Lunch

bitter gourd curry/Paavakai Kozhumbu

March 9, 2019 By Asha Shivakumar

This bitter gourd curry is everything: tangy, spicy, sweet and sour and umami of flavors. Bitter gourd is also known as karela, paavakai, kakarakaya and more, is quite infamous for it’s bitterness. A vegetable that is not liked by many has a ton of nutrients and healing properties. This is the only way I can eat the bittergourd curry and you will love it too.

I would sit for hours and not touch this paavakai kozhumbu. Dad would be right by my side, looking at me and coaxing me to at least try it. Mum has already cleared out the table. We both, dad and I were adamant. He wanted me to eat a little and I didn’t have it. Mum would tell daddy, “it’s okay if she doesn’t want to eat it”. He would respond, she needs to at least try it. An hour and few mins in, he gets tired and realizes his little girl is a little bit more adamant than he is. After all who’s daughter is she and “I told you to leave her” was the look dad got from a smug faced mom:)….

OPA SQUASH DUMPLINGS IN SPICY CURRY-Kofta Curry

February 6, 2019 By Asha Shivakumar

Vegetable Kofta Curry is a very popular dish in India. This is my easy take on a classic which comes together in one pot. This opa squash and chickpea dumplings is simmered in a smooth sauce to make a delicious and delectable curry. Weeknight meal made easier.

Weeknight meals can be interesting, but not the most appealing looking at times. But, it was real. More often than not, the meals we get to share with family and friends do not take on the convivial, alluring nature we see promoted across blogs and boutique media. It’s easy to set a beautifully-styled farm table and encourage meaningful, open-hearted dialogue and then CONVENIENTLY disregard that meaningful, open-hearted dialogue is, by nature of our human-ness, a mess most of the time. The mess doesn’t sell.

It happens in a rush. Everyone’s got lots to do and you feel the need for extra couple of hours in a day….then comes the spicy yummy meal craving. One pot meals at his time does come in handy.

Here’s one I absolutely love….

Kohlrabi/Noolkol Edamame Fry

January 26, 2019 By Asha Shivakumar

Don’t be intimidated by kohlrabi/noolkol! This root vegetable is easily adaptable to many flavors and keeps it’s crunch. Delicious and Nutritious. This Kohlrabi/Noolkol Edamame Fry is a vegetarian lovers meat dish.

I’m always curious about other people’s comfort food. The stuff you eat when you’re sick or sad. I feel like it tells you so much about that person, where they came from, what they turn to feel better.

And when I ask people so many secrets spill out, gooey mushy nostalgic childhood food, some’s grandmother’s mutton, someone else who goes to a tiny box-line restaurant in old Shivajinagar for the flavors of that chicken that’s unbeatable, some else, who makes an elaborate meal from scratch to lose themselves in the method and to forget….

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…… …

Bengali Pumpkin Aloo Posto – Stir fry Pumpkin and potatoes with poppy seeds

January 2, 2019 By Asha Shivakumar

This Aloo Posto is a classic example of how just a few ingredients can yield a creamy spiced potato dish. A staple in Bengali households and one of my all time favorite recipes.

I love January and it’s everyday-ness. I’m glad for a regular pulse again. The holidays are great but it’s the stillness that I crave at the end of it all. We spent the holidays binge watching “How I met your mother” and a small skii trip to Aspen. We ate home made comfort food and listened to Paul Anka, on my teen’s new record player to fill the house with something… normal….

Goan Style Hasselback Potatoes with Balchao Masala & Coconut Milk

November 11, 2018 By Asha Shivakumar

This Goan style Hasselback Potatoes Casserole is a twist on traditional fanned baked potatoes. The potatoes are baked in a spicy coconut milk sauce, creamy in the middle with irresistible crisp edges. An easy, impressive potato side dish recipe to make for a crowd!

Thanksgiving is two weeks away!!

A few days ago, as I was talking to the boys, I asked them what they were thankful for. The list went on. What struck me most is when they said that we treated them as equals. That made them feel special: when they could eat with the adults, sit at the same table, and participate in the same conversations and rituals.

Such a simple act of inclusion, a seat at the table. “An act of affirmation, really… You, yes you, young one, have a unique and important way of looking at the world. There is so much to be grateful for during the holidays, but a seat at the table has been a gift I have always been acutely aware of, and very much thankful for,” he said….

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….

Crusty Cauliflower Pasta Bake with Peppery Almonds Manchego Crust -GF

October 11, 2018 By Asha Shivakumar

With just four ingredients, you have the best cauliflower pasta bake ever. The sauteed cauliflower feels decadent with spicy almonds in this crunchy baked pasta. You can cook this over the stove top, or bake it. Be careful not to overcook your pasta, as it will continue to cook in the oven.

This pasta bake is just the kind of thing for these dark and dreary days. It’s warm, crusty, and soul-satisfying. Yet it’s full of healthy ingredients. Chickpea pasta, crushed cauliflower, and a good peppery almond crust.

The pasta is a vessel that holds the cauliflower and with every bite, you get a bit of the creamy from the cauliflower and crunch from the almonds….

Gluten Free Millet Roti – Softest and Easy Rotis

October 8, 2018 By Asha Shivakumar

Two ingredients, one important step, and you have the easiest and softest gluten free roti there is. This gluten free roti stays soft for two days if wrapped well.

The minute I posted my quick naan recipe, I started getting requests for a fail-proof roti. I somehow missed sharing wheat rotis. I’ve been on a gluten-free journey the last couple of months and have been experimenting with different grains. We make rice roti which is gluten-free. However, it is a bit thick and heavy and hence doesn’t really go well with sabzis. So, when I started sharing my experiments on social media with whole grain rotis, I have had a sea of requests for a foolproof gluten free roti that stays soft for a long time….

Indian inspired Spicy Carrot Soup with Walnut Crumble & Monday Musings

October 7, 2018 By Asha Shivakumar

This is super healthy soup that gives you all the fresh, warm fall flavors. The spicy carrot soup is easy on the ingredients and boast big flavors. Loaded with ginger and garlic, lime juice for punch, with some sesame seeds. It is tangy, nutty, very creamy and intensely flavored, Made with few ingredients and 30 minutes, this is an incredible easy and delicious meal any time of the year.

The endless cascade of nutritional information—about localism, vegetarianism, veganism, organic food, the environmental impact of eating meat, poultry, or fish, and more—makes the simple goal of a healthy, sustainable diet seem hopelessly complex.

Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are.” That’s what the French lawyer Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, who happened to have a deep love of gastronomy, wrote in 1825. A century later, a diet-hawking American nutritionist named Victor Lindlahr rendered it as: “You are what you eat.” I propose revising it further: Tell me what you eat and I will tell you how you impact the planet.

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