VEGETARIAN

Momos Manchurian – Vegetarian Dumplings

May 14, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

I forget how I exactly got introduced to momos or when. I know one thing, I love them.

I went through a stage a few years ago when I researched about various cuisines of India, few countries too and wrote about them in my note book(which I thought I’d publish one day). I was so intrigued by local food of different countries. I tried speaking to friends from those regions, learnt how to make some authentic food(I tried). I could have a conversation about local cuisine to people and that felt good. Don’t know what happened to that book or that enthusiasm. I can go on and on about the various types of dishes I’ve learnt, but I’ll bore you’ll next time. Today it’s about the beautiful country, Nepal where Momos are a popular delicacy.

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Vegetable-Quinoa Rolls with Sweet and Spicy Green Chutney

April 27, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

Hi Friends! Happy Spring!

Is it spring already? It’s spring now, and Saturday felt like winter. It was rainy, and gloomy all day. I know it’s spring cause’ I’ve had the worst allergies ever. Sinus and I’ve been asking the boys in my life to press one side of my face. They find it funny but always do it.

I’ve been everywhere in the last couple of weeks, from Bikram yoga to a hike to a boxing class. I ate up a storm, cooked like crazy, and have been insta crazy. I went to the library. I got a bunch of books which are just lying around, and I just got a notice saying that it’s due in 2 days. I wanted to blog. I wrote so many recipes and tested a few, but I had no mojo to take pictures.

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2 Vegetarian Healthy Weeknight Curries

April 16, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

Growing up, I always saw Mom making these dishes during weekdays. It was served with rotis/tortillas all the time. There wasn’t a particular pattern, but I knew what was coming some of the days. The very interesting thing was, they tasted the same every time she made them. Now, it makes me wonder how she did it. No recipe, just add this and add that. Our lunches were full course meals, most of the time. Weekday dinners were usually a simple roti with a vegetarian side.

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Peanut Spice Stuffed Peppers

April 8, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

As food bloggers, we are trying and testing out recipes all the time. I post my daily food on Instagram and Facebook almost everyday. However, I noticed something very funny. Throughout winter I really haven’t had a decent ‘party’ at home. Friends have dropped by, and we’ve met them outside, but we’ve not had an actual party. It’s very surprising how sometimes we get caught with so many things that entertaining does take a back seat.

Finally, I decided to have a few friends come over for some wine and snippets. Around the kitchen table, laughs and discussions about everything happened. Wine flowed as the spicy paneer was devoured. This unique looking chili kept our conversation going for at least 3o minutes. Food, wine, and friends are so magical.

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Burmese Tea Leaf salad

March 10, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

Around this time, a few years ago, was when I started enjoying green tea. An introduction to an actual green tea salad came way later, with a lot of resistance. I am not a salad lover, let alone a fermented green tea salad… That’s a stretch.

If you visit San Francisco and you have some time to wait in line to grab a bite, do not miss Burma Superstar. The food is delicious, and the fermented green tea salad is outstanding. What I don’t enjoy is the wait (which is crazy), and it’s even worse when you go there hungry. So, you know, I had to find a way to make one my favorite salad at home. I was inspired by the excellent salad I ate there, and just had to make my own version.

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3 Bean Carrot-Spinach Soup (Spicy Indian Style)

January 22, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

While in many places it’s snowing and freezing, late winter brings bright sunny weather in Northern California. I had to remind myself that it is winter as I drove around in 65 degree weather today. The excitement of winter is only when we drive up for a few hours to see the snow. After a few rash rains, the doldrums of January bring foggy mornings and warm yet cozy afternoons. The sun stays awake for as long as it can, as the fog gives us the perfect picturesque view on early morning walks. Living in the Bay Area sure has its beautiful moments….

HARISSA-MANGO PANEER AND PEARL BARLEY-DILL SALAD

January 17, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

This month was my whole grain month. As I measured out the barley to cook that morning, I did not realize that I had to be creative about how I made use of it for the next three days.

Little did I know that after you have a decent portion of this grain, you won’t be hungry for hours. But isn’t that a good thing? Oh well, maybe. For me, it was ok. So, long story short, I cooked 4 cups of barley which turned out to be around 8 cups of cooked barley. The kids were very apprehensive at the sound of the grain but it turned out they enjoyed it especially when I paired it with something they love….

MIXED CHAAT/Salad

January 12, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

Taste a good chaat, and you will soon know why it is not forgotten. Chaat is a jumble of flavors and textures. It’s sweet, spicy, tangy, crunchy, and quite wild in flavors. Ask an Indian about chaat, and you will see their face light up. It just does that. Chaat is traditionally eaten in between meals in India. It is just not like back home. There is something amiss in the authenticity of chaat we get here. I guess it’s because it has to be catered to people of different cultures.

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Wasabi Broccolini with Saffron Quinoa Pilaf

January 6, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

I have a great rewarding audience to cook for. We all share a common passion, food. Although hubs is not much of a kitchen person, his appreciation and knowledge of his food are admirably impressive.

I don’t have a strategy or agenda when cooking on most days. It’s even more experimentative when clearing the fridge and when I have nothing much going on. Sometimes, a meal comes from a place of annoyance and “Hey, I’m going to cook whatever…”

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EGGLESS Matcha Green Tea Banana Fritters- Sweet Paniyaaram

December 23, 2014 By Asha Shivakumar

Using a recipe of a friend or family gives me the feeling of closeness. It’s like they are here with me in my kitchen guiding me. Do you feel that too?

As the evening sun is shining through the window, I hear the birds chirping, waking you me up from my nap. Memories of Sunday are quite beautiful. A nap after a good lunch of Biryani and pepper chicken put us in a sort of food coma. That didn’t stop any one of us from taking it easy the rest of the day. The biggest incentive for waking up were hot pakoras, maybe sweet bondas, jalebis or someone knocking your door to drop off something.

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