Bringing a taste of home to campus

Looking for Veganuary inspo? Our award-winning dish will satisfy your soul as well as your stomach.

During Welcome Week, Food Fellows launched the ‘Plates from Home’ campaign, giving students and staff the opportunity to share their favourite dish that reminds them of home, and the stories behind them.  

We’ve been inundated with some incredible dishes from every corner of the globe, with 130+ recipes submitted and 30+ countries represented.

One person’s dish stood out amongst the rest…

Huge congratulations to Business Masters student, Pavan Durgaraju. His dish, Grandma’s Cosy Rajma Masala stole the show! The judges loved the recipe – kidney beans, onions, ginger, garlic and aromatic spices - and the heartfelt story behind it. Tuck in…  

‘In my town, the winter wind didn’t just blow, it bit. Every evening after school, I would run into the home expecting fuel and comfort. My dadi (Grandma) makes this dish as it is easy to make and I absolutely love it. From the kitchen you can smell the aroma and hear your stomach grumble. I used to rush, but dadi always says ‘patience pays off.’ After I’d eaten my Rajma Masala, I would go out to play in our ground with my friends, with my stomach and heart full.’

This dish is the perfect inspiration for those participating in Veganuary this month, and for Food Fellows, which is now developing a version of the dish to serve on campus later this spring. Why not try it out and add it to your vegan meal rotation?

Pavan said, ‘I am so grateful for the opportunity to share this flavour of home with everyone. This recipe represents the best of my Grandma’s cooking, and I’m counting down the days until I can share it with my friends and peers on campus!’

This year, Plates from Home forms part of our wider Authenticity campaign, a commitment to celebrating the real flavours, stories and culinary traditions within our university community. By serving Pavan’s Grandma’s winning dish on campus, we’re honouring the meaning behind the meals people grew up with and giving students and staff a chance to share in each other’s cultures. It’s more than food on a plate, it’s a reminder that every dish tells a story, and every story deserves a seat at the table.

Try the dish for yourself at Campus Infusion, Med Café and The Shack (on rotation) from 2 March to the end of April and enjoy a taste of Pavan’s home.