Dinner

Vegetarian Mulligatawny – Spiced Vegetable Pepper Soup

January 13, 2016 By Asha Shivakumar

A pepper vegetable soup with lentils, so so good and perfect for cold weather. Vegetarian Mulligatawny – Spiced Vegetable Pepper Soup

One of the main things that makes me smile about this soup is its name. The word is derived from Tamil (South Indian language). Mulliga means pepper, and tawny/tanni means water. I speak that language, so you can imagine why I find it slightly amusing.

I have had my share of this soup in restaurants, not because I love soups, but only because I was intrigued by the name. Because soups were not part of meals growing up, we were adventurous and just had to start off very daintily with a soup at restaurants. When a bowl of soup was kept in front of us, I always had this expression: like how could this be pepper water? Some served it with a mango relish, some were soupier and had tomatoes in it. Chicken broth was used in many and chunks of chicken were found in some. I even had mulligatawny soup once which was so bombarded with cream that I wanted to chat with the chef. Honestly though, I have no clue what the original was and how it came about.

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Spicy Tomato Pulao with Vegetables

January 6, 2016 By Asha Shivakumar

Welcome to the first post of 2016. Happy NEW YEAR!!

“What do want for dinner?” – Mom

“Anything mom.”

“Something spicy today.”

“Something with rice.”

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Stuffed Eggplants Rolls in a mild Tomato-Almond Curry

December 18, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

Eggplant is a love or hate kind of a vegetable. Most of our household belong to the latter. A reason that this is my first eggplant dish on the blog:). In the words of one of my friend, ‘this is a curry even a non-eggplant lover would enjoy’.

It’s just that growing up I was never fond of aubergines/eggplant and dad would sit next to me for hours staring and waiting for me to take a small bite. Time would go by slower than normal..tic toc tic toc. I didn’t give up, I didn’t eat. He gave up..poor dad. Although not a big fan then, now I am. I have found a formula that I love. Just that now, hubby will eat a burnt toast but not eggplant and he is the most non fussiest person I know. Oh well…to our post.

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Mirch Ka Salan – Spicy Pepper Curry

November 29, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

Why measure when you have your taste buds, right?!

As long as I can remember, my grandma and mom never measured anything in their cooking. There would be huge family gatherings and lots of food. Just watching grandmom(Amma) cook with a pinch of this, a teaspoon of that, tasting every now and then was pure joy. Despite all the chaos I would be called to taste and see if it was OK. Let’s just say, it wasn’t just O.K, it was all so perfect. Maybe because of their inconsistency in how they cooked and got it right always, inspired me to see what cooking was all about.

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Best Authentic Vegetarian Vegetarian Khow Suey – Lightly Spiced Coconut Milk Curry with Noodles and Condiments

October 6, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

It’s October, it’s Autumn. To me, it’s the start of a lot of baking, cooking, festivities and entertaining. I hope everyone’s as excited for Fall, Pumpkins, Warm Spices, and Soups.

All of that can get overwhelming at times.

But, sometimes, even too much of a good thing is really good, like this soup!

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Indo-Thai Mixed Vegetable/Squash Red Curry with lentils and Pearl Couscous

August 17, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

You’ve heard it many times, read many experiences and you will hear it many more times.

When I stepped out into the cold chilly San Francisco airport as a new bride, I really had no clue what I was getting into….

I walked into a blank canvas in every sense. A large apartment with not a chair to sit on. No pots and pans, no spoons, I felt almost helpless. Really helpless and very thankful because for the name God, I could not make a decent coffee. Eating out was the only option until I got really bored of it….

30 minute Broccoli Pizza with Roasted Garlic Pesto and Feta Cheese

July 16, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

“Who puts broccoli on a pizza?!” If you have seen Inside Out, you probably know exactly what I’m referring too.

We finally got to see the movie Inside Out. As I was munching on my popcorn, I was oblivious to what was coming next. I literally spit and started laughing when the broccoli scene came. It just seemed so surreal. I don’t want to give away too much in case you plan to watch.

I’m not the biggest fan of animated movies. I got dragged into this. I have to say the imagination maestros outdid themselves. Ah! The way that the Inside Out writers chose to tell the story is gorgeous, complicated, and crazily imaginative: inside the control room of the protagonist’s mind. It covers a whole range of emotions and feelings. It makes you think.

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Pistachio Cake with Coffee Cardamom Mousse

June 19, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

It’s a perfect combination of nuttiness and creaminess with a touch of coffee. The coffee cream is very subtle and works like magic in this cake. It’s a coffee lover’s dream cake. Happy Father’s Day to everyone around! Happy father’s day to my pops who has the biggest sweet tooth!

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White Chicken Curry Pot Pie

May 2, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

Every year, I’m asked what I would like to eat on Mother’s day before they decide on eggs and toast. Kids plan with their dad, and they always make a tasty breakfast of Indian eggs with toast. It stops there :). I thoroughly enjoy my morning with some strong Indian filter coffee and the masala eggs. Then I get this: “Mom I don’t know how you’re able to cook so much all the time… It’s so tough.” As cooking is second nature for me at this point, I would be more than happy to enjoy in my kitchen the whole day. Even though I tell them I could, all I get is a big “No.” Afterwards, they tell about reservations for lunch and dinner. Mother’s Day is always fun, a bit of pampering.

Hypothetically speaking, if some one were to cook a nice meal, I’d love these mini pot pies. With this, a beautiful red wine, and a movie on Netflix, I’m all happy. It’s a flower bouquet in puff pastry form. What more could a food lover want? :)…

2 Vegetarian Healthy Weeknight Curries

April 16, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

Growing up, I always saw Mom making these dishes during weekdays. It was served with rotis/tortillas all the time. There wasn’t a particular pattern, but I knew what was coming some of the days. The very interesting thing was, they tasted the same every time she made them. Now, it makes me wonder how she did it. No recipe, just add this and add that. Our lunches were full course meals, most of the time. Weekday dinners were usually a simple roti with a vegetarian side.

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