What is Khasta Roti ‘Khasta’ is the Hindi word for ‘flaky or crispy’ and ‘roti’ is a type of Indian flatbread that is primarily made of whole wheat flour. While we usually associate the roti, also known as phulka or chapatti according to regional variations, with a bread that is soft and consumed fresh, piping hot and sometimes puffed. Khasta Roti on the other hand, is typically a North Indian variation which is crispy and flaky, and not just soft....
What is Manchow Soup If you’ve never heard of Manchow Soup, you’re in for a treat. This vegan soup is spicy, with a thick broth, yummy fried noodles and a bunch of different stir fried vegetables. It is simply delicious. In fact, aside from Hot and Sour Soup and Tom Yum Soup, manchow is one of our favorite dishes to order at Chinese restaurants or for takeout. An assortment of vegetables are chopped finely and stir-fried, then added to a thick, savory broth flavored with soy sauce and rice vinegar and topped with crispy fried noodles....
About Manchurian Gravy This Manchurian Gravy variation is the most preferred choice of dish, when you want to have something saucy, sweet, spicy and tangy with a basic Veg Fried Rice, Schezwan Fried Rice or even just the good ol’ steamed rice. So, this Veg Manchurian Gravy basically has a spicy and sweet umami sauce, in which fried mixed vegetable balls are dunked. The sauce has a mix of eclectic flavors like sweet, savory, spicy and sour....
I am sharing the method of making Kashmiri methi chaman without the addition of onions and garlic. I make methi chaman occasionally. So thought of sharing the recipe. I have a small pocket sized book which has many Kashmiri recipes. I have made some Kashmiri pandit recipes from this book and they were always good. This methi chaman recipe is also adapted from this book. There are many variations of making methi chaman....
I am so proud of this dessert. Not just because it’s a hit; a guest favourite and a family recipe that has everyone knocking down our door when we make it…but because crunchy toffee pieces and custard make such a beautiful dessert — it feels like you’re dining in a five start cuisine restaurant instead of your dining room table. And that’s always a win-win situation, right? The art of making this beautiful dessert is a little involved, but so worth the process....
About Papaya Chutney It is true fact that we Indians are a little more sensitive and serious about various condiments that the Indian cuisine has to offer. All types of chutneys and pickles top this list. Hence, I decided to share this typical Gujarati delicacy, Papaya Sambharo, which is also a chutney in this post. Like other chutneys, the Papaya Chutney also has its regional variations. For instance, there’s this Gujarati specialty, which gives more of a dry sabzi mouth-feel to it....
Growing up, my younger brothers and I didn’t make dinner easy for our mom. We could agree on a very short list of menu items, including pizza, pasta and peanut butter sandwiches (white bread, hold the crust!). We ate more spaghetti with marinara sauce for dinner than anything else. It was the meal I made for myself when Mom made something I didn’t like (cough cough, steak). This cauliflower and spaghetti dish is a throwback to my childhood dinners....
About This Penne Pasta Recipe Though, spaghetti is the most popular type of pasta consumed worldwide, I guess in India, it is the penne. Why? Because it is quite easy to eat it unlike the spaghetti, which might get messy sometimes. Personally, I may not be that big a fan of Penne Pasta, or for that matter any type of pasta. But while working on this Penne Pasta recipe, I remembered all my friends who are crazy for this Italian dish....
Want to know something cool about roasted butternut squash? You don’t have to peel it before roasting. That’s right. You do not have to suffer through peeling an entire slippery butternut squash if you’re going to roast it. The skin is perfectly safe to eat, and it’s hardly noticeable after a nice roast in a hot oven. You can see proof here and here. Butternut squash is technically a winter squash, and it is indeed hearty and wonderful on a chilly day....
Chana masala is one of my favorite menu items at Indian restaurants. It’s a hearty, saucy chickpea and tomato dish with warming spices. I bet you have the ingredients to make this easy homemade version in your pantry already! I shared this recipe back in 2014, and wanted to revisit it as we’re all spending more time at home. I thoroughly enjoyed the fragrant 20 minutes I spent over the stove for this recipe....
Say hello to the modern day take on tabbouleh! This is a very easy tabbouleh recipe, where I use a cup of cooked quinoa. I always have cooked quinoa in my refrigerator as that is my quick and easy way to add more protein to soups, salads and sides. Even if I don’t have it handy, it takes me 20 minutes to make Instant Pot quinoa. It’s a super fast and plant-powered meal!...
A few weekends ago, while on bridesmaid duty for my pal Tessa, I arrived at the rehearsal dinner with a growling stomach. I grabbed a glass of wine and promptly accepted an appetizer offered by a college-age waitress. I was so glad to see this stranger that I almost hugged her. She had a whole plate of cute Caprese skewers in her arms, complete with a bowl of balsamic dipping sauce that was thick enough not to drip all over my new silk dress....
These Mexican Tostadas are one of my go-to mid-week meals. It’s a meal-prep-friendly and make-ahead dish, ideal for weeknight dinners. It’s a true “family-approved recipe” inspired by the famous Taco Bell Tostadas! Putting these together is a breeze. I always have a bag of store-bought tostada shells in my pantry, so all I have to do is make a pot of refried beans. The toppings are where the fun begins!...
Summer came on with a bang. Our weather went from pleasantly warm to blazingly hot. Every year, I relearn what 100 degree weather feels like. It’s shocking, isn’t it? At least in Kansas City, it cools down a bit at night, so Cookie and I can go on our long walks as the sun sets. Now that summer heat is here, I find myself craving more light, fresh and green meals....
About Biryani Biryani also spelled as Biriyani is a popular dish not only in India but in South Asia as well. In simple words Biryani is a rice and curry casserole. The curry can be meat based or vegetable based and also made with mushrooms, soy chunks or paneer. Similar to some layered and baked pasta dishes, the curry is layered with semi-cooked rice – later to be baked or dum cooked until the rice is completely done and the curry or gravy has been absorbed by the rice....
What do you do when you have extra watermelon? Make watermelon juice, or better yet, watermelon mimosas! They are a fun twist on classic orange mimosas. These refreshing brunch (or any time) cocktails are supremely simple, but I couldn’t keep the idea to myself. We can’t let good watermelon go to waste. Here’s the trick with watermelon mimosas: they’re only as good as your watermelon. I recently bought a mini watermelon that was pale pink and kind of sour on the inside, and that watermelon would have made lousy watermelon mimosas....
The Telugu word for ginger is allam and hence the name allam chutney. Obviously, in this chutney recipe, ginger is the star ingredient but there are also tamarind, red chillies, jaggery and some spices added which balance the pungency of ginger. This ginger chutney has a sweet-sour-spicy taste. It makes for an excellent aside dish with idli, dosa, Pesarattu, Dibba Roti and even steamed rice. There are some Andhra recipes which are a favorite with us and this ginger chutney is one of them....
We are running out of time. Thanksgiving is tomorrow! Thank goodness I’m not in charge of the cooking. Maybe you are prepared. Perhaps you already have your menu planned, your ingredients purchased and your best stretchy pants washed and ready. I don’t know how you do it. I, for one, am still wearing my pajamas and wondering how I’m going to meet my work demands, drive five hours home and bake cranberry cornbread before the day is over....
After two attempts, and making some slight changes to the recipe…I finally got the texture I was looking for…fudgy. Super fudgy. To serve with incredible pie, I kinda went a little step further (as usual), and accidentally made some crazy salted Caramel Apple Sauce — with warm, sweet softened apple slices to complete the entire Apple Pie lovin’ feeling. Totally optional. Totally not necessary. But totally worth the extra 10 minutes making it....
About Applesauce Cake When I gave up eating eggs many years ago, I was worried that my cakes would never be the same. Luckily, this applesauce cake recipe makes for a darn good vegan version of a sponge cake — it is light, tender, and spongy. While it isn’t quite as spongy or springy as cakes made with eggs, it is a more than acceptable substitute. The applesauce in this egg-free cake recipe is actually used as a replacement for the eggs rather than as a flavoring component....
