Appetizer

Burmese Tea Leaf salad

March 10, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

Around this time, a few years ago, was when I started enjoying green tea. An introduction to an actual green tea salad came way later, with a lot of resistance. I am not a salad lover, let alone a fermented green tea salad… That’s a stretch.

If you visit San Francisco and you have some time to wait in line to grab a bite, do not miss Burma Superstar. The food is delicious, and the fermented green tea salad is outstanding. What I don’t enjoy is the wait (which is crazy), and it’s even worse when you go there hungry. So, you know, I had to find a way to make one my favorite salad at home. I was inspired by the excellent salad I ate there, and just had to make my own version.

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Tandoori Fish and Yucca Chips

March 1, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

Happy March!!

I’d like to believe a lot of us are creatures of habit. In my mind, there are very few things better than a nibble here and a sip there around a table with nodding heads and bouts of laughter. Conversations start and flow, taking us around a whole lot of subjects with a lot of food consumed.

The only drawback to this is you get used to this, a bit too much. A simple ritual but a fond one.

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PEPPER CHICKEN On Rice Cracker( PAPAD)

December 8, 2013 By Asha Shivakumar

It’s 3.30 p.m.; the front door opens to two hungry boys. The perfume of pepper, warmth from the spices, and the sizzling sounds are just inviting. If I was in my parent’s home, I would ask the same thing, “Mom, it smells so good, what are we eating?”

I have to put my foot down on some things.”Go change, wash up, put on your home clothes, and I will tell you what I cooked,” I say.

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Spicy Mango Masala Chicken

September 29, 2013 By Asha Shivakumar

There are lot of words to describe food and 3 words for this chicken, ‘FINGER LICKING YUMMY’.

This recipe was definitely an accident, a happy yummy accident.

A few years ago, I had some mango puree sitting in the fridge after the mango lassi I made yesterday. I could never eat the norm, had some chicken drummets too. Mango chicken, why not right? Sounded great. After making a quick sauce and cooking the chicken, I gave it a try, and it as pure deliciousness. Definitely reminded me of something I ate years ago….

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PANEER TIKKA with YOGURT MINT SAUCE

September 20, 2013 By Asha Shivakumar

I happen to love paneer (non melting, unaged, farmer’s cheese).

Growing up, I don’t remember mom cooking much paneer (cheese). It was something that we ate at restaurants.

As a South Indian our diet mostly consisted of rice, lentils, vegetables, and chicken. Paneer/cheese was considered ‘North Indian food’. So when we wanted to eat, we would go out to a restaurant for a treat, and what a nice treat it was.

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CHICKEN PATTIES with APPLE CORIANDER CHUTNEY

August 6, 2013 By Asha Shivakumar

Some things are just easy.

Some things are comfort.

Some things just bring back memories.

I met her 6 years ago,a lady with an attitude of gratitude.

She was the lady who carried a cane basket filled with different fresh greens. She came every morning door to door to sell greens. A simple yet strong woman. I fell in love with her(my keerai lady/greens lady). Why, you might ask?

Her husband abandoned her. She adopted a little girl at 2 months and she started living for the little one. She sold greens in the mornings and did household chores in the afternoon for a living.
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YUCCA and Red Quinoa Fritters with Saffron Aioli

July 18, 2013 By Asha Shivakumar

What came first the chicken or the EGG?

Summer for me is the time to laze around, sleep crazy hours and the time to socialize. My foodie friend and I have been planning a meetup for a while now.

The day came, and I was excited to have her home for coffee. I made these Peruvian inspired yucca fritters for her. Coffee was set in my small and cozy backyard. Got ready in my butterfly summer outfit, pinning my hair up and in summer sandals, was ready for some girly couple of hours.

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Chicken Wings – Spicy Masala Wings- turn up the heat!!

July 2, 2013 By Asha Shivakumar

A Recipe has no soul. You as a the cook must bring soul to the recipe. – Thomas Keller

Happy July Friends. Hope your weekend was good with perfect weather.

Mine I can say was hot and irritating. Our a/c is not working and it was 100 in the Bay. Thankfully I got a chance to stay in the skating ring with my preteen, safe for 3 hours while my little baby played cricket for hours in the burning heat. I also had a brilliant but impractical idea of driving around so we don’t have to walk into the oven. Well, that did not happen, I wonder why.

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