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....
I haven’t cooked chicken mince until recently. It’s not something that we cook in India. So my first attempt at chicken mince was the well-known spicy Thai basil chicken (Pad Krapow Gai). That was a failure! It looked so easy on the recipe! I tried it again…it was a...
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 started making these oat bars last winter. I liked to wake up to a warm breakky already made for me (sometime J makes me something if he wakes up first). Maybe it was time to find something that was ready for all of us when we woke up? That’s where these bars come...
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...
Hot cross buns – mmm…I love the cinamony taste with the chewiness of the raisins in them. In India we only got them during Easter. In Australia, to my delight, we got them all year round! Who would’ve thought! When I turned towards healthy gluten, we got the spelt...
Garlic is one of my all-time favourite flavours. I think it tastes awesome in almost any dish (which is why I add fresh garlic in almost every dish!) If I'm ever stuck for inspiration, I first reach for the garlic. Garlic is an amazing medicinal food. There are so...
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...
I’m a big fan of cashews now and I’ve been using them in recipes like pastas, steamed veg, Indian snacks, pesto, etc. I came across a recipe for cashew nut cookies, but they used processed sugar and flour which I didn’t want to use. So I tweaked it a lot and added...
I began making my own muesli around 6 years ago. Since then, I’ve probably bought store bought ones around 5 times in total. I don’t think I will ever find one that will have all the things I want in it and be as inexpensive as mine is – organic, with all the nuts and...
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 turmeric. What's not to love? The colour reminds me of the sun; and I love the sun! It tastes earthy and amazing. It is so very good for you; antimicrobial, antibacterical, anti inflammatory, antioxidant...it truly is a superfood. It is used extensively in...
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...
Pesto is so versatile, I find myself using it so many times when my mind is a blank and my vegetable crisper is on zero. I also find that it is an easy way to get a whole load of nutrients into kids. I've made beetroot pestos (okay, we can call it a dip!), kale...