I made Thandai Shortbread Cookies because I’m currently obsessed with all things thandai. Holi is around the corner after all. The festival of colours is incomplete without thandai. While the traditional method is to drink thandai – a cool, milk-based drink flavoured with thandai masala, there’s no reason why you can’t eat thandai as well. So the Thandai Shortbread Cookies are my way of enjoying the fragrant flavours of thandai on Holi and well after it too. Delicious and versatile thandai masala It must’ve been a genius culinary mind that came up with the thandai flavour mix. Who would’ve tho ..read more

I know my Crispy Tofu Fried Rice looks loaded with more vegetables than is the norm. That’s because it’s meant to be a one-bowl meal. I love it. It has that salty umami that we love in Asian food and the added bonus of crisp-outside, juicy-inside chunks of tofu. This Crispy Tofu Fried Rice is a texture and flavour bomb, all in one bowl. How to cook the tofu to be crisp-soft without deep frying I used firm tofu. It’s important to drain the block of tofu of all the liquid and wrap it in a paper kitchen towel for 30 minutes. This way, all the excess water gets absorbed. Tofu is quite bland but we ..read more

For a Hyderabadi, Baghare Baingan is many things. It’s the taste of home, a must at parties and celebrations and a dish so uniquely Hyderabadi that along with kachche gosht ki biryani, it has become a culinary symbol of the city. So this post on Baghare Baingan is my (long overdue) homage to the deliciously rich food culture of the city.  How to choose and prepare the eggplants The eggplant, aubergine or brinjal, or baingan (Hindi), is considered to be a humble vegetable. It comes in different sizes and colours ranging from white to different shades of green and purple. To make Baghare Ba ..read more

A Lamb Barley Turnip soup is a good way to get turnip-haters to eat their share. Turnips are a winter specialty and are said to provide warmth from the season’s chill. That said, I’m sure most home cooks will agree that it is far from being a popular vegetable. A turnip soup that packs in the fibre and goodness of pearl barley and the savouriness of meat will (in my opinion) find many takers. What is pearl barley? This Lamb Barley Turnip soup uses pearl barley. It is whole grain barley that has been hulled (its outer husk is removed) and usually semi polished to retain some of its bran. This h ..read more

A hearty Hyderabadi Mutton Dalcha is a beautiful thing to grace your table on a cold winter day. I sought succour in this deliciously thick mutton (goat) and chana dal dish during a recent cold front. I made it as much for its taste as its ability to soothe the soul and evoke a sense of comfort and nourishment in inclement weather. Quintessentially South Indian, the Hyderabadi Mutton Dalcha is made with mutton-on-the-bone, masoor dal (red lentils) or chana dal (split Bengal gram) and sometimes vegetables like lauki or bottle gourd. The typical Hyderabadi touch is the tamarind or lemon that add ..read more

This Garlic Spinach Baked Chicken comes after a long hiatus from posting. I will endeavour to be more regular this year (life willing). The cold has been biting down in these first few days of January, and what better than a gratin-style dish to warm up bellies on chilly evenings? Leaves et al Luscious chicken thighs and a boatload of leafy greens are at the centre of this bake. I harvested an armful of tender, sweet spinach from my winter garden, which prompted the creation of this simple dish. Garlic Spinach Baked Chicken – the name is self-explanatory but the dish also co-stars a big bunch ..read more

If you’re seeking a stuffed buns recipe that’s delicious and healthy, you’ve come to the right place. This post is all about a beautiful, domed, whole-wheat bun with juicy, spiced mutton(goat) keema (mince) centre. The bun itself is golden-crusted, and soft with the mild sweetness of whole wheat flour. Bread flour vs regular whole wheat flour In my stuffed buns recipe, I chose to use whole wheat bread flour in combination with whole wheat flour(atta) since bread flour has a higher percentage of protein (13%), to give the buns structure. Using only regular whole wheat flour or atta may yield de ..read more

A meen manga curry is mandatory on the menu several times during the mango season. Tart, green raw mangoes are wonderful with fish and prawns. The sour notes elevate the sweetness of seafood and a hot and sour fish curry with rice never fails to hit the spot. A humble, country-style curry This meen manga curry is a naadan-style curry, a rustic dish cooked by fisherfolk and farmers alike. Locally sourced ingredients like mangoes and mackerel (plentiful and inexpensive) are cooked with onions, garlic, ginger and curry leaves along with a few basic spices. It’s simplicity itself and yet, has such ..read more

I made the softest, moistest, amaranth muffins to kickstart 2023. The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2023 to be The International Year of Millets, and what could be more apt than getting back on my blog with a millet-based recipe. These made-for-breakfast muffins are fibre and nutrient rich from amaranth flour, whole wheat flour and rolled oats and bursting with banana. The chocolate chips are the cherry on the cake. Baking with amaranth Millet flours for the most part, can be challenging to bake with. Drier and gluten-free, it’s difficult to use them to produce soft and fluffy b ..read more

Vaangi Bhat literally means eggplant/aubergine/brinjal rice. And that’s exactly what it is – a dish of eggplant and rice lightly fried with an aromatic and nutty spice mixture. Vaangi bhat belongs to the cuisine of Karnataka in South India. It is an excellent one-dish meal and one of my favourite ways of cooking small, purple eggplants. Choose your eggplant Eggplants come in so many shapes and sizes and it is important to pick the right type for every recipe; because this has a direct bearing on how the dish turns out. For example, large eggplants (Globe and American varieties) are not suited ..read more