Medu Vada | Pongal Festive Recipe
Medu Vada | Ulunthu Vada ~ South Indian Lentil Fritters Happy Pongal All! To those familiar with the festival, and the dish ‘pongal‘ itself, these fluffy crispy urad dal fritters, medu vada, are the thing happy childhood memories are often made of… and medu vada has a way of turning simple meals into feasts (a … Continue reading
Potato Varuval | Aloo Stir-Fry
Potato Varuval | Aloo Stir-Fry ~ Quick and easy side of potatoes cooked the South-Indian way This recipe is the incentive that my family needs on most days for an otherwise ‘ordinary‘ meal (yeah sometimes that really all it takes :P). Who has ever had a problem with potatoes, right? The universally loved vegetable that turns … Continue reading
Mirchi Paneer
Mirchi Paneer ~ Stir fried paneer and peppers, coated with blend of spices I rarely have a dilemma like this – that is, trying to come up with a name for a recipe. Thanks to D, this one had us doing just that. It sure looks like cooking when you want to vs. when you … Continue reading
Tomato Chutney with Besan + news!
Tomato Chutney with Besan ~ North-Indian style tomato chutney flavored with chick-pea flour, the perfect side for rotis and parathas Hello there.. anyone miss me yet? Well, after over 2 months of silence it only seemed decent that I try and at least come up with an excuse before we get all acquainted again. If … Continue reading
Sukha Aloo Matar | Dry Potato and Peas Curry
Sukha Aloo Matar | Dry Potato and Peas Curry Are potatoes and peas ever not on anybody’s favorite list? I suppose they’re definitely part of the select few in the vegetable family that everyone loves! Recently, I watched a friend make a sukhi sabzi (dry vegetable curry) with okra and then I tried the same with these 2 – … Continue reading
Oreo Truffles
Oreo Truffles ~ Cookies and Cream Cheese balls dipped in melted chocolate I had never heard of these until I tasted them at a friend’s holiday party last December. Mind-blowing! And I really couldn’t believe these gourmet-looking, gourmet-tasting, home-made chocolates were made out of just 3 ingredients?! Turns out these are all the rage on the … Continue reading
Keerai Kootu | Spinach and Lentils Curry with Coconut
Keerai Kootu | Spinach and Lentils Curry with Coconut It’s January (at least for another 3 days). The one month of the year when you really really want to give healthy-eating a chance. Cause you never know when those resolutions, schmesolutions are going to give way to a more practical reality. Plus, it’s the month … Continue reading
Matar Khumb Masala | Peas and Mushroom Curry
Matar Khumb Masala | Peas and Mushroom Curry Everyone likes restaurant-style food. Right? D just likes to take it a tad bit further.He likes restaurant-style food at home, anytime he can get his way with it 🙂 So that’s how this curry came to be on our regular rotation at home for dinners. If D … Continue reading
Pesto Panini (With or Without Chicken)
Pesto Panini (With or Without Chicken) This recipe is inspired by the chicken panini that’s served in my workplace’s cafeteria. Right after my very first bite of this super-flavorful sandwich, I had to take a peek between the slices of bread to try and deconstruct it. The pesto obviously takes most of the credit, but the … Continue reading
Mushrooms In Coconut Milk Curry
Mushrooms In Coconut Milk Curry Here’s a Thai-inspired coconut milk soup-like curry that you can customize as you please. If you’re wondering why I have oh-so-cautiously used “inspired” instead of Thai-style, its because I’ve added almost nothing that ought to go into a Thai recipe, except for the coconut milk, but still manged to find … Continue reading
7 Cup Barfi
7 Cup Barfi | 7 Cup Cake with Besan and Coconut It’s Diwali today and I am super-excited cause my little guy is actually excited about the festival this year.. yayy! It’s definitely not the same way it feels when you’re back home in India, where the streets and cities all light up days leading up … Continue reading
Hotel Style Coconut Chutney
Hotel Style Coconut Chutney I first tasted this version of coconut chutney at a party last year – SK made this right around Diwali last year, and it was exactly like the kind you find at the typical South Indian hotel/mess.. sooo good! It comes as no surprise, as it turned out her mom actually … Continue reading
Javvarisi Semiya Payasam | Sabudana Seviyan Kheer
Javvarisi Semiya Payasam | Sabudana Seviyan Kheer Have you noticed how food has the ability to teleport you to places that only exist in your memory from the past? I only had to think of sago (javvarisi / sabudana), and in no time I was transported back to the sunny kitchen at my grandmother’s home. What’s … Continue reading
Veggie Cutlets
Veggie Cutlets ~ Patties made with vegetables and potatoes Have you had a recipe that’s been on your mind or to-do for a while, but you somehow never get to it? This is mine. Well, for some reason, the thought of putting together a veggie patty or cutlet is sometimes intimidating. But turns out that is mostly … Continue reading
Pavakkai Varuval | Karela Fry | Fried Bitter Gourd
Pavakkai Varuval | Karela Fry | Fried Bitter Gourd Does bitter put you off? You might want to re-consider with this vegetable. Sometimes, taking the not-so-favored route is not too bad, especially if it helps with the consumption of a new vegetable that you would otherwise not try at all. Now I’m not saying you … Continue reading
Fried Onions | Briyani Onions
I keep wanting to buy a bag of ready-fried onions from the Indian grocers but always forget to do so. So when I actually need them for biryani, I end up making a batch at home. What I am trying to tell here is that if you can pick some of these at the store you really … Continue reading
Mushroom Pepper Stir Fry
Mushroom Pepper Stir Fry This recipe was something we started putting together back in the days when every gram of carb consumed was counted – just one of the joys of gestation! So when half a plate of veggies was an absolute must with every meal, curries or over-cooked masalas would simply not cut it. Neither … Continue reading
Semiya (Vermicelli) Upma
Semiya (Vermicelli) Upma This recipe has become a life saver for hurried weeknights and hearty breakfasts alike! Growing up, the semiya upma I knew was pretty straight-forward and nothing I’d go gaga about. But things sure changed after I adopted the method of pre-cooking the semiya like you would pasta, instead of cooking it with … Continue reading
Baingan Bharta | Roasted Eggplant Curry
Hello, from warm and sunny India! The little guy and I are here. Wish I could tell you it was a vacation – but nevertheless, here we are and we’re sure glad to be spending a few weeks without having to worry about winter-wear and snow boots! I’ve been having a thing with the eggplant … Continue reading
Dal Makhani | Black Lentils In a Creamy Punjabi Sauce
Did you know that dal makhani (the famous Punjabi Maa di Daal) needs just about the same time and effort as needed for a regular simple dal tadka and is not even that very different in terms of what goes into the dish? But it still gets slotted as a more elegant, ‘special’ dish fit for … Continue reading
Aish Cooks 