Food Fashion Recipe Blog

Leek and Sweet Potato Sabzi

February 25, 2023 By Asha Shivakumar

This Leek and Sweet Potato Sabzi/Poriyal is a delicious combo that is inspired by a South Indian dish. It’s hearty with coconut and peanuts, so good with Rotis or chapathis.

Many of you regular visitors of the blog come for your own reasons: some for recipes, many for the snippets of stories I share. Looks like we haven’t had much of a story telling on this page in a while. Wonder why?

I’ve definitely had a bit of a burnout, but I also wonder who has the time to read stories when reels, shorts and tik tok have taken over social media. I still believe there is an audience for stories and for long form content. What do you think? Sound off below.

An update about life. This and that……..

20 Amazon Kitchen Gadgets I cannot live without

February 23, 2023 By Asha Shivakumar

These are my most used kitchen gadgets that have been tried and tested. This page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon affiliate, we may earn a small commission for any purchases made through these links.

IF you are looking to add basics to your kitchen, upgrade or gift, look no further. Every time I’ve used one of these products and shared on Instagram, I’ve had few ask me for the link. These are my most used, loved and things I legit can’t live without. I love my kitchen gadgets as must as the next person, I’ve done my experimenting and these are my favorites. I also DO NOT like to over crowd my kitchen with gadgets. I like to simplify and keep the most important and in my opinion the “must haves”. The best kitchen tools don’t have to be overpriced too. I made sure to research, not over spend and over indulge.

I am sharing here a list of 20 BEST MUST have kitchen gadgets that I think you’ll love. Not only are these Amazon kitchen finds affordable (read: tons of under $25 finds on this list!) but we think that they will soon find a place on your own kitchen must haves list! I will most probably be making another favorites with knives and all.

HERE are my 20 most used Amazon Kitchen Gadgets

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Multi Blade Vegetable Slicer

Mueller Multi Blade Adjustable Mandoline Cheese/Vegetable Slicer

Image – Amazon

The blades are sharp. They do a fantastic job of shredding cabbage, for which I use it the most. Be super careful while slicing, it is sharp. I have gifted this and it’s been loved by many. It is the most solid mandolin I’ve used in 20+ yrs.

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Non Stick Tawa/ Griddle

Hawkins/Futura Nonstick Tava/Griddle #griddle

Image – Amazon

This needs no introduction on my page. The most requested of all must be this tava. Every single time I share my dosa making, I get a handful asking me where I got it from. Here it is. This is a large tava to make extra large dosa’s in. It works perfectly. It’s got a good weight to it and has served me well for few years now. Make sure to clean it well without being too abrasive. Make your dosa, crepes, mini pancakes, JUST PERFECT. This is a must in every kitchen.

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3 days in taxco – The ultimate guide

February 4, 2023 By Asha Shivakumar

3 days in Taxco, Guerrero was like a magical fairytale. I can honestly say it was the most mesmerizing and the most beautiful place in Mexico that I’ve visited. From taking the cable car, to riding in a sturdy VW Beetle, to the Cristo Monument, to getting lost in the cobblestone streets, eating churros and learning about Taxco’s past as a silver mining town – I fell totally in love with this city which is 3 hours south of Mexico City.

Taxco will surprise you. Taxco will take your breath away. Welcome to the the most Magical Pueblo Mágico of all of the Pueblo Mágicos- Taxco, Guerrero! Located just a couple of hours from Mexico City, Taxco is built upon a beautiful mountainside. It truly looks like something out of a dream! When you are walking the streets of Taxco you feel like you have stepped back in time! White with red tiled roof buildings, the streets are cobblestone, and the taxis look like VW Bugs from the 1950’s. There are surprises awaiting you around every corner and callejon!

In the early morning with the rising sun, the apricot-peach colored stone of the church of Santa Prisca and San Sebastián in Taxco, Guerrero, Mexico, seems to radiate with light. On a hill towering above the city around it, the church’s tall bell towers beckon people to enter its doors. The elaborate carvings on the façade and towers also seem to writhe with life. As shadows pass over the surface throughout the day, you could swear the building was moving. Imagine how striking it is to then enter the church and be completely overwhelmed with walls that vibrate with gold….

Nawabi Daal Kheema/Chicken Mince with Legumes

November 26, 2022 By Asha Shivakumar

Daal Kheema or chicken mince with legumes is a Nawabi rich dish which combines two unusual ingredients that work so well with each other. It’s delicious, perfect to entertain and will transport you to a Delhi Nawabi kitchen.

For hundreds of years, the Indian city of Lucknow has been famous for its opulent cuisine traditions, which are still practiced by a few chefs. Until the British arrived on the scene, Lucknow and the surrounding area were controlled by Nawabs. Incredibly wealthy, each Nawabi ruler had a team of chefs, who competed to create the most sumptuous meals. Theirs was a luxurious style of cooking — heavy on cream and oil, marinated meat and innumerable spices.

Thankfully a handful of recipes remain and the chefs have left some traditional and well loved recipes. When the Mughal empire crumbled the chefs and cooks were left to fend for themselves, they set up shop in the open market areas of Old Delhi and a love affair was sealed.

The Nawabi food is exotic. It had to be unexpected. Nawabi cuisine were riddle dishes. At one 19th-century feast, cooks used sugar, honey and other sweets to create an entire riddle meal. Desserts masqueraded as entrees like kebabs, curries and even whole fish. Even a simple, everyday dish would use, shall we say, instead of three or four spices, every day, it would change and would include 30 odd spices, condiments with flavoring agents. But what would always be essential there is an aromatic spice, which is dominant. … It is, again, like music.

Now, the Nawabi lifestyle is no more.

Our good friends mom comes from a royal family in Delhi. Their khandani Bawarchi(family chef) would make authentic nawabi food. She is passionate cook and a treasure cove of stories. Whenever she comes to visit her son in US, we are lucky to be invited to her place for dinner. I am very grateful to have eaten the amazing food. Even more thankful to have some recipes that she’s shared with me. This is the simplest of dishes I’ve learnt from her. Although, this recipe is a toned down version, easy ingredients, it does not lack in flavor. While it might not stand up to the chef or my aunt, it is extremely delicious.

Do try it out!! So good!

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Plantain Tostada with Apple Chutney

November 8, 2022 By Asha Shivakumar

Quick and Tasty Plantain Tostada with Apple Chutney. Tostadas can be used as tortillas too. It’s gluten free, perfect for people with allergies. It’s fresh and delicious. Top it with beans, chicken, tofu, salsas, SO Good!

It’s just another day… and you’re just doing what you need to do.

You’re getting things done, and the day moves forward in this continuous sequence of checklists, actions, and respites.

But at various moments of your routine, you pause and take a good look at your surroundings.

The scenes of your everyday life. The blur of this all-too-familiar film.

And you can’t help but to wonder…

If there is more to it all.

For some reason — this country, this city, this neighborhood, this particular street — is the place you are living a majority of your life in.

And it is this thought that allows a daydream to seep in….

Saffron and Ginger Spiced Chocolate with Nuts

October 18, 2022 By Asha Shivakumar

15 minute Homemade Spiced Chocolate with saffron and nuts. Quick, delicate and taste is smooth, silky dark chocolate flavor coupled with a pungent spice mix that is sure to impress your friends this Diwali or any celebration! It’s so easy to make chocolate at home with just a few ingredients. Try it and see for yourself!

“Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” – Forrest Gump

In the scheme of things, yes, life is like a box of chocolates. It is that simple. It appears mysterious, that box, on the outside. Who knows what kinds of chocolates are inside? Then you open it and see the forms and shapes of the various chocolates, but you don’t know how it tastes. Take a bite and find out! The mystery unravels itself in time, as you are living.

That’s life, taking a bite of that unknown piece of chocolate, but more than than simply taking a bite out of the chocolate and seeing how it tastes, but appreciating that taste. Not judging it for not being the taste you expected, or disappointed that it wasn’t as tasty as it looked. Nor, should it be the case, being sad it only has 5 pieces instead of 10, or that the box isn’t as big as you’d hoped. Enjoy the piece of chocolate, every piece, and don’t leave a single piece behind….

Figs and Nuts Gujjia/Sweet Samosa – Sugar free

October 16, 2022 By Asha Shivakumar

Gujjia, aka sweet samosa is such a delicious treat that’s crispy on the outside stuffed with sweet yummy filling. This is a sugar free fig and nuts gujia that is so addictive.

Sweet Samosa is what we call this at home. For as long as I was India, the only version I knew had dried coconut, sooji and nuts. The other with khoya dipped in sugar syrup. Once I ventured into a whole new world, learnt new recipes, I realized there’s so many more delicious fillings that work great for Gujia. Gujjia is a must make dish for Diwali at home. Mom made hundreds a week before Diwali and stored in large steel containers. They were addictive and you could never be satisfied with one.

Although I love the traditional kind my mom makes, I enjoy making a lighter version. There’s nothing healthy or light about deep fried crispy goodness, but hey, If you prefer, air fry it. I’ve done that and it works great too.

Today I share one of my new favorite ways to make gujiya. Filled with cashews and sugar free figs, I think you will love this fig gujiya. The stuffing is made out of cashews and almonds, ground together with figs. It makes for a delicious stuffing that is healthy and no sugar added since the figs add the texture and sweetness….

Dumroot/Ash Gourd Halwa/lWinter Melon Halwa

October 15, 2022 By Asha Shivakumar

Dumroot or Dumroot Halwa is a classic, rich, delicious halwa which is unique to the state of Karnataka, particularly Udupi cuisine.

Summer comes, mom and I enter the days of chats, chaat and Bhagatram sweets. Particularly gulab jamun and dumroot, a recipe that’s a pride and joy of Karnataka, Udupi cuisine. Walking down Commercial street decades ago was way different to what it is now. No glitz and glamor, it didn’t have parking, so it was meant only for people to stroll, shop and eat. To the left was the clothing stores that never caught our attention. We mainly came to eat a gulab jamun each and the famous Dumroot. We are a family obsessively in love with DUMROOT. My dad, cousins and now my hubby and boys….

Pori Urundai/Murmura Nuts Ladoo/Puffed Rice Nuts Ladoo

October 13, 2022 By Asha Shivakumar

Pori Urundai or Murmura Nuts Ladoo is an authentic South Indian snack made during festivals. I call it the energy balls of yester years that grandma made. It’s healthy-ish, full of feel-good ingredients, and irresistibly delicious!

Diwali is around the corner. There’s a new meaning to festivals now versus festivals hundreds of years ago. Festivals in the golden days was a celebration of bringing the whole village together, a ritual of life. They pretty much partied fifteen days a year: simple events that involved simple food. Fast forward to the 2000’s and festivals mean holidays, rest days, and for lack of a better word, “an extension of a weekend”

Life can get repetitious if we don’t appreciate the joy around festivals. After all, making life thrilling is up to you. To be honest, staying away from India, it’s harder to feel festive, as festivity encompasses India as a whole….

The Ultimate protien Sandwich – White Bean Avocado Sandwich

October 4, 2022 By Asha Shivakumar

All you need is 15 minutes to make this delicious vegetarian white bean avocado sandwich is fresh, healthy and extra tasty! Perfect for a quick lunch during a busy day! Easy to make, this protein packed sandwich will be the best you’ve made. Made with roasted garlic, sun dried tomatoes and heat from jalapenos is far from dull.

Often in our culture, we don’t open the door to difficult conversations with our parents because the value of respecting our elders can be taken to mean never disagreeing with them openly. I had parents who were slighty above the average when it came to what I wore. Piercings were considered ok, even a beauty for a women. I was nonplussed. Practically every female relative I had wore a nose ring, it was considered both aesthetically pleasing and an auspicious thing to do.

But tattoos? That felt incredibly transgressive in the culture I was raised in….