

Light Lockdown Lunches..The Kerala Style Stew with Mini Millet Neer Dosas
It was always a treat for us to eat 'South Indian' food . Delhi had a handful when were growing up like Dasaprakash, or Saagar , and we would always look forward to a dosa- idli lunch or dinner.Our menu , like our knowledge was limited to these items . We clubbed all the dishes that were not North Indian as South Indian! As cities grew, migration increased , the menu and our knowledge increased and the benefit passed on to our taste buds . We discovered a delicious and light


Tables full of flavor with Rituparna’s Bhaja Monger Daal and Kulina Masi's Tawa Arbi
I have been loving the food pictures in my Whatsapp inbox from many of my friends and relatives. I was dreaming of a roasted yellow lentil, Moong Daal , the way my nanny cooked it . We would relish her daal endlessly(seriously!) , eating it with our hands enjoying each morsel. She knew we loved her daals and would prepare them for us, day after day , when we would visit my parents home. We did not need any accompaniment with them. Just Daal and rice and we would be satiated.


A Punjabi Jewel ...the Paneer, prepared at home, with Butter Masala
While growing up , we only ate paneer or cottage cheese that was made at home . It wasn't store bought . It was deliciously creamy , soft and fresh and that is why most of us grew up loving Paneer . My nanny would keep some pieces aside for me with sprinkled with rock salt and to this day I have to eat some pieces this way .Palak Paneer (spinach with paneer)and Matar Paneer (Peas and Paneer) , dry crumbled paneer and of course my mothers JEWEL tawa paneer (recipe posted befor


Its the Magic in the Masala ..
Since 1850's when Pao bhaji or 'bread with spicy and very tempting potato and mixed vegtable in tomato gravy 'made its way as a lunch dish for the Mumbai mill workers , it has been the eternal favourite of many ...the famous street food of Mumbai has made its way into many households , all over India , and this is one food that can be eaten at any time of the day. Usually eaten with a Pao or a white soft bun doused in tons of butter , served with onions and lemon , we felt l


Give your table a variety with Hyderabadi Dalcha ...the vegetarian version
There are many varieties of daal or lentils , and since we do have lentil on our table daily , it would be nice to have some variety in taste. I came across this recipe of daal in the 'Book of family secrets by Zarine Khan...very easy and flavourful . It is a mix of two daals with Gourd , and since I had a lot of bottle gourd kept at home thanks to our our home kitchen garden that gave a great harvest this season. Dalcha is a stew made with Mutton and a gourd with chana daa


All is well....when there is a Kathi Roll
Kathi Rolls or wraps always remind me of my mother. If she was treated to a kathi roll , all was well… We usually had a chicken or Paneer (Cottage cheese)double egg Kathi roll at the famous Nizams Kathi, but today , keeping in view with light lunches I prepared a vegetable roll. You can omit the Egg on the Jowar wrap if you don’t have egg. But it does give it a lot of added flavor. I have used Jowar or Sorghum Millet as the wrap as it is gluten free and packed with nutrients


Of Food walks and Egg Biryani ..deliciously Andhra Style
I have been asked a number of times by many ; what I am missing the most during the lockdown. While I am taking each day as it comes , learning to enjoy the present , I do think of the times when I would drag my little sister to most of my food walks in India. Last time I was there, I had persuaded her (though she doesn't need much of that !) to visit Hyderabad with me . She loves Andhra style food and she had taken me to Andhra Bhavan in Delhi that serves food you cannot get


Harvest of Hope ...Baisakhi
Today is the festival of harvest in Northern India. An important day as certain crops are harvested in the Punjab region. Similar festivals are celebrated in the south and east of India too. It is the arrival of spring , hope and renewal which is much needed worldwide now. As an offering, I decided to prepare a simple meal that is synonyms with this festival .. As a child , we often had these on our tables , some I have shared before .... My grandmothers famous sarson ka saag


Light Summer meals ...with Sindhi Kadhi
Sindhi Kadhi is one of many versions of my favourite Kadhi preperations. Kadhi is usually made with a base of gramflour and depending upon of the region of India , the other ingredients are used. For example in North India , sour yoghurt is used as one of the ingredients , in Rajasthan , it is spicy and in Gujrat it is slightly sweet ..and Sindhi kadhi is soupy , tangy and a bit hot and spicy. I have adapted the recipe from @cookinacurry Sindh is a part of Mordern day Pakist


Everybody's favourite -The Chocolate Chip Cookie
When my aunt send me a shot of her delicious freshly baked chocolate chip cookies , I had to bake a healthy alternative and have a bite too ... So this is for all the mum's or dad's who would love to treat their little ones more often with the worlds favourite cookie! I prepared these with oats flour ,substituted eggs with flax seeds and used Dark chocolate chips. Ingredients 160 gms of Oats flour Pinch of sea salt 1/2 tsp baking soda 75 gms melted butter 45 gms of raw sugar