Post Views: 98 Every Monday, eight kids from the village behind my residence come to me for cooking lessons. They’re this amazingly enthusiastic, wonderful bunch of 12 to 15-year-old girls and boys whom I’ve been teaching now for more than a year. And while I do love teaching them, it’s a real struggle to come… Continue reading Grilled Vegetable Coleslaw Sandwich (No Mayo)
Post Views: 195 I first ate this at the Perch restaurant in Delhi’s Khan Market and loved it. Till a month ago, I hadn’t ever gone near any chia dishes. I somehow have this healthy disregard for all these exotic superfoods such as quinoa, goji berries, acai berries, chia and those that come from far,… Continue reading Power Packed Chia Pudding – Healthy Breakfasts
Post Views: 189 This has now become my most popular salad at home. Somehow, I’ve gone back to the simple classic, giving weight to the phrase ‘Old is gold’. My favourite leaf is now Romaine lettuce, overthrowing the very popular rocket leaves and arugula with their peppery flavour. In fact, this is the only leafy… Continue reading Low Calorie Chicken Caesar Salad – No Mayonnaise
Post Views: 182 This is a cake I’ve been making for many many years now and it never fails to get polished off in a day. It’s definitely not a perfect looking cake inside but has a rustic, homemade appearance with the baking soda and yoghurt combination making the edges and corners of the cake… Continue reading Rustic Banana Walnut Cake (Eggless)
Post Views: 220 Sitting at home today with one sick kid, a twinging back that’s stopped all my much required exercise and super high temperatures, I suddenly got the idea to make this sandwich. I had an avocado sitting in the fridge for a couple of weeks so thought it’s better to use it up… Continue reading Gourmet Balsamic Chicken, Avocado Sandwich
Post Views: 347 I first had a really delicious version of this at my friend Padmini Rao’s place. She, being from Andhra Pradesh, makes great South Indian vegetarian food and I keep pestering her for her amazing lemon/mango/tamarind rice which is the best I’ve ever had anywhere. Every time she calls us over for… Continue reading Masala Appe (Super Healthy Snack)
Post Views: 278 This is a totally unexpected post and yet another salad, but I was compelled to put it out there. You know when the food gurus say that food tastes best with the freshest and good quality ingredients, they’re not lying. So over the weekend, we had a little organic market fete… Continue reading The Best Summer Salad – My Accidental Not-so-Greek, Greek Salad
Post Views: 333 Coming up with the recipe for this lovely chocolate cake was so enjoyable especially as all the variations I tried out came out brilliantly! The Universe was being kind to me this time, after all the culinary disasters I’ve had in the past few months. I tried three different proportions, all of… Continue reading Deliciously Fluffy Double Chocolate Cake
Post Views: 319 I’ve gone on a salad spree suddenly. That’s the only inspiration coming to me these days, Heaven knows why. Maybe it’s the cheese, or the nuts, but I’m not going to go so deep into it. However, it’s going down a treat with all the people I’m feeding them to, so nobody’s… Continue reading Broccoli Salad with Hazelnuts and Feta Cheese
Post Views: 336 This has been a really expensive post. After four attempts, trial and error, error, error, I finally managed to get the damn dish right. I mustered up all my resolve, positive energy, thorough perseverance and willed it to be this time. Didn’t want to waste the lives of another few kilos of… Continue reading Soy Orange Prawns
Post Views: 373 Salads are so varied and so versatile. The main thing however, is managing to keep the leaves crisp and fresh so there’s a bite to it, and making sure the dressing is not too runny or insipid. In summer, when everything is hot including the water from the taps and filters, you… Continue reading Rocket Salad With Apple, Cranberries and Pine Nuts
Post Views: 516 I came up with this quick and easy dessert after wracking my brains about what my 7-year old could make for a small cooking competition. As it was a cold-cooking competition, where there were no hobs or electrical appliances allowed, anything other than assembling was not possible. Since the kid has not… Continue reading Lightening-Quick Nutella Crunch Pudding
Post Views: 1,224 On holiday in Saint Petersburg, Russia, we were recommended a Georgian restaurant Khochu Kharcho (English name) by the receptionist at the hotel we were staying in and I must say, it was a really good one. The food was delicious and there came my introduction to this salad. I found the crushed… Continue reading Georgian Style Salad with Walnut Dressing
Post Views: 563 Anyone in India who’s had any association with Calcutta/Kolkata and its famous continental food restaurants such as Mocambo’s, would have heard of or tasted Chicken a la Kiev. It may be made a little differently there, but the dish is essentially a chicken breast, stuffed with garlic parsley butter, breaded and fried.… Continue reading Mini Chicken a la Kiev
Post Views: 538 This cake is a tribute to my Indian heritage and is inspired by my love for coconut and jaggery combinations in many Indian sweetmeats made for certain festivals. One item called Modak, a rice flour dumpling stuffed with coconut and jaggery is a particular favourite and every time a friend’s mother-in-law makes… Continue reading Coconut Delight Cake (Eggless)
Post Views: 666 I got obsessed with making Dahi Kebabs a month ago. I’ve made it at least three times in two different ways, and this will be the fourth. Early last month, when I realised I’d made a whole bunch of yoghurt dip for a couple of dinners and and little bits of it… Continue reading Dahi Kebab Parcels (Yoghurt Parcels)
Post Views: 641 In many of my posts I’ve referred to myself as being a lazy cook. That is, If the dish has too many ingredients, I couldn’t be bothered with it, so most Indian fancy curries are out. That’s the downside. The upside is, that I try to make a tasty dish with as… Continue reading Aromatic Chicken Curry – With No Masala
Post Views: 847 Kala Jamun, or Java plum or black plum is a fruit that grows in South East Asia in the summer and is a superfood. Its health benefits have been touted far and wide but it’s also an acquired taste. Most people I know don’t like it very much and when I was… Continue reading Kala Jamun Frozen Yoghurt (Java Plum/Black Plum)
Post Views: 582 If you haven’t been made aware of my infatuation with mango, raw or cooked, this post should do do it for you. I love the fruit and will look for any excuse to use it in dishes. This is one dish that’s a winner in my eyes because it’s so simple and… Continue reading Deliciously Tangy Masoor Dal (Red Lentils with Mango)
Post Views: 949 The Indian summer, especially in the National Capital Region, brings upon us intense heat, combined with hot winds called Loo and frequent dust storms accompanied by rain. In this weather, I sometimes lose my appetite for the usual hot dal, rice, vegetable curry and foods with the usual spices used in Indian… Continue reading Sprouts Salad with Raw Mango and Pomegranate
Post Views: 693 One forgets about the simple dishes like egg chops, so easy and delicious. It’s been literally decades since I’ve eaten them and last month on a trip back home with my family, my mom mentioned egg chops for dinner and it kind of rang a bell in my head. We made the… Continue reading Rustic Egg Chops with Ham and Cheese
Post Views: 884 For all broccoli lovers, here’s an interesting way to enjoy the vegetable as well as get the dramatic presentation effect. That whole head of broccoli situated like a colourful tree on a plate is sure to get attention. Broccoli is a vegetable many people don’t seem to like – certainly almost everyone… Continue reading Baked Piri Piri Broccoli
Post Views: 831 This is a healthier version of the regular apple pie because it uses jaggery powder instead of sugar and you wont even know the difference. It came about after my younger child was laid up with a terrible bout of allergy related respiratory infections and the poor baby has not been allowed… Continue reading Double Apple Pie With a Twist
Post Views: 745 January and February are super high calorific months in my household. It’s birthday season for four fifths of my family, and so far I’ve already baked four cakes in less than a month. Everyone has a different request and I try to oblige them all. I’ve baked a chocolate cake, a tutti… Continue reading Very Berry Strawberry Cake
Post Views: 824 Here’s another take on stir-fried vegetables. There are not too many ways to make vegetables taste very different and keep them free of honey or sugar or cheesy or creamy additions that make them taste awesome and one can only play around with condiments and combinations. Here is my attempt at making… Continue reading Stir Fried Vegetables with Mint and Fennel Seeds
Post Views: 685 I first tasted lemon chicken like this at Gyani Da Dhaba in Dharampur, in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh and fell in love with it. It’s been five years since my introduction to the dish and the taste really lingered on, so I thought, If one can’t get to the dish, why… Continue reading Simply Delicious Lemon Coriander Chicken
Post Views: 799 I’ve been on a baking frenzy the last week. Most of it has been experimental, tinkering with ratios and ingredients to see if I can come up with the perfect cake. Managed to get a pretty good version of the Vanilla Butter Cake in the last post and then decided to work… Continue reading Delicious Eggless Tutti Frutti Cake
Post Views: 2,011 How to make that perfect vanilla cake that does not have too much butter or sugar or all the things that are harmful for you and still get it to rise well, fluff up and taste awesome? Err, tough job (and healthy cake is kind of an oxymoron) but it is a… Continue reading Moist Vanilla, Butter Cake
Post Views: 1,361 A quick trip to Cambodia’s Siem Reap last month resulted in some serious gastronomic delights and not only did I gain a few inches around my waist but also a whole bunch of inspiration for food I’d like to try out. So experimenting on family (the usual guinea pigs), I decided to… Continue reading Stir Fried Pork (Cambodian Loc Lak Style)
Post Views: 3,520 Salads were never on my favourite foods list when I was growing up. In fact, most vegetables and leafy greens were not. Earlier, the only salad leaf available to us was the humble lettuce and I just hated it. However as one grows, our tastes adapt to our different environments and exposures.… Continue reading Pear, Walnut, Arugula Salad with No-Oil Honey Mustard Dressing
