Spicy

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….

Chayote Spinach Kootu with Kootu Podi

August 5, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

Chayote kootu with spinach, made with a special kootu podi is simple, yet overflows with flavors and leaves you questioning what spice is added in it. It embodies the way I like to cook — that is to say, in a way that lets each ingredient shine.

A soothing bowl was needed because everything is getting overwhelming.

Don’t you prefer every day very much like another? I know, who likes it… Especially since we are going through that. With everything that’s going on, housework has doubled (don’t know why, or maybe I do), office work seems slow, I’ve been in my PJs a bit more than I’d want to, haven’t seen any of my friends in a while, and, to top all that, stress takes over with more reasons than one. You call a friend and everyone talks about the same situation, the same work, the same chores… I don’t blame them. It’s hard on everyone….

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….

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….

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.…

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. …

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….