Fusion

Spicy Mango Masala Chicken

July 3, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

There are many words to describe food. Three words to describe this chicken, no cliché here, are “FINGER LICKING GOOD.”

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

This is a re-post from few years ago. I’ve made it a number of times. Yesterday I made a huge batch of the mango barbecue sauce and decided to click some better quality pictures, if you know what I mean. I haven’t deleted the old post. If you’d like to see the old pictures and how this recipe came to be, here’s the link for the original Mango Chicken.

…

Lychee-Ginger Lassi and Pineapple Lassi

June 24, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

A common summer day, to me, means pj’s, workout pants, and staying in all day procrastinating. Days start late and run late. The workout pants are very convenient for regular hikes and runs. There is no routine and no professionalism, just hanging out and thinking about what to do next. Sometimes we decide an impromptu drive, a swim, or a movie marathon. We are regulars to the half price book store. By the end of summer, we have a huge sale ourselves. I love summer and hanging out with the boys very much. Of course, every once in a while, I get bored of this regimen and decide to have friends over. Summer entertaining is the best. I get out the frills, the flowers, and a pretty hair do, which is always fun.

…

Spiced Watermelon-Orange Mint Drink

June 9, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

Every Summer arrives with my parents wanting to spend time with their grandchildren. Who can blame them? It’s been a whole year, and all they look forward to is spending time with their naughty little kiddos. Being this far from them is not fun at all. There’s nothing more precious than seeing the little ones being pampered by their grandparents. The heartiest conversations, the most effortless love. It’s all so memorable.

…

Momos Manchurian – Vegetarian Dumplings

May 14, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

I forget how I exactly got introduced to momos or when. I know one thing, I love them.

I went through a stage a few years ago when I researched about various cuisines of India, few countries too and wrote about them in my note book(which I thought I’d publish one day). I was so intrigued by local food of different countries. I tried speaking to friends from those regions, learnt how to make some authentic food(I tried). I could have a conversation about local cuisine to people and that felt good. Don’t know what happened to that book or that enthusiasm. I can go on and on about the various types of dishes I’ve learnt, but I’ll bore you’ll next time. Today it’s about the beautiful country, Nepal where Momos are a popular delicacy.

…

Vegetable-Quinoa Rolls with Sweet and Spicy Green Chutney

April 27, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

Hi Friends! Happy Spring!

Is it spring already? It’s spring now, and Saturday felt like winter. It was rainy, and gloomy all day. I know it’s spring cause’ I’ve had the worst allergies ever. Sinus and I’ve been asking the boys in my life to press one side of my face. They find it funny but always do it.

I’ve been everywhere in the last couple of weeks, from Bikram yoga to a hike to a boxing class. I ate up a storm, cooked like crazy, and have been insta crazy. I went to the library. I got a bunch of books which are just lying around, and I just got a notice saying that it’s due in 2 days. I wanted to blog. I wrote so many recipes and tested a few, but I had no mojo to take pictures.

…

ZESTY AUTUMN VEGETARIAN PROTEIN SOUP

November 15, 2014 By Asha Shivakumar

It was Friday night, and the kids didn’t care what they ate. All they wanted was to take a break, relax, and do nothing. After a few days of binge eating and carb overload, we all had to eat a bit cleaner for a few days. The good thing is, the kids love to eat healthy food, but only when it tastes good. When they help make it, it’s even better! ;). I called them to come up with their own ingredients for a soup(little did they know I had it all planned). The little one chose the vegetables, the teen chose beans, and we had a winning combo. I asked them to chop, clean, and organize. I had the base ready, and they put things together; it’s that simple. They enjoyed it and were thrilled that they came up with it :).…

ALMOND AND SAFFRON VALENTINE PIES

February 12, 2014 By Asha Shivakumar

Friendship Day was the most popular college celebration I knew of when I was growing up. Seriously, I never celebrated Valentine’s Day until the last year of my graduation. It was so interesting and fun to see girls buying cards for their Valentine. They got so giddy over it!

On Valentine’s Day, you could see girls dressed their best. They wait for their Valentine to come with red roses. Few guys did come, and the rest were jealous. The four(my friends and I) did not have much excitement on the day and tried to get past the day without being too embarrassed or annoyed. This happened for years.
…

INDO THAI – SPICY CHICKEN CURRY with VEGETABLES

December 17, 2013 By Asha Shivakumar

If I had to summarize my weekend into one word, it would be: congested. Isn’t it annoying when you feel feverish but the temperature couldn’t be more normal. The whole weekend almost flew by resting and take out food. Not sure how you feel about NyQuil, but I can sleep 2 days straight with just 2 tbsp of it. I actually did(not literally), it did feel good.

What I did miss was home made comfort food, like some rice and spicy curry. I’m pretty exhausted from all the take out.

So after couple of days of take out food, I got up on Sunday and made my Indian Thai Curry(spicy). We enjoyed it with some coconut rice. Yum.

…

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.

…

SQUID INK PASTA WITH FENNEL,GARLIC AND BASIL

October 23, 2013 By Asha Shivakumar

I was scared by a person wearing a monkey paper mask when I was 12. That’s the most a scary costume could get in those days. It was called ‘fancy dress competition’ growing up, wasn’t a big deal. I remember one year couple of my friends and I decided to be the cha cha dancers, a day before the competition. All we did was wear long flowery dresses and a plastic flower pinned to the side of our hair. It was darn cute but so silly.

Do you remember your most memorable Halloween costume?
…