A Lamb Barley Turnip soup is a good way to get turnip-haters to eat their share. Turnips are a winter specialty and are said to provide warmth from the season’s chill. That said, I’m sure most home cooks will agree that it is far from being a popular vegetable. A turnip soup that packs in the fibre and goodness of pearl barley and the savouriness of meat will (in my…
A hearty Hyderabadi Mutton Dalcha is a beautiful thing to grace your table on a cold winter day. I sought succour in this deliciously thick mutton (goat) and chana dal dish during a recent cold front. I made it as much for its taste as its ability to soothe the soul and evoke a sense of comfort and nourishment in inclement weather. Quintessentially South Indian, the Hyderabadi Mutton Dalcha is…
This Garlic Spinach Baked Chicken comes after a long hiatus from posting. I will endeavour to be more regular this year (life willing). The cold has been biting down in these first few days of January, and what better than a gratin-style dish to warm up bellies on chilly evenings? Leaves et al Luscious chicken thighs and a boatload of leafy greens are at the centre of this bake. I…
The celebration of sour flavours in Hyderabadi food is the inspiration behind the recipe for kairi pulao in this post. The abundance of raw mangoes in summer is used to make sour khatti (sour) dal, chutneys, pickles, curries, raita, chicken and meat dishes and even a kairi mutton biryani. My recipe for kairi pulao is a lighter, summer-friendly, less spicy version of chicken and raw mango pulao (pilaf). It’s ideal…
It’s unlikely that the term ‘kohlrabi recipes’ scores among your top searches on Google but I have one for you anyway. The variety and glut of beautiful seasonal vegetables has been inspiring me through the winter. We’re gorging on red and black carrots, peas, methi (fenugreek greens), radishes (both red and white), many leafy greens and of course, kohlrabi or ganth gobhi. This is one of the first kohlrabi recipes…
My easy chicken meatballs are exactly what they claim to be. They can be assembled and cooked in a jiffy; no special ingredients and techniques required. Everyone loves meatballs – as finger food with cocktails or wrapped in a tortilla with salsa, or bunged between slices of bread, or slathered with marinara nestled within reams of spaghetti; there are so many ways to eat them. It’s all about the mince…
Orange chicken curry or narangi chicken is as fruit-scented and zesty as it sounds. Poultry and citrus have always been friends and so, in orange season it’s only natural to cook a dish celebrating this camaraderie. Oranges, tangerines, kinnow, clementines,blood oranges, I love them all. This orange chicken curry is an unpretentious, home-style dish with a smattering of spices and generous glugs of fresh orange juice. Keep it fresh My…
Spicy prawn soup in November is like winter haiku in a bowl. Just a few ingredients celebrating the season creating deep, warming harmony on your palate. The heat hums in this spicy prawn soup, never jarring, just right. I started the season of soups with one that’s not too hearty and heavy, yet it’s filling enough to be a meal by itself. Surf and turf This soup is spiced with…
I must begin by confessing that my Konkani chicken curry is not based on some age-old recipe created by grannies, and that it may induce some lip curling among experts of Konkani cooking. And for that I apologise. This recipe is inspired by the Konkani style of dry chicken curries which have earned them legions of fans (myself included) who swear by their bright, bold and beautiful flavours. The western…
The murgh rezala is a celebration.Of the happy blend of Bengali and Muslim cooking, of the sophistication of the subcontinent’s food, and of India’s composite culture. A rezala refers essentially to the sauce in which the murgh or chicken is cooked. Food historians estimate that this dish evolved when the descendents of Tipu Sultan were forced to leave their royal abode in Srirangapatna, Karnataka and exiled to Kolkata, Bengal, by…