Currently browsing category

Main Course, Page 2

Paneer in Coconut Gravy

All my friends and relatives know that I am a paneer lover. A die hard fan. It is one thing that never fails me. But, strange enough that I haven’t posted any of paneer recipe’s on the blog. May be I take it for granted. Well, that is the first sign of how much I love it. The sign of it being an integral part of my life.

The trigger for this recipe, however, is the regular complaints from the love of my life. He has been complaining that the food at our home is getting boring day by day. Well, the real reason is that he has not been given the chance to be my guinea pig since a few weeks. So, it is obvious that things would look dull and boring, won’t they? 🙂

Swedish Knäckebröd with seeds

Do you believe in angels? I never did, until I met Barbro, my extra mother. I met her in 2010, a few months after my dad passed away. May be it was God’s way of balancing things in my life.

Back then, she met me in the capacity of my onsite trainer. Little did we know then that we would have such a strong connection that would last forever. I think it is her love that brings me to Stockholm every now and then. Since, I am in Stockholm right now, we get to meet as many times as we can. We chat a lot about different things including food. We exchange our ideas and try them.

Gobhi Kalia

Agar firdous baroye zameen ast, hami asto, hami asto hami ast – Amir-e-Khusru Dehluvi

(If there is paradise on earth, It is here, it is here, it is here)

Kashmir, not only it is a heaven on earth, but it has heavenly food as well. The special flavor that the cuisine has is unbeatable. You get that punch in every bite and each flavor unfolds it in layers.

I so wish to visit Kashmir once in my life and absorb the heavenly beauty inside me. It is one of my thousand desires. The snow, the peaks, the flowers, the dal lake, the shikara, the beautiful people, the folk songs, the traditional food, the people, the firan, the jewelry, I can go on and on. But, I will not go further writing the intro to this blog or I will start writing about Kashmir and its impeccable beauty instead of Gobhi Kalia. This dish is my ode to Kashmir and my desire to see the beauty hidden there. So, here I go with the recipe for Kashmiri Gobhi Kalia.

Mirchi ka Salan

Some memories are unforgettable, remaining ever vivid and heartwarming!

This dish is all about memories. I was newly married, just a couple of months, I recollect. Like a typical new wife, I was trying my hand at every nice dish in the zest to impress Abhisek. Not that he was not already impressed, but you tend to do more everyday to keep your love happy. So, I made Hyderabadi Mirchi ka Salan, and that has been my best shot till date. I have tried so many dishes, so many cuisines, but this one has surpassed everything else. Even after 2 years into our marriage, when I ask him about what has impressed him the most, the list starts with Mirchi ka Salan.

Kohlrabi or Ganth Gobhi Sabji – a new entry in my kitchen

Every weekend when I go to the supermarket, I stop by the aisle where I see some different vegetables. I am always tempted to buy Kohlrabi and fennel. But, most of the times they are without leaves and I wanted to try recipes that could use the leaves too. Alas!

A few days ago, I was chit chatting with one my friends Shivani and she said she made kohlrabi or ganth gobhi today. She mentioned that the supermarket had Kohlrabi with leaves. And, bang! I knew I need to pick it this time and try it out. And finally here it is, ofcourse after some tips from Shivani. Thanks gal! 🙂

Oh yes, I didn’t use onion and garlic so it is navratra friendly. Don’t confuse it with navratra fast food though.

Chhole Bhature – Pure Indulgence

I grew up having Chhole Bhature from an famous shop in my hometown. It used be our Sunday brunch at least once a month. Every time Dad and I went to the shop to buy Chhole Bhature, Pinki uncle (the shopkeeper) would give us gulab jamuns while we wait for his assistants to make fresh bhaturas and pack for us. Those memories are still afresh in my mind and the taste alive on my tongue. I don’t think I will ever be able to replicate that taste, for it was not just the magic of special hands and masalas, but also the pleasant smile of Pinki uncle and the drive to the shop with Dad. Well, some things needn’t be replicated, they are only meant to be cherished as memories. Nevertheless, I tried my hands on chhole bhature. Here is what I did:

Jhol Wale Aloo

Simple, quick, desi, lip smacking, delicious, etc, etc. I can add as many adjectives to this humble dish. It was never on my hit list until I made it once for Abhishek. And, voila he loved it. And, this is my brahamstra to please him. He is angry? Make aloo poori. He is depressed? make aloo poori, he is busy and not listening, make aloo poori…ha ha..the list is endless. And, the best part is he never gets bored of it and I can make it in a jiffy.

Baked Litti Chokha

Have you ever tried a dish with raw mustard oil and garlic? I never did before I got married. It was after i got married that I started my experiments with different cuisines, both to satisfy my taste buds and to impress my husband. He, being from the eastern side of the country, enjoys the local food much more than any exotic dish. Would you believe that even though we had known each other for 6 years before marriage and were quite comfortable with each other, he never demanded any special dish. I had to coax him to tell me what he wants to eat; something different, something special. And, he is such a simple person that he asked (very politely with least expectations; or may be he was doubtful of my culinary skills ;)) for the desi food he had back in his home town. And, so I began searching for recipes online, tweaked them to what he told me from his best food memories and came up with my own version of Litti Chokha. The low fat, baked littis with the rustic chokha.

Oil-free Zucchini Koftas

My regular guinea pig (read husband) was not in a mood of being my guinea pig today, so had to experiment with something that would satiate his taste buds, and yet be oil free. Ah, oil free because I was participating in an event called Oil Free Cooking, hosted on FB by my friends Sonal and Shailja. And, so this is what I did for him. Zucchini koftas, absolutely oil free, milk free, cream free, and nuts free too.

Kashmiri Dum Aloo

There are two maniacs in my home, me and my husband. Me a paneer maniac and he is a potato maniac. Besides …