For Pani Puri, we use black chick peas whereas for papdi chaat we go with garbanzo beans. As I mentioned above, some of the substitutes that I have tried so far are, Instead of papdis, I have tried tortilla chips. Both corn flavored ones and also veggie flavored ones. Err, Ritz crackers also. But never topped it up with yogurt though. (Need to give it a try) I always have canned garbanzo beans in my pantry to quickly whip up chole or some side for roti....

No, really. This is the easiest ever macaroni and cheese! And so delicious! About this easy baked macaroni and cheese: This baked macaroni and cheese is made like Grandma used to make it, the old fashioned, baked in a casserole dish style. If you’re looking for a creamy, non-baked recipe, you’ll probably love this copycat Panera mac and cheese or Instant Pot macaroni and cheese. I just love this baked macaroni and cheese, though....

Today, I am going to share popular pita bread from Lebanon – it’s the Zaatar bread or Zaktar bread. It is also known by the name manakish zaatar. It’s a flatbread topped with Zaatar spice mix. To simply put, it’s the Middle Eastern delicacy similar to pizza/focaccia. This zaatar bread is one of the easy flatbreads to prepare and you can use it in different ways. Skip the topping and use the pita bread to make paneer schezwan pockets or pita pocket salads or even you can serve the bread with Indian curries....

Week 1: Bengali Cuisine Day 5: Enchor Kofta (Bengali Jackfruit Kofta Curry) Koftas are made with jackfruit and potatoes. It is hard to tell that the koftas have jackfruit from the taste and texture, but they sure taste delicious. Canned jackfruit comes in very handy here, no peeling or cleaning required, just drain, rinse and you are good to go. Gravy is quite simple with tomato base and thickened slightly with cashew or almond butter (or ground cashews/ almonds) and a splash of heavy cream, if you feel a little indulgent....

Nooks & Crannies Galore Many English muffin recipes are nothing more than basic bread recipes shaped into discs and cooked on a griddle. This method “works”, but the end result falls flat with no nooks, no crannies, and a very bread-y flavor that just doesn’t ring true to the classic English muffin. My recipe is different. While my homemade bread was a good starting point, there were a few drastic and key changes that needed to be made in order to make true English muffins....

As much as I love plain dosa with chutney, sambar, and assorted sides, I also love fusion dosa recipes. My son is a big fan of cheese dosa to date. He doesn’t like any sides for his cheese dosa. Instead of making chutneys and sides separately for us, I started adding sauces and cheese to the dosa to make them more spicy and flavorful. I started experimenting with different sauces, and that’s how this flavored dosa came into the picture....

Fun Fruity Pebble Macarons Fun, bright and colorful, these are my kid’s favorite addition to my macaron collection. My recipe incorporates pulverized Fruity Pebbles in the cookie shells, throughout the Fruity Pebbles frosting filling, and even includes a few extra Fruity Pebbles on top. They aren’t simple, they aren’t foolproof (don’t trust anyone who tells you they have a foolproof macaron recipe for ou), but they are a worthwhile endeavor and they’re fun!...

All the flavor of enchiladas verde in a healthy, easy to make one pan meal? It sounds like a dream, but it’s true! Simplifying life is something everyone needs. You have young kids? You know you need a simple meal. You have teenagers? I know you’re busy driving them places and dealing with attitudes. Career keeping you busy? You’ll need an easy meal that will keep you full for hours....

What is green chutney? There are so many simple condiments in Indian cuisine, like chutneys, pickles, and simple raitas. This green chutney is one such condiment(more like a dip/sauce), and I cannot imagine any chaat without this green chutney, and I always have this in my fridge. Making this at home is very simple. With a few ingredients, you can easily make this green chutney or hari (green in Hindi) chutney....

True confession: I’ve always loved the familiar red & white can of cream of tomato soup. It’s cheap and easy, and tastes pretty good with a sprinkle of dried basil. But I knew I could do better than that. My goal is always to move away from ultra-processed food, and condensed cream of tomato soup definitely falls into that category. How long it takes: 30 minutes Equipment you’ll need: large saucepan, blender Servings: 4 I wanted to add a little protein boost to the soup, too, so the idea of adding canned beans intrigued me....

What is paneer- Paneer – popularly known as Indian cottage cheese, is a fresh cheese that is quite popular in India. Paneer gravies and paneer based sweets are quite popular across India. It’s a non-melting cheese prepared by curdling the milk with vinegar. With paneer, you don’t need to worry about animal enzymes or rennet. As I mentioned before, paneer became a common ingredient in our household only after coming to the US....

Semolina or sooji forms the base of this recipe along with yogurt and vegetables. This is an easy to make dish that is perfect for snack or even a light meal. About the Recipe Handvo aka ondhwa is a popular Gujarati snack. It is traditionally made with a batter of soaked rice, 3 kinds of lentils and veggies. The batter is then set aside for 6~8 hours to ferment. Then the batter is baked just like a cake until crispy on the outside and soft inside....

Instant Pot Bengali Cholar Dal Last year, I tried a lot of recipes from other Indian cuisines that I haven’t explored. It’s interesting to find the similarities and how a few ingredients change the flavor and add that unique magic to the recipe. I tried quite a lot of recipes from Bengali cuisine last year but I posted only a few and here they are, Begun Bhaja, Jhalmuri, Rasgulla. Cholar dal was one among the recipes that I tried and we fell in love with this dish instantly, especially vaandu....

Here is my third recipe under the “elevenses” theme – a spicy salad with black beans and minimal condiments. When I cook black beans, I use it for my quinoa and black bean salad and the burritos. I season it salt and black pepper. As I started exploring more bean-based salads, I tried this taco seasoning combination, and with avocado, it was simply out of the world. The avocado balanced the spicy taco seasoning, and it is filling as well....

One of the local hangouts in town has the best fish tacos. I always order the same thing when I go: a Greyhound cocktail, and fish tacos with jalapeño ranch dressing. I think the waitress would be shocked if I ever ordered anything different. Maybe I’m in a rut but hey, when you find something you like, go with it, right? How long it takes: 10 minutes, plus an hour or so to chill Equipment you’ll need: mixing bowl Servings: makes 3 cups So I love this jalapeño ranch dip recipe I’m bringing you today....

Jambalaya is perfect for cold winter nights. It’s warmly spicy, hearty, and satisfying, just the ticket when you’ve been skiing, snowshoeing, or hiking in the snappy cold winter air, or even just shoveling snow. How long it takes: about an hour Equipment you’ll need: large heavy pot with lid Servings: 6 Ever since my husband and I visited New Orleans for a quick anniversary trip, I’ve been anxious to try my hand at jambalaya....

Hello Everyone, the entire last week, we had been updating and tweaking the blog and this post just kept postponing. But today I had to share the recipe of ‘Kadai Chicken Curry’. It’s one of my favorite dish and also on the celebration of my blog been published under the ‘Top 10 Desi (Indian) Blog to follow for Foodie on Instagram‘. This article was quite a pleasant surprise and gave us an extra reason to celebrate this dish....

I took a long weekend last Friday. I had a list of things I wanted to do… needed to do. the kinds of things you keep a mental list of, filed under To Do… Eventually. I had a whole free day and I was going to cross every one of them off. There was the mountain of clothes that moved into the house with me but have never been touched that I’ve been meaning to sort through for the Goodwill....

This super quick Lemon Asparagus Pasta with Peas and Tomatoes is on top of our list for delicious and hassle-free weeknight meals. It’s what I call, filled with flavors, easy to make and I usually prep a big batch and keep in the fridge. Mondays are usually stressful for most of us and because of extremely chaotic weather, the past few weeks have been even more stressful. We are either stuck at home due to rain/ice or just about that depressing winter blues, that making a fresh meal for the entire family seems like next to impossible....

Earlier I posted a breakfast smoothie with mango, and here is another smoothie recipe with fresh and frozen mango, pineapple, and orange juice. Guess what? I did not add any milk, yogurt, or nuts either. Yes, a tropical mango pineapple smoothie without yogurt. Recipe inspiration I love Jamba Juice’s mango-a-go-go smoothie. During my grad days in Sac State, this mango-a-go-go was my go-to smoothie, and I used to buy it quite often as I love to sip it all day long....