This is my all time favorite way to have haricot vert beans – lightly seasoned and cooked to perfection. If you are looking for a unique way to serve green beans, this is the recipe to try.
Haricot vert beans also known as French green beans tend to be skinnier than the regular green beans, and because of this, they cook faster and taste fresh even after being lightly sautéed with spices. Hericot vert green beans are so tender that they taste amazing when they are cut into tiny pieces allowing the delicate flavors from the interior of the green beans to come through. Continue reading Haricot Verts with Cumin Seeds, Asafoetida and Turmeric→
Toor daal comes in many variations in India, as varied as the country itself, and they all taste great. Creamy yellow lentils cooked so tender they fall apart, all seasoned with spices and served over white rice has a taste that is just heaven. Most Indian restaurants have toor daal on their menu – sometimes they may just call it yellow lentil soup.
Here is a recipe for Indian style eggs that is packed full of flavor with good for you ginger and turmeric. In India scrambled or fried eggs are typically made with chopped onions, cilantro, green chilies, and finely grated ginger, and sometimes spiced with a pinch of turmeric. Once in a while I love making Indian scrambled eggs for a change from my usual omelet.
Biryani, which is a very popular rice dish in all parts of India packed with vegetables and exotic spices comes in many variations. Each biryani recipe can be as unique as the families that make them. All biryanis are cooked with rice, spices and vegetables. Some may have meats as well. Depending on what region of India one is from and their own family traditions biryani can be made with coconut milk, shredded coconut, paneer, combination of meats, and a wide variety of unique spice blends.
This recipe is for one variation of biryani that I learnt how to make from Geetha Masi (Masi meaning respectfully Aunty). Geetha Masi was visiting us from Mumbai, India and offered to cook a dish that I wanted to learn – biryani was the dish I chose. Continue reading Geetha Masi’s Vegetable Biryani→
I made this zucchini curry with mushrooms and paneer with a third of a giant zucchini I received from my friend Karen. This zucchini was huge and I had to come up with some creative ways to use this crudités.
My first dish was an Indian curry. I was having some friends over for dinner and a fresh zucchini curry with mushrooms and paneer seemed like a perfect dish to make for the occasion.
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.
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 okraContinue reading Roasted Pan Sautéed Okra→
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→
Rajma is a North Indian kidney-bean curry that is usually eaten with white rice. Rajma is one of those dishes I make when I’ve run out of fresh veggies or don’t feel like cutting a bunch of veggies. It’s quick and easy yet nutritious and delicious all at the same time. If you are like me and always have a few non-perishable goods on hand like a selection of canned beans and tomato sauce, rajma will become one of those go-to meals to make in an instant. Continue reading Rajma. North Indian Spiced Kidney Beans→
This variation of Indian spiced potatoes is my all time favorite. I think that’s because it is what I grew up with. Any time my Mom made potatoes this is what she made. The recipe is very simple in flavoring and goes really well with dhal (spiced lentil soup) and rice, or as a side dish with fish or chicken. Continue reading Turmeric Spiced Potatoes→
