Shaheen Ali

Green Peas Kebabs are a blessing in disguise to all who are fasting this season and craving for some non veg stuff. These seek kebabs are absolutely met in mouth and trust me you would never miss the chicken ones after having these. Quick, easy and scrumptious… perfect party snack option. So next time whenever you have guests at home, don’t let the vegetarian friends feel left out…surprise them by serving these amazingly gorgeous green peas kebab with their favorite dip and a drink to go with it. Seeks are commonly the skewers around which the dough is lined and…

Ghugni is an evening snack in Eastern India (Assam, Bengal, Bihar, Odisha). Black gram (Kala Chana) or dried yellow peas or dried white peas is cooked with gravy, in the traditional eastern Indian style. It is then served with puffed rice, (kurmura) and at times with hot onion pakoda/bhajiya. It is one of the most popular street food of Kolkata served with Poori aka Luchi. Some versions include meat, such as lamb. Mangsher ghugni has been described as a “Kolkata trademark”. Though my version is a veg one and was my lunch today. Had this amazing Ghugni with some whole…

Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.- Ludwig van Beethoven A perfect soup is rich, creamy and absolutely comforting. I have grown up seeing my mom making some amazing aromatic soups for my father. Even during our illness mom comes up with some super aromatic and flavorful soups that works as an energy booster and comforts us a lot. Out of many good soup preparations one of my all time favorite is the super creamy, buttery cauliflower soup. Cauliflower and me has a strong love – hate relation. Sometimes i fall in love with the humble veggie…

Aguas frescas (Spanish “cool waters”) are a combination of fruits, cereals, flowers, or seeds blended with sugar and water to make light non-alcoholic beverages. They are popular in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and the United States. Aguas frescas are sold principally by street vendors but can also be found in bodegas, restaurants and juice bars. Source – Wikepedia Coconut Cucumber Agua Fresca is a perfect cooler in summers and even in humid days. A healthy and a refreshing drink that my family loves to have on Sunday afternoons.

Sri Lankan cuisine has influences from colonial powers, foreign traders, and Southern India. Key ingredients are rice, coconut, and spices reflecting the island’s history as a spice producer and trading post over several centuries. Sri-Lankan cuisine centers around boiled or steamed rice served with a curry of egg, fish, chicken, beef, mutton, or goat, along with other curries made with vegetables, lentils, or fruit. Dishes are accompanied by pickled fruit or vegetables, chutneys, and sambols, especially coconut sambol, a paste of ground coconut mixed with chili peppers, dried Maldive fish, and lime juice. Source : Wikipedia

Okra, also known as “lady’s finger”, or “bamia” is one of the popular nutritious vegetables of North-East African origin. The pods usually gathered while they are green, tender, and at immature stage. The plant is cultivated throughout the tropical and warm temperate regions around the world for their fibrous fruits or “pods.” Bamia grows best in well-drained and manure rich soil. The okra plant bears numerous dark green colored pods measuring about 5-15 cm in length. It takes about 45-60 days to get ready-to-harvest fruits. Internally, the pods feature small, round, mucilaginous white colored seeds arranged in vertical rows. The…

A HALWA a day keeps my tensions away….lol Coming from a gastronomic family, my love for food has been well defined by now. For those who are new to my blog, lemme tell you all that sweets and desserts is my most favorite column in my blog. You will find the maximum number of posts in this category …lol My mom says that my dad had a strong tooth. Though after his ailments he was restricted to diet food but his longings for sweets and desserts have certainly passed on to me and my sister. So keeping the family tradition…

In my house both me and my son are a big time Banana fan, the only difference is my son likes ripe banana and i prefer the raw ones. Plantain aka as kachha kela or sabzi kela is one of my all time favorite fruit/vegetable. I love making curry’s and koftas with it. I have grown up seeing my mom making some amazing melt in mouth plantain koftas. It was the most delectable dish i ever had…simply awesummmm! Continuing the trend and following my mom’s footsteps i started making koftas and curries too. But this version of plantain that is…

CHEFS ACROSS BOUNDARIES is a group of budding chefs who willingly came together to explore the cuisines of India and across the globe. From past many months the group has been conducting monthly challenges based on both National n International cuisines hosted by the members. After last month’s amazing Japanese show down hosted by me, this month’s theme challenge was DUTCH CUISINE, set by the very talented and my dearest friend Sindhu Sriram of http://www.neemandturmeric.blogspot.in/ I would like to take this opportunity to thank Sindhu for letting me explore the world of Dutch Cuisines, believe me it was an amazing…

My blog’s 2nd century celebrations are still on. For all those who don’t like soya chunks (Nutrella) , i have got two such recipes that will not just complete your meal but even tantalize your taste buds and make you have it again and again. Firstly i got you a Nutri Pilaf that is studded with dry fruits and is simply aromatic. Trust me, this simple nutri pilaf is no less than a laborious traditional Biryani. Similarly the soft soya chunks made in a spicy dry gravy with a kick of pepper will certainly make you fall in love with…

Time to celebrate my blog’s 200th post with some gooey fudgey brownies with chocolate chunks. What better way can it be to celebrate with something i love the most…. The journey by far has been the most amazing one, the blog has given me everything i could have ever desired for. Though Spoon Fork And Food was started almost a year and a half before just to keep my sanity in check, but slowly slowly it became one of the most important part of my life. My 100th post was also celebrated by making a cake, but the journey from…

Paprika is a spice made from air-dried fruits of the chili pepper family of the species Capsicum annuum. Fresh paprika has the full flavor of the peppers it was ground from. Originating, like all chili peppers, in the Americas, paprika peppers are now strongly associated with Hungarian cuisine. Paprika can range in flavor from mild and sweet to fiery hot, and is used heavily in Eastern European cooking. Paprika is produced in various places including Hungary, Serbia, Spain and some regions of the United States. It is used as an ingredient in a broad variety of dishes throughout the world….