The Fire Roasted Tomato Chokha is a dish from the eastern state of Bihar (India) and is traditionally cooked on coals. There is something very comfortable and ancient about cooking on fire or the grill. The aromas wafting from the food touch evokes emotion and the flame kissed food tastes like something we have always known. While I love grilled lamb chops and tandoori chicken, I mostly gravitate towards cooking more vegetables on the grill. Fresh summer vegetables when grilled are really delicious in salads, salsas and chutneys. The Fire roasted tomato chokha or the ‘tamatar ka chokha’ as it ..read more

We have all had that one dish in a restaurant or a bakery in our home city or while traveling where a dish just simply knocks your socks off. When the creativity of the chef or the baker shines through and you simply can’t help but wonder if you can recreate the dish at home. Some of those experiments sometimes become nearly as good as the original and you feel like you cracked the code on something magical. The Levain Bakery chocolate chip cookies were one such thing for me. And I am not a cookie lover, and I don’t ... The post Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies appeared first on SpiceRoots ..read more

Thandai – The nutty, sweetly spiced aromatic drink made during the Festival of Holi. ‘Thandai’ is a take on the word ‘thand’ which means cold, and taking that meaning Thandai means something that is cooling. Traditionally, Thandai is served during the festival of Holi with milk and cream as its base. But this Thandai recipe is dairy free and processed sugar free and it’s certainly as good as the traditional one if not better! As with all things related to traditional Indian cuisine, the health benefits of Thandai are numerous. This Ayurvedic formula of almonds (badam), magaz seeds, (melon seed ..read more

If you love wasabi, you are going to fall in love with Kasundi – the fermented mustard sauce from West Bengal. There is mustard and there is Dijon mustard and then there is Kasundi. The stuff of fables. Don’t take my word for it. You have to either source some of it or make your own. Pungent, aromatic, spicy – just the type of stuff to awaken the senses. If you are not into spicy and pungent stuff, fret not. There are ways to tame down the pungency of this mustard relish. Kasundi is a traditional Bengali condiment. This fermented, ... The post Kasundi – Fermented Mustard Paste appeared first o ..read more

A tandoori fish without yogurt and gram flour aka a paleo fish tikka recipe! This dish is naturally gluten free (make sure all the spices you buy don’t have any gluten added). I am slowly getting used to eating gluten and dairy free, so I changed the traditional tandoori fish tikka recipe to be dairy and grain free. A bright colored dish, full of goodness of spices and easy to cook. This Barramundi fish recipe comes together very quick and can be added to a weeknight rotation. Especially if you make a batch of tandoori spice mix and keep it ... The post Tandoori Fish Tikka Salad appeared first ..read more

Cauliflower and Beets salad from ––All Stirred Up Suffrage Cookbooks, Food, and the Battle for Women's Right to Vote By Laura Kumin. The post Cauliflower and Beet Salad appeared first on SpiceRoots ..read more

When you are looking for easy salad recipes, make sure to keep this carrot salad in your repertoire. This can be made two ways, even three! And can be made ahead. Of the Indian carrot recipes, this is one of my favorites to put together when carrots are aplenty. And I like using the rainbow carrots for this recipe. Each color of these rainbow carrots has a distinct taste and texture, which as you know is a great thing to have in a salad. A few interesting facts about this salad – It uses a chutney as a dressing. I ... The post Carrot Salad appeared first on SpiceRoots ..read more

…. Why make a sourdough bread with polenta? It is an obvious question. One that I had when I first came across a sourdough bread made with porridge. All the answers were revealed as soon as I took my first bite. The crust was crunchy without being too hard. The crumb was airy but moist and tender. And the flavor – incredible. You do have to watch the dough a little more carefully than you would your regular sourdough bread. The sugars and starches in the polenta can speed up fermentation, especially if it is warm where you live. But ... The post Polenta Rosemary Garlic Sourdough Bread appeared ..read more

Yes! I succumbed. After years of trying to stay away from the very British interpretation of “curry”, it is time to be fair and accept that some of the British Indian food is absolutely delicious – the chicken tikka masala for example. This Instant pot chicken tikka masala recipe is not an average weeknight chicken dinner recipe. It is a bit more involved because it is a two step recipe. Having said that, with a little bit of planning this can be made mid week . Even after a busy day, searing an already marinated chicken and putting it into ... The post Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala appeare ..read more

This pupusa recipe is more of a technique based project than an ingredient based one. The only important ingredient is the masa. Because it is after all a maize cake! You can play around with the fillings and decide what you like best. I made a bean and cheese pupusa because it is what I had on hand. So feel free to use what you have on hand. If you have leftover taco meat, that will go nicely as a filling after you grind it up a little. You can also totally make them vegan with a filling of mushrooms ... The post Homemade Pupusas appeared first on SpiceRoots ..read more