As a child, my brother and I waited eagerly for the old Chachaji who would sell his wonderful baked wares door-to-door. Chachaji would have this well-worn, shiny steel trunk on his head and in this trunk were treasures like Nankhatai, Rusk, Khari, and Kadak Pav. The Chachaji had carefully customized this trunk so that it had layered…
Nankhatai – Eggless Indian Cookies or Shortbread!
Khaman Dhokla – Steamed, Low-Calorie Snack from Gujarat
Having grown up in Mumbai and with loads of Gujarati friends, the likes of Dhokla, Khandavi, Patra, Thepla, and Undhiyo were staple in our home. However, it is ages since I made any Gujarati food at home. Yesterday was a busy Saturday as I had to work and get some plumbing work done in my home. As…
Spicy French Beans Poriyal or Thoran with a Difference
The traditional French Beans Poriyal or Thoran uses only grated coconut as garnish. This version of this classic dish is a bit more spicy and uses ajwain or carom seeds for flavouring. Do try it; it goes well with both rotis and rice! Serves: 4 Time: 45 Minutes Ingredients French Beans – 300 gms Grated Coconut…
Achari Paneer (Cottage Cheese in a Spicy Yogurt Gravy)
A few weeks ago, I posted the recipe for Dahiwale Achari Baingan and it proved to be a hit with many of my fellow bloggers, not to mention my family. This time I decided to try this recipe with Paneer and it turned out just as super delicious. As a bonus, it is also very…
Kakinada Kajalu or Madatha Kajalu – A Guest Post for Jayeeta Chatterjee of Cooking Delight
When I came across Jayeeta’s blog Cooking Delight, it felt as if I had come home. One of my best friends is a Bengali and my older maternal aunt was married to a Bengali. As a result, Bengali culture and food is very close to my heart. As I interacted with Jayeeta, I came to…
Masala Toast – Mumbai Street Food
Truth be told, I am not a big fan of sandwiches. I find them bland, cold (I am a fan of warm/hot food) or then just too unwieldy to eat in polite company. The only form of sandwich that I can remotely consider eating is the Masala Toast; it is hot and sealed by the virtue…
Mutter Paneer – Recipe from Everest Kitchen King Masala Box
A couple of days ago I had some absolutely fresh Paneer at home but did not want to make any of the usual dishes; be it the Traditional Mutter Paneer, Paneer Bhurji, or Mughlai Paneer. While I was scratching my head wondering what to make, I spied a box of Everest Kitchen King Masala on the…
Crispy Spicy Potatoes
Potatoes. What is about this root vegetable that can set my heart a-flutter. 🙂 This week I bought baby potatoes to make Dum Aloo. However, we were so full from the festive eating that we decided to skip the dum aloo and use the baby potatoes to make a stir-fry. This is a version where…
Vegetables in Thai Green Curry Sauce
Vegetables in Thai Green Curry Sauce is a family favourite. At any Asian restaurant, it is possibly the first thing we will order. Given that we love it so much, we decided to try it at home and it was a great success! The best part about this recipe is that you get all ingredients very…
Steamed Modak | Modakam | Ukdiche Modak | Vella Kozhukattai
Steamed Modak (Ukdiche Modak | Modakam) is synonymous with Ganapati or Vinayaka.
When you think of Naivedyam for Vinayaka Chavithi (Ganesh Chaturthi), the first thing that pops into the head in Modak.
Undrallu Guggillu or Ammini Kozhukattai – Vinayaka Chavithi Naivedyam
Anyone who has made Modak or Kozhukattai will tell you that there is always some leftover poornam or rice flour dough used to make the modak. I am no different and every Vinayaka Chavithi, I am left with some dough. I often convert the left over rice flour batter to Palakayalu. Last year, I came across this recipe for Undrallu…
Pappulo Undrallu – Vinayaka Chavithi/Ganesh Chaturthi Naivedyam
Ganesh Chaturthi (or Vinayaka Chavithi as it is called in Andhra Pradesh) is almost upon us. As is the case every year, preparations in my home have already begun. I normally use the weekend preceding major festivals to make a list of what needs to be done and one of the things is to plan the naivedyam and…
