Burmese Tea Salad / Lapheto
Category: Accompaniments
Cuisine: Burmese
A very strong, aromatic salad made with tea leaves. This is usually eaten with rice. The good thing about Burmese food is that the spices can be adjusted as per your taste. The tea leaves taste a little pungent, not readily available but can be ordered through Amazon or any Burmese specialty store. Now you...
Beetroot Raita / Yogurt
Category: Accompaniments
Cuisine: Indian
I just learned that this is pretty casual to make in Kerala. Beetroot is filled with health benefits. It is packed with essential nutrients and great source of fiber, iron and vitamin C. Beetroot juice is said to help in lowering blood pressure. Well, I just like the taste of this and I decided I...
Jal Jeera
This is mainly a summer drink and is also a part of a very popular street food –Pani Puri. Puris or golgappas are readily available in any Indian store. You make a little hole in the golgappas, fill it up with boiled and chopped potatoes and/or chickpeas optional, fill it up with this drink and...
Refreshing Cold Coffee
Category: Beverages
I have a lot of memories of this recipe. Growing up in India, we did not have the luxury of crushed ice so every afternoon when we craved for cold coffee we had to take turns, amongst the siblings, to crush ice manually, luckily we were five of us. After all the hard work of...
Hot Cup of Coffee
Category: Beverages
My dad would always have his friends over and he would ask for coffee, so my sister came up with this easy recipe and it takes only 10 minutes to make, but no compromise on taste. As I am writing this recipe I can literally hear my dad calling for a cup of coffee.
Indian Masala Chai
Category: Beverages
Every Indian craves for a good cup of Masala Chai. As they say, any time is a good time for a great cup of tea.
Mango Shake
Category: Beverages
Summer is the time for a lot of mangoes. This shake is perfect after your workouts or to curb the mid afternoon hunger pangs. I do not use sugar in this shake but you can add sugar as per your taste.
Traditional Indian Bread – Roti or Chappati
This is the staple bread, kind of like tortilla almost made everyday in a North Indian household. I love mine with some ghee on it, but it is entirely your choice. Do not worry if you cannot make it round as it tastes the same in every shape. Made out of whole wheat flour is...
Aloo Parantha / Stuffed Potato Parantha
Wow one more use of potatoes loved by every one. In fact my one year grand child asks for this all the time. This is a universal favorite for all age groups from one year onward. Obviously, you might want to skip the Serrano peppers and the chili powder if you are going to make...
Sabudana Khichdi
Sabudana or Tapioca pearls are great source of energy and that is the reason it is mainly consumed by people in India when they are fasting.
Besan Ka Chilla / Gram Flour Pancake
Besan or garbanzo bean flour is a great source of protein. It is somewhat in between pancake and crepe, so not as thin as a crepe and also not as fat as a pancake. It can be served as a breakfast item or an evening snack. The freshness of the cilantro and the green chili...
Cha’s Choicest Akuri
When we were kids our favorite uncle made this for us. I actually did not know that Akuri is a Parsi dish, I literally thought my uncle made this name up. He would add any vegetable, that he sees in the kitchen to this dish. In fact I recently found out that Akuri is a...
Poha (Flattened Rice Breakfast)
There are a lot of recipes to make Poha, every region has its own way to make Poha. As you know by now, I believe in the simplicity of the recipe and of course, a recipe that can be made in a hurry, this is a good one. I usually don’t like to start cooking...
Besan Ki Barfi
This is a famous sweet and very easy to make with only three main ingredients.
Paan Kulfi / Indian Ice Cream
This is a our secret recipe of kulfi. It tastes so good that guests might think you took all day to make it. I should give the credit of paan flavored kulfi to my husband, as he is the one who invented it. He made it for our get together and it was a hit...
Instant Kesar Peda
Peda used to take hours to make, as the milk was reduced and thickened on slow heat for hours. Since I promised I am not get any difficult recipes here is an easy dessert for you. It is made with just three main ingredients. Peda is one of the mithais which is made on auspicious...
Chow Chow / Burmese Coconut Jello
Burmese desert made out of Agar Agar (Kind of like seaweed) available at almost all Indian stores and also the Chinese stores. Agar Agar is vegetarian Jello. It is a very easy desert to make and is very cooling. You could add some food color to make it in different colors, would look fancier to...
Gulab Jamun
No Indian meal is complete without a dessert. When we talk about dessert Gulab Jamun is number one on the list. Although there are different stories on the origin of this sumptuous dessert, some stories say it is an accidental creation by the Mughul Emperor Shah Jahan’s personal chef and some people believe it is...
Rajma or Red Kidney Beans
This is the most authentic Punjabi main dish, loved by everyone. Every Indian house makes kidney beans or Rajma at least once a week. Red kidney beans are a great source of protein for people on a vegetarian diet.
Langar ki Daal
The Sikh temples around the globe serve food, all seven days, to everyone who walks through those temple doors. It is a very humble gesture and the sevadars (workers at the temple) serve very lovingly. This dish is one of the many items that is made at the Gurudwaras. I have used the Green split...
Ohno Khao Suey – Burmese Coconut Soup
Since my In laws have lived in Burma that is now Myanmar, this is one of our family’s favorite recipes. It surely is a comfort food on those cold days. We definitely make it on our Christmas get together. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do. I have the vegetarian version here but...
Paneer Bhurji / Scrambled Paneer
Paneer is a very good source of protein for the vegetarian diet. I still have not met anyone who does not like paneer. You can make paneer at home with milk but if you do not want to be that adventurous you could buy at any grocery store.
Kadi With No Onion, Garlic or Ginger
This is a lighter version of the usual, thicker creamier version of the Punjabi kadi with no onion, garlic and ginger. This recipe is given to me by my elder sister, is a hassle free, quick recipe and really works for people who do not eat onions, ginger or garlic due to their preference or...
Kathal Ki Biryani
Kathal or Jackfruit is getting very popular now. In American stores we do not get the fresh green jackfruit very easily but we can definitely find the cans of raw green jackfruit in brine. This recipe is handed over to me by my brother and it is a hit in his house. His kids love...
Lamb Curry
I might have a very few selected non-vegetarian recipes but I promise I would bring you the best. When we were growing up Lamb curry was part of our Sunday menu, now our kids are specializing in these recipes. This is one of the recipes by my nephew who loves cooking and cooks this often...
Masoor Dal / Red Lentil
This recipe is my children’s favorite. Since it does not have too many spices added to it, the flavor of the lentil is enhanced. This is so easy to make because its a very simple recipe. I think it is the first recipe that my daughter tried when she left for college. We usually serve...
Kerala Curry
Category: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Amazing recipe and the easiest ever. When my sister in law, who is from Kerala introduced this recipe to me, I was very reluctant to try it. Me from North India, we believe in frying and cooking everything thoroughly so I was not sure if I would like it, but now this is my go...
Aloo Sabzi for Puri / Potato Curry
This is a very common meal and is enjoyed by almost all children. I have yet to meet someone who does not like this dish. I make it without onion and garlic, so it could be served at any religious occasion. I use panch phoran masala for this recipe, basically means a mix of five...
Tamarind Rice
Tamarind comes from a fruit bearing tree. The pod looks like a pea pod. Tamarind has a lot of antioxidant and anti inflammatory properties. It is available in a lot of different forms, you can get a concentrated tamarind paste or its raw form. Usually when I have left over rice I make this dish,...
Aloo Methi / Fenugreek Leaves and Potato
Simplest and most aromatic vegetable. Fenugreek leaves have a lot of health benefits as well. It is not easily available at the American grocery stores but the Indian stores carry them all the time. The stores also carry dried fenugreek leaves, which are much stronger in flavor, you can use that also in this recipe...
Spicy Japanese Eggplant
There are so many different kinds of eggplants available in the market. I try to make them very simply so the taste of the vegetable stays intact. I am using the long eggplant for this recipe with potatoes. Another easy side dish that can be added to the menu, with any lentil dish and can...
Bhindi Masala / Okra Masala
Okra or bhindi is one such vegetable that is liked by everyone. I still have to come across some one who does not like okra. In addition to the popularity this vegetable is also one of the easiest to cook. I personally do not like to use too many ingredients in the vegetables, I believe...
Chatpati Gobhi / Spicy Cauliflower
Cauliflower is one of the most common vegetable in Indian cuisine, which makes it popular as well. Usually it is used with potatoes but I prefer it without potatoes, but you are welcome to use potatoes in this recipe. Cauliflower is a very low calorie food and it is also high in Vitamin C. I...
Ginger and Tamarind Rasam
Rasam is a kind of soup usually accompanied with sambhar. Just like sambhar, rasam has also a lot of different recipes. Rasam for vegetarians is like chicken soup for non vegetarians comfort food. Every region and every household in southern India have their own recipe for Rasam. Me being a Punjabi, have my own version....
Tomato Chutney
Tomato chutney is usually an accompaniment with the Toor Dal (Yellow pigeon pea split) and rice. In our house, it is a Sunday special light food. Since it is a very easy meal to make, it is a perfect lunch to make on a lazy Sunday. You can adjust the spices according to your taste.
Tinda Subzi (Baby pumpkin)
Tinda or baby pumpkin is the member of the squash family. It is considered a very boring vegetable, but people like my sister loves it. She can eat this any time of the day. It is similar to zucchini and is about 5-8 cm in diameter. Very popular in Indian and Pakistani cuisine and is...
Aloo Frankie / Potato Frankie
Potato Frankie is a street food. This can be eaten as a snack to curb the hunger pangs in between meals or I usually eat it for dinner or lunch, when I get tired of the usual food. This is a welcome change. The good thing about this is its flexibility of the ingredients. There...
Paneer Kathi Roll
This is a high protein roll with paneer or if you want to add chicken strips instead of paneer that works too. This is a street food originated in Kolkata. Over the years it has seen a lot of variations, so the bottom-line is there is no hard and fast rule what should be filled...
Mounk Ya Pa – Burmese Savoury Crepes
Let’s talk about street food from Burma. YUM!! is the word. Recently one of our relatives visited us and their wife, Rama showed me this amazingly easy recipe. In addition to the simplicity of the recipe, it is also very healthy and covers all essential nutrients. As far as the toppings are concerned you can...