Thai Sweet Sour Vegetables

At work, we have ample occasions when we go out for team lunches. It is a good opportunity to get away from work, relax and connect with colleagues. The tricky part is to come up with a place that suits everybody’s taste palettes. With people from different nationalities working together; it’s a challenge to agree on common cuisine. But then one cuisine that many of us agree upon is the Thai cuisine which has good offering for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.  Luckily there is no dearth of Thai restaurants in our area and we have taken it upon ourselves to…

Stuffed Okra/ Bharwan Bhendi Recipe

Be it the stuffed eggplant/brinjal (bharlele vaingan), stuffed capsicum, stuffed karela there is something interesting and special about these recipes. It gives one a feeling that lot of time and effort has been put while making the dish.  Having grown up in a Konkani household, most of the stuffing that I know of is prepared using ground coconut masala. Traditionally stuffed Bhindi is prepared based on this curry, with a thicker version of the masala called ‘Maasaolu’.  Anyway, few weeks ago it was close to the weekend and I had only about a handful of these vegetables waiting to be…

Spinach Pithla

Pithla is a delicious, spiced gravy made with Besan (chickpea flour). It’s a quick and handy recipe, perfect for those times when you’re out of vegetables or need to whip up something simple yet satisfying. The iconic combination of Pithla Bhakri or Jhunka Bhakri holds a special place in North Karnataka and parts of Maharashtra. The dry version of Pithla is often called Jhunka or Zunka. Growing up, my mom would often prepare this for breakfast, pairing it with Jowar Bhakri and a flavorful garlic (lassuni) chutney. I wasn’t a big fan of Pithla back then—especially with rice—and would come…