Christmas Special Eggless Yule Log Cake We are down to last two recipes. For Y, I am going to share Christmas cake roll recipe famous in Swiss, Belgium and other European countries. It’s the Yule Log cake or Yule log roll. Yule log is a delicious, moist vanilla cake rolled and shaped to look like a tree branch which then smothered with chocolate whipped cream frosting. This recipe is surely a feast for the eyes and mouth....

Recently, I started having five small meals instead of three. And I love salads around 10:30 to 11:00 AM, and it helps to reduce my carbs intake during lunch. During January, I posted three bean-based salad recipes under the elevenses theme that love to eat as my mid-morning snack. Today, I share a grain-based salad, and this is an excellent option for both lunch and elevenses. The grain that I used is the pearl couscous....

Yesterday I posted Pani Puri and here comes the relative of Pani Puri – Dahi Sev Puri. Dahi means curd/yogurt in Hindi. What Is Dahi Sev Puri? As the name suggests, it’s the same deep fried mini puris but filled with yogurt based topping. This one is kiddo’s favorite. You can modify/adjust these toppings as per your preference and prepare varieties of Pani Puri. For the regular Pani Puri, the Pani Puri chutney is diluted with water and also we use the spiced up potato fillings and kala channa....

Ivy Gourd Coconut Curry or Dondakaya Kobbari Vepudu If you ask me my favorite vegetable, without any hesitation, I would say brinjal. Next, to brinjal, my other two favorites are Ivy Gourd and Cabbage. Today’s recipe is a flavorful dry curry prepared with Ivy gourd. It is also known as Coccinia or Scarlet gourd. It is popularly known as Tindora in Hindi, Kovaikai in Tamil and Dondakaya in Telugu. Today I am going to share an Andhra special recipe – Dondakaya Kobbari Vepudu – Ivy gourd coconut dry curry with fresh ground masala....

Crispy potato slices with melted cheddar cheese oozing over the sides are loaded with a dab of sour cream, a sprinkling of crisp smoky bacon, and fresh green onions. You’re just going to love these! How long it takes: about a half hour Equipment you’ll need: baking pan Servings: makes 12 to 16 While we usually think of potato skins as an appetizer, they could easily be a great dinner, lunch, or served as a side....

As we approach the weekend, there is no other food that comes to my mind than these Golden, Crispy Samosas also known as ‘Aloo Samosa or Punjabi Samosa‘ !! Bubbling hot, served with a fresh pot of ginger tea, its a match made in culinary heaven and of course served with Cilantro-Dhaniya Chutney or Sweet-Spicy Mango Chutney. This recipe is vegan/vegetarian and used oil to make the samosa instead of ghee....

Recently I shared paneer laddu, and I am back with another laddu recipe. This time it’s the til laddu. Festivals, especially Indian festivals, are all about food, and this til laddu or ellu urundai is quite popular, and we make it during Sankranti/Pongal, the Indian harvest festival. Our household makes plain sesame seeds balls, aka chigali, for all the festivals. While we use only black sesame seeds and jaggery for chigali, for this laddu, we use peanuts and other nuts/seeds of our choice along with sesame seeds making it much more nutritious....

I am back to blogging after 5 months from a new city and new kitchen. Summer was busy with the move and a short India trip. I am back in business now and what better way but with some delicious Diwali treats. Spicy Gathiya | Gathia: First up is this savory snack from Gujarat, Spicy Gathiya (Tikha Gathia). It is a spicy, crunchy and very, very addictive snack. Perfect to have on hand during the festival season to serve impromptu guests....

I always look out easy after school snacks and that’s when I stumbled upon this recipe and tried it right away. I didn’t make it vegan, though. This has become one staple mug cake in our household, but it took this long to appear on my blog. Two tablespoons of peanut butter contain 8 grams of protein. That’s quite a chunk of daily protein intake. Being a vegetarian, I always hunt down for protein-rich foods and this peanut butter is one among them....

For the second day of this week’s ‘Deep fried dishes’ theme, I made our family favorite Gobhi Manchurian. Crispy deep fried cauliflower florets with tangy, spicy thick gravy makes for an addictive dish. It is usually served as an appetizer or as a side dish for fried rice or noodles.It is a little time consuming dish but well worth every minute of it. If there’s any cuisine we are like in our family, then it has to be Indo-Chinese....

For G, there were lots of options as you can prepare a zillion recipes with Ginger, Garlic, and Gooseberry. But I went with this one because of the unique combination of ingredients. Yet another family recipe; I was not very fond of this upma initially and that’s when my mom came up with this combo. Both I and appa enjoyed it and that’s it, it became a regular staple in our house....

Gourmet Open Faced Sandwiches are Perfect for Spring-Summer Parties/Brunch Hey Everyone, Hope you are doing great have you made plans for the upcoming Memorial Day Long Weekend? I’m hosting a pre and post-golf party at our place and I’m making these gorgeous Gourmet Golf Open Faced Sandwiches and serving them with Gran Reserva wines. After a long time, it’s finally sunny and bright in California and we have no reason to stay indoors for the weekends or the long weekends....

I am always looking for easy recipes to make on the grill. Though veggie burgers are my first choice, I wanted to have a recipe that is quick and easy in my repertoire. In India, tikka kebabs are traditionally made with paneer. But I veganized the recipe by using tofu and other non-dairy ingredients. They are perfect to cook on an outdoor or indoor grille. Personally I like this version better because paneer tends to be a little heavy but tofu is light and delightful....

Gujarati Kadhi Kadhi – this yogurt based dish is one among the signature recipes of India, and there are many kadhi varieties based on the region. Be it Sindhi kadhi or Punjabi kadhi each and every kadhi has its own and unique ingredients. Today I am going to share the Gujarati Kadhi recipe, and Gujarati Thali is incomplete without this simple kadhi. It is comparatively lighter than the Punjabi kadhi, and all you need is some day to day spices, gram flour, and yogurt to prepare this exotic recipe....

Homemade tartar sauce is unexpectedly good. This “old fashioned” sauce is totally amped up with dill pickles, red onion, and fresh dill. Lemon juice adds just the right acidity and tang to the sauce. How long it takes: 10 minutes Equipment you’ll need: just a bowl and knife! Servings: 10 two tablespoon servings Tartar sauce is perfect for shrimp, crab cakes, fish & chips, fish sticks, fish tacos, and salmon....

Kuzhambu vadam is a traditional South Indian dish, specifically from Tamil Nadu, used to enhance the flavor of various kuzhambu (gravy) dishes. You can find similar lentil-based fryums, aka dried lentil dumplings, across the Indian sub-continent, like moong wadi from Punjab or dal bori from Bengal. When added to kuzhambu, they impart a unique, savory flavor and a slightly crunchy texture. Karuvadam vathal kuzhambu is quite popular across the state....

I made it yesterday and it tasted great. I made panchadhara avakaya with sugar and roasted mustard and fenugreek seeds. But this pickle has jaggery for sweetness and the spices used are not roasted. The pickle was not overly sweet, it is subtly sweet and you can definitely taste it in the background but it is not overwhelming. My husband’s been eating it for every meal since I made it 🙂

How long it takes: about 30 minutes Equipment you’ll need: Instant Pot, whisk Servings: 4 (one chicken thigh each) These Instant Pot chicken thighs are another example of how the Instant Pot makes it a cinch to cook tender, juicy, flavorful chicken. (Okay, the blend of seasonings do a lot of work too. But the Instant Pot does the heavy lifting!) Chicken thighs have a little extra fat in them, which makes them far more forgiving than chicken breasts....

The Best Instant Pot Corn on the Cob Of all the many ways to cook corn, I have to say: the Instant Pot is the best way to cook corn on the cob that’s fast and easy, mess-free, and cooked perfectly every time. I especially love having the option to “boil” corn in my pressure cooker when the weather doesn’t agree with our backyard cookout plans. We’ll serve tender-crisp, juicy Instant Pot corn on the cob with air fryer hamburgers to take the BBQ inside!...

When we think about South Indian recipes, especially Tamil Nadu, the idli and sambar will be among the few recipes that come into our minds. It’s one of the signature recipes of South India. I have shared quite a few sambar recipes, and today I will share how to make a mixed vegetable sambar, aka South Indian lentil stew, in the Instant Pot. Things to know about Instant Pot sambar Making sambar in Instant Pot is very convenient....