Indian Spiced Potato Fry/ Aloo Curry

Is the weekend here yet? Somebody please say, yes 🙂 I had a crazy hectic week at work and could not wait for it to get over. We had two of our out-of-town directors at our office and that meant more work, running from one meeting to another, extra tasks, production issues and apart from that finishing our regular work. Phew! I am so glad that is over with. As if that is not enough I have developed cold and that means constant sneezing, sniffling and headaches. Who gets a cold smack right in the middle of blazing hot summer? As…

Light Berry Parfait

What is it about summer that you like the most? Is it the outdoor gardening, picnics, longer days, out door grilling, fresh bounty of fruits and vegetables? For me the first pick would be the longer days and close second would be the fresh bounty of fruits specifically the beautiful berries. The grocery is usually flooded with fruits and vegetables; not only are they fresh but they are cheaper as well. Did somebody say “what about the summer heat”? Well, let’s not go there shall we? If you live in some place like Texas, then the lesser talk about the…

Black Chana Dry Curry and Rasam (Chana saar upkari)

It has only been few years ago when I learnt that even Black Chana/ Kala Chana are referred to as Chickpeas. I had assumed that only Kabuli Chana was referred to as Chickpeas. I make the usual Chana Masala with the Kabuli Chana and Saaru and upkari (Konkani for Curry) using the Black Chana.  This is a simple dry curry and rasam made with minimal ingredients from the pantry. Kala chana is first soaked, cooked and then finally seasoned. The cooked water is used to make the rasam by flavoring with seasoning of garlic. This is my younger brother’s favorite…

Eggless Cinnamon Coffee Cake

  So what is a Coffee Cake? Turns out it is a class of cake intended to be served with coffee or during breaks. They do not need to contain coffee in them. Coffee cakes are typically flavored with cinnamon, nuts, and fruits. These cakes sometimes have a crumbly topping called as Streusel.  It has been a while since I posted recipe for cakes/muffins; not because I have not been baking, but because the baking experiments were not successful and not worthy of posting them here on the blog. The baking that I do is all eggless and I am…

Black Bean Cornbread Bake/ Casserole

I had this dish almost 10 years ago at the company cafeteria I used to work for way back then. (Aww shucks, that was a decade ago, I cannot believe how time flies!) That was during the height of dot com boom and everything in the company was extravagant. Free breakfast, free lunches, pizza days, free stuff from the vending machines, pool tables, gymn, TT tables, birthdays, picnics and what have you. It was bliss, except for the work schedule as that was extremely crazy; we had to work long hours even during the weekends. But somehow people did not…

Blueberry Syrup and Blueberry Tea

In our house DH is a huge fan of tea and has a wide range of tea collection. One of his weekend activities during summer is to brew a big pot of one variety and then refrigerate it. While serving he tops it off with ice, fruit juices, lime, mint etc.  This is a cool and refreshing way to beat the summer heat.  Speaking of summer here in Texas it is at its peak and that means temperatures in the range of 100-110 F. It is hot and sultry both inside out with the feeling of thirst all the time.…

Lemon Dill Rice

We had eaten a Dill Rice at a Mediterranean restaurant when we were on a vacation far east (no not that far east a little to the westJ), and that taste had stuck onto us for a long time. It was a simple rice recipe, nothing complicated but the way the rice and dill was cooked appealed to our taste buds. It must have been exhaustion, hunger, the timing we are not sure but anyways the taste and memory lingered on for days to come.  Anyway we found some fresh dill last week and DH remembered the Dill Rice we…