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
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
Thenkuzhal Murukku | Crispy Fried Rice Flour Snack
Thenkuzhal Murukku | Crispy Fried Rice Flour Snack It’s been busy, to say the least, with everything seemingly spinning around the ten tiny little fingers and toes we have bundled up here at home. And frenzied Diwali planning with a mommy-brain did not go well. Well, lets just say I barely managed to whip up the … Continue reading
Milagai (Mirchi) Bajji | Vegetable Fritters
Milagai (Mirchi) Bajji | Vegetable Fritters If you’ve ever been anywhere down South in India, there is a good chance you’ve walked past street vendors frying up bajji’s of all kinds in large iron pans… up North, these go by pakoras, a close cousin to the bhaji, and are equally popular too. Geographies aside, what’s … Continue reading
South Indian Fish Fry
South Indian Fish Fry This is my sister’s recipe for fried fish, and an absolute favorite with my 3 (almost 4 now!) year old. The freshly ground marinade that includes a little bit of the shallots/onions, along with a few other fragrant whole spices, gives the fish pieces such a delish crust and you could easily … 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
Tandoori Chicken
This might indisputably be the most liked Indian chicken dish ever. And it comes as such a welcome surprise that it doesn’t take much to put it together right at home, that too without a tandoor! Now the version I used to make before was certainly yummy, but not the dry-roasted-reddish-colored-drumsticks that you find at … Continue reading
Mildly Spiced Chicken Patties with Green Yogurt Dip
Are you some-what back to work, or being wise and waiting it out until the year’s grand end coming up mid-week through? No matter what you’re doing, don’t get over partying and feasting just yet. Not for another 2 days at-least! So, if you’re still deciding on appetizer options for the New Year’s party, these … Continue reading
Butter Biscuits
Butter Biscuits ~ Egg-less soft white butter cookies Earth – Round. Sun – Hot. Butter biscuit – Buttery white, bunny soft. Growing up, every one must have had their fill munching on butter biscuits at one time or the other. I had many. And they were always these super soft cubes of melt-in-your-mouth white biscuits … Continue reading
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
Hung Curd / Greek Yogurt No-Cook Sandwiches
It’s such a delightfully simple no-cook recipe, that takes hardly any time to prepare. The original recipe calls for hung curds, but Greek yogurt is such a great shortcut / substitute for those looking to make it in a hurry 😛 It can conveniently be put together the night before for kiddie lunch boxes as well as made ahead for a party at … Continue reading
Salmon Cakes / Mildly Spiced Flaked Salmon Patties
Salmon Cakes / Mildly Spiced Flaked Salmon Patties It was D’s birthday last weekend and I really wanted to make something special for him on the day, but just could not bring myself to decide what it was that I wanted to cook for him. There are tons of his favorites that we’ve enjoyed together, … Continue reading
Easy Tangy Tomato Chutney / Indian Tomato Dipping Sauce
Easy Tangy Tomato Chutney / Indian Tomato Dipping Sauce A very easy recipe for tangy tomato chutney – goes with almost everything from dosa & idly to vadas, samosas or other appetizers. Growing up, the tomato chutney I remember having was chunky and had onions in it. Well, this version of the recipe has evolved … Continue reading
Chilli Chicken Indo-Chinese Style
Chilli Chicken Indo-Chinese Style Another favorite any-time-of-the-day dish. So yummy with every bite and you can make it saucy, dry or anything in-between. I had some extra chicken from when we made chicken biryani so decided to just make a little chilli chicken – turned out to be a great combination. A couple of ways to make this … Continue reading
Pattani Sundal / Dried peas salad with green mango and coconut
Thenga Maanga Pattani Sundal / Dried peas salad with green mango and coconut Another Navratri special and a snack that just might bring back beach memories for those from Chennai 🙂 My favorite part of this beach sundal, given I’ve never had it in a beach setting, is the tanginess that hits you every time a bit … Continue reading
Stuffed Okra / Baked Bharwan Bhindi
Stuffed Okra / Baked Bharwan Bhindi ~ Okras stuffed with a simple spice mix and pan cooked or baked to yummy goodness. This was my first attempt at making stuffed okra, and it was such a refreshing changeover the usual kadai bhindi or any other bhindi curry/ sabji recipe.The moment I suggested this dish, D’s … Continue reading
Chicken Capsicum Tostadas
Chicken Capsicum Tostadas ~ Mildly spiced ground chicken cooked with peppers and served on tortilla chips with a sour cream / geek yogurt topping or dip. I had some ground chicken in the freezer and had been contemplating a meatball recipe for a while. But then a pepper emergency came up and I had one bright … Continue reading
Pav Bhaji / Toasted Buns and Mixed Vegetable Curry
Pav Bhaji / Toasted Buns & Mixed Vegetable Curry ~ A popular Mumbai street-food adapted for the home. What’s not to like about Pav Bhaji? Such a simple yet hearty mix of mashed vegetables served with hot buns toasted with a generous spread of butter. Have it for lunch, dinner or anytime in-between. You don’t need … Continue reading
Sweet Kozhukattai / Vella Kozhukattai Recipe / Ganesh Chaturti Special
Sweet Kozhukattai / Vella Kozhukattai ~ Sweet dumplings of rice-flour filled with coconut, jaggery and other goodies. Lord Ganesha sure knew a thing or two about good food. His favorite dish is this sweet dumpling made with steamed rice, called Kozhukattai – also known by these other names: Kozhakkattai, Vella (jaggery) Kozhukattai, Modak, Kadubu, Kudumu, … Continue reading
Oven Cooked Chicken Kabab/ Chicken Tikka
Oven Cooked Chicken Kababs (kebabs) or Chicken Tikka Chicken marinated in Punjabi-Indian spices with yogurt gram flour and oven-cooked on skewers I had been putting off on trying to make any kabab (kebab) or skewered / grill-cooked recipes as I do not have an outdoor or electric grill and did not want to go the … Continue reading
Aish Cooks 