjoy the familiarity of the food of my culture grew into a passion that had to be made into a profession. Over the years of powerpoint presentations and marketing strategy, I realised plain and simple, how much more I cared about how perfectly cooked my rice is, how balanced my prawn curry is, how my fish flakes to touch, how long it actually takes to caramelise onions and what joy it brought me to feed people and watch them eat with abandon!

What started off as a little food blog in 2012 (it was called Foodie&Fabulous back in the day RIP), reading endless cookbooks and many hours spent in the kitchen cooking led to us moving to Australia in June 2018 to finally make this food dream a reality. I enrolled into the culinary program and completed my Professional Cookery/Patisserie certifications. Since then I have been lucky to work as a chef in some of Melbourne’s most respected restaurants like Nomad, Gimlet, Miznon to name a few.

That I get to live, cook, work in this city and call it home is really a dream come true for me – I pinch myself often. Melbourne is truly multicultural – it thrives in its diversity, has all the seasons and the incredible local produce that comes with it, the very best coffee and bakeries, a dynamic varied dining/bar scene, artsy hidden laneways and cosy neighbourhoods that you’d never have a dull moment. If my time here has taught me anything it’s that hard work and believing in your crazy dreams does pay off, that it is never too late to change course, to pursue what gives your life purpose and joy is worthwhile, that a job in a commercial kitchen might be hard but being able to share my food, see the immense happiness it brings to people who don’t even know you is something I want to do for the rest of my life!

So on this website or any other platform I’m on (you can say hi on Instagram here) I just want to be able to share my love for delicious food, be an authentic voice for the cuisine I grew up with (Goan/Indian), showcase my learnings from travels around the world and my understanding of food cultures. I hope you liked what you saw and that you’ll return again and again!

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Rupal Bhatikar

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highlights from our family road trip along great o highlights from our family road trip along great ocean road/ otway national park- camping, ocean, wildlife (swipe for some adorable 🐨& 🦘spotting in the wild), bonfires, cooking, eating and drinking. more weekends like these would be great 😌#australia #roadtrip #greatoceanroad
Konkan Green Pea & Cashew Usal - herby, coconut-ty Konkan Green Pea & Cashew Usal - herby, coconut-ty, creamy-dreamy but entirely vegan! Traditionally made around India’s coast with a simple fresh spice paste, tempering a few spices, fresh green peas(frozen works too if it’s what you have) and tender cashew. A truly harmonious balance of all the good things - make it! #indianfood #veganfood #goanfood
Bangalore’s famous Nagarjuna style Chicken birya Bangalore’s famous Nagarjuna style Chicken biryani (IYKYK) with a grated cucumber raita. This style is traditionally made in large heavy bottom pots - more like a pulao where the meat and short grain rice is cooked together in a rich meat stock instead of layering. Rich with flavours of green masala (coriander-green chilli-ginger-garlic) and the earthy perfume of whole spices. Every grain of rice feels so moreish. Having eaten for years at Nagarjuna before I moved out of India, this still remains one of my absolute favourites! India has such a rich selection of biryanis to learn about and I’m forever it’s dutiful student #indianfood #indiancuisine #biryani #chickenbiryani
A little bit fusion-y this one but really worked - A little bit fusion-y this one but really worked - chopped prawn & Charred Corn cooked with roasted tomatoes, smokey red peppers and garlic. Topped with a scallion-coriander stem -ginger relish (very Asian inspired IYKYK). Mopped with freshly baked focaccia. Very good, would do again! #homecooking #prawns #melbournefood #inmykitchen #summercooking
it was everything I hoped it would be and more ♥ it was everything I hoped it would be and more ♥️ @yayoikusama_ at @ngvmelbourne January 2025
“O Time: hold still awhile. I have so much more work to do. There are so many things I want to express. But time just keeps ticking away, and the earth never for an instant ceases to turn.” What an incredibly rich and inspiring life of creating constantly, what an example of living big through it all. #yayoikusama #melbourne #australia #yayoikusamaexhibition
In all the years I’ve made bread of any kind (fr In all the years I’ve made bread of any kind (from this @mountzeroolives olive oil & @olssonssalt flaky salt focaccia to the humble Indian roti and puri), both as a chef and home cook, I’ve repeatedly been humbled by it. Every instance it hasn’t gone to plan(it happens more than you think), it’s given me sleepless nights. I’ve over analysed the hydration, the yeast, my technique, et all. But the joy it brings every time I get any success from making it is hard to match - when the crust is just right, big pockets of air, properly seasoned, perfectly risen, to tear with your hands. I owe a lot of my ability with bread to making chef @jacqueline_challinor’s recipe during my time at Nomad - there’s something to be said for making it first thing every work day, cooking it and then watching people enjoying eating it. I’m always soooo going to be that Pao(the word for bread in Goa) loving girl! #focacciabread #breadbaking #melbournefood #breadmaking
A plate of expertly made poha and coffee is truly A plate of expertly made poha and coffee is truly one of the greatest breakfasts to ever exist! (Upma could never compete 😏)The Goan Batat Fov/Poha is a typical vegan savoury breakfast commonly enjoyed in homes across the state - cooked with potatoes and with or without onion. The fragrance of curry leaves, the crunch from toasted peanuts and brightness of lemon juice are some of the key flavours to the dish. Topped with crispy sev for that extra crunch *chefs kiss * #indianfood #indiancuisine #indianbreakfast #kandapoha #goanfood
A little Mexican Fiesta - beer battered Old bay sp A little Mexican Fiesta - beer battered Old bay spiced fish tacos with avocado-jalapeño crema, tajin spiced charred corn, peppers and onions, a lime-y carrot-cabbage slaw and a cherry tomato salsa. Lots of hot sauce & cold beverages on the side. What else do you need on a hot summer day? #mexicanfood #melbournefood #inmykitchen #reelsinstagram #beerbatteredfish
A slice of life… Aussie Summer edition. How I lo A slice of life… Aussie Summer edition. How I love summer produce - the heirloom tomatoes 🍅 are popping off in our home garden patch right now. So are the jalapenos and peppers! With every year, we get a little better at the gardening and they taste even better! Wouldn’t be an Aussie summer without cold prawn rolls (now a staple) for picnics. And making more desserts than ever before - a classic creme caramel eaten on the balcony. 🎶 ☀️ #aussiesummer #melbournefood #homegarden #australia #tomatoes🍅
Raw Mango Rice (Karnataka style Mavinakayi Chitran Raw Mango Rice (Karnataka style Mavinakayi Chitranna) - hot days made better with cooling meals like this! Always reminds me of Bangalore Darshinis(IYKYK). Taking leftover day old rice(I’ve used a Indian short grain variety called Jeerga Samba) and tossing it with crushed raw green mango, red chillies and garlic, tempered with lots of textural ingredients like peanuts, curry leaves, mustard seeds and urad dal. Tossed it all together. Eaten with a side of yogurt raita with grated cucumbers. Summer in a bowl! #indianfood #mangorecipes #karnatakafood #southindianfood #homecooking
Confit Chicken (absolutely incredible cockerel fro Confit Chicken (absolutely incredible cockerel from @aurumpoultryco) with heirloom carrots, lemon, tarragon & garlic. Served with a three pepper sauce (white, black & pickled green peppercorn) with mushrooms. These marylands were brined and slow cooked in @mountzeroolives olive oil and yielded the most delicious tender meat ever! The caramelised lemons, garlic and carrots *chefs kiss*. And now I have a little jar of schmaltz(chicken fat-olive oil) to make even more delicious things! #melbournefood #confitchicken #inmykitchen #roastchicken #homecooking
Out with the old (year), in with the new (year 202 Out with the old (year), in with the new (year 2025). Hope this year brings us the things that truly matter - contentment in everything we do, the love & support of our people, the ability to stand for what’s right and keeping us in touch with reality(outside the internet). 2024 was a tough year for a lot of people in many ways(it definitely pushed me in ways I wasn’t prepared for) but if there was one place that always brought me joy it was being in my kitchen and I never once took that for granted - cooking, learning and re-learning (as a chef as well as a home cook). I hope 2025 brings me many more of those moments- to cook and share food & culture, familiar and new traditions, to bring everyone to the dining table for a good meal and great conversations. Happy New Year People! 🥳P.S the beautiful framed art in my kitchen in the second photo is by @shengyi.lee #newyear #happynewyear #2025goals #inmykitchen #melbournelife
Roast chicken, brown mushroom, leek & tarragon ski Roast chicken, brown mushroom, leek & tarragon skillet pie because how good is making everything in one pan 🤣 Brined and roasted chicken breast, browned mushrooms, green peas, a base of garlic, leeks & celery, seasoned with tarragon vinegar, mustard & pepper. A bit of flour and chicken stock. A generous garnish of chives, parsley & tarragon. Store bought puff pastry, egg wash & sesame seeds. All in one skillet! #homecooking #aussiefood #chickenpotpie #australianfood #melbournefood
Favourite Christmas lunch snacks - some oysters to Favourite Christmas lunch snacks - some oysters to start, a little caviar-cultured creme fraiche-potato gems situation, a @nigelslater tartine of two salmon (but made with hot & cold smoked trout), mussel escabeche w confit garlic& smoked paprika aioli. Snacks must be made for the long periods when the bread is still baking in the oven and meats are resting 🤣 how good is a day of nibbling constantly with music and good company at home! #christmas2024 #melbournefood #aussiechristmas #snacksonsnacks
This Christmas, we traded our pavlova for a Black This Christmas, we traded our pavlova for a Black Forest Trifle ala the queen herself @beatrixbakes (recipe on @kitchenwarehouse) with a few adaptrixes(that I hope would make her proud) - there’s cherry jelly made from fresh cherry juice, a rich dark chocolate cake (soaked in Pedro Ximenez sherry), cherries roasted in verjuice, fresh cherries, Valrhona chocolate custard and a whipped salted vanilla mascarpone cream. Really need to work on those clean lines but what fun assembling this was. The flavours are proper nostalgic and made @mangubhatikar very very happy. Merry Christmas to you and yours! 🎄Hope your day is spent in the magical spell of good times with loved ones over delicious food, great conversations and even better wine! 😆  #Christmas2024 #aussiechristmas #melbournefood #trifle #blackforestcake #christmasvibes
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

I feel very privileged to live, work and cook on Country. I am grateful every day for the opportunities it brings me and my loved ones. I acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Custodians and Owners of the lands and pay my respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

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