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Stuffed Meatballs in White Curry aka Christmas Kofta Curry

December 20, 2021 By Asha Shivakumar

Stuffed Meatballs in White Curry aka as Kofta Curry is full bodied and flavorful. Try beef, lamb, chicken or turkey meatballs smothered in this amazingly silky sauce.

As the story of 2021 comes to an end, I see the lessons it brought me.

Surrender: No matter what big plans I make for my life, the plans of the Universe will always trump my own and they will always be better for me.

Daily practice is critical: maintaining my practices in the good times allowed them to show up for me in the tough times. Short and simple habits have been lifesavers.

Resetting myself to neutral through breathwork, reframing the negative narratives by looking for the growth opportunity instead of being stuck in victimhood and blame….

chicken sukka/Chicken Fry

October 16, 2021 By Asha Shivakumar

This fiery delicious Chicken Sukka or chicken fry is a perfect Sunday brunch. It’s a very popular dish of Mangalore and this Mangalore Chicken sukka is best eaten with dosa or even better with Neer Dosa.

Mangaloreans love their spice. There are no two ways about it. The cuisine of Mangalore consists of many diverse communities. While their coastal region boasts of their popular seafood, their Tulu vegetarian food is very popular. The use of coconut can be found everywhere there. I am a big fan of Mangalore cuisine and have a few iconic Mangalore dishes in my cookbook!…

Hotel Style Vegetable Kurma

February 11, 2021 By Asha Shivakumar

This Hotel Style Vegetable Kurma is tasty, authentic and perfect with idli, dosa or appam. It’s made with plenty of veggies, including potatoes and cauliflower that have simmered in a spice-paste.

Some recipes are born out of necessity and this is definitely one of them.

I have a hankering for authentic meals quite often. At times being in US, with below average restaurant food makes me miss the traditional curries that we get in India even more. This mixed vegetable curry comes with dosa or idli in many restaurants and it’s so special, simple and so comforting.

My Vegetable Curry recipe has been in the works for a few months now and while you’ll need bit of fresh produce, the bulk of this recipe relies on pantry staples — spices. Then, with the fresh produce required, most of it is shelf stable for quite a long time — the onions, ginger, garlic, and potatoes….

Paneer Lababdar – Rich and Creamy Restaurant Style Paneer Curry

November 6, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

Paneer Lababdar, a traditional Punjabi style paneer curry is creamy without any cream. A restaurant style paneer curry, that is rich and perfect for any festivities and easy to make. It’s predominantly made with melon seeds and cashews or almonds. Butter, enhances the flavors. A mild paneer dish that silk creamy smooth, goes so well with naan or jeera rice.

There’s as many paneer dishes in India as there are toppings of a pizza. This is one of my favorite restaurant style paneer curry next paneer tikka masala.

Paneer is such a versatile protein for vegetarians, it takes on the flavor of anything you add it to. It’s creamy and a non meat eater’s meat. There are so many Indian paneer curries that I love: paneer mattar, paneer makhni, paneer pulao, paneer butter masala, paneer masala and the list goes on. If you want to learn how to make paneer from scratch, check this post out. This dish has no cream or milk or lots of butter, it’s creamy from the nuts and tastes excellent….

Potato Paneer Stuffed Jalapeno Curry

July 29, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

Paneer stuffed jalapeno Curry. The mild mellow, slightly sweetish tomato and cashew curry offsets the heat from the stuffed peppers. It’s dish to entertain with, a great vegetarian entree for those fancy days with a bodacious personality.

I run down the stairs to the door bell. The grocery guy has just pulled over the driveway. I wait till he leaves the produce and take all precautions to bring it in. A quick scan: milk, butter, 7 cucumbers(hmm I didn’t order that much, but I was ok), greek yogurt- check, a huge relief! I go to the next bag with my clear gloves on and stand confused. Four tomatoes and 3 pounds of jalapenos?!! What!!

After a few moments of annoyance and a close call for a massive tantrum, then the realization for the many possible things to come up with the three pound jalapeno bag were emotions all in a minute as I stared at the bag staring back at me….

Quick South Indian Egg Curry

January 9, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

Tender soft eggs are soaked in a super flavorful curry with a coconut base. This easy South Indian egg curry recipe shows you how to cook a tasty curry using minimal ingredients, making it a perfect dish for a busy weekday dinner and its gluten free.

Eggs are my everyday lazy protein. Egg curry is my go-to lazy dinner.

When eggs are your protein, it’s one pot, quick and hearty. On my lazy days, eggs are what’s for dinner. This South Indian egg curry is one that appears on the menu every couple of weeks. It’s also one of my favorite go-to egg recipes when I have sudden guests, because you most likely have all the ingredients on hand and not only is it easy to make, it’s also incredibly flavorful. You add hard-boiled eggs to a spiced tomato sauce and in less than 30 minutes, dinner is done. Serve this on top of rice, roti or my no–yeast quick naan.…

Karahi Chicken- Kadai Chicken

January 23, 2019 By Asha Shivakumar

This flavorful karahi chicken uses fresh spices, tomatoes and slow cooked. The chicken is coated with the spices and tomato and makes for a very flavorful unique curry. I am so happy to be sharing my recipe for the best karahi chicken.

Everyone loves a restaurant style curry, but homemade is something special, healthier and more flavorful. Karahi chicken is one of my go to dishes to order when I’m at an Indian restaurant. It’s even special if you raid that spice cabinet and make everything from scratch.

When you eat out at an Indian restaurant, chances are that they’ll have Kadai/Karahi Chicken on the menu. It’s a popular north Indian dish that’s made with a few freshly ground whole spices and is known for it’s incredible flavor. It’s a simple, spicy dish and is traditionally made in a cast iron wok, but you can use a dutch oven or large saute pan instead….

Patod Ki Sabzi – Crispy Chickpea Cakes in Yogurt Spinach Almond Gravy

January 8, 2019 By Asha Shivakumar

A popular curry made in Rajasthan. Patod is a chickpea cake that’s dipped in a curry. Patod-Chickpea cake curry is perfect for entertaining and a vegetarian lovers delight. The curry is beautiful base with spinach, some yogurt and a lot of other good stuff.

Food is such an important, driving force in our lives. We share and create some of our most important stories surrounded by food. It comforts us, nourishes us, and heals us. So far, I haven’t met one who didn’t have a special dish or fond food memory to look back on.

Eons ago….

I’ve come to my friend’s place for a sleepover. There is a game of rummy going on upstairs. While I am expected to be with the teens…… …

Green Peas and Papad Curry – Appalam Pattani Kurma

October 14, 2018 By Asha Shivakumar

An easy and simple Indian style green peas curry with papad. This spicy Dry Green Peas Curry is made with sprouted dry green peas (a staple in Indian kitchens), onion, tomatoes, spices and papad. A vegan, soy-free, nut-free, gluten-free recipe.

This is a month of celebration. Celebration of a woman. Goodess Durga in all her forms.

Entire India will celebrate Navaratri and Durga Pooja. Celebrating the victory of good over evil.

Everyone celebrates festivals for different reasons.

And when people do draw a boundary between spirituality and religiosity, they are often making a political or moral statement rather than describing what they believe.

To me, festivals have a deeper meaning….

Dhaba Style Egg Omelette Tomato Curry

September 29, 2018 By Asha Shivakumar

These mildly spiced eggs cooked in butter were rolled, cut, and simmered in a tangy garlicky tomato curry. They are fluffy and soak in the juices quite efficiently. This dhaba style egg curry is a perfect quick “lazy” meal for cold evenings. The curry goes absolutely great with rotis, chapathis, and parathas.

We’ve had an adventurous few weeks. Yes, we did travel quite a bit, but it is the adventure we had with my camera I’m referring to.

A few days before leaving on a trip to London and Oslo, my camera stopped working. The card reader was messed up. I was sick at that time. When I finally had some energy, I decided to take it to my local camera repair guy (which had a one-star rating) only because I did not want to drive an hour up to the city to get it fixed. We were somewhat relieved because the local guy told me he can try and give it before we leave on our trip, which was in five days….