The idea of posting ultra-traditional, everyday recipes rarely crosses my mind. I never think to share recipes for dal, sambar or the usual vegetable stir-fry or gravy, that make up a typical South Indian meal. I grew up on these, observed my mom cooking them a million times, and have scoured the web for recipes…
Paneer Butter Masala / Paneer Makhani
For a dish that has “butter” in its name, one would think paneer makhani needs a generous amount of butter to achieve glossy, creamy perfection. One would be wrong. A little pat added towards the end seems to be enough. Of course, you can cook the whole thing in butter, but sometimes I feel that…
Easy Chicken Curry With Yogurt (Almost Korma)
So, after a very long flight, we reached India. I am sleeping off the jet lag, gorging on fantastic mom-made food and catching up on all the local gossip. While I do that, here is a simple recipe for you to try this weekend – a simple yogurt based chicken curry. One can never have…
Chilli Mushroom (Dry)
There are some days you just don’t feel like preparing an elaborate meal. Or you get bored by the usual stuff. What? No?! It’s just me, then? I.do.not.believe.that. I was running errands one day, reached home by noon and just could not bring myself to cook the usual stuff. At our house, it is mostly…
Garbanzo Beans / Chickpeas / Kabuli Channa Vegetarian Chili
Growing up in India, we had this unfortunate notion that most western food is 1). Bland and/or 2). Requires almost no prep work. I am being delightfully enlightened over the past couple of years, to say the least. One wonderful dish I discovered in Texas is chili con carne or chili with meat. Traditionally made…
Khao Soi – Thai Noodles With Spicy Chicken Curry Sauce
I have often written about my love for Oriental and South Asian cuisine. But I find most of the fare offered at Chinese or Thai restaurants here to be similar in taste and texture. I think this may be because they are catering to a foreign palate. Similar to how most curries in some Indian…
Fish In Yogurt Sauce – Bengali Doi Maach
There is nothing like an illness to make you re-consider your food choices. I am not talking of any huge life-changing decisions here. Even the common cold or flu can make you crave variety. Is it just me or is it normal to crave new foods rather than the comfort of food that you grew…
Ennai Kathirikkai – Spiced Baby Brinjal/Eggplant In Tangy Gravy
Brinjal, eggplant, aubergine or whatever you want to call it, is very popular in Indian cuisine. Owing to its versatile nature and high nutrition value, it is often called the “king of vegetables”. I distinctly remember a cartoon in my childhood (in the state-owned Doordarshan, of course) that showed a stout brinjal with a crown on…
Quick & Healthy Brussels Sprouts & Mushroom Stir Fry With Black Pepper
Brussels sprouts are like the cute baby cousins of the hearty cabbage. They are extremely easy and fuss-free to cook.I make them into a stir fry along with button or bella mushrooms, seasoned with a touch of salt and cracked black pepper. This ensures that their nutritional value is intact, which is otherwise lost if…
End Of Summer Bounty And Some Quick Recipes
We used to visit a Farmer’s Market this summer. It was a fun place, with lots of fresh produce, lively music and livelier people! Once we came home with quite a lot of vegetables, mainly, red okra, brinjal/eggplant and button mushrooms. I had planned to blog about it, but it somehow got lost in my Drafts…
Chili Chicken With Pan-Fried Boiled Eggs
The title might put you off a bit, but please don’t go yet! I promise it is worth it. I love Chinese cuisine, but did you know there is a unique variety of Indo-Chinese or Indianized Chinese dishes? Yep, I am talking about the curry versions of chili chicken, chicken manchurian, or chili paneer, gobi…
Mushroom Peas Masala
I love mushrooms and always find ways to incorporate them in our meals. Be it in egg burji (spicy Indian scrambled eggs), curries, stir fries, pasta or even in vegetable biryani. They have such a unique and hearty, sort of meaty, flavor. And mushrooms are so easy to cook too. Mushroom peas masala is an easy weeknight…
