Rasam Vada/Crisp lentil dumplings in a spiced tomato soup

This has been in my drafts folder forever. Not sure why it never made it out the door, well at least not until now. Guess I was waiting for the right moment. Talking about the right moment, these crispy dumplings soaked in the spicy soup is just perfect while you wait in the comfort of your home for that first snow, not that it ever snows here in south Florida. This dish hails from southern India but has come to be popular in all parts of the country of course with the details varying on how its done every couple hundred miles. Here I present how I like to do them. Hubs is a big fan of this and when I pulled out this recipe from my drafts, I did get to hear a mouthful on how I haven't made these for him in a while. When you take a spoonful into your mouth, while you enjoy the crispiness from the dumplings, the spicy soup kicks in and makes it just a delightful mix of flavors on your palate. The recipe is not too tricky either. It uses simple ingredients including the Rasam powder that are easily available in any Indian grocery store. And yes, if you cannot get the  donut shape right, it is perfectly okay to just shape the dumplings as regular dough balls.

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Spiced Lemon Rice

Rice can at times be the most convenient and at other times quite a job to prepare. Some rice preparations like a Biryani made the correct traditional way can be quite time consuming. Don't get me wrong, I love to make and enjoy the biryani - worth every bit of the effort that goes in to it - but more often than not you just do not have the time. Even your plain simple boiled rice can be some work if you add up the dal and curry that needs to go with it. That is when a quick but extremely flavorful rice preparation that can be totally enjoyed with a simple side like a raita is a real blessing. I have a few such tricks up my sleeve that I use quite often to put together a quick lunch. This classic rice dish is one of my favorites. The first spoonful gives you that kick of lemon together with the nutty flavor that grows on you with the sweetness of the rice as you chew on it. Whats more is if you notice the quick two step method below, once you have the boiled rice, this flavorful preparation can be on the table within as much as five minutes! If you love this rice do let me know and I promise I will let you in on some of the other ones from my bag of tricks.

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Coconut Daal/Lentils simmered in spicy creamy coconut sauce

aal or lentils is the ultimate comfort food for us Indians. Something we eat almost every day with either rice or roti or homemade flat bread. In keeping with the theme, I try to include it in some way or form in atleast one meal each day in our household. It is especially important for vegetarians as lentils provide a very good and oftentimes the only substantial source of protein. So I often look for different ways to incorporate them in our daily diet. So a few days ago when one of my dear readers mentioned that they had coconut daal in some restaurant and wondered if I knew how to make it, I got a pleasant reminder of a long forgotten recipe - another addition to my list of daal recipes.
Lentils come in different varieties and there are endless possibilities for how you can cook them. A little change in the seasonings and spices will allow you to create a completely new dish with new flavors. This is a simple, rustic recipe with simple subtle flavors of creamy coconut and the seasoning of mild spices and curry leaves. A comfort food which when eaten with rice and stir fried veggies, makes you all warm 'n fuzzy.
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Dahi Nariyal wali Bhindi/Okra in coconut and yogurt sauce

es I am back. I realize it is unusual for me to go without a post for a fortnight and thanks to many of my readers that missed me. Lets just say life gets in the way sometimes. Here I am with a simple homey bhindi/okra dish the recipe of which I've had for a really long time in my diary (remember the little 'yellowing' notebook). As I sat back and thought about my history of cooking, nostalgia struck and hence the thought of getting to my good old diary. I remember having taken down this recipe during my college days from a magazine. I still remember it was a dish by the famous Indian celebrity chef Tarla Dalal whose recipes were a regular feature in the magazine.

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Yogurt Vadai / Thair Vadai

I've had my eye on this cookbook for a while now. 'Dakshin' by Chandra Padmanabhan. I finally found it online and bought it in a heartbeat. The UPS guy brought it yesterday evening (I checked the door several times during the day wishing he would hurry it up :) and here I am with one of my most favorite recipes from the book I made this morning. I went through almost the entire book and have bookmarked several fabulous dishes which... you guessed it... you will see me posting soon.

It also is my effort to venture into the vast and tasty world of South Indian cuisine. I do make a few south Indian dishes but I wanted to learn it the methodically through an authentic source. So friends here it is exactly recreated from the book and watch out for several more.

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