Category | Asafoetida RSS feed for this section

A powerfully flavored spice typically used as a “tadka” (tempering in hot oil) ingredient in Indian dals and curries. Asafoetida is especially popular in Jain and Ayurvedic cooking, as an alternative to the strong flavors of onions and garlic.

Moong Dal Cheela: Savory Lentil Pancakes

26 Nov

We normally make cheela – a savory pancake popular as breakfast food in India – with besan (gram flour), but my taste buds prefer the more delicate flavors of moong dal cheela. Moong dal has the added edge of being less taxing to the tummy than gram flour.

On to the cheela recipe, with step-by-step pictures…

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Tomato Ginger Chutney with Roasted Peanuts

16 Nov

A chunky, nutty tomato ginger chutney with a sprinkling of roasted peanuts. Like the sound of it?

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Tomato Toor Dal

10 Nov

Tomato Toor Dal

Of all the types of dals, split toor dal (also called arhar dal) is the one I cook most often. I don’t always put a tadka with it, sometimes just plain boiled dal with salt and a few drops of lime juice tastes great when the rest of the dishes on my place are spicy. On other "tadka" days, tomato toor dal is one of my most-loved ways of having toor dal.

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Masaledar Okra Strips

29 Sep

Is it just me or does a simple change like cutting vegetables in a different shape give a dish a whole new spin?

For dinner last night, before I started chopping up the okra (bhindi) into my usual 1-cm disks, I noticed that some of them were bulging – which means the seeds were big and ripe. I didn’t want those seeds and yet the bhindi good enough to eat. What could be done?

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Peas Parathas: Flatbread with Spiced Pea Filling

11 Sep

Peas Parathas

Parathas stuffed with a spiced peas masala. Peas parathas for a delicious, protein-rich weekend brunch.

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Dahi Aloo: Quick Potato Yogurt Curry

9 Jul

Dahi Aloo

It is no hyperbole to say that dahi aloo is the quickest vegetable curry ever. Ideal for days when you have no time to cook a full meal. Ditch those ready-to-eat boxes- just keep boiled potatoes and yogurt handy and in minutes you can make dahi aloo. This curry goes well with chapatis, or even toast if you’re in a time-saving mode.

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