Classic Risotto

 

risotto

What is the right age to follow your passion? For me, it is whenever you are ready to follow it. Since forever, I have loved cooking and eating good food. I would, from my childhood act as if I was the chef of a show and demonstrate how to make ‘chatpati bhujia’. (Bhujia is savory fried noodles).What is chatpati bhujia u ask? It’s onions, salt , lemon and chili added to bhujia.  I know!!!!!! Doesn’t say much about my cooking skills.
These days I am watching my childhood pass right in front of my eyes. All my kitchen utensils can be found in my kid’s toy box or lying around in his play area where he is cooking up a seven course meal. [Read on…]

Khow Suey

Khow sueyAfter cooking up a storm 6 nights a week, my kitchen closes down for an evening and we like to go out to eat as a family and have a good time. But more often than not, we end up going to Indian restaurants in spite of loving so many different cuisines. The reason being that most cuisines focus largely on non vegetarian food and there are 1 or 2 bland dishes on the menu in the name of vegetarian food (mostly raw or steamed vegetables ).

I’ve had numerous instances where a vegetarian meal served to us, upon close inspection, turned out to be non vegetarian. If you add chicken stock to a vegetable soup, is it still vegetarian? The answer is ‘NO’. If you add gelatin to a dessert, is that dessert vegetarian friendly? “NO” again. And if you are making me a vegetarian sandwich using a knife that you used seconds ago to cut meat…..I don’t know about you but it’s not vegetarian in my humble opinion. [Read on…]

Fiery Baby corn Manchurian

 

Fiery baby corn Manchurian

If you get fresh baby corns in your local supermarket, I am so jealous of you right now. So next time please do me a favor, when you come across them in the awesome aisle, promise me that you will pick up a pack of them. Promise me that you will fight for them if they are the last pack available and give them the love and respect they truly deserve. No, I haven’t gone crazy. It’s just that I usually get to buy those canned baby corns that smell like medicine and I have to wash them thoroughly a million and one times to get rid of the smell. But all said and done, even then, these make a scrumptious Manchurian dish. [Read on…]

Iced Temp-tea-tion

Iced Temp-tea-tion What coffee is to America, tea is to India. We are a tea obsessed nation. We need tea for all occasions and no occasions. Headache – “Gotta have” tea.

No headache – “Just like that” tea.

If you have guests over -“What will u have?” tea.

Happy occasion -“Let’s celebrate” tea.

Sad occasion -“Need to uplift my mood” tea.

Rainy season – “What will I have with my pakoras/fritters?” tea. [Read on…]

Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake

 

Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake

So I asked husband dear (HD) what flavor cake would he like on his birthday.

Him: “umm….whatever u like.”
Me: Should I bake a strawberry cake?
Him: Nooooo
Me: Why not?
Him: It’s girlie.
Me 😯 (Dear Strawberry, forgive him for he knows not what he says.) How is it girlie?

Now here is the thing, give me a good, healthy argument any day. It energizes me. HD is polar opposite of me in that. Arguments are a waste of time according to him and rightly so :). [Read on…]

Tofu Coconut Curry

Tofu Coconut Curry

What is cooking, if not an experiment? Have you ever entered the kitchen thinking of preparing one dish but half way through it, changed your mind and altered it just a little bit here and then a little bit there and then a little bit here and then a little……… you get the idea. And after this little alteration spree that you went on, you end up with something “little different” for better or for worse. [Read on…]

Vegetable Pesto Pizza

Vegetable Pesto PizzaGone are the days when kids only used to scream for Ice-creams. These days my 4 year old screams for pizza more than for an ice-cream. Its popularity among kids and adults is unparalleled. I tried to love the pizza served in restaurants and at pizza places but never really could. The thick soft crust topped with few vegetables and loads of cheese was never really my cup of tea. Switching over to thin crust didn’t help either. It was too hard. So I avoided eating it for  a long time. Then one day the unthinkable happened. My son after watching a cartoon ran over to me and said “Mom, I want to eat pizza.” 😯 I should have known that this day was coming. [Read on…]