Vazhakkai Varuval | Green Plantain Spicy Stir-fry
Vazhakkai Varuval | Green Plantain Spicy Stir-fry ~ Raw green plantains sliced thin and stir-fried in a spicy marinade With any varuval dish, the cooking process usually extends well beyond the ‘getting done’ stage. Which is a necessary evil in order to get the crispy, crunchy texture and deepened flavor that is only gotten when … Continue reading
Dum Aloo | Baby Potatoes in Kashmiri-style Curry
Dum Aloo | Baby Potatoes in Kashmiri-style Curry ~ simmered with yogurt and spices for a red fiery curry This dish was the reason I got fennel powder years ago… and unless you’ve cooked with ground fennel before or tried out the original version of this recipe, it will be like nothing you’ve ever had. … Continue reading
Jeera Peas Pulao / Cumin and Green peas Rice
Jeera Peas Pulao ~ Rice cooked with cumin and green peas If you’re wondering why something as easy as jeera pulao warrants a blog post, it is more so you’re reminded of how it only takes a few extra minutes to make a regular meal feel like a whole special spread. This could be the … Continue reading
Moroccan Chickpea Soup
What’s better than a 1-pot-meal to rescue your workday evenings? Hearty soups that are super easy to fix might be just what you are looking for! I have tried out a few soup-as-a-meal recipes, but this one remains my top favorite. There is something really attractive about chickpeas that makes it an easy choice – … Continue reading
Garlic & Cilantro Naan
This post has been in the making for a while now. But I am super pleased with the end result. And so is D, cause I am finally done with the experiments 🙂 But seriously, you’ll be glad I took my time. Now that all the leg work’s been done, you can rest easy and … Continue reading
Goan Shrimp Curry
When you read through a recipe, sometimes you are just not sure if you should really do everything that is called for. There are questions about whether certain things go together well or not. I felt somewhat that way when I came across this curry. It sure looked super yummy, but vinegar and coconut and … Continue reading
Chicken and Vegetable Frittata
You are probably wondering if I have been on an egg diet all month, this being my 3rd post in a row with eggs in them! Well eggs just happen to be so versatile that it might even fully justify having an entire blog for these little guys. Saturday mornings are usually big-breakfast days and … Continue reading
Egg Fried Rice
It’s hard to believe I still haven’t posted the recipe for my all time favorite egg fried rice – every single person who’s tasted this has wanted the recipe right away and I kept thinking it would take me no time to get it on the blog. Well, I was wrong. The best things about … Continue reading
Spicy Hard Boiled Egg Fry
How often have you made a nice simple dish, that did not take very long, but it just wasn’t good enough to complete your meal? I often find myself in that position, especially when I make my favorite butter milk curry mor kuzhambu – I could eat portion after portion of the curry with rice and not … Continue reading
Homemade Ghee / Indian Style Clarified Butter
I’ve been away from the blog – for a while now. And I’d really like to think at least some of you missed seeing my posts 🙂 As always, there’s a lot of very convincing reasons for my hiatus.. a cross-country move, virus-colds-sick visits for the little guy and the grown ups, 2 record setting … Continue reading
Simple Spinach Curry / Pureed Greens
This recipe is mom’s version of the original that my grandmother used to make – kadanja keerai – she cooked the greens with onion, tomatoes, some whole spices and then went the authentic mortar & pestle way to make a nice creamy puree of the greens. It always used to taste amazing with hot rice and ghee. … Continue reading
Chickpeas and Cherry Tomatoes Salad
This salad is so basic and at the same time hearty and completely full of flavor. You can count on me to never make anything that tastes even remotely bland. And that’s thanks to my well seasoned taste buds that are much too primed to appreciate the subtleties of just salt and pepper action (no offence to … Continue reading
Easy Vegetable Noodles Stir-Fry
It’s been a busy few few weeks after the New Year’s with everything from work and winter bugs catching up with us. But tummies still grumble when the time’s right, and something’s got to get made. Well, so there are a few good recipes I have waiting in my drafts to share with you all. … Continue reading
Malai Kofta Curry | Panner-Vegetable Dumplings in Creamy Indian Sauce
For the longest time, I remember not wanting to eat malai koftas because I had this thing for malai – which to me was the shriveled layer of milk skim that I could never ever consume – it just makes me gag. Mom says I’m paranoid. But it happens every time, and even a tiny bit cannot escape … Continue reading
Rajma Masala / Rajma Chawal / Red Kidney Beans Curry With Rice
Merry Christmas and hope everyone’s enjoying the much-needed break this holiday season! We had a good time taking in some really pretty winter scenery on a frozen lakefront home with friends. Now, there’s something about white winter scenes that makes you want to eat everything that’s got a deep red hue with hot steam wafting upwards. This recipe fits the … Continue reading
Paneer Burji Sandwiches / Scrambled Paneer with Toast
Even though we all like to try out different recipes and add to our repertoire, there are some dishes that make it to a whole different class that’s super special: the go-to-recipes. It’s the ones that you can put together with eyes closed (so to say), and can easily find the will to muster up after … Continue reading
Crunchy Tomato Rice
I haven’t been able to post recipes for a little while now – reason, well life just got in the way. Now, doesn’t it always? So here’s a recipe that you will never find intimidating anytime of the week. It takes just over 20 minutes to make, especially if you have leftover rice. What makes … Continue reading
Stuffed Peppers with Ground Chicken
Having cooked Indian dishes for a nice long time now, I’ve kind of ignored trying to understand what each one of those zillion spice powders imparts to your dish – smokiness, spice, sweet, freshness, etc. It is interesting to watch western chefs use Indian spices like cumin and coriander powder every once in a while and acknowledging the … Continue reading
Karamani Puli Kuzhambu / Black-eyed peas in coconut-tamarind curry
Karamani Kuzhambu / Black-eyed peas in coconut-tamarind curry Another recipe using dried legumes, for those days when you are short on veggies and looking to use something from the pantry. Like most other traditional Kerala recipes, this one is quite easy to make and is done as soon as your beans are! What I like … Continue reading
Pepper Chicken Masala / Kozhi Milagu Varuval Chettinad Style
Pepper Chicken Masala / Kozhi Milagu Varuval Chettinad Style This used to be D’s #1 and most requested dish at home. But now there’s stiff competition from this guy, but trust me – he still cannot decide between the two. Well, they are pretty much tied as far as I can tell, and whichever happens to be on … Continue reading
Aish Cooks 