Non Vegetarian

Paneer-Bhaingan Bhurji /Eggplant Cheese spread Bruschetta

June 14, 2017 By Asha Shivakumar

An easy appetizer to sip with some wine. Eggplant with Paneer scramble aka Paneer-bhaingan bhurji is so good topped on a lightly buttered and toasted french bread. The perfect summer pick me up. Thanks to Revol cookware for sponsoring this post.

Right now, I am over the moon thrilled and thankful to all of you for reading my previous post about my book announcement. It has been one of the most read posts in the last many months and that shows how supportive you are. Thank you!! I will fill in more details very soon. For now, sharing one of the dishes I enjoy making for company or just for the family with some rotis.

Indians have a love affair with paneer. Before we were introduced to mozzerella, parm or all the variety of cheese that’s available now, we knew only paneer in India. It’s often compared to ricotta or halloumi. We use it in curries, grill it and even deep fry it. I often find myself scooping just one more nibble of chewy, milky-tasting paneer from the dish long after I’m officially full. It’s that delicious….

Spicy Amaranth Chicken Curry/ Thotakura Chicken

March 27, 2017 By Asha Shivakumar

Amaranth Chicken Curry is popular throughout the state of Andra Pradesh. Their cuisine is known for their spicy food and hearty distinctive taste. Amaranth leaves come in shades of red, purple and simple green. They are easily available in Asian grocers and widely popular in Indian cooking. They are robust in flavor eaten raw, but when cooked they turn mellow and add an extra layer of flavor to any dish.

Midweek rush.

Have you packed your bags? Print everything you want for school now, nothing in the morning. I’ll wake you up at 6. am., if you want to finish your homework.

After making sure things are a bit organized, I send the little one off to bed, kissing him on his cheek and squeezing his chin. I come down to finish the chores, prep for tomorrow’s lunch, and stare at the dishes for a while before tackling them. Once I find myself standing in a clean kitchen, I am pleased with myself. I put on a kettle, pour some boiling water in my mug and sit down with my green tea on the sofa, taking a deep breath. My phone is in my hand.…

Akki Rotti/ Rice-Dill Rotti (gluten free)

March 21, 2017 By Asha Shivakumar

Thin, loaded with vegetables, and made with rice, Akki rotti /rice rotti is a very popular dish of Karnataka. It is vegan, gluten free and oh so good, that you will be making this on repeat.

The food of Karnataka is very diverse, which has a wide range of vegan, vegetarian and gluten free recipes. Food there is typically less oily, and usage of multigrains is very popular. While the strict vegetarian food of Udipi is just outstanding, the gourmet delicacies of Mangalore and their rich curries are a must try.

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Healthy Creamy Kale-Lentil Daal

January 3, 2017 By Asha Shivakumar

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Wishing you all a very wonderful 2017!!

I woke up on NYE, reflecting on how it was a wonderful 2016.

When I say wonderful, it was, with some complexity. It had its ups and downs. And when I say wonderful, I meant that I chose to focus on the wonderful things. I tried to focus on the positive things. I learnt how to heal myself and look at what I had in front of me. I learnt that there’s no right way of life, no right way of living, or a perfect life. Perfection is a perception. It’s what we make of it.…

Baked Okra stuffed with Spiced Peanut Mix (Easiest Recipe)

September 20, 2016 By Asha Shivakumar

Indian food is quite simple, and this is a recipe which shows just that.

The vibrant, intensely colorful Indian food has found its way into many hearts. However, I do hear very commonly that “the spices are overwhelming.” I completely agree, especially for someone who is completely new to the array of spices Indian food has to offer, although it is not really too hard. In fact, I do tell many that you can always create an Indian flavored dish with ingredients you already have at home. It’s that simple.

I don’t exactly remember the first time I had it, but I do remember who taught me to make it. After that, I’ve never stopped. The best thing about this recipe is that you can use the spice mix for many vegetables: stuffed potato, stuffed cauliflower, stuffed bitter gourd, or you could even toss the spice mix in a beans curry! It’s all so good. This is a basic recipe, and a very popular one.

I definitely try to hold on to every part of Indian culinary culture I’ve learnt, and try to simplify it so that it’s attainable. I definitely think you’ll agree that this is one of the simpler recipes that’s still so authentic. I really hope you get to try it out.

Baked Okra stuffed with Spiced Peanut Mix

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

35 mins

Author: Ash

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Okra - 1 pound

Spice Stuffing mix

3 tbsp peanuts roasted and coarsely powdered
⅓ cup chickpea flour
⅓ tsp garam masala
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp sesame seeds
⅓ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp sugar(optional)
2 tbsp canola oil
Bake at 400 degree for 20 minutes

Instructions

Prep the okra by wiping it with a damp cloth and trim off the ends and the top and set aside.
Mix all the ingredients for the stuffing mix and set aside.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees for 15 minutes.
Slit the okra/bhindi in the middle but not fully, it still needs to hold it's shape. Stuff 1 tsp of the mixture in the middle and line all in a baking tray.
Lower the temperature of the oven to 400 degrees.
Drizzle oil evenly over the okra and bake them at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until the okra is completely cooked.
Serve it with rotis or soak them in yogurt and serve it with some rice.

Notes

This spice mix c an be stored in a bottle in the refrigerator for upto 2-3 months.

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Baked Okra stuffed with Spiced Peanut Mix(easiest recipe) |foodfashionparty|

Shrimp Curry with Potatoes and Peas – 30 Minute Curry

March 28, 2016 By Asha Shivakumar

Low and slow, is the mantra for a good Curry.

Curry comes in a variety of colors. Cooking is an art, curries are the colors.

Indian Curries are pretty time consuming, especially with the ones that involve meat. The pan or pot that a curry is made in also adds to its complexity. Everything must be slow cooked and sauteed without burning, and the meat almost always is cooked for long periods of time left unattended. For example, a good fish curry would always take a while to make. If it sat overnight before serving, the dish became exquisite the next day. A lamb/goat meat dish prep would start a few hours before lunch time and it was almost on Sundays. Cookers or slow cookers were never used. It cooked long hours leading to a ‘fall of the bone’ tender, flavorful and juicy meat. All these different curries really required a lot of time and love, but were so worth the wait.

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Spicy Chicken Pakora/Fritters

December 28, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

Chicken Pakora/fritters is an amazing appetizer and perfect party entertainer. It’s best made using boneless chicken and chickpea flour/besan.

We are thoroughly spoiled by where we live. Right in the middle of the bay, there are farmer’s markets every week, people with light casual clothes all year around. There are strawberry picking, the cherry festival, the peach trees, and garage sales which will close down the streets. Apple orchards filled with the most delicious ones to pick, tangerines and oranges everywhere. We are greedy every season and try to hold on to the harvest preserving it bottle by bottle. When there are snow and storms everywhere, we are trying to preserve the water because of the dry weather. Craving for exotic food, we have options: we can either make them because the international grocery stores carry everything and the restaurants here are amazing. There are mountains to one side and sea to the other. Ski resorts are a couple of hours north and Disneyland a few more to the south.

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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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