It is estimated that waterborne diseases have an economic burden of approximately USD 600 million a year in India. This is especially true for drought- and flood-prone areas, which affected a third of India’s population in the past couple of years. In Gujarat, cabbages and potatoes are near deities. In Lincolnshire, where they are the main crops, the same is true. This is a perfect finger food that can be served as a starter or as a main meal. Me and my friends stuffed the kebabs into garlic pitta bread added chilli sauce and lime Raita.

Put a tablespoon of oil into a large lidded frying pan over a medium heat and, when hot, add the cubes of paneer. Fry for a couple of minutes until golden on all sides, turning regularly, then remove to a plate. India is the largest producer of Fruits in the world and is known as fruit basket of world. The major fruits grown in India are Mango, Grape, Apple, Apricot, Orange, Banana, Avocado, Guava, Lichi, Papaya, Sapota and Water Melon. The major producing areas in the country are states like Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu, Gujarat, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Kerala, Jammu & Kashmir, Orissa and Assam. As per the Government’s Management Information System for the Jal Jeevan Mission, between August 2019 and May 2022, as a result of the programme, coverage of functional household tap connections in rural areas has increased from 17 percent to over 49 percent. Tap water has also been provided to almost all schools and pre-schools in the country. Spicewise, biryani tends to be a fairly delicate dish: sweet garam masala is common, along with a little turmeric for colour, cumin and a bit of chilli powder. Fearnley-Whittinstall adds ground coriander and cinnamon, but I’m going to keep it fairly simple. However, I do like the saffron used in both his and the Dishoom recipe, which makes the dish feel gratifyingly regal, as well as taste wonderful. Dishoom infuses butter and cream with it and then pours it over the top of the rice before cooking, which adds an extra touch of decadence, although I think in a non-restaurant context, milk will do the same job just fine. It is under the latter that in August 2019, the Prime Minister announced the Government of India’s commitment to provide piped water supply to every household in the country by 2024 with a new national flagship programme – the Jal Jeevan (Water for life) Mission.Overcooked rice in Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s recipe. Photograph: Felicity Cloake for The Guardian Traditionally, this dish would be made with a few large slabs of golden butter, but for the sake of decency I’ve toned things down a bit. It’s still an extravagant dish, but channel India and enjoy yourself. UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell visits India to spotlight progress on Global Goals for children

What I thought:Hara Bara kebabs are so easy to make with common ingredients and taste super delicious. All ingredients can be found in a local supermarket. This is a beautiful book to look through! I love looking at great food, this has lots of very attractive pictures of vegetables and bright images of Indian art and illustrations. If you enjoy looking through cookery books for fun this is highly recommended. Moreover, two-thirds of India’s 718 districts are affected by extreme water depletion. One of the challenges is the fast rate of groundwater depletion in India, which is known as the world’s highest user of this source due to the proliferation of drilling over the past few decades. Groundwater from over 30 million access points supplies 85 per cent of drinking water in rural areas and 48 per cent of water requirements in urban areas. (Source: JMP 2017) The rice requires some cooking before the biryani is assembled, although cook it completely, as the recipe in Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Veg recommends, and it will be overdone in the finished dish. Leaving it al dente, as Sodha and Dishoom suggest, is a far better idea. In general, I favour the absorption method for the fluffiest rice, but in this case simple boiling is fine as long as you drain it well, as it will fluff up in the oven. To celebrate the release of Meera Sodha’s hotly anticipated cookbook, Fresh India, a team of Happy Foodies have been cooking from the book all week. Find out how they got on with Meera’s recipes in their kitchens at home.The smell of roasted pumpkin, and curry leaves sizzling in coconut oil, is enough to make anyone want to go to Kerala, which is where a variation of this dish, known as “olan”, originates. Mother India suggests cooking the rice in a yoghurt sauce. Photograph: Felicity Cloake for The Guardian The vegetables Meera Sodha has made turmeric lattes and a type of mithai (Indian sweet). Rather apologetically, she notes that while things may seem to have gone a bit hipster cafe when we meet in her east London kitchen, both are old Indian recipes. She’d grown up drinking “golden milk” as a cure-all (though health claims on its behalf remain unproven, she hastens to add), and had been busy developing her own spice blend including turmeric, cinnamon and pepper. The sweets are khajur pak – traditionally made by heating dates and nuts, likely cashews, in a pan on the stove, but she blitzed them in a food processor before rolling them into balls and dusting with pistachio and cocoa. “And I added pecans because … well, who doesn’t love pecans?” This pursuit of flavour over tradition has contributed to the success of Fresh India, this year’s winner of Best New Cookbook. Add the crushed coriander and cumin, followed by the potatoes. Cook for 10 minutes, turning every now and then until crispy. Add a couple of tablespoons of water, cover with the lid and cook for a further 5 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and no longer resist the point of a knife.

While the lentils are cooking, mix the ginger, garlic, chillies and dry spices together with the yoghurt, lemon juice and chopped coriander and season well. Whizz with a hand blender or in a food processor if you have one, then toss with the vegetables. Leave to marinate. Mix together the melted butter, milk and saffron. With this ambitious announcement, while sanitation remains a priority for the national development agenda, the focus on the provision of safe and secure piped water supply is on an exponential rise. UNICEF has been the ‘development partner of choice’ for the Government of India and has played a key role in the revamping and implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission, fully aligned with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) criteria for safely managed water supply, with every rural household served with portable water supply, in adequate quantity and of prescribed quality, on a regular and long-term basis. All children have the right to clean water and basic sanitation, as stated in the Convention on the Rights of a Child. The ultimate aim of UNICEF’s work in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is to ensure that all children fulfill this right, and that no child is left behind. The Fresh India Show will be held next June 9th to 10th in New Delhi, India. Indian Fresh Produce IndustryUnder the programme, States have been encouraged and supported to develop robust institutions with a focus on service delivery and financial sustainability. More specifically, 104 Key resource Centers (KRCs) have been selected and contracted by the Ministry, and trained by UNICEF to support capacity development, performance monitoring and course correction of the programme through handholding support. A great cookbook with such a wide variety of traditional Indian dishes which you won’t find at your local takeaway.