Indian

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….

Paneer Beans Stir Fry in Tamarind Chutney

August 3, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

Chutney. Chop. Stir and serve. This paneer beans stir fry is a great, delicious meal with some rice on the side or some noodles. Simple and splendid.

Stir-fries are a girl’s best friend when looking for an easy meal that feels fancy and loved by all. Lunch time when the boys would go to school and work was a peaceful time, all by myself soaking in the moments. Plated well, simple it might be, but always fancy-ish and healthy. The lesson — that lunch can be and should be the welcomed break in our day to recoup and recharge — changes the entire game of the day.

This is hardly work: some stirring, pouring, and a bit of fry up, and then, here’s lunch. The trifling effort yields plush, sweet and spicy paneer that snuggles up with green slightly crisp beans. I love to have it as is, it is simple and absolutely delicious….

Kathirikka Rasam/Eggplant Rasam

July 18, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

Rasam is a quintessential side dish that’s enjoyed with rice. This kathirikka rasam is a very special rasam that’s served in temples, or on special occasions. It’s a specialty in some parts of Tamil Nadu that uses eggplant and a spice paste made with coconut.

Some recipes are just meant to come your way and steal your heart.

Even if you despise eggplant as I used to, you are going to like this one. Take this from someone who used to be a staunch eggplant hater.

Many of you who follow me on Instagram know I was in India for four months during this pandemic, from March to end of June. Let’s just say it wasn’t a fun one. However, like many things in life, things happen for a reason, and I chose to see the positive in everything….

Fried Cauliflower Potato Curry in Peanut Sesame Paste

April 26, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

This Cauliflower Potato Curry dish is perfect for a weeknight dinner and for a party! It’s loaded with delicious spices and a special paste, and comes together so easily! The flavors are unique and will WOW you.

After I posted this picture of Instagram, I got so many requests for a detailed recipe for this. And you know that another curry recipe was coming, right? Looks like you guys love curries, Chickpea with Spinach Curry, I knew I had to keep these curry recipes coming. There’s my Quick 20 minute Thai Green Curry, my Mixed Daal with Vegetables and even my favorite of the blog Navratan Korma. Now finally – this Fried Cauliflower Potato Curry in Peanut Sesame Paste. SO GOOD! This is such a different, amazing, mouthwatering and comforting curry that you’ll be making it over and over again….

Chettinad Prawn Masala

March 2, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

Chettinad Prawn Masala has few spices, and big bold flavors. This is a recipe from the Southern part of India. This dish comes together quite quickly and very flavorful.

South Indian Curries are always close to my heart though. South India offers a variety of quite spicy curries. The spices are pretty similar in a lot of the curries, just vary a slight bit. But, to my amazement a simple fennel can change the whole flavor of the curry or a few curry leaves. Most of the time a chicken, mutton or even a fish curry is a slow cooked one. This one comes from a place called Chettinad. The local cuisine is simply one of the the most spiciest I’ve ever tried, Chettinad Cuisine….

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.…

Peanut Chicken Curry

December 5, 2019 By Asha Shivakumar

If you love a different recipe for chicken you have to try this recipe! This Peanut Chicken Curry is brimming with flavor thanks to all the spices, it’s rich and creamy and it’s amazingly hearty when you finish it off with basmati rice or naan.

Peanut Chicken Curry

Chicken curry is common to several continents including India, Asia and the Caribbean. There are probably a chicken curry in some form that every household loves and makes. My favorite of them though is this aromatic Pepper Chicken Curry, I’m always just craving these flavors. Also, I might be biased because it’s a recipe I learnt from my mom and a favorite of my boys….

10 BEST recipes with Beets

December 3, 2019 By Asha Shivakumar

“THE BEET IS THE MOST INTENSE OF VEGETABLES. BEETS ARE DEADLY SERIOUS.”- TOM ROBBINS.

Beets have a inherently woodsy taste to them. I’ve had them in desserts as well as really spicy dishes, it can be very adaptive. I happen to love this vegetable. Didn’t know I love it this much. Here are my top 10 BEST recipes with Beets.

BEET BIRYANI

This easy and delicious beetroot vegetable biryani is my go-to on days when I feel like having a healthy biryani. A one-pot meal of rice, vegetables, and aromatic spices, it’s rich in flavor and elaborate enough to take center stage at parties or just for the family. Each bite is suffused with spice, veggies, or caramelized onions—deep and layered in flavor….

Cozy Vegan Autumn Veggie Potato Creamy Soup

November 28, 2019 By Asha Shivakumar

This Cozy Vegan Autumn Veggie Potato Creamy Soup Soup is full of hearty seasonal vegetables and wild rice, it’s wonderfully creamy and comforting, and easy to make in the Instant Pot, Crock-Pot or on the stove top.

For those days when you’re craving a cozy, creamy, comforting bowl of soup…I have the perfect new recipe for you.

It’s a riff on a dish I grew up and love. A coconut milk stew. I’ve loaded this soup up with lots of seasonal veggies, but you can add shredded chicken to it too. And added in some bolder savory seasonings. The coconut milk is creamy and delicate, instead of heavy cream. And the result?

Basically the most delicious, hearty, sweet-and-savory, thick-and-creamy, comforting soup a girl could ask for. ♡…

Caribbean style vegetable stew

November 25, 2019 By Asha Shivakumar

Caribbean food, essentially, is a kaleidoscope of delicious flavors that met to become something new and amazing. If you’ve never immersed yourself in the wonders of this region, you have to start with this recipe. This Caribbean style vegetable stew is AHMAZZING! I’d say its got the touch of Southern Indian and Bengali touch from the mustard, and the locals bring in the fried plantain element to this with toasted coconut. It’s a riot of flavors. Get cooking!

Caribbean food has global influences, combined with indigenous ingredients and techniques. It’s played a paramount role in defining the evolution of the modern Caribbean cuisine we know and love today. From soups and stews to desserts, many of the region’s signature staples surprisingly trace their beginnings back to the European and Asian countries where they originated. These global influences, combined with indigenous Caribbean ingredients and techniques, have played a paramount role in defining the evolution of the modern Caribbean cuisine we know and love today. …