Toasty cumin, roasted coriander, a dash of salt, a pinch of turmeric, a smidgen of fiery good red chili, a touch of black cumin, a few dancing pepper corns, a squirt of lime ! Amazing makeover!
Bharli Vaangi – Roasted Stuffed Eggplants
How does something so beautiful, glossy and downright gorgeous have the heavenly humility of complementing and balancing everything around it? I am talking about the Eggplant, Remember Ratatouille? What would Remy make if he had no aubergines to put in the dish? Aubergines as they are called in France, Brinjals as they are called in India and Eggplants as they are known in the US are terrific as complementary vegetable to a lot of ingredients. In the Indian cuisine we add them to almost everything. But once a while we let them shine on – All by themselves. They …
Masala Bhindi
Dark! Deep! Mysterious- This lady’s finger will make you twirl and sing to its tune and you will irrevocably be in a culinary love. It’s Feisty, Spunky and full of Flavor. Make this on a rainy day in spring with home made roti that has seen the touch of ghee and you will be truly madly deeply in Love. Why Okra or Bhindi is called the Lady’s finger – is a secret that many have tried to find out. The secret stays elusive – even to the modern tell-all looking glass ( Google and Wiki ). And if you thought the ritualistic macarena dance will …
Bagara Baingan – Stuffed egg plants
At the outset, I do not claim that this is an authentic bagara baigan recipe. But sometimes, one must deviate from the norm and suit one’s own palate and that of one’s dearest friends. This recipe has an interesting anecdote attached. I had invited my friend Jen over for some Indian lunch. Actually, we planned to cook and enjoy it together. For some weird reason I decided to make stuffed eggplants as one of the dishes for the day. I had no idea what Jen liked as we were just getting to know one another and wisdom suggested that I …
Spring Rice
Cooked leftover rice is always a great thing, so I always make extra whenever I can. It freezes well, stays great in the refrigerator for a couple of days and is versatile. So when I had some thin sprigs of asparagus left over from another dish, and some rice from a couple of days ago, I thought why not make something with all green vegetables. I used spinach, green asparagus, green onions, green garlic and green Thai chilies and a bit of soy sauce and some dark sesame oil. The flavors in this dish are fresh yet earthy and nutty …
Kutchi Dabeli
Dabeli – from the Kutch region of Gujarat to the streets of Mumbai. What a journey of a delicious yet unassuming food, which mysteriously travelled from one place and became one with another place too. It’s sold on carts on the streets of Mumbai and Gujarat and people throng to eat one. The time of the day does not matter. But what does matter is that you should have inside information which cart sells the most delicious ones. They all make good dabelis but there are some that make them a tad bit better and the regulars at these street …