30 min meals

EASY Spicy Fish Fry

February 28, 2021 By Asha Shivakumar

This Spicy Fish Fry is flaky and great with paruppu/daal and rice. This effortless South Indian style Fish Fry has few ingredients, marinated and pan fried. Perfect as an appetizer too.

Amma(my paternal grandmother) had the midas touch when it came to seafood: spicy fish fry, fish kozhumbu, shrimp and meat dishes.

It’s mid morning, the chaos of our home has settled down leaving my amma and me taking in the sun rays coming through the balcony. His screams reach us from a kilometer, the fish monger pushing his wooden cart with a huge cane basket filled with ice, to keep the fish fresh comes our way. His visit was a little later than normal. I see the eager look in Amma’s face. He waves at us, shouting in tamil that he has Amma’s favorite fish, Vanjaram(king mackerel). Holding her pallu (corner of her saree/dress), I tag along with her. And her bargaining starts, in the end, both coming halfway and happy. She gets her Vanjaram for fish fry and another for curry….

Ultimate Top 10 Spicy Appetizers – Super bowl Recipes

February 4, 2021 By Asha Shivakumar

A roundup of Spicy Super Bowl recipes for one of the biggest sporting events of the year is coming up on Sunday. It’s going to be just us this year, but here are some fabulous Indian inspired appetizers to help you celebrate.

A roundup of Spicy Super Bowl recipes for appetizers worthy of a touchdown. I love spicy appetizers for every party. It works great for game night parties.

All of the Super Bowl food recipes below are ones I’ve made multiple times. These are pretty much the only recipes I make for super bowl parties. Of course this year, it’s going to be just us, but I will be make a couple of these spicy appetizers.

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Marinated Greek style Gigantes

January 12, 2021 By Asha Shivakumar

Greek style Gigantes has few ingredients with bold flavors. This easy Greek style Marinated Gigantes is so moreish and makes for a perfect appetizer or a light lunch.

“Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror.

Just keep going.

No feeling is final.”

~Rainer Maria ~

I think of happiness as being something that we’re always chasing — the right person, the right job — external things. To me, joy is quieter, more internal, and we often find it in simple moments along the way. Like i read somewhere: the author writes about her mother, who experienced so much disappointment and loneliness in her life, yet finds solace in the little things….

Fatteh – Pita topped with chickepeas,eggplant,potatoes in yogurt sauce

December 16, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

This Fatteh is a delicious combo of flavors made with tahini yogurt sauce, spiced chickpeas, smashed peppery potatoes, paprika eggplant, poms and crispy pita bread!

It’s only normal for me to love this Lebanese Vegetarian Fatteh that feels like Indian chaat, but so different too.

I’ve learnt a few dishes from my neighbor: shish barak and this Lebanese fatteh, my top favorites. A generous lady with five kids, always made it a point to share special dishes, and this was one that I gobbled up. The holidays makes me miss her more, it was lively with kids playing in the yard, the screams, lights and action. After they moved, I kept in touch with them for few years, then life happened. Her food and warm personality will always be close to my heart….

Healthier & Loaded Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins with tahini

October 17, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

These soft pumpkin muffins are loaded with chocolate chips and pecans, with tahini in the filling, it’s over the top flavorful. Made with olive oil and whole wheat flour, it’s little healthier, but no one can tell. Make one batch and it will become your favorite too.

We are still seeing high temps in the Bay Area, but that doesn’t stop me from going pumpkin frenzy. At least my home smells like Fall.

I’ve made a few batches of these over the last many years. They’ve also made a few trips to the bake sale, and they get sold before you can spell PUMPKIN:’).

I don’t measure, I eye ball pretty much everything especially when muffins are concerned. And every single time I get lucky. Last week a friend of mine asked for the recipe and it hit me that I don’t use any recipe for this. So, I decided to write it down, send it to her and while we are on a roll, share it with you’ll. It’s after all one of my most baked muffins during pumpkin season. Breakfast, lunchbox treat, after school snack… Best Ever Loaded Pumpkin Muffins for everyone!…

Masala Egg Bhurji- Most delicious Indian style scrambled eggs

September 30, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

Masala Egg Bhurji/ Spiced Eggs is a perfect celebration dish for the non-meat eaters. Works for a special-occasion breakfast loaded with sweet peppers, goes great with rotis or on toast. YUM!

Anda Bhurji or Scrambled Eggs is probably one of the most made food in every household. This Anda Bhurji is nothing short of amazing, it’s a special dish that can be served on occasions or for your Sunday brunch.

This recipe sprung to life one fine, August afternoon as I was strolling around the kitchen getting ready for lunch. Got the chicken out and exactly knew what I was making for my little boy. But, lunch for my pescatarian hubby had me scratching my head. I’ll come to that later, I thought. First let me marinate the chicken. While mixing the yogurt, like a circuit breaker blew up, I had an idea….boom!!…

Pumpkin Dal with Beet Greens

September 27, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

Cozy and comforting Pumpkin Dal or Poosanikai Kootu is perfect for autumn and cooler months. It’s easy to make and with the addition of beet greens adds so much more flavor.

Happy Autumn!!

It’s that time of the year when pumpkin and butternut squash is in abundance, and I’m all about pumpkin recipes, be it sweet or savory. I’ve been eating this pumpkin kootu or pumpkin dal from when I was a baby. I’ve always liked the slight sweetness in my curries and this one with chapathi or just plain rice is phenomenal.

Authentic South Indian everyday food/recipes uses very less spices, simple local ingredients and never over the top hot. It’s always fresh and few ingredients. This recipe uses channa daal for it’s bite and texture, creamy which also holds it’s shape. This pumpkin dal works best with channa dal/split yellow chickpeas or even split yellow moong daal.

Flavorful Indian food is so much faster and you can get the most authentic taste with just a few ingredients.Thanks to my mom for yet another healthy and delicious recipe that is a staple at home….

One Pot Saffron Chicken Rice

September 22, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

Saffron Chicken Rice is a one pot meal that is flavorful, comforting and weeknight recipe made easy! It’s robust, soulful and well balanced, the best recipe you’ll need. This post is sponsored by Spice Tribe.

Biryani, Pulao, Fried rice of any kind is our special meal and brings out the nostalgia in me. Our Sunday meals had biryani as the star, and mom made one of the best biryani ever.

Now, my boys are big fans of biryani or pulao of any kind, always with chicken. This recipe Saffron Chicken Rice is inspired by Turkish pulao, and it’s something I make few times a month, especially during a weeknight….

Chayote Spinach Kootu with Kootu Podi

August 5, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

Chayote kootu with spinach, made with a special kootu podi is simple, yet overflows with flavors and leaves you questioning what spice is added in it. It embodies the way I like to cook — that is to say, in a way that lets each ingredient shine.

A soothing bowl was needed because everything is getting overwhelming.

Don’t you prefer every day very much like another? I know, who likes it… Especially since we are going through that. With everything that’s going on, housework has doubled (don’t know why, or maybe I do), office work seems slow, I’ve been in my PJs a bit more than I’d want to, haven’t seen any of my friends in a while, and, to top all that, stress takes over with more reasons than one. You call a friend and everyone talks about the same situation, the same work, the same chores… I don’t blame them. It’s hard on everyone….

Best Kootu Podi (Iyengar Style)

August 4, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

Kootu podi or vegetable lentil stew(kootu) powder makes it easy to make kootu in a matter of minutes. This is a recipe that goes back many years and comes straight from one of the best cooks that I knew.

When dinner bowls bring fond memories…

As I sit to write this recipe down, I’m taken back almost two decades, but it still feels like yesterday.

I moved to this place where my now twenty year old was one. The little kid had loads of energy, and I was a new mom who wanted to entertain him, expose him to nature, the park, people, and other kids. Typical mom, took him to basketball which he hated, music which he loved. In between all those classes, I’d walk with him around our neighborhood in circles…

The park was a small walk away, and it was also the place for women to catch up with each other, their outing. Since it was a new development, the crowd was young and in the same boat as I was. However, I missed my family back home, so anytime I saw older women from India, I made sure to talk to them. It felt like home….