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…
Course: side dish
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Sambar is a lentil based vegetable stew or chowder based on a broth made with tamarind popular in South India. Sambar is made either exclusively with one of these vegetables or a combination of them – okra, carrot, radish, pumpkin, potatoes, tomatoes, brinjal(eggplant) and whole or halved shallots or onions. Sambar powder is a coarse powder made of roasted lentils, dried whole red chilies, fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves with regional variations including cumin, black pepper, grated coconut, cinnamon, or other spices. The vegetables, tamarind pulp, sambar powder, turmeric, salt, and asafoetida are boiled together, until the vegetables…
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Momordica charantia, known as bitter melon, bitter gourd, bitter squash or balsam-pearin English, has many other local names. Goya from Okinawan and karela from Sanskrit are also used by English-language speakers. It is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae, widely grown in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean for its edible fruit, which is extremely bitter. Its many varieties differ substantially in the shape and bitterness of the fruit. As the name implies, this vegetable is a melon that is bitter. There are two varieties of this vegetable: One grows to about 20 cm long, is oblong and…
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A true foodie is one who is open to eat anything and almost everything edible. One such foodie is my sister. Since childhood me and my sister has been the biggest food hogger in our family. Living in a metro for years often allows one to eat and explore new cuisines which is normally not so common at home. One of them is Gratin, which is a widespread culinary technique in which an ingredient is topped with a browned crust, often using breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg and/or butter. Gratin originated in French cuisine and is usually prepared in a shallow…
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In India ‘Chutneys’ are supposed to be the best accompaniments with snacks and savories. It’s only in our country and few of our adjoining countries where Chutneys, both wet and dry and mostly made. Chutney also transliterated chatney or chatni) is a family of condiments associated with South Asian cuisine made from a highly variable mixture of spices, vegetables, or fruit. There are a huge range of chutneys made all across India, one of my favorite one is the dry chutney powder. Gun powder , Molgapodi etc is one amongst them. My mom is an active social worker in our…
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Tandoori chicken is a dish popular in South Asia, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia consisting of roasted chicken prepared with yogurt and spices. The name comes from the type of cylindrical clay oven, a tandoor, in which the dish is traditionally prepared. The chicken is marinated in yogurt and seasoned with the spice mixture tandoori masala, pepper, red chili powder or Kashmiri red chili powder is used to give it a fiery red hue. A higher amount of turmeric produces an orange color. In milder versions, both red and yellow food coloring are sometimes used to achieve bright colors, but turmeric…
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Vazhakkai meaning Plantain or Raw Banana is something i have grown up eating. Since childhood i always had a privilege to be surrounded by South Indian neighbors. They often use to cook their delicacies and send us too in a bowl to relish. Since then i developed a strong liking towards South Indian Cuisines. The use of coconut and spices in the dishes is simply awesome which certainly makes it stand out from the other regional cuisines. I still remember the aroma that use to fume out from my neighbors kitchen making me salivate…lol The neighbors were kind enough to…
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Hyderabadi cuisine has evolved over centuries from foreign and native influences. The cuisine began to form during the medieval times and was reached to extend during modern period through the work of skilled chefs serving the Deccan nobility. The city of Hyderabad being the seat of former rulers was the center of many innovative techniques led by royal chefs (known as Khansamas) that eventually gave form to modern Hyderabadi cuisine. One amongst the many Hyderabadi delicacies is the Baghare Baigan or Hyderabadi Baigan. It is a popular Indian eggplant curry of Hyderabad in India. This dish is also very popular…
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‘Chefs Across Boundaries’ is a group of Chefs who set up challenges every month to encourage the participants to innovate, think out of the box and explore the culinary world. This month, one of the Members Hetal Kamdar (http://hetalkamdar.blog.co.uk/) hosted the challenge and her theme was Pondicherry cuisine. The Union Territory of Pondicherry boasts of a sumptuous cuisine that shows strong French and Tamil influences. Puducherry formerly known as Pondicherry is a small charming Union Territory on the east coast of India consisting of four small regions namely Pondicherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam. Whereas Pondicherry and Karaikal is in Tamilnadu,…
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Highway on my plate tonight!!!! Who doesn’t gets fascinated by Dhaba foods… No matter where we go and eat, a 5star or a 7star, nothing can beat the rustic flavor that a dhaba provides our palate. I am not much of an aristocratic person…i loved to stick to my roots, the roots of India that defines my taste, my culture and my food. The Dhaba moves wherever a highway goes.” The first Dhaba was probably established soon after the linking of the cities of India by highways (national, state and village roads). Food served in Dhabas is wholesome and full…
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I have always been fascinated by the richness of Mughlai food. The use of milk, cream, dry fruits is just so perfect to enhance the taste of any cuisine.. even if it is a humble Aloo / Potato. The word Nawaabi itself defines royalty and richness. And if its a Nawaabi Aloo then one can easily imagine how royal the dish must be…with hell lot of ingredients …. right? Well the dish i made today is indeed rich but i tried to keep is as simple as i can. The ingredients used are easily available at home and the blend…
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An Aloo/ potato can never go wrong !!! I strongly believe that even if the whole world finish, aloo will be the only thing surviving. There is no corner of this world (i know there isn’t a corner actually) where aloo is not cooked. Such an humble vegetable, doesn’t mind getting into with anything. One of my favorite Mughlai veg recipe is Tandoori Aloo . In fact the best Microwave recipe for Aloo. It has quite a couple of times rescued me when there is a sudden arrival of guests and there is scarcity of vegetables at home. Tandoori Aloo…