Our elders had the unique ability of creating curries out of anything that is edible, well just about anything. Nowadays if an unexpected guest comes, we order food from outside. In the past, though, my mom would conjure up quick interesting recipes to save the day. One such recipe is thom chawal. Made with a few basic ingredients, mostly available at home its quick and easy and looks special. Mom would sometimes make it for lunch during summers. I used to love it as a child, and would ask mom to save it for the next meal. This unique dish…
garlic
Dry Chicken Starter
This is one of my favourite starters. When I am planning for an elaborate dinner I keep some dishes that do not require much time without compromising on taste. This recipe is dedicated to my late maternal uncle, who used to love cooking and hosting. Right from cleaning the meat to cooking he would do everything by himself, except for adding salt. For which he would ask my mom ( his younger sister) or my aunt. He had a big mortar and pestle in which he used to grind onion garlic and also make mint chutneys. We call this preparation…
Masala Crabs – Spicy Crabs cooked in Kerala Style
Having lived most of my life in North India , non vegetarian food has mostly been Chicken and Mutton. Seafood was restricted to fish and that too fried fish. I was lucky to travel alone, a bit once I joined work, and on my trips I used to experience all the local cuisines. I had crabs for the first time in the US a couple of years back. After that, although I have been eating crabs in India , it is mostly as crab cakes or in mixed sea food pasta , pizza or soup. I got introduced to this…
Beans on Toast
Baked Beans on Toast is my husband’s favourite breakfast. Luckily its one of the dishes that I need not put in a lot of effort as I used to buy the canned baked beans. In the last few years , as I have moved away from packaged food as much as possible I started making Baked Beans with easily available Rajma / Kidney Beans, at home. Though the name indicates that the beans are baked, they are usually slow cooked in slightly sweet tomato sauce. Over the weekend when I have more time on my hands I like to prepare…
Paneer Butter Masala – Cottage Cheese Cooked in Cashew and Tomato Gravy
In a Punjabi household, Paneer or cottage cheese preparation is a must, if one has guests coming over or for a grand meal at home on special occasions. This is one of the recipes, which comes to my rescue, when I have guest coming over for a meal at short notice or if I am making an elaborate meal and have many dishes to prepare that are time consuming. The recipe is quick to prepare and comes out well with little effort. I learnt this recipe from my second guru, my sister. Over a period of time I have learnt…
Rajma – Kidney Bean Curry
For all my friends, who love the Rajma at my place, I had to post this recipe. Rajma or Kidney beans curry, is a popular dish in a Punjabi household. I have hardly come across anyone who does not like Rajma Chawal . My daughter loves it and when ever I make it , I make a little extra for her to eat the next day as well, as she is sure to ask! One of my friends who travels from Delhi for work to Bangalore every few months, and stays here for a week, requests for rajma rice on…
Barbeque Chicken in Orange Sauce
My mantra is to keep meals simple, use as many fresh ingredients as possible and not to use many flavours. The advantages of having an air fryer are that you can also use it for various other functions such as barbeque. This is one of my favourite barbeque recipes, for an air fryer. It is important to marinate the chicken for a minimum of 4 hours, such that the chicken absorbs the juice and all the flavours. Sweetness of orange juice and chilly is an interesting combination- sweet and spicy. Rosemary gives it a very distinct flavour. This dish can…
Baked Fish
I start planning what to cook over the weekend on Thursday. Make a list of ingredients needed and check the availability. On the way back from work, on Friday, I buy the items that are not at home. Weekend lunch is a very important ritual at our home. Weekends are the only time, we get to eat together, so very special for me. Also, as I am into a full time job, I hardly get time to cook over the weekdays. So while deciding what to cook for lunch, I also try to ensure that the dish is liked by…
Goan Fish Curry
This fish curry is may favourite fish curry. Till I started working , I used to eat only fried fish, however my first assignment as a management trainee was in Kolkatta . I started off with the Bengali fried fish and graduated to curries. Buying fish was still a problem. I started cooking fish curries couple of years back. Thanks to my kid’s nanny who is a Goan and knows how to buy fresh fish.This curry is not very spicy and yet not bland. It is not thick and not very heavy. It is tangy and mild. Just perfect for…
Steamed Basa
 I am the first person in my family who started cooking fish. My dad is very particular about buying chicken and mutton. He has his fixed shops, and spends a lot of time telling butcher on the kind of cut and how the meat should be cleaned. But, somehow he did not ever buy fish. I started buying and cooking fish after I started working. The love for fish increased after i moved to southern part of the country. My daughter is also a big fan of fish.