Fire Roasted Tomato Chokha

The Fire Roasted Tomato Chokha is a dish from the eastern state of Bihar (India) and is traditionally cooked on coals. There is something very comfortable and ancient about cooking on fire or the grill. The aromas wafting from the food touch evokes emotion and the flame kissed food tastes like something we have always known. While I love grilled lamb chops and tandoori chicken, I mostly gravitate towards cooking more vegetables on the grill. Fresh summer vegetables when grilled are really delicious in salads, salsas and chutneys. The Fire roasted tomato chokha or the ‘tamatar ka chokha’ as it …

Bean and Quinoa Chilli

  “When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not yet ready. The challenge will not wait.” Paulo Coelho It has been a long pause on the blog. Off late that seems to be norm than the occasional break. Since many of you asked what was going on, I thought I will do something that I have never done before – share what’s going on in life with all of …

Dal Makhni – Buttery lentils

    They saw each other from a distance, walking a gentle walk on the terrace of their own homes.  Their eyes met and that was all it took to ignite a lifelong passion.  It all started one monsoon evening, in a small city called Chandigarh, in India.  There were two of them. One was young, restless and ready to take on the world.  The other was gentle, kind and had seen the world.  And they met on that fine monsoon evening. It is because of their meeting, my dears, that you are getting to read this story and have …

Couscous Salad with Sauteed Greens & Pumpkin Seeds

What an incredibly useful plant the pumpkin is. It gives us the flowers to make fritters with, the tender leaves can be briefly cooked and used in salads or back home, my grandma makes the tastiest “al kanij ta waangun” ( pumpkin leaves and baby eggplants). Then, when Halloween is around the corner, we bring the pumpkins home and make them into Jack o lanterns, or make pies and soups. And when carving those pumpkins we save up the seeds to either roast or dry up and store to use later. Pumpkin was not my favorite vegetable to eat, unless …

Strawberry Flax seed Smoothie

This is going to be a short and sweet post about Flax seeds. I use them regularly and the most common way for me to use them is either in my oatmeal, in a smoothie or a hot chutney. I don’t find them very appetizing in any other form. This strawberry flax seed smoothie can be made with frozen strawberries as well. This is one of the most ancient plants known to humans and there is some evidence that flax cultivation may have started somewhere during the Neolithic Era. In addition to flax seeds supporting digestive health, cardiovascular health, antioxidant …

Walnut Chutney

Walnut is a significant part of Kashmiri culture. It is said that that the four kernels of the walnut represent – Dharma ( guiding principles by which we live life ) Artha ( Meaning of life ) Kama ( desires) and Moksha ( Nirvana). It is also believed to be symbolic of the four Vedas – Rig, Yajur, Atharva and Sama. The whole walnut with the shell on is an essential element in all Kashmiri rituals and important religious festivals. The Festival of Herath ( Shivratri) – The celebration of the union of Shiva and Shakti – being the most …