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...
Tandoori chicken at the local ‘dhabas’ (roadhouses) was a treat! I would go on road trips with my friends and we would always stop at a dhaba. These are small restaurants (usually North Indian cuisine) with jute beds for lounging on, or cabanas where groups of people...
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...
This dhal reminds me of holidaying at my aunt’s home in the hills in a place called Ooty. This was the place where the British went to when it got too hot in India. She would make this style of dhal and serve it with rice. She would bring out the steaming hot rice and...
I get biodynamic lamb from Moorelands lamb (http://www.moorlandslamb.com.au/) – straight from the farmer! It’s inexpensive and there is no in between commission cut for anyone. Both parties benefit. If you ever think that you can’t afford organic, you can! There are...
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...
Coconut chutney was always served with dosas or idlis in India when I was growing up. It was made with fresh coconut, roasted peanuts, fresh mint and coriander. I didn’t have most of these at hand. Also, I find organic peanuts in Australia very expensive. So, I used...
Eggplant, aubergine, brinjal - it's all the same thing - the deep purple vegetable or fruit (it really is a fruit because it has seeds in it)! You either love it or hate it - there isn't really an in-between. However, I believe that anyone will learn to like anything...
Fermented brown idli and dosa batter Idlis and dosas are one of my family’s favourite breakfasts. We eat it at least twice a week. I make the batter once a week at least. What are idlis and dosas? Idlis are rice and lentil cakes made out of a fermented batter. Dosas...
I love the challenge of making new gluten free food. This morning I woke up with a mission to make something else besides dosas (lentil and rice pancakes), eggs, museli, buckwheat pancakes...or the same old things. So I decided to make these. With new recipes I find...
I love to make meals / dishes with veggies mixed in them, so my kids get to eat one thing and they still get loads of nutrients without knowing they are eating their veggies, protein and fiber all rolled into one. I often reach for gluten-free flours and I make mostly...