Recipes From My Kitchen

Hailing from a vegetarian family, my IQ of non-vegetarian cooking is very limited. I do have a basic understanding of taste, texture etc, but my skills in the various cuts that can be given to a meat, or the cleaning processs, or the cooking time is very limited. Last few months, I am focussing more on improving my skills and also trying out various types of ways to cook meat. Lamb chops are a favorite at home. My MIL's version of lamb chops are very famous in our circle of friends and family. She has a unique cooking style - slow cooking. I know, slow cooking is a technique used by many, but to me spending enless hours in the kitchen on one dish simply seems too much. I really run out of patience and end up in frustration while cooking lamb because I kind of never get the texture right mainly because I have either over cooked it or under cooked it or would have fast cooked it. In either situations, there is a huge difference in the taste. I am learning, slowly and steadily :...

On my last visit to Pune, I stayed over with my Aunt B. My aunt is TamBam married to a Maratha. Post her marriage, she gracefully embraced all the traditions of her Maratha sasural . Already a very very good cook, she perfected the art of Maratha cuisine with elan. Every visit to her place, I try to learn some new Maharashtrian dish. This time, I insisted that I want to learn how to make Misal Pav. Misal Pav is a local street food in Maharashtra. Its prepared with a few variations. These variations come from the different regions of Maharashtra. Like a Kolhapuri Misal Pav would be fiery hot, where as in the Puneri Misal would have have curd and chivda added to it. Most street vendors serve this starting early in the morning and it can be had anytime of the day. This post is my Aunt B's version of Misal Pav :-) Ingredients: 1 big bowl of freshly prepared Makti Usal gravy , Other Ingredients: 1 cup onion , chopped, 1 cup sev , 1 cup mixed namkeen , 2-3 tbsp green co...

Baingan Ka Bharta is just one of the several versions of how eggplant can be used in Indian cooking. The word 'Bharta' refers to dishes in which the ingredients are roughly mashed either before or after the dish is prepared. Bhartas are largely North Indian in origin and made from all sorts of vegetables. This version of Baingan Ka Bharta is also really easy to make. Traditionally the eggplants are grilled over charcoal or direct fire, which gives the eggplants a beautiful smoky flavour. We don't use charcoal at home since we use a gas top, so I roast the eggplants straight on the gas top. They may be cooked on the outdoor grill on fire or done in the oven.  In North India, traditionally, mustard oil is used for cooking this dish. The combination of charcoal grilled eggplant and mustard oil is the most ideal. However, in most parts of India, other cooking oils are preferred. Serve it with hot rotis or parathas. Ingredients:  1 big eggplant, 1 big on...

I cant believe it never occurred to me to share a simple recipe such as green chutney. Actually, I make this every week and its absolutely indispensable.  I have been making green chutney (hari chutney) for years now. This mint coriander green chutney is very versatile and goes well with parathas, sandwichs, chats, and sometimes goes well even with a simple dal and rice. Chutneys are a great way to add an extra something to your meal very easily and I make a large batch of this green chutney and store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Try this chutney with crispy dosa...I'm sure you will love it :-) Ingredients: 1 bunch of fresh green coriander, washed, 1/2 bunch of mint leaves, 8-10 cloves of garlic, 1" ginger, 6-7 green chilles, (more if you like it spicy) 1 small ball of tamarind, 2 tbsp fresh grated coconut, Salt to taste Method: Wash the coriander and mint leaves in running water and chop roughly. In the mixer, put all the ingredi...

Being an avid baker myself, I must confess, I have never tried making doughnuts at home. So when  Lubna from Yummy Food told me that she was going to do a product review for MOD - Mad Over Donuts and asked me to join her, I was super excited as this was the first time I was going to do a product review for doughnuts. Singaporean gourmet doughnut brand Mad Over Donuts announced the completion of 5 successful years in India.  As part of their promotional strategy, they invited food bloggers to come and do a product review at their newly opened store in Koramangala.  As part of the celebrations, they have a line-up of exciting Anniversary Special Deals and activities in-store for their guests.  This week-long celebration across Mad Over Donuts stores is from the 20 th  to the 26 th  of March 2013. The biggest USP of MOD is that their bakes are 100% eggless, which makes them an obvious choice for vegetarians. They automatically becom...

Paneer is an eternal favorite for me. I love any version of paneer. Paneer Butter Masala or PBM is something which I had for the first time in Delhi about 10 years ago. Its a classic street dish served in most road side eateries. It is the vegetarian version of Butter Chicken.  This dish is really quick to make and goes very well with rotis, parathas, puris of rice. Ingredients: 200 gms paneer , cut in cubes, 2 onions , finely chopped, 1-1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste , 1 tsp red chilli powder , 1/2 cup tomato puree , 1 tsp sugar , 3 tbsp butter , 1/2 cup cream , (Amul fresh cream) 2 tsp oil , 1 tsp kasuri methi , 1 tbsp coriander leaves , finely chopped. Salt to taste Method: Heat oil and butter in a pan. Add onions and fry till it becomes light brown. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for another 2 mins. Add chilli powder and fry for another minute. Now add tomato puree and sugar and cook for 3-4 mins. Add 1 cup of water to this mixture. Cook...

As the name suggest, it is a hara kabab, which means most of the ingredients are green. I find this as the best way to include spinach for a non-spinach loving family. This is a great starter and if you have most of the ingredients at home, this is very quick and easy to make. The kabab has many ingredients which are very nutritious however, I have deep fried it. If you prefer low calorie, you could just shallow fry it on a frying pan. Ingredients: 8-10 spinach leaves , 1/2 cup fenugreek leaves , 1/2 cup green peas , boiled, mashed, 3 medium sized  potatoes , boiled, grated, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese , grated, 1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves , finely chopped, 8-10 fresh mint leaves , finely chopped, 2-3 green chillies , finely chopped, Salt to taste, Lemon juices as per taste, Powdered bread crumbs  for binding, Oil for deep frying Method: Blanch the spinach leaves in hot water for 2 mins and immediately put it in cold water. Chop finely and set as...