Garam masala, unlike sambar powder, is something I use extensively in a lot of non-vegetarian dishes – tandoori chicken, kheema (mince), chicken curries, lamb curries, etc. You can also use it with vegetarian dishes like channa masala, biryani, etc. I grew up with the...
What do I have in my pantry? This is a question I get asked regularly. Most Indian pantries have a range of similar spices, although a few bits and pieces would be different. I am from South India, so I would have a few different spices compared to a North Indian....
Chutney puddi (or powder) is a South Indian condiment served with idlis, dosas or mixed in with plain rice. You add some ghee with it. There are more than a 100 varieties of chutney puddi in Bangalore. I’m sure there are much more around other parts of South India. It...
Aunty Prema is my mum’s friend – she isn’t my mum’s sister though - we call everyone aunty in India! Everyone is like family. Every time we visited her, she would cook us some amazing food. I distinctly remember her bisi-bele-bath. This is a lentil, veggie and rice...
There are days I don’t feel like cooking. Or I fancy a change, or the kids want finger foods…these are the days of an impromptu picnic on the grass, or sitting around the coffee table and eating. It doesn’t have to be skimp-on-the-veggies-day though. So I thought I...
What is ghee? It is clarified butter. Yup, you make it out of butter. It tastes different though. If you are lactose intolerant, you can easily digest ghee. That's because the lactose and the casein from the butter is removed while clarifying it. Ayurveda has used...
I’m Indian and my husband is Asian at heart. We both love spice and heat. Before our kids came along, we cooked and ate a lot of spicy food. Once I began cooking for our bubbas, I had to pare it down. So we would add chilli powder, fresh chillies, Tabasco or cayenne...