Mattar Paneer is a North Indian vegetable dish made with green peas and paneer in a spiced tomato gravy. I had a delicious Mattar Paneer at my friend Pallavi’s home one evening, and asked her for the recipe.
Continue reading Mattar Paneer. Green Peas and Paneer in Tomato Gravy
Our family was invited to friends Pallavi and Parag’s home for dinner one weekend and what a feast we were treated to. I haven’t had a North Indian dinner like this in a very long time. So many varieties of vegetarian dishes all prepared at home by Pallavi and her Mom were a feast for the senses.
North Indian fare that is different from what I am used to cooking was a lovely change from my usual cuisine. Everything looked colourful and tasted amazing. We had over ten vegetarian dishes all prepared by Pallavi and her Mom, Sarla Aunty. Dinner was just scrumptious and a spread worthy of the Rajas (Kings) of India. Continue reading A North Indian Vegetarian Feast at Pallavi & Parag’s
Raita, an Indian yogurt side dish is very popular in our house. If the family could have it every day with their meal they would. It’s basically yogurt with raw vegetables such as tomatoes, onions, cilantro and cucumbers along with some spices. In many Indian households raita is used to soothe the palate when the main Indian meal is too spicy, as the cool yogurt raita helps to neutralize the heat of chili.
Continue reading Raita. Indian Yogurt Side Dish with Tomatoes and Onions
Okra also called ladies fingers is an interesting vegetable. Growing up my Mom made okra quiet a lot, but I wasn’t always a big fan of this vegetable mainly because I didn’t like the texture of okra. It’s slimy when cut and that’s what turns many people off. But my Mom very often made an okra stir-fry in a well-seasoned old wok that got rid of the sliminess, and to get us kids to eat this very unusual vegetable she would tell us okra is good for the brain, that it makes us smarter, so we ate it slimy or not.
Okra provides about 22% of RDA per 100g of okra (which is about 3/4 cup of okra). RDA is short for Recommended Dietary Allowances that the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences puts out every few years. There is an RDA value attached to each food item. Think about it, 3/4 cup of okra has 22% of a person’s daily-recommended allowance of nutrients – that is pretty high! The many health benefits of okra Continue reading Roasted Pan Sautéed Okra
Pakoras are deep fried Indian fritters made with chickpea flour and chopped veggies. I haven’t made pakoras in ages, mainly because I stopped deep frying foods at home years ago in an effort to eat healthier. But somehow a couple weekends ago I was craving homemade pakoras. I’ve had pakoras at Indian restaurants many times, but there is something about having homemade pakoras that is – well, let’s just say like anything homemade, it has a taste onto it’s own. Continue reading Cabbage and Onion Pakoras
For a different take on the orient inspired ramen noodles try this Indian spiced noodles packed with vegetables and Indian spices. This recipe takes your regular fresh ramen or yaki-soba noodles that are available in the refrigerator section of the grocery store and spices it up with Indian seasonings.
I was swimming in lemons a few weeks ago – over 275 lemons. I posted a recipe for lemonade syrup that used up almost all of them. Guess what? I got another 100 more lemons just last week! Of course I made more lemonade syrup, but I still have a bunch of lemons sitting in my basket.
So I thought let me make a lemon recipe that I grew up with – lemon rice. Mind you, this recipe doesn’t use a lot of lemon – just three in fact, but it’s a great way to make a lemon flavored main dish. Continue reading Lemon Rice
Hitesh’s big birthday was back in end of February, and he didn’t want any celebration of any kind for this milestone birthday. Which meant that I had to celebrate it 😀 We had a surprise party for him and as a few of you may know, pulling off a surprise party is tough. But somehow we managed it with the help of our dear friends Swati and Tarak who hosted the birthday celebration at their home.
To make this party a very personal and heartfelt celebration for Hitesh, I asked all our friends (the ladies in the bunch) to bring their favorite dish that they knew he liked. Continue reading Saag Sabjee. Greens Curry
My friend Veena is an outstanding South Indian cook. Anything and everything Veena makes is delicious. Her vegetarian dishes are in a league of their own. Chutneys, appetizers, idlis, curries, sweets, you name any Tamil food and Veena can make it taste amazing. Here I have chosen to share with you her Tomato and Caramelized Onion chutney that she served with some idlis when I visited her one day.
Continue reading Veena’s Tomato and Caramelized Onion Chutney
My friend Devi is an amazing cook. She has to be, since she has been cooking her entire life for her family, extended family, and friends for more than 50 years. There are so many recipes she shares with me, but most of them go over my head, as I’m usually not writing them down. But this carrot chutney recipe I did write down, that’s because I’ve been having it at her place for years now whenever she invites me over for lunch. The menu is almost always the same – her fluffy idlis, delicious lentil sambhar, and her two chutneys – coconut chutney and carrot chutney. Everything is as expected scrumptious, but her carrot chutney is always the star of the meal.
It’s hard to describe the taste of Devi’s carrot chutney, let me just say that when you have it you can’t stop eating it. You can have it with toast, with crackers, mix it into rice, have it over chicken or fish, on a burger, and of course with idli or dosa; any way you eat it, it will be delicious. Here is the recipe. Continue reading Devi’s Carrot Chutney
