Most fairy tales tell a story of good versus evil. Of an innocent princess and a wicked sorceress. A brave-hearted knight and a fire-spewing dragon. A gentle mermaid and a conniving octopus dressed in drag. We love a story where good triumphs over evil, balance is brought to the Force, all is right in this world once again. The stories are told and retold out of an intrinsic need to restore balance, and because sometimes we can only appreciate good when we see it starkly presented against evil....

The BEST Homemade Caramel Recipe I’m so pleased to share my absolute favorite caramel recipe with you today! It’s simple (a bit time consuming, yes, but very straightforward) and yields incredibly perfect caramel candy. The caramels have a rich flavor balanced with just the right amount of salt and vanilla. You are going to love them! These caramels are soft, but not so soft they melt in your hand. They’re sturdy enough to hold their shape while still being chewy (but they don’t stick to your teeth obnoxiously like peanut brittle!...

Honey Sriracha Deviled Eggs | Easter Deviled Eggs This weekend I made these Honey Sriracha Deviled Eggs for a ‘Girls Night-In’ party at my place and they were super hit with absolutely no crumbs left! What is Sriracha Honey Deviled Eggs? They are hard-boiled eggs, shelled and halved. Then the yolks are removed and mixed with a sriracha-honey mix and it’s pipped in the egg white center. They are usually served cold and are perfect for light meal/snacks or Easter brunch....

This post contains helpful notes and tips to help you make the perfect dish. However, if you are in a rush, please use the “Jump to Recipe” link above or the “Jump to” links below to get to the section you want. Cumin, as you may already know, is an important ingredient in many spice blends that are used in Indian cuisine. In this curry powder substitute, jeera is an essential ingredient....

I make this dal in the Instant pot and it is perfect to serve with rice or roti. It is also a part of my Hyderabadi thali along with veg biryani and mirchi baingan salan. About the Recipe I make dal or some kind of a lentil/ legume dishes, almost every day. Both my kids love dal and they can eat it almost every day. If I ever ask them what they want to eat for lunch, they’ll definitely say rice and dal....

This PIE! I have no words. Mainly because I’m busy eating a slice right now as I type this. My mouth is stuffed full of crunchy Oreo crust, creamy coffee ice cream, and smooth, rich whiskey ganache. My husband is doing sit-ups on the living room floor. Yeah. I know. But….whiskey ganache!!!! You know how some rich, decadent foods look really good and then you eat them and realize that they were so NOT worth the calories you just consumed?...

Until just a couple of years ago, buckwheat, for me, was just another ingredient in the world of cooking. I had read about how good it was for health, but I didn’t care to dig deeper since I was, and still am, a die-hard fan of rice (jeera rice is my ultimate comfort food) and wheat (hello, turmeric tortillas!). So, I didn’t feel the need to explore further. About a year ago, I realized (thanks to my detailed food diary) that I’m sensitive to gluten....

Yesterday I shared the jini dosa recipe, and today I am back with another dosa recipe, and it’s the popular kal dosai or kal dosa. What’s kal dosai? South India offers a wide variety of dosas, and this kal dosa is one among them. It is slightly thicker than regular dosa and soft and fluffy, making it perfect for packing for lunch or travel. Kal refers to the dosa tawa or the griddle, and typically kal dosai is prepared in a cast iron griddle or soapstone griddle....

It’s time for another sweet recipe, a distant cousin of Turkish delight – the Karachi halwa. I am not sure why it is called Karachi halwa or Bombay (present Mumbai) halwa, but the name corn flour halwa fits it as we prepare the sweet with corn flour or corn starch. It’s a pretty straightforward recipe with minimal ingredients. My mom makes similar halwa with maida (she makes both maida cake/burfi and halwa, I am yet to share those, probably next year) but not with corn flour....

Our friend JV uses clay pot and she was suggesting the same to me too and I couldn’t find them at amazon but luckily found them here and ordered it right away. This is the penultimate recipe that I prepared for this A-Z challenge. (Between I am still a novice in photography. The steam photographs intrigued me a lot and tried in this recipe. All the steam became blurry and I got a some what decent one and that’s my featured....

We love bread in our house, especially one that is soft and flavorful. This Iyengar bakery style bread fits the bill perfectly. If you are wondering what Iyengar bakery is - it is a popular franchise of bakeries in South India. They typically sell only vegetarian baked goodies and were quite popular while I was growing up. Khara buns or bread were one of my favorite things to order from the bakery....

How long it takes: 15 minutes of prep, plus 45 minutes of baking Equipment you’ll need: 9 x 9-inch metal baking pan, electric mixer Servings: 16 servings Semantics aside, these lemon brownies are little squares of sheer delight. Like blondies, they’re brownies without the chocolate—but unlike blondies which are flavored with vanilla, lemon brownies have a bright citrusy flavor due to lemon juice and zest. If you have a soft spot for lemony desserts like lemon tart, lemon sugar cookies and lemon pudding, you’re going to love these lemon brownies too!...

Lemon rasam is one of the popular rasam varieties from Tamil cuisine. In Tamil, we call it as elumichai rasam and elumichai means lemon. We in our household make it more like dal rasam or paruppu rasam, but instead of tamarind, we add lemon juice for the tangy flavor. It is very similar to the Andhra style nimmakaya pappu charu, but of course, the rasam powder and the spices slightly vary....

This has been such an action-packed week and that just by the middle of it, I’m feeling out of energy and absolutely run out …… So, we made these Mango Jalapeno Margarita (3 Minutes Drink) last evening which was a perfect savior. As many of you might be celebrating Cinco-de-Mayo today (May 05). Be it guacamole/nachos/quesadilla/wraps/rice, I’m always game to eat them and Ofcourse Margarita’s !!! Omg, just the name of all this is making me hungry....

Mixed Berry Froyo I know I am on vacation and should take a break, but the blogging marathon themes this month were exciting, so I couldn’t let go off. It’s frozen delight for kids. I picked super simple recipes that I usually prepare for vaandu. I was able to prepare these during the first two weeks of his summer break and quickly scheduled them. Coming back to this recipe now, last month, when I tried banana froyo (posted at IMC) kiddo enjoyed it very much I wanted to try other fruit flavors too....

Moong Dal Chilla or Split Yellow Lentil Crepes Moong dal may not be your favorite lentil however it does have lots of benefits, especially for no-meat diet. It’s extremely rich in fiber and has a high content of Protein, Folate and Vitamin B. In India, it’s specially prescribed to people who are on low fat/carb diet OR if they are unwell due to fever/allergies as it’s very mild & easier to digest than any other lentils....

My love for middle-eastern food is not a secret, and as I mentioned in my hummus post, I love all their dips and condiments. Their dips are very versatile and easy to make too. This muhammara is a famous middle-eastern dip made with roasted red bell peppers, walnuts, molasses, Aleppo pepper, and other spices. It is originally from Aleppo, a city in Syria. We use the Aleppo pepper to spice this dip which is mild and not-so-spicy....

You can check out more recipes here at her site and here are her social media links. A big hello to all the readers of this wonderful VVK blog. Vidhya and I became friends through social media, and one of the main reasons for us getting to know each other is due to our same passion for food. Vidhya is a very talented food blogger and is an expert of traditional Indian recipes....

Served ice cold, with an orange slice garnish, a Negroni might very well become your favorite sipper especially if you don’t enjoy overly sweet drinks. Considered an apéritif, or a before-dinner drink, but great all on its own, a Negroni consists of equal parts Campari, red vermouth, and gin. How long it takes: 5 minutes Equipment you’ll need: cocktail jug or large glass, strainer, ice Servings: 2 Reportedly a favorite of Ernest Hemingway and more recently, Anthony Bourdain, a Negroni is a classic....

To put in simple words, as said in Kumki movie by the astrologer to Thambi Ramaiyyah, “Aduve Pazhakirum”, that’s what is acquired taste. When given no options, do you have any choice? The moment you step out of your house, you need to get acquainted to many things and one among them is food. For me, the first thing I got used to was puzhungal arise (Boiled rice). At home we use only raw rice, but in my UG hostel it was puzhungal arisi....