This recipe really needs no introduction. If you have ordered dal tadka in a restaurant, you would most likely be served toor dal tadka. Toor dal (arhar dal or yellow pigeon peas) is the lentil of choice for a restaurant style dal tadka, as it blends well while still holding shape, giving the lentil curry both; a mushy and grainy texture. A part of the toor / arhar dal disintegrates into the cooking water, making a thick curry and a lot of it stays solid, for that texture tha

Yes, the raita that I mentioned in my Lauki Chana Dal recipe! Eggplant Raita, Eggplant Yoghurt Dip, Brinjal Raita… this scrumptious baingan ka raita has a crisp bite from the fried eggplant and a creamy smooth texture of yoghurt or dahi. This recipe of Baingan ka Raita uses just fried eggplant, yoghurt and spices. A tadka too! While a Baingan ka Raita is not as quick to put together as let's say a cucumber raita or boondi raita, it is delectable and a must have on your Indian

Red kidney beans curry Let me start with a disclaimer. This is a one pot rajma masala recipe, not the authentic Punjabi recipe of rajma masala where the red kidney beans are boiled first and then added to an onion tomato masala. In this recipe of rajma masala, everything gets cooked together. For the most of it. This recipe of rajma masala is like an instant pot rajma masala, without an instant pot. Everything gets done at once, no multiple cooking processes and you don’t hav

Wait, don’t write this recipe off on reading pineapple and chicken together… this Pineapple Chicken is nothing like pineapple on pizza! The sweet and spicy combo of flavours in Pineapple Chicken will set your taste buds tingling for sure! If you’re a fan of Orange Chicken, give this recipe of Pineapple Chicken a go. Or not, either way give Pineapple Chicken a chance to woo you! Also, if you’re a fan of fresh, juicy pineapple slices topped with salt and red chilli powder, this

Kairi / kaccha aam and pudina chutney This recipe of raw mango and mint chutney is simple and delicious or simply delicious. Blitz together a few fresh ingredients and it’s done! The fresh tang from the raw mangoes or kairi is what sets this chutney recipe apart. As with any chutney, the fresher your ingredients, the better and more robust the flavour. Now, a lot of people like adding onions to their mint chutney recipes; I don’t. If you like the flavour of onions in your raw

Quick to cook, one pot meals coming up on the blog in the next few posts. Also, easy on the tummy, cooling recipes coz, Summer! And I’m sure no one wants to spend hours in the kitchen cooking up and eating heavy meals. Lauki… also known as bottle gourd, doodhi, ghiya and many other names. Not everyone’s favourite vegetable, even though it must be a regular in our diet thanks to its health benefits! Chana dal… Bengal gram lentils, split chickpeas… high in protein and dietary f

Soya nuggets or soya chunks… high protein vegetarian, vegan, plant-based alternative to animal protein. Soya chunks or nuggets come from soybeans which, like any other bean, are high in fibre, calcium, iron, omega 3 and more. Low fat too because soya chunks are made from soy flour that is left over after extracting oil from soybeans. Usually soya chunks have protein content similar to that of meat and take much lesser time to cook. The quick cooking time for this recipe of Ch

Winter! Winter! Winter! Sarson! Sarson! Sarson! …and other leafy greens ofcourse! My favourite season with my favourite food is here and I couldn’t be happier! In no particular order: Saron da saag te makki di roti (as any Punjabi would proudly say), Gajar ka Halwa, Gajar Gobi Shalgam ka Achaar, Pinni (yumm yumm), Palak Paneer, Moong Dal Halwa and many many more. It’s the season of warming, comfort foods that are a bear hug for your soul! For now, let’s start with this recipe

Or green beans and potatoes cooked in Indian masala. This recipe of Beans Aloo is made with string beans or French beans as they’re known as in many parts of the world. Incase string beans are not available, you could try making Beans Aloo with any green beans that are easily available to you or as per seasonal availability. I have made this recipe with long beans (Lobia ki Phali) too. Punjabi style Beans Aloo tastes great made with any available green beans! Green beans do ‘

This recipe is that of a Punjabi style Lobia (black eyed peas) Curry. Or Rongi as we call it at home. The masala paste for this curry recipe is a basic one with onions and tomatoes which could be used for any Punjabi style whole beans recipe; think rajma, kale chane, chole masala and others. These recipes will be posted separately too with their distinct spice powder mix which differentiates the flavours. I usually soak and boil an extra cup of black eyed peas to make these L

Or simply Reshmi Kabab… or Chicken Malai Kebab… or Murgh Malai Kebabs… they’re all the same! The colour, you ask? Is because I pan-grilled these chicken reshmi kebabs and added a teaspoon of malai (fresh cream) at the end of the cooking process to de-glaze the pan. The chicken kebabs were then rolled in to these pan juices and got coloured. The flavours were simple and delicate nonetheless. For the uninitiated, Chicken Reshmi Kebabs or Murgh Malai Kebabs are ideally lighter i

Looking for a refreshing, unconventional, not-toothachingly-sweet, summer cooler? Look no further than Hibiscus Tea, rather Lemonade. If you have a flowering hibiscus plant at home, this is the perfect recipe for you. You could also make Hibiscus Tea with dried hibiscus petals. Yes, just the petals are used for this hibiscus herbal tea / lemonade. Usually, Hibiscus tea is made using the petals of the Roselle variety of hibiscus. I have used the red Hibiscus flowers grown and

Breakfast, mains, appetiser, small plates… Kaleji (mutton liver) Fry finds a place in all meals. This recipe of Kaleji Fry is the simple, no-fuss kind. To get the ‘fried’ effect I recommend cooking the mutton liver in its own juices, avoid adding water or stock. Stir the mutton liver often while it’s cooking to avoid charring or burning it. Serves 4 Time taken: 20-25 minutes Ingredients to make Kaleji (Mutton Liver) Fry 250 gms kaleji (mutton liver) 2 tbsp ghee 1 bay leaf / t

We’ve all made idli “dhokla” with leftover idlis using a tadka of curry leaves and haldi (turmeric powder). Looking for another way to upcycle leftover idli ? Or just a quick, easy snack ? Make this recipe of Schezwan Idli… spicy, crispy, melt-in-the-mouth… all at the same time! Time to take the humble idli to another level! This recipe of Schezwan Idli works best with leftover idli from the previous day or atleast ones that have been prepared a few hours earlier, say 3-4 hou

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. Ingredients to make Sirke wale Py

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

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

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