Heat Oil in a Large pan over high heat, once the oil releases fumes, lower the gas to the lowest setting. Add turmeric, bayleaf, onion seed, fennel seed & mustard seed to the oil and sauté for 1-2 min. Increase heat to medium & add chopped onions and sauté for 2-3 min till onions turn slightly pink and leave a little water. Add chopped okra, red chili and sauté lightly, reduce heat to low & cover with lid....

I LOVE making rice pudding because is creamy, rich and delicious. It is one of my comfort foods that reminds me of my childhood and my mom’s cooking. So here’s something to think about - ‘Why do People love cooking?’ Katie Holmes at Outwit Trade has a fun piece about that. Do check that article out. Here’s why I love to cook, ‘Cooking is therapeutic to me. I love all the aspects involved in it from chopping to cooking to cleaning....

I have an addictive snack made with potato for day 2 of this week’s blogging marathon. I wanted to try different recipes with potato and this Aloo Paneer Chaat sounded just perfect. It is easy to make and is great to serve as an appetizer or as a snack or even as a light meal.My 11 year old son loved this Aloo Paneer chaat. As I said in yesterday’s post, he loves potatoes, but he also likes paneer....

So my kids had a great time playing and having fun with the grandparents and we had great time enjoying the yummy dishes my MIL cooked. She made some new and interesting dishes and I made sure I clicked them and wrote the recipes down, so I don’t forget. Today’s dish is a very interesting one made with locally available greens, Chukkakura (Green sorrel/ Khatta palak) & Gongura (sorrel spinach)....

Fluffy Angel Food Cupcakes My favorite cake gets a mini makeover today. If you’ve never had angel food cake before, it is a delicate and sweet cake with a heavenly, light and airy texture (hence the name!). The cake is typically made in a tube pan, but today we’re making it in cupcake form and topping with whipped cream (though, in retrospect I think this may have been a missed opportunity to use my chocolate whipped cream)!...

Crisp, warm, with the wholesome flavor of corn shining through, these baked tortilla chips are delicious! You’ll find that it’s hard to stop eating them right from the oven. How long it takes: 5 minutes to prep, 12-15 minutes to bake Equipment you’ll need: sheet pan, oven Servings: 3 (or as many as you want to bake) It seems like I always have part of a package of corn tortillas hanging around my pantry....

Burnt Cheesecake Yes, it’s supposed to look like that. Get used to saying it. While the San Sebastian burnt cheesecake has been making the rounds on the internet and is renowned in Spain, its deeply browned and blistered top can be a bit shocking to the average cheesecake aficionado. And that’s because it simply breaks all the rules. For one, there’s no crust. The ingredients don’t need to be at room temperature, it’s baked on a high temperature, there’s no water bath, and rather than a creamy, snowy, white and smooth surface, it’s purposefully burnt (and cracks or blemishes are welcome rather than discouraged)....

An Easy Summer Dip Recipe Something a bit more savory than last week’s fruit dip recipe! My BLT dip ticks all the boxes in terms of savory, satisfying, and simple! Everything you’re looking for in a party or potluck recipe is right here in front of you. As you’d expect of any dip recipe, this one comes together quickly and easily. As you’d hopefully also expect, I’ll be walking you through all the steps (even though they’re easy!...

There are so many ways to enjoy this lovely green summer squash. I’d be hard pressed to choose a favorite. Baked, grilled, air fried, or sautéed, plain or gussied up, I love ’em all. There’s just no reason to ever say that you’re tired of zucchini when you have a hundred different ways to enjoy them (even when your garden is producing them like crazy). How long it takes: 10 minutes to prep and 55 minutes in the oven Equipment you’ll need: small rimmed baking sheet Servings: 4 (one half zucchini each) Need inspiration?...

Fancy French Toast From now on, I want all of my future French toasts to be brioche French toast. One bite will turn you into a French toast snob too; my version has truly gourmet flavor, a subtly caramelized and step-above-classic French toast exterior, and a moist, never soggy interior. This recipe is adapted from my classic French toast recipe. You can, of course, use brioche for that recipe just as well as regular white bread, but I really like this modified recipe specifically for using with such an enriched bread (this egg mixture absorbs into the brioche very well)....

Fall’s Favorite Soup Subtly sweet and creamy, the flavors in this beautiful butternut squash soup pair so eloquently. This is a unique and satisfying soup that was truly made for fall weather! 4 things to know about this recipe: Incredible flavor: roasting the squash and sweet potatoes really develops their flavor and enhances their natural sweetness for a more complex dish. So, SO simple: most of the time spent in this recipe is just waiting for the squash and sweet potatoes to finish roasting....

Finally, a Fresh Tomato Sauce! I’ve promised you a fresh tomato sauce for years now, and you’ve patiently waited while I shared vodka sauce, marinara sauce, pizza sauce and even a tomato soup recipe–all using canned tomatoes. But not today! Today, you’re getting a fresh, sun-ripened cherry tomato sauce that is BURSTING with flavor, but still very simple to make. Why You’ll Love This Recipe No slicing or peeling. We’ll leave the tomatoes whole and cook them down until they are jammy and irresistible....

A requirement of summer should be getting at least one serving of Caprese a week, am I right? The combination of fresh, soft mozzarella cheese, juicy tomatoes, and flavorful basil screams summer and I can never get enough of it. How long it takes: 10 minutes to prep; 1 hour, 35 minutes to bake Equipment you’ll need: 9 x 13 inch baking dish, foil Servings: 6 Thankfully I have you covered with some fun Caprese options and I’m excited to be adding to that list with this recipe....

I love making desserts with seasonal fruits, and you will find a lot of fruit-based dessert recipes on my blog like mango cake, persimmon cake, cranberry cheesecake, and more. This year I am so excited to share this super-easy chocolate dipped clementines coated with nuts. We all know about strawberry dipped in chocolate, how about cuties/clementines? I want to thank my colleague V for introducing this recipe. I think she got this recipe from a magazine clipping, and when she shared it with me, I wanted to try it right away, and I duly did....

Swirled & Spiced Cinnamon Cookies Sugar, spice, and everything nice–that’s what cinnamon cookies are made of! With their swirls of buttery, spiced brown sugar goodness, these cookies are gorgeous and oh so tempting. They’re a bit of a cross between a cinnamon roll and a snickerdoodle, and they’re so much fun! What you’ll love about this recipe: Buttery, not too sweet taste with a subtle tang from cream of tartar. Pillowy-soft, thick texture that melts in your mouth (If you’re looking for something cinnamon-sugared and thin and crispy, see my sand tarts instead!...

Coffee Cake In Cookie Form Grab a cup of coffee and prepare your taste buds…these coffee cake cookies are going to blow your mind! Inspired by my coffee cake recipe, these tasty, gourmet-style cookies totally deliver on all the beloved aspects of the real thing: a soft, tender base, crisp cinnamon streusel, and of course, a simple glaze on top. If you enjoyed my blueberry muffin cookies, you’ll love this similarly streusel-topped, perfectly-acceptable-for-breakfast 🙃 cookie....

Are you a Coffee Lover……do you look for coffee the moment you get up or is it ‘The Only Thing‘ on your mind and you just cannot function without it? Well, I for sure am One of those people – (Don’t get me wrong, I do love my morning lemon water/smoothies) But Coffee holds that Extra Special Place – the mere mention brings a smile to my face. Apart from the regular cup of joe, I love experimenting by adding coffee to our breakfast or dessert recipes....

Can you get enough of those Cheesecake Factory avocado eggrolls with cilantro sauce? OMG, I just can’t – even after devouring them, I still want to keep going on….they are that delicious! And what I love most is their ‘Cilantro Sauce‘ which is a sweet n tangy with all things good in it. I’ve looked at many stores for a similar product but haven’t come across anything similar. Ingredients for the Copycat Cheesecake Factory’s Cilantro Sauce: Cilantro Leaves – fresh is always preferred Garlic Cloves Tamarind Paste – you can use thick tamarind sauce too White Vinegar Sweetener of Choice – I prefer honey, but you can use maple syrup if vegan Seasoning – cumin powder, salt, and chili powder...

How long it takes: 5 minutes Equipment you’ll need: Fine mesh sieve, bowl Servings: 10 Although the bright green garnish of chopped jalapeño peppers is totally optional, it does add a nice pop of color. Chopped cilantro would do the trick, too, if you’re not crazy about peppers. The result is a flavorful and festive appetizer for all your holiday entertaining needs! Easy Cranberry Salsa Recipe Once again: TWO ingredients....

Konkani Dal I love dal and only that love for dal made to explore all the different dal recipes from 26 Indian states, and I posted them all in September of 2016. You can find the entire list here. Dalithoy was on my list from last year but finally got a chance to post it now. All dal recipes might sound similar, and it’s a fact that most of the dal recipes use similar ingredients too....