This is a basic moong dal tadka recipe, with a simple, flavourful tadka (tempering) for the ones new to cooking. I will follow this up with some more tadka dal recipes for variations. Dhuli moong dal (or petite yellow lentils) on its own is bland, so the use of ghee and aromatics is important here to add flavour. You could also add onions and tomatoes to the tadka, a recipe that I will share soon. Easy to digest, dhuli moong dal makes for a simple, satiating, everyday meal. P

Or Punjabi style pickled onions. Sirke wale pyaz are made with the small red onions usually available during winters. These aren’t sambhar onions, they’re just regular small red onions. You could even cut larger red onions in to thick slices and pickle them using this recipe of Sirke wale Pyaaz. I like to make these Sirke Wale Pyaz in smaller batches, enough for 4-5 days or a week at max. so the onions still have a crunch and don’t turn soft. Connect with me on social media f

Even though the list is long, this one possibly tops the list of my MOST favourite Indian desserts – Gajar ka Halwa! Gajar ka Halwa or Gajrela or Gajar Pak or Carrot Pudding is a traditional Indian dessert, usually prepared in the Northern states of India during the winter months. The ingredients used in Gajar ka Halwa are hot in nature (garam taseer) and help keeping the body warm. Gajar ka Halwa tastes best made with the sweet, red carrots available for a short time (a mont

Another year is coming to an end… on a rather sweet note :) What do you make, besides salads, when you have black rice in the kitchen pantry ? Hmmm… grind it to a coarse black rice flour or black rice paste and make Black Rice Phirni ! Only recently, much after I made this Black Rice Phirni recipe, I learnt that this recipe has been traditionally made in the North-Eastern states of India; known as Chak Hao Amubi (black rice and milk kheer / pudding)! That’s why: keep learning

Comfort food at its best. A bake with veggies and chicken… easy, warming, hearty meal. Bonus: you spend lesser time in the kitchen. Winter is really the perfect time to makes this recipe of chicken and vegetables baked in white sauce because of the abundance of vegetables in the market! Fresh, seasonal, colourful vegetables are easily available during winters, making it the best time to try out this recipe. To make a vegetarian version of this recipe, simply skip the chicken

Coleslaw and Boiled Egg Sandwiches make for a healthy pre or post workout snack, quick breakfast on a busy day, part of the lazy Sunday brunch accompanied with other healthy breakfast recipes Poha, Besan ka Puda, or just another sandwich using Mint Chutney and fresh tomato slices. You could always use a slice of grilled paneer or cheese (or tofu) instead of the boiled eggs for vegan coleslaw sandwiches. If you do pack boiled eggs for your kids’ breakfast at school, this coles

The spiced, tangy, thin gravy that is usually served with Puran Poli. Katachi Amti is made using the water in which the chana dal (Bengal gram) is boiled, for making the puran of puran poli. This chana dal water is then cooked with a tempering of mainly grated coconut (dried or fresh), traditional Maharashtrian goda masala, along with tamarind and jaggery for a spicy, tangy, sweet thin gravy that perfectly complements the sweet, ghee-laden Puran Poli. While every home would h

Indian flatbread stuffed with a mix of Bengal gram (chana dal) and jaggery (gur). Traditional, festive Maharashtrian delicacy: Puran Poli with Katachi Amti! Puran is the mix of chana dal and jaggery flavoured with fragrant sweet spices. Poli is Marathi for flatbread. From asking the house-help to make Puran Poli, to bartering Punjabi food for Puran Poli and Kothimbir Vadi with my Maharashtrian colleagues… making it all by myself was super motivating and rewarding at the same

We call it Aloo Pyaaz Tamatar Chutney at home… this recipe is basically egg bhurji without eggs. Beat a couple of eggs (or more!) and cook quickly on high heat as the last step, for delicious egg bhurji. If you're wondering why I'm talking about making egg bhurji adding eggs to Aloo Bhurji, try this recipe and you'll never make or eat egg bhurji any other way! Aloo Bhurji (with or without egg) is a leisurely weekend brunch for our family, accompanied with fresh crusty brun (a

This recipe was a first for me… as are many other recipes on the blog :) Chicken Terrine is a cheat’s / homemade version of salami (not cured or smoked though). Most of us have chicken salami stocked in the freezer for a lazy Sunday brunch, a quick weekday breakfast sandwich, a no-fuss chicken appetiser with cocktails, a delicious addition to an otherwise plain omelette… the ideas are endless, and Chicken Terrine is a great, quick and easy substitute. Chicken Terrine or homem

I’m sure many of us have grown up eating custard; warm or chilled, with or without jelly, served as dessert ever so often. Custard cookies make breakfast, mid-meal, snack time flavourful in a fun, nostalgic way. Crunchy, chewy yet soft to the bite, custard powder gives these cookies a melt-in-the-mouth feel. With the addition of tutti frutti and cashewnuts, these eggless custard cookies are very similar to (or the same as?) the famous Karachi Biscuits from Hyderabad. As much

Carrot and green chilli pickle is usually served in Northern India with Chole Masala or Pindi Chole, though it goes well with any Indian meal. There are various recipes and methods of preparing carrot pickle; this one’s an instant recipe, ready in 5 minutes. This instant carrot pickle stores well for a week to ten days in the refrigerator and tastes even better once the flavours develop in a couple of days. Don’t worry about storing this recipe of carrot pickle for even a cou

or Besan ka chilla or savoury gramflour pancakes Besan ka chilla or besan ka puda is a rustic, simple-flavoured Indian breakfast or chai time snack recipe, popular in Northern and Western India. A healthy one too, as long as you limit the quantity of ghee or cooking oil used to pan-fry. Like Thalipeeth, these savoury gramflour pancakes make for a gluten-free, low-carb, protein-rich replacement to wheat chapati / roti. Serve besan ka puda with any of these Indian sides recipes

Black-eyed Bean Kebabs So! This was a recipe trial, which turned out well. We’ve all heard of the traditional mutton Shami Kebabs… and then the vegetarian versions of them; rajma ki shami, kale chane ke shami kebab, masoor ke shami kebab (this one’s coming up soon!) and so on. So why leave the humble Lobia or Black-eyed beans out? Yes, it’s not everyone’s favourite bean given the mild flavour, but besides its meaty texture and nutty taste, lobia or black-eyed beans add great

This recipe of Keema Aloo or Kheema Aloo uses mutton keema (mince), you could use minced meat of choice, or soy mince – whichever works. I always add potatoes to my recipe of Keema Curry, which make for a great addition, as the potatoes soak in the flavours of the masala and Keema. That's why I call this recipe Keema Aloo Curry and not just Keema Curry. When available, I like to add a handful of fresh green peas to the Keema Aloo. I also always add a boiled egg to Keema Aloo

Pani Puri, Golgappe, Puchka, Batashe... what's in a name? A good Pani Puri experience is more about the flavourful spicy, sweet, tangy Pani Puri water. Yes, the other elements are important too… crisp puris, sweet tamarind chutney or saunth chutney, al dente white peas or masala aloo, crisp boondi… but, it all comes down to how flavourful the Pani Puri water is. Why make your own Pani Puri water? With all the negative media around the quality of water used by street vendors,

Healthy hearty breakfast, lunch or dinner… Paneer Bhurji works at all times. For when you need a quick fix yet wholesome start to the day… an easy to make meal at the end of a busy day… or a spicy side to go with simple dal tadka… Paneer Bhurji is sure a saviour. Paneer bhurji, aloo bhurji and egg bhurji are popular North Indian breakfast recipes accompanied with plain salted parathas or bread. Paneer Bhurji can also be used as a sandwich stuffing for grilled or toasted sandw

Or chicken cooked in raw mango gravy. What’s an Indian summer without mangoes? And when raw mangoes (Kairi) are in season… make the most of it! Kairi Murgh recipe uses raw mango for sour tangy notes – raw mangoes have possibly been used in many lost / traditional Indian recipes, before the available-all-seasons tomatoes came to India. A good amount of green chillies or red chilli powder are added to Kairi Murgh, to balance the tang from the raw mangoes. Slow cooked, caramelis

One word… refreshing! If only we savoured traditional Indian beverages, which taste great besides being nutritious, more than aerated colas with empty calories *sigh* Most traditional Indian beverages are seasonal, bringing with them the health benefits of consuming seasonal produce. Summers: lassi or chaas, aam panna, shikanji, jaljeera, kokum sharbat, sattu ka ghol, thandai, solkadhi… Monsoon: chai ;) and other herbal teas to fight seasonal allergies, warm soups with season

Yes! Kanji has been put to good use in my kitchen *grinning* Another recipe using Kanji, is the spicy and popular North Indian street food Kanji Vada. The ingredients for Kanji Pulao are the same as any regular pulao, with the addition of Kanji. Here, Kanji is used as a replacement for half the quantity of water. So, for 1 cup of long grain basmati rice you will need 1 cup of Kanji and 1 cup of water, instead of 2 cups of water. I prefer to limit the use of spices in Kanji pu