Indo Chinese Prawns

It's been eons since I posted a recipe here. A lot of things have changed in the interim. We've moved countries, rather continents ;) and two cities in India since. My family has grown from just the two of us to include a cute little hyper active baby boy, who we have named Calvin; I've moved from being a super busy career woman at IBM, to a home maker, to a work from home mom; my husband has changed jobs; all in all our world has changed drastically. Between the baby and a full time job (who ever said work from home jobs were easy!), I get very little time to experiment in the kitchen. So that's been the reason for my so called disappearance...

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Easy Breezy Crabs (Kurlyo Thel Piyaav)

Today I have for you an authentic Mangalorean recipe, which even a novice who has no cooking experience can make. In Konkani, we call this style of cooking "Thel Piyaav" (Oil and Onion). Most Mangalorean Catholics cook their veggies in this Thel Piyaav style. There is no grinding, no frying, and no tempering. Just add all the ingredients and place them on the stove, cook and voila your recipe is ready.I love sea-food and crab is an absolute favorite. I can eat crab in any form ; as a crab cake, stuffed crab , a yummy crab gravy, roasted crab or as spicy crab masala. However, the way I really savor the taste of crab is in Thel Piyaav. But I must...

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Punjabi Kadhi

Today I have yet another yogurt based gravy for you. I first ate Punjabi Kadhi at Delhi, when my mom in law made it. Although most North Indian dishes are best eaten with Roti or Naan, there are a few dishes which are eaten exclusively with rice. Rajma Chawal (Kidney beans and rice )is one such combo and the other one is Kadhi Chawal. Kadhi is usually made with sour curds/yogurt. Plain pakoras are fried and added to the yogurt gravy to make a mouth watering Kadhi. Let's look at the ingredients requiredIngredientsFor the pakorasOnions: 2Coriander seeds: 1/2 tspChilli powder: a pinchSalt: a pinchGram Flour/Besan: 1 cup or as requiredWaterOil for...

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Masala Buttermilk

I know, I know... my blog posts have become as unpredictable as the Indian election results, which almost all exit polls got wrong. Guilty as charged! But the reason is a pleasant one. I've started working full time now, so that leaves me with very little time for blogging, although I have loads of recipes and pictures sitting all ready in my drafts folder. Mom-in-law has been churning out some lovely delicacies, and I'm not able to blog as fast as she cooks them. I also visited my hometown Mangalore, a fortnight back and got back a bunch of recipes for authentic Mangalorean fish curries and pork. I pestered mummy to make some 5 dishes a day,...

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Potato in Yogurt Sauce (Dahiwaale Aloo)

Delhi had its hottest day in 50 years a few days ago. The temperature reached a whopping 43.5 degrees (110.3 F), which is very hot, considering it was still April. It's May now and the temperature is only rising. Hoping things will improve and the much awaited rain will bring some relief.What's the best way to cool it off when the temperature hits the roof? Drinking lots of cold water, eating fruit like watermelon and honeydew, chilling out on ice creams and popsicles, having a cold water bath, and sitting in an air-conditioned room all day are some options. In cooking, summer is generally the season when you go easy on the spices and ghee. Another...

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Bread Pudding

What can you make with old bread other than throwing it away? How about some bread pudding? Bread pudding is a popular dessert across the world. It finds mention in American,French, Mexican and Belgian cuisine. There are subtle differences between the recipes, but the main ingredients remain the same; old bread, milk, sugar/syrup and dry fruit. The recipe I have for you today is again from my mom-in-law. A very straight forward recipe, with very little fuss with a rewarding end product to boot. Do try it out. You will never look at your old bread the same way again.The pudding is baked exactly in the same fashion as caramel custard in a double...

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Bottle Gourd Kofta Curry (Louki)

The recipe I have for you today is my mom-in-law's recipe. MIL makes yummy pakodi/kofta curries and kadhi chaawal. I've tried making it on my own many times and somehow it never turns out the way her's does.I think the trick is she uses minimum spice powders and avoids garam masala whenever possible. I on the other hand, don't think a curry is complete without the customary sprinkling of garam masala on top. I'm not a big fan of Louki. Somehow associate Louki as a veggie to be eaten when you have jaundice. But make koftas of Louki this way and you will refuse to believe it is bland in any way.IngredientsFor the Koftas:1 small bottle gourd (Louki),gratedGram...

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Bailey's Irish Cream Coffee

There is this nice place in Dunwoody Atlanta called Cafe Intermezzo, which has been our regular hangout for after dinner coffee. This is where I first tasted coffee with Bailey's Irish cream and loved it. Today I tried a home version of this which came out pretty good. This could be another way of having bailey's irish cream, particularly on those cold balmy nights .. hmmm...blisss...IngredientsWaterCoffee powderSugarBailey's Irish Cream LiqueurMethod1)Make black coffee : Boil water. Add coffee powder. Add very little sugar. You can avoid sugar completely if you please, since the bailey's irish cream is sweet in itself.2)Pour the steaming hot...

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Ginger Mint Heaven - Cocktail

I've been thinking of having a beverage/cocktail section as part of my blog and this is the first post in that category.The credit for this particular beverage should go to Sean. This was one of the concoctions he came out with during our farewell party last weekend, and was a huge hit with the ladies.If you are a fan of ginger ale, like I am, I can assure you that, you will love this. It's a change from the normal margaritas and mojitos and can be churned out in a jiffy.Here's what you will needIngredients:Vodka: 1 cup (reduce or increase depending on your personal tolerance levels )Ginger:crushed: a small pieceMint leaves powder: 1/2 tspJuice...

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Egg Masala

Egg Masala is a very simple recipe to make. This is my "I don't feel like cooking, so what can I make quickly?" recipe. I use a small food processor to chop the onions and also use canned diced tomatoes, so it hardly takes me 15 minutes to make egg masala. It is onions and tomatoes that mainly constitute the flavor in the recipe. The quantity of onions and tomatoes is the same. Ideally cut the onions into long slices to make an egg masala which looks as good as it tastes. In my recipe, I have used red color, just to brighten up things a bit, but you can completely avoid using color. Color does nothing for the flavor. Without further ado, here's...

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