Paneer Butter Masala|Paneer Makhani
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Paneer Makhani
I have had my fair share of Paneer Makhanis in the restaurants of America. And have to say, in all humility, that Paneer Makhani is the most abused dish in the entire Indian cuisine. [Read on…]
Punjabi Chole
I have been looking for a great Punjabi Chole recipe for such a long time that when I found it accidentally I almost shed tears of joy and disbelief. Imagine my surprise when a reunion planned at my friend’s place who isn’t a fan of cooking (After all, it is Delhi. I would hardly want to cook if I was in the chaat city.)led me to these mouth-watering cholas. To save her the trouble, ( she has two small kids) we decided on catered food but also requested her to have little rice and any curry on the side for kids in case the outside food was spicy. Also, I was flying back to the US that same evening and hence wanted to stick with as much home-made food as possible. [Read on…]
Besan Ka Chilla
Almost everyone I know truly and honestly believes that their mom makes the best food in the whole world and I understand that. I also think that they are correct in their own right. But I have been known to be an exception in that area. I just don’t know how not to say my mind. I have no problems telling my mom that her version of kheer or Kadhi sucks but her Rajma is truly the best in the whole world (Seriously! They are that awesome.) or for that matter so is her besan ka chilla. [Read on…]
Chakki Ki Sabji
What is worse than a 4 year old catching cold? Trying to keep that 4 yr old away from a 9 month old. So, the inevitable happened. My older son caught cold. The whole house became an army boot camp in all efforts to shield my little one from getting it too. The boot camp was divided into two halves. My husband and the older son on one side and me and the little one on another. I became the monster of the house trying to keep two brothers away. My ‘Karan-Arjun’ looked at me like I was the Thakur of the house doling out punishments and torturing the innocent brothers as I went around. And the man of the house thought “Clearly, I was overdoing it.” But at the end of the third day, (But not without a lot of drama, fake tears and tantrums by my Karan on being kept away from his Arjun) when my LO was cold-free, guess who was laughing the loudest? Heee Haaaaaa Ha Ha Ha. [Read on…]
Tomato Soup and Vegetable Pesto Panini
Brrrrrr……There are only two things I like about winters. Snuggling deep-down under the warm and cozy comforter and hot, soulful soups. Those are the only two things that make the winters bearable for me. I agree that there is something magical and beautiful in the air, in the month of December but the nail-biting, teeth-chattering cold just kills it for me. I mean, you go out on a Christmas eve or new year’s eve, only to mummify in the bone-chilling cold and wishing you had listened to your winter-hating gut and stayed at home sipping hot cocoa by the fireplace, reading a good suspense novel. I have not yet seen the new year’s ball drop in New York. Can you believe it? I just don’t think I have it in me. Guess, I am not a cold loving person or may be, I am, if I don’t have to step out of my home. [Read on…]
Arrabiata sauce
What’s the similarity between Laurel and Hardy, Tom and Jerry and Calvin and Hobbes? They are a pair where one is incomplete without the other. I would like to add arancini and arrabiata sauce to that list. They are o.k. individually but are simply awesome together. Each one comes to life in the presence of another. All chutneys and dipping sauces are the life line of appetizers and snacks. It’s just not the same without them. My husband loves the marinara sauce that comes with bread sticks from pizza joints. So when I made this arrabiata sauce to go with my arancinis, he was delighted, to say the least. [Read on…]
Arancini
By now, you know that we are vegetarians. My son loves to watch ‘Oswald the octopus’. Inspired by him, he wants a fishing rod these days. So I asked him:
Me: Sweetheart, what will you do with a fishing rod?
Him: Mom, I’ll do this. (Pretends to cast the line)
Me: But we don’t eat fish!!!
Him: No Mom, I’ll do this. (Casting again)
He makes this expression that says ” What fish? What’s a fishing rod got to do with being a vegetarian? And who said anything about eating fish?” [Read on…]
Classic 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…]
Vegetable Pesto Pizza
Gone 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…]