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…

Dry Mushroom Curry/Mushroom Fry Recipe

Growing up, mushroom was a rarity and something that did not get cooked often in our kitchen. But after living in the US for a while, I have developed an acquired taste to it and now beginning to like it. On the other hand DH and the kiddo have had no problems and like pretty much anything made with it. This dish was something that DH made for the kiddo over the weekend and we all enjoyed it. This is a no-fuss, straightforward recipe which do not require too many ingredients. While preparing this dish, DH added only half of…

Stuffed Capsicum/ Bharvaan Mirchi

Indian style stuffed vegetable dishes that I know of are notorious for being complicated and time consuming. What with the roasting of spices, grinding, stuffing and cooking it can take up a better part of the day. I have this experience while making the stuffed brinjal, a traditional coconut based stuffed dish.  But this stuffed bell pepper dish on the other hand is quite easy to dish out and looks elegant too. There is no roasting of spices or grinding and since the capsicums are baked, they do not require the baby sitting. I am really excited about this recipe,…

Aloo Gobi Ki Sabzi (with Paav Bhaji masala)

People who use Paav Bhaaji masala are very particular about the brand that they use. Most food bloggers swear by Nupur’s approved Everest Paav Bhaji masala brand. In a recent Facebook discussion people had few other recommendations. I am yet to try the Everest brand as I have heard raving reviews about it. I am hoping to try most recommended brands in the near future. I have started with the Baadshah brand and so far, I am loving the taste of this masala.  I have made Paav Bhaaji with it, the Tawa Pulao and also add it to regular sabzis.And…

Cluster Beans Curry/ Guvar ki Sabzi

Cluster Beans are called Gorikayi or ChavaLikaayi in Kannada, Guvar in Hindi and Chitmitki/ Chitmitkesanga  in Konkani. They are flat and smaller compared to the regular string beans and have slight bitter taste too. They are rich in proteins, fiber and considered very nutritious. For us they are available in the Indian stores and if I am not mistaken they are present all the year around, so I cook this pretty often. They have a mild bitter taste, so I add little shredded coconut to the curry to compensate for it. If you want you can also add little bit of…

Indian Okra Fry/ Crispy Bhindi Fry Recipe

In our house okra is one of our favorite vegetable. Thankfully we get this all the year around in our grocery stores and so there is no dearth of okra related recipes in our household. It regularly makes its way onto our table in the form of Okra raita, okra coconut curry, Spicy bhendi curry etc. But this simple and easy okra fry is our all time favorite.  We like the okra in this fry to be crispy (not mushy) and so I do a trick while cooking this. I first cook the okra/bhindi/lady’s finger until it turns brown and…

Chettinad Potatoes

Inspiration as they say comes from unexpected places and this recipe is a testimonial to that. Few weeks ago, I was looking for some North Indian styled recipe using spinach on Sanjeev Kapoor’s website, hoping to find some inspiration and ideas, but few searches and clicks later I landed on a recipe of Spicy Tempered Potatoes called Urulai Chettinadu with which I was pretty impressed. Strange! I would have never imagined searching for Chettinad and Sanjeev Kapoor at the same time.  Here is a good description of what Chettinad cuisine is on Sig’s blog. This cuisine originated in the southern…