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About Sesame Toast This vegetarian Sesame Toast is simply a super snack or starter of crisp, golden fried toasts covered with a veggie filling and crunchy sesame. Basically, a dish oozing umaminess that can be easily replicated at home without any hassle. Usually, toast and sandwich recipes are my favorite because most of them are quick to prepare, super easy, yet pack a punch of flavors and are filling too. Such recipes are also much sought after by people who are usually short of time and want to make a quick breakfast or brunch meal....

I wish I had some stories to share today, but it’s been an uneventful work week punctuated by our weekly Wednesday girls’ night (fajitas and Downton Abbey at my place). I can’t complain. I finally found the time to try this baby spinach and sweet potato frittata that’s been on my mind since I first flipped through The Sprouted Kitchen cookbook this summer. It was absolutely worth the wait—a simple breakfast or dinner that only requires a cutting board, a knife, a mixing bowl and a skillet to prepare....

You know dinner was good when you want to eat it for breakfast. Speaking of, it’s 10 am and I’m writing with a happy belly. This Thai red curry made a fantastic meal last night and perhaps an even better breakfast this morning. It’s warm, comforting, and perfect for cool days. It’s a little rich, too, but so full of vegetables that it doesn’t feel too indulgent. I’ve been meaning to try a red Thai curry based on my green curry for a while now, and I’m so glad I finally did....

A classic Thayir Vadai has the vadas or vadai of black gram or urad dal topped with a curd-spiced coconut paste mixture, which is tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves and dried red chili. Making thayir vadai does take some time as the vadas have to be fried before assembling. The rest of the method is easy. For making vadas, do use fresh urad dal and not old or aged urad dal....

Let’s rewind to Valentine’s Day. I’m single. I’m not feeling well. My mom is in town and our plan is to eat dinner and watch movies. As the sun goes down, I decide that I need a brownie—like I really need a brownie, for aforementioned reasons—and proceed to pull every baking book off of my shelves in my search for my ideal brownie recipe. I wanted rich, dark, chewy, legit café-like brownies with crackly tops....

About Veg Raita Vegetable Raita is simply raita made with various mix vegetables. The vegetables can be raw or cooked. I make it with vegetables that can be eaten raw like carrots, bell pepper, cucumber and tomatoes. Some of the commonly used seasonings and spices in a raita are roasted cumin powder, black pepper powder, red chili powder/cayenne pepper, chaat masala, green chilies, mint, ginger, garlic, etc. Many of these is what I have added in my recipe of Mix Veg Raita as well....

About Veg Sagu I first tried the Veg Sagu with Set Dosa in one of the restaurants while staying in Bangalore (now Bengaluru) in the south Indian state of Karnataka. It was complex in flavors and textures, and was so delicious, that we finished off everything at one. The most important element of this Mix Veg Sagu recipe is the unique spice paste that is freshly ground while preparing this dish....

There are a few dishes that I make with baby corn. I have already shared some Baby Corn Recipes on the blog. Baby corn blends well with any gravy or sauce or curry, be it North Indian, Indo Chinese or even world cuisine. I usually add baby corn in pulao or rice dishes or in Chinese recipes. On some rare occasions, I make recipes with baby corn as the hero ingredient....

Rice or pulao varieties are recipes that are easy to make. When you make them in the pressure cooker, you not only save time and cooking gas, but the food also is healthy to eat. This is a slightly spicy baby corn rice with a complex flavor profile. The aromatic garam masala, the spiciness of the green chilies, the slight tang of the tomatoes and the light sweetness of the baby corn – all in one dish....

More on Badam Kheer One of the nicest things about this Badam Kheer Recipe is that you are getting to consume almonds, known as badam in Hindi, in an awesome way. Though, it is a dessert, but still. If you really make it a little less sweet then you can actually enjoy the benefits of this amazing nut. Apart from that, call it a North Indian kheer or a South Indian payasam, this particular way of making a milk pudding in India has really been an ancient phenomenon....

Most fry or stir fry recipes are easy to prepare. They make for a quick side dish with chapatis or can be served with the main course too. In this recipe of capsicum fry, I have also added potatoes to make the dish more filling and hearty. Though you can skip potatoes, and just add more capsicum. This dish can also be packed in the tiffin box with some chapati or roti....

This is one of those recipes that was made once in a while at my home while growing up. During my college days, we had a Hyderabadi aunty as our neighbor who would make fabulous pulao and biryani. The rice was always cooked to perfection and the taste of her pulao and biryani were just heavenly. I still do remember her chana pulao and it used to be awesome. Well, while writing this post I do remember the aroma and taste of her chickpea rice dish....

Why This Cheese Ball Recipe Works There are many different ways of preparing cheese balls, many of which are incredibly frustrating. I found that when I tried the traditional method of making them, half of the cheese balls came out perfect (HOORAY!) and half of them broke in the oil (ARGH!). I figured out that with the traditional recipe, the oil had to be the perfect temperature the entire time for all the balls to fry successfully....

Whenever I make these crisp fried snacks, I always add boiled corn kernels. The fritters are made with besan or gram flour. So they are gluten free if you don’t add asafoetida. You can also use tinned corn to make these. The pakoda can be made with sweet corn or desi corn. At home, the preferences are always for sweet corn. I served these corn pakoda hot with mango chutney....

About This Corn Sandwich The savory corn filling is Italian-inspired! It’s really quite simple, cook sweet corn, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, seasoning and fresh basil in just one pan to give this sandwich a delicious Italian twist. Make sure you make the stuffing first as you will need some time to prepare it. These cheese corn sandwiches are a great party food snack because they are easy to prepare, assemble and can be made in large quantities....

About Dry Fruit Barfi Many varieties of barfi and Ladoo are made in Indian homes during festivals like Diwali, Holi, Ganesh Chaturthi, Navratri etc. While I always use festivals as an excuse to make some difficult recipes, I wanted to post a few easy Diwali sweets too. This nice batch of Dry Fruit Barfi is one of my favorites. Made with just 11 ingredients in less than 30 minutes, this is an easy dessert recipe that even bachelors can feel confident about making....

About This Fruit Punch Rather than purchasing store-bought concentrates loaded with added sugar, artificial flavors, colors and preservatives, learn how to make this tasty drink at home. Fruit Punch is an easy-to-prepare drink that can be made with a variety of fruit juices. This is a non-alcoholic recipe for Fruit Punch Mocktail that is very easy to make. I like to whip up a batch of this refreshing summer drink for small parties or get togethers....

What is Ghee Ghee is a kind of clarified butter made by simmering butter on low heat, which results in the caramelization of milk solids. The fat is then strained, removing all the milk solids. The resulting clear, delicious, golden liquid fat is what is known as ghee. Ghee has been made in India for centuries and is widely used in the Indian cuisine. It has a much higher smoke point than regular butter, making it an excellent fat for high heat cooking....

About Kulfi Falooda Falooda and kulfi are popular in most regions of India. These are ideal for summers as they are refreshing, cooling as well as super tasty. But the combination of kulfi with falooda in this Kulfi Falooda takes the flavors of both these individual desserts to another level. Basically, you can refer to a falooda as the Indianized version of a western sundae (as it has different flavors and textures in the form of layers)....

More on Mirchi Bajji Mirchi Bajji, also referred to as Mirapakaya Bajji or Milagai Bajji is a well-known street food found in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka in South India. These are simply batter-fried stuffed green chilies which are spot on with flavors and textures. While there may be one universal way of making these Chilli Bajji stuffed with a filling, another popular Andhra version is the one which is a cut Mirchi Bajji....