Appe Huli /Raw Mango Rasam

For those in the United States hope you had a wonderful long Easter weekend. We had a relaxing three days, giving us a break from the hectic and sometimes crazy weekdays. The weather was perfect; not too hot or cold, accompanied with a beautiful sunshine that lifted the spirits up.  For most part I stayed away from the kitchen; surviving many times on Maggi or takeout food. But on days when I cooked, I made something quick and delicious reminiscent of the carefree days of the past.  Appe Huli is speciality of the Havyakas residing in the Yellapur, Sirsi, Sagar…

Tindora Subzi/ Tendli Upkari/Ivy Gourd Stir Fry

One of the well loved vegetable in our house (just after potatoes) is Ivy Gourd/Tindora. Along with Tindora Rice, Tindora Coconut Curry, this is one dish that I make often when we have Tindora at home. I keep this very simple by adding only the basic seasonings; no complex curry powders or masala powders etc for this curry. I love it when the flavor of the Tindora shines through and is not masked by complicated ingredients.  Adding onion to this is optional. I add it as onions add moistness to the tindora and also prevents it from sticking to the…

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…

Spicy Garlicky Potato Fry

The one vegetable that comes to mind when I think of comfort food is potato. I crave for some potato dishes when I am hungry; a simple potato curry along with rasam not only satisfies the taste buds but chases away the blues.  No wonder this dish made its presence when I was hungry and wanted to eat some potatoes. I love the simplicity of this dish and reminds me of the baked potato fries, mainly because of the way the potatoes are cut. This dish uses lots of garlic and so has a prominent garlicky flavor and the hotness…

Soy Chunks / Meal Maker Chilli

At home we have been on-again off-again fan of the Soy Chunks also called as Soy Meal Maker. Nutrela is the Indian brand that makes this soy protein which has a meaty texture and is a good option for vegetarians. They are easily available in the Indian groceries.  Years ago after I discovered a vegetarian version of soy protein and learnt its nutritional benefits I used to put it in just about anything be it pulao, fried rice, curries etc. Now that I remember, everything except for the smell was a plus. But then eventually we got tired of it,…

Quick Mushroom Fried Rice

It is not often that you would find recipes with mushroom in the RedChillies household. The reason being that the Chief Chef of the house (a.k.a me) is not a big fan of them. If I had my way then the mushrooms would not have seen the light of the day in our kitchen. J But it is not meant to be as the kiddo loves mushrooms and with all the motherly instincts/love intact I have no option but to cook with them and also get accustomed to the taste. I have prepared a mushroom curry before and this time…

Sweet Dalia Pongal

Sweet Pongal is a South Indian traditional dish made with the combination of rice, jaggery and moong daal. It is like a thick porridge with gooey consistency.  This along with the spicy khichdi/ Khara Pongal is prepared during special occasions and also during the festival of Pongal/Sankranthi . This sweet pongal is something that is adored in our family. During festivals, I mostly prepare this dish using the traditional method of rice and moong daal. However I had some broken wheat/dalia that I wanted to use and so decided to try this sweet, by substituting rice with dalia.  I had tried the spicy…