Chatpata Chutney Sandwich

Sandwiches are tasty snack can be put together in a jiffy and are perfect for lunches, picnics, outings and kids lunchboxes.  I enjoy eating sandwiches for lunch; they are light yet filling and doesn’t make you feel drowsy. Definitely good if you have one of those long boring Thursday afternoon status meetings that can put you off to sleep 🙁  I made this on a whim while I was working from home one day. I had the necessary chutneys on hand and felt like eating something ‘Chatpata” (which means ‘sweet, tangy, sour and delicious’ in Hindi). So I added all…

Bhel Puri Recipe

Bhel Puri is a combination of puffed rice along with vegetables and spicy, tangy chutney/auce. This is the most commonly sold chaat/fast food in many places in India. It is a snack with an iconic status in Western India. Bhelpuri is low-fat, delicious and eay to make!  After a long day at work, or on days when I have no mood to cook, we have Bhel Puri for dinner. I store all the dry ingredients in the pantry, the chutney in the fridge and we just combine all these to whip up a delectable “khatta-meetha-theeka” light dinner. On the last…

Konkani Undi/ Steamed Rice dumpling

Blame it on the winter season, but lately I have been on the lookout for ‘chatpata’ steamed food that can be made ‘zhatpat’. One some really cold days, I don’t care for heavy meals, but feel like nibbling on some warm finger food along with hearty soup. So while on quest for such recipes on the net I landed on Lakshmi Canteen a wonderful blog which is a store house of tradition Konkani recipes.  When I looked at her “Undi recipe, I froze as I had completely forgotten about it. It is a well loved breakfast/snack dish our favorite and…

Kulith Kadgi Ambat/ Horse Gram raw Jackfruit coconut curry

For folks here in the United States hope you had a wonderful Thanks Giving weekend. We had a relaxing time where in we spent most of the time indoors along with family and friends, thanks in part to the weather. The weather has now changed and we are inching closer to those dreaded cold snowy, winter days.  Like I said we spent most of the days at home, cooking some feel good food, comforting food, apt for cold weather. Luckily we get most (if not all) ingredients that we grew up eating and it is not difficult to re-create the…

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…

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…

Spicy Tomato Daal

Daal along with rice makes its appearance during our meal time in one form or the other; be it the humble daali thoy, Palak Daal, Mango Daal or the ubiquitous rasam, sambhar we have it pretty much every day. At times, I also make this Spicy Tomato Daal which is quick, healthy and delicious. An Indian colleague of mine describes it as healthy soup in the comfort of a bowl. I couldn’t agree more, I mean after a long day what better way to unwind than to have this simple thick daal along with a bowl of rice? Ingredients: 3/4…