From egg mahmoosa and khichri to rose-flavoured jelly, Jewish-Australian cookbook author Elana Benjamin shares flavourful family recipes

When I picture my childhood in Sydney, the first image that enters my mind is Nana Hannah’s Bondi apartment, crammed with my Jewish family, the sounds of laughter, and loud conversation interspersed with Arabic and Hindustani.

As a young kid, I refused to eat any of Nana’s Indian-Jewish specialties, except her scrumptious aloo makalas (fried potatoes). It was only later that I developed a taste for the spice-infused fare of my community and began to appreciate its spectacular cuisine.