Ingredient: green chilli

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…

In continuation with the diabetic friendly recipes this month, today i brought you the most tastier version of lauki. For all those who make a fuss in eating lauki, this recipe is going to make them fall in love with the boring vegetable. Lauki Chana Dal is one such recipe that tantalize your taste buds and also can be enjoyed by children. It’s a perfect blend of taste and health for the diabetic patients too who want to keep their health in check. The recipe is adapted from my dearest mom but i tried to keep it simple using minimum…

Indo Chinese food is the most favorite food amongst youngsters these days. Chinese food cooked with Indian spices makes it more delectable and scrumptious. The most common vegetarian Indo chinese food liked by Indian youth is Paneer Chilli and Gobhi Chilli. The recipe of both are same, the only difference is that one is paneer and another is gobhi. Here i have brought you the recipe of gobhi chilli. Its crispy and firey hot. Perfect for dinner if teemed up with some fried rice or noodles. Many call it as dry gobhi manchurian too. But it is not as saucy…

Chivda – an Indian snack that is full of flavors and equally keeps a check on calories. Light and tasty Chivda is commonly found at Indian homes specially during festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi or Deepawali. I remember as a kid i had this at my neighbor’s place in Diwali. The chivda was light and fluffy and had and amazing crunch and flavor. Chivda has no particular recipe, it can be made as per your liking and choice of ingredients and taste. This particular version is guilt free as it has very less use of oil. I prefer making Chivda in…

With the onset of monsoon comes the season of pakodas, bhajiyas n fritters. In India specially we have a big craze of enjoying rains with variety of bhajjis and a hot cup of tea or coffee. The more the friiters are crunchy the more we enjoy the rainy season. If you have some cabbge left in your storage and thinking what to do with it…just make these amazing cabbage fritters binded with chana dal. Perfect tea time snack in monsoon and even a great tiffin option for kids. Bengal gram aka chana dal is a perfect binding agent when it…

I was very new to Sindhi Biryani before i explored my friend Anisa Arif’s website http://shop.zaiqathespicestore.com/ . Before this i had tried Zaika’s Bombay Biryani Masala which i used few months back. It got published in various online food magazines too. Since then i am a huge fan if Zaika Spices. They are fresh, fine and absolutely aromatic. While ordering some spices , Sindhi Biryani Masala caught attention of mine this time. After having a word about it with Anisa, i decided to give it a try. The procedure followed to make this Biryani was the same, the only difference…

Rājmā is a popular Indian vegetarian dish consisting of red kidney beans in a thick gravy with many Indian whole spices and usually served with rice and roti. Although the kidney bean is not of Indian origin, it is a part of regular diet in Northern India. The dish developed after the red kidney bean was brought to India from Portugal . Being a popular dish, it is prepared on important occasions. About 100 grams of boiled Rajma beans contain 140 calories. 5.7 grams of protein, 9.0 grams of fat and nearly 17.8 grams of carbohydrate.Rajma chawal, i.e. Rajma served…

During Ramadan my family demands for more variety of food as compared to normal days. After having consumed a lot of non veg stuff it’s now time to hog on some pure vegetarian food. Me and everyone in the family are a big time South Indian food lover. Didn’t wanted to go with those regular Idli and Dosa, hence opted for Uttapam. Teamed up with some Mango pickle, Tomato pickle, Curd and an aromatic Sambhar to fulfill. Usually Uttapams are as big as chapatis but i made Mini Uttapams for Iftaar just to please my son. Uttapam or ooththappam or…

The word Korma/ Kurma comes from Mughlai cuisine. It means a royal gravy that is prepared with mutton, chicken, beef etc. The gravy is thick and rich with a little larger quantity of oil in it. Korma can be prepared either spicy or mild. It depends on your taste buds. Traditionally the Korma was made in a Big Handi, but gradually people adapted woks etc for cooking. I have also seen few cooking in a pressure cooker. Though it saves time and energy but trust me that authentic tastes lacks which you get in slow cooking. Mutton when cooked in…

Mornings are happy when breakfast is my favorite Idli with Sambhar. Idli is a traditional breakfast in Indian households. Idli is a savory cake that is popular in South and now throughout India . The cakes are usually two to three inches in diameter and are made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented black lentils (de-husked) and rice. The fermentation process breaks down the starches so that they are more readily metabolized by the body. To make idli, two parts uncooked rice to one part split black lentil (urad dal) are soaked separately for at least four hours. Optionally…

Let’s take a tour to Hyderabad today. Well had an opportunity to visit this city of Nawabi cuisines couple of times. Must admit, everything about Hyderabad is simply marvelous. The city show cases a splendid food culture in every corner. From gullis to mohallas ..from street food to fine dinning, Hyderabad has something special for each and everyone. The cuisine emphasises the use of ingredients that are carefully chosen and cooked to the right degree and time. Utmost attention is given to picking the right kind of spices, meat, and rice. Therefore, an addition of a certain herb, spice, condiment,…

Biryani is something i simply can’t get over it. This is the only dish which i can relish daily. After having tried Awadhi Biryani, Hyderabadi Biryani, Kerela Biryani it was now turn to lay my hands on Bombay Biryani. I had this during my stay in Mumbai somewhere near Lokhandwala. The taste was little mild as compared to North India’s Dum biryani. Luckily i had a packet of ready made Bombay Biryani masala which i had received a few days back from one of my good friend Anisa Arif also the owner of Zaika. Apart from whole spices i did…