Food Fashion Recipe Blog

Potato Paneer Stuffed Jalapeno Curry

July 29, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

Paneer stuffed jalapeno Curry. The mild mellow, slightly sweetish tomato and cashew curry offsets the heat from the stuffed peppers. It’s dish to entertain with, a great vegetarian entree for those fancy days with a bodacious personality.

I run down the stairs to the door bell. The grocery guy has just pulled over the driveway. I wait till he leaves the produce and take all precautions to bring it in. A quick scan: milk, butter, 7 cucumbers(hmm I didn’t order that much, but I was ok), greek yogurt- check, a huge relief! I go to the next bag with my clear gloves on and stand confused. Four tomatoes and 3 pounds of jalapenos?!! What!!

After a few moments of annoyance and a close call for a massive tantrum, then the realization for the many possible things to come up with the three pound jalapeno bag were emotions all in a minute as I stared at the bag staring back at me….

Baked Chicken Chimichanga

July 26, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

This baked chicken chimichanga recipe is a healthier & lighter version of the deep-fried one. They come together so quickly: just put it in a casserole dish, bake, and serve. My boys love it and can’t get enough when I cook these.

Authentic Mexican food is vibrant, delicious, fresh, and fun. It is also colorful and spicy, using an amazing array of chillies, both fresh and dried. Many important ingredients are readily available everywhere, such as tomatoes, limes, coriander, red onion, avocado, and corn.

There’s a common perception that Mexican food is both spicy and heavy but, in fact, true Mexican food has both a depth of flavor – with its combination of savory and earthy flavors – and a lightness from its generous use of fresh herbs, vegetables and citrus. In most of Mexico it would be very unusual to put cheese in tacos, enchiladas, or tostadas, for example, and if it were used it would be a Mexican panela cheese (a smooth, fresh, white cheese). One of the dishes that’s considered heavy is the deep fried chimicanga….

Spicy Thai Basil Chicken

July 23, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

Stir fries are fast, easy, and delicious. This Thai Basil Chicken will wow you! An incredibly flavorful recipe that truly tastes just like your favorite Thai restaurant take out, or even better. Serve over some rice and a quick impressive meal is ready in no time.

We’ve eaten our share of bad Thai and great Thai food too. One of our favorites, if not the best is Khin Khao, a Michelin star Thai restaurant in San Francisco. Their flavors are subtle and not a single ingredient is overpowering. I definitely love their approach to recipes, and I was definitely inspired when I made the sauce for this Spicy Thai Basil Chicken.

There is so much nuance to Thai food, it’s not just food that’s as hot as it can be. Anyway, the Thai food that we have here is not Thai enough. It is, in fact, in complete adherence to the spirit of approachable Thai food. No doubt, the food is called Thai cuisine, and is cooked widely, especially if you take the common majority’s favorite ‘yellow or green Thai curry.’ But, is that authentic? No, but it’s relatable and palatable for all….

Kathirikka Rasam/Eggplant Rasam

July 18, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

Rasam is a quintessential side dish that’s enjoyed with rice. This kathirikka rasam is a very special rasam that’s served in temples, or on special occasions. It’s a specialty in some parts of Tamil Nadu that uses eggplant and a spice paste made with coconut.

Some recipes are just meant to come your way and steal your heart.

Even if you despise eggplant as I used to, you are going to like this one. Take this from someone who used to be a staunch eggplant hater.

Many of you who follow me on Instagram know I was in India for four months during this pandemic, from March to end of June. Let’s just say it wasn’t a fun one. However, like many things in life, things happen for a reason, and I chose to see the positive in everything….

Healthier Salmon Cakes (Salmon Patties)

July 16, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

These healthy Salmon Cakes are a crowd pleaser. A back pocket recipe that I’ve made so many times and is always a hit at home. Requires very few ingredients, healthy and comes together in 10 minutes plus the cooking time. I had to post the recipe when a friend of mine as me if I had a salmon cake recipe that is healthier, and here it is.

Cooking salmon was overwhelming at one point. If you’ve been intimidated by cooking fish in the past, I hear you! I spent years avoiding buying salmon because I thought it would be too complicated to make, or that worse yet, I’d mess it up and ruin a beautiful piece of fish….

Fried Cauliflower Potato Curry in Peanut Sesame Paste

April 26, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

This Cauliflower Potato Curry dish is perfect for a weeknight dinner and for a party! It’s loaded with delicious spices and a special paste, and comes together so easily! The flavors are unique and will WOW you.

After I posted this picture of Instagram, I got so many requests for a detailed recipe for this. And you know that another curry recipe was coming, right? Looks like you guys love curries, Chickpea with Spinach Curry, I knew I had to keep these curry recipes coming. There’s my Quick 20 minute Thai Green Curry, my Mixed Daal with Vegetables and even my favorite of the blog Navratan Korma. Now finally – this Fried Cauliflower Potato Curry in Peanut Sesame Paste. SO GOOD! This is such a different, amazing, mouthwatering and comforting curry that you’ll be making it over and over again….

How to grow mung bean sprouts

April 16, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

Mung bean sprouts filled with nutrients and are a common ingredient in Indian homes. It’s great raw, steamed or pureed, they provide a crisp, healthy addition to any meal. Growing mung bean sprouts is easy and when done right, they are perfect in less time.

Mung Bean is a legume that is commonly used in the Asian countries. Mung Beans go by many names in different parts of India. Pasiparuppu in tamil, mung sabut in hindi, pesalu in telugu , hesarukalu in kannada, cherupayar in Malyalam. Green gram is high in protein fiber, vitamins and nutrients. Sprouting any legume increases it’s nutrition value and it’s easy on the tummy and easily digestible.

Two ways to sprout mung beans

The first method is to put in a jar or box and put a tight lid on and keep in a cool place. The second method and my favorite method is to sprout it in a cotton cloth, hanging it in a warm dry place in the kitchen.

Tips on how to sprout mung beans

Get the best high quality fresh green gram. Older stock of mung beans will not sprout well.

2. Organic mung beans, take longer time to soak and as well to sprout.

3. Hybrid variety soaks faster and sprouts faster

4. If you want your sprouts in few days, plan ahead. It take 36 hours to grow sprouts.

5. Wash and rinse the green gram with clean water 3-4 times to avoid the risk of contamination.

6. Use slightly lukewarm water to soak the green gram.

Method on how to grow mung bean sprouts

There are two methods of making sprout.

Method 1

Once you’ve washed and soaked the mung 8 hours, drain it well. You can use any clean thin cloth you have to sprout. Add the drained mung beans in the middle of the cloth and pull the sides together and tie it. Hang this on a hook in a slight warm dry place. Every 6 hours sprinkle some water on the cloth. Do NOT soak it. The cloth should be slightly damp. The sprouts will be ready in 36 hours.

Method 2

After soaking it for eight hours, drain it well. Add it to a jar or any container, cover with a tight lid. The sprouting will take again about 24-36 hours.

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Chettinad Prawn Masala

March 2, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

Chettinad Prawn Masala has few spices, and big bold flavors. This is a recipe from the Southern part of India. This dish comes together quite quickly and very flavorful.

South Indian Curries are always close to my heart though. South India offers a variety of quite spicy curries. The spices are pretty similar in a lot of the curries, just vary a slight bit. But, to my amazement a simple fennel can change the whole flavor of the curry or a few curry leaves. Most of the time a chicken, mutton or even a fish curry is a slow cooked one. This one comes from a place called Chettinad. The local cuisine is simply one of the the most spiciest I’ve ever tried, Chettinad Cuisine….

Asian Jalapeno Chicken and Beans

February 23, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

This perfection of a meal comes together 20 min from start to finish. Quick and Easy Asian Jalapeno Chicken and Beans is loaded with flavor and boosts of textures. Better than take-out and so much healthier!

If you are like me and looking for quick and easy weeknight dinners, and I mean, who isn’t? Stir fry dinners are the way to go. You get your protein, your veggies, your everrrything in one skillet and less than 2o minutes later, the family is at the table eating a healthy dinner.

I am a huge fan of one skillet dinners and make them at least a few times each week.

And this Asian jalapeno chicken isn’t even breaded nor fried, so this is really more of a “skinny” dish, all smothered in a simple sauce, a sauce that you’ll clearly want to pour or dip in many things….

Buffalo Cauliflower

February 17, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

Oven Baked or Air Fryed Buffalo Cauliflower Bites are a fun and easy appetizer or snack made with just a few simple ingredients. Fully loaded with all the awesome flavor of chicken wings, these low carb and vegetarian Buffalo Cauliflower Bites have a soft and tender inside and crispy outside.

Buffalo Cauliflower

All the delicious, tangy flavor of buffalo wings without the mess and calories. I’ve never been a huge fan of chicken wings, so this substitution was an easy one. But even all you wing fans out there will love these spicy little buffalo-sauce-covered cauliflower nuggets.

Tossed in your favorite homemade or store-bought buffalo sauce and dipped in creamy Blue Cheese or Ranch Dressing, this healthy buffalo cauliflower is a crowd favorite and is always gone in minutes!…