I am on a Gujarati food spree. Gujarat is in the North -West of India and the cuisine is primarily vegetarian. The Hubz is from this region in India and his parents are visiting us and will be arriving by the end of the month. So there! Now you know the reason behind the Gujarati food spree. I don’t get to have the in laws visit us often as they have to endure a long flight from India. So whenever they do, I like to make them feel at home and I try to imbibe as much as of their …
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 …
Wozij Chaaman – Paneer cooked in Spices
Simmering away on the stovetop, filling the kitchen with aromas from sweet cinnamon, spicy clove and hot chillies, used to be this wozij Chaaman in my Grandma’s home. She is almost 78 now and still feels pleased to cook a meal for all her grand-kids or for anyone visiting her. My Grandmom inspires me. Her story gives me courage and conviction to face life each day. Her deep set eyes, surrounded by wrinkles, light up every time she sees one of her grandkids or their kids. She looks forward to our visits and starts planning for them days in advance …
Borani Banjan – Layered Afghan Eggplant Dish
When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile. ~Author Unknown The sky was overcast like never before in Colorado. And then it started to rain, heavily at first and continuous, light, rhythmic drizzle later on. It appeared to be the perfect time to drink hot chocolate and a curl up with a book. I downloaded “ And the Mountains Echoed”; and started the journey with Pari. I kept reading through the day, glancing outside the window once a while to see if the rain had stopped. It …
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 …
Homemade Yogurt & Kesar Pista Shrikhand – with the Daring Cooks!
Yogurt making was something I started doing when I was ten. I am not kidding. While we cleaned up the kitchen after dinner, my Grandmom would put the leftover milk from the day to heat gently. And then it was my job to check the temperature and add the starter, and let the yogurt do its thing. There was however only one problem. There was no recipe to follow. It was not 1 tsp to a cup of milk or anything like that. I was supposed to guess the quantity of milk and adjust the amount of starter accordingly. …