Sauteed Corn and Avocado Salad!

With fall just behind us and winter fast approaching, the weather has been such that we mostly tend to spend the evenings getting cozy and comfortable on our couch. Getting cozy on the couch often gets associated with a hot cup of tea and something to snack on. This warm corn salad is another one of my mom's recipes that makes me nostalgic during those fall-winter evenings. Of course the avocado was my touch to it to add another texture dimension to it (and not to mention for my avocado crazy hubs). The sweetness of the corn together with the kick from the spices and the creaminess from the avocado chunk creates an interesting play of taste and texture on your palate. Not to mention the occasional peanut to add that nutty flavor and a crunch.

Read more »

Thai Spicy Chili Garlic Noodles with Basil and Peanuts

As I have said several times before Thai food is my favorite after Italian (and of course Indian) cuisine. I like everything about the cuisine - the ingredients used, the flavor, the way it is cooked, the fresh herbs and aromatic spices and above all the way it tastes. Another reason for my soft corner for Thai food is the familiar spices that inspire flavors similar to my very own Indian cuisine. Among the different Thai dishes the variety of curries definitely top the charts. The unique burst of flavors and the gorgeous color is so appealing and appetizing. Hubs, kiddo and I are all BIG into noodles so the Pad-Thais and other kinds are definitely the highlight of our trip to any Thai restaurant or takeout. I have shared quite a few Thai recipes that you can see here and this is my very own version of spicy Thai noodles with aggressive yet subtle flavors and simple basic ingredients. The chilli-garlic oil is definitely the highlight of the recipe. It gives the noodles the clean and crisp taste and yet the spicy kick it renders definitely kicks it up a couple of notches.

Read more »

Mungfali Pakoda/Spicy Crispy Peanut Fritters

here are some ready-to-eat foods that we are used to seeing around us growing up. Foods that you feel like grabbing when you crave a snack, foods that mom always kept a stock of in the pantry, foods that the pharmacy store around the corner carried that it had no business selling. Then you grow up and move out. If you are like me, you move out to a place where there is neither mom's pantry nor the corner pharmacy that sold the snack. Well yeah Walgreens pretty much sells everything... but its not the same. Then mom comes for a visit and shares her cooking secrets with he beloved daughter :) This is one such recipe. A very common spicy snack in India, is sold in little snack packets in practically every store that sells snacks, but if you ever tried making these yourself, you would know these are really tricky. But if you follow the recipe closely, you will be glad you tried. You pop a couple in your mouth and you get the crunch of the crispy outer covering and by the time you get to the soft yet chewy peanut inside, the spices in the coating kick begin to make their music. Let me know if you could resist reaching out for seconds.

Read more »

Mirchi Ka Salan/Green Chillies in Spicy Tangy Sesame Peanut Sauce

 
es you read it right. A curry of green chillies! If you take my word for it, this curry is utterly lip-smacking and delicious besides of course being... yes... hot! Mirchi, in hindi, means chillies/peppers and salan is hyderabadi lingo for a creamy curry or sauce. This curry is not just something I made up on a day I was overzealous. It in-fact is a very popular curry from the hyderbadi cuisine. So much so that this curry was popular as a favorite of the royalty of the yesteryears.
Hyderabadi cuisine, the cuisine from a region in the south-eastern part of India is highly inspired by the Mughlai cuisine. The word "Nawabi" is as synonymous with the Hyderabadi cuisine as "Shahi" is with Lucknowi. Hyderabadi recipes are famous for their rich taste and unique use of ingredients, roasted spices and aromatic flavors. This  dish has all these components and more... chillies simmered in roasted peanuts, sesame, coconut sauce with lots of indigenous spices cooked to perfection give this curry its unique spicy, sweet and tangy taste. It is very easy to put together and has a very rich creamy taste that will compel you to make it over and over again.It is nutty with peanuts, has a distinct taste of sesame seeds and the  bite and heat from the chillies... ahh.

Read more »

Pad Thai

ad Thai is Thailand's ubiquitous street food that needs little introduction. I believe if you really want to get a real taste of the food and culture of a place you should try its street food. The street food of a place defines the food and culture of a place and is usually the best the culture has to offer. Thai cuisine is definitely my favorite after Italian (and of course Indian). Pad Thai has all the qualities I like and more. It contains noodles, lots of veggies, crunchy roasted peanuts and is simmered in a tangy, sweet and spicy tamarind-soy based sauce. It is my second favorite Thai entrée after red thai curry which I order every time I visit any Thai restaurant. It is one of the national dishes of Thailand and is perhaps the most beloved of all Thai dishes and also the favorite of vegetarians like me. One put off for me being a veggie is the fish sauce/shrimp paste used in the preparation so lately I have making the dish at home without the fish/shrimp and you get the clean tasty dish custom made per your liking not to mention it is a breeze to make.

The term 'Pad Thai' literally translates to 'fried thai', but it really refers to (usually) flat rice noodles fried with thai spices and seasonings.

Read more »

Sabudana khichdi

Sabudana (tapioca or sago) khichdi is a very famous dish from the state of Maharashtra but is popular all over India. It has a different taste in every bite, spice from the chillies, crunch from the peanuts, tang of lemons and slight sweetness from the sugar. This makes for a mouthwatering lunch, breakfast or snack. It is often enjoyed during the time of fasting, in fact as a kid I used to eagerly wait when my mom used to break her fast as she always used to make this dish. Nowadays I don't wait for fasts :-). I make it whenever I crave for some quick and easy yet delectable dish. The only time consuming part is soaking the tapioca otherwise the whole dish is ready in a matter of 10 minutes.

Heres how I make it.

Read more »

Vegetable poha

I remember, mom always used to make this when we were kids .. used to be my most fav breakfast. We used to call it chuda ka pulao as poha is called chuda where I come from. She also sometimes used to pack our lunch boxes with it and it was a great hit with my school and college friends :) this is very easy and quick to make.. can be put together in a jiffy. It is a wholesome one pot meal. It can be made numerous ways and every version is my favorite. My hubby likes his poha with lots of gobhi, peas and aloo.. so this is how I often make it.

Read more »

Jhal muri

Growing up, my summers out of school were mostly spent at my grandparents'. Among many other things that I used to look forward to, the train ride was definitely one of them and the amazing jhal-muri the vendors used to sell on that route. Even today, whenever I think of jhal-muri, I get nostalgic about those train journeys...

Jhal is spicy in bengali and muri is puffed rice, a very famous street food in kolkata and around the area. Spicy and addictive. I personally think it as one of the healthier among all street foods as it is not something fried and also consists of sprouts which we all know is very healthy. Also very easy to make when you have all the ingredients at hand.

This is one of my most favorite snacks. I can just have jhal-muri for lunch! (have done it several times :D)

Here goes my recipe for Jhal-muri.

Read more »