Vegan lemon curd cake is my answer to all the lemons life is showering me with these days. Ever since I moved into my current home a month ago, the lemon tree in the quiet corner of my garden has been blessing me with its bounty of fruit. Every morning I wake up to at least 15-20 ripe, yellow orbs scattered at the base of the tree. When lemons are…
Hyderabadi fish for someone like me, who calls the city home, is a dish that never gets its due. Biryanis, salans and meat dishes tend to dominate the narratives on Deccani and Hyderabadi cuisines. The city is landlocked but it more than makes up for the lack of seafood, with freshwater fish dishes. There are spicy fried fish dishes, tangy, tamarind-based fish curries and fiery masala fish preparations.This Hyderabadi fish…
This almond thins recipe is a result of my need to nibble. Often around 5 in the evening or mid morning I feel like a smallish snack, more to satisfy my mouth rather than my stomach. At such times, these slender and chewy, a little sweet, slightly salty, coffee almond thins hit the spot. A hit of coffee Chewing on these thins is like sipping black coffee…well almost. The coffee…
This carrot thogayal recipe was shared by a dear friend’s mother, who has a vast repertoire of thogayals in her culinary quiver. Thogayal or thuviyal is essentially Tamil for chutney. Thick and on the drier side, it has similar versions in Kerala known as chammanthi and thokku in Andhra. This particular carrot thogayal is typical of the cuisine of the Iyer community of Palakkad; Tamil brahmins who migrated to this…
Baked chickpea cakes for dinner on a weeknight were exactly what I needed – a healthy, easy-to-put-together, light meal. After the indulgences of the winter, now fading fast, it’s time to shift to menus suited to warmer weather. Chickpeas are wildly popular, present in every store cupboard and are incredibly versatile. These baked chickpea cakes can be anything you want them to be – appetisers at a party, a…
Try sorghum muffins to start your day. You could also call it a banana muffin or even a whole wheat muffin. In short, a healthy, delicious low-fat breakfast. Bake it on the weekend and be rid of breakfast worries for the next few days. I’m partial to whole grain recipes and try to incorporate gut-friendly, nutrient-dense whole-grain and flours in my baking wherever I can. This sorghum muffin recipe is…
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…
Tandoori prawns are a surefire crowd pleaser; whether you’re cooking it for just for your family or for a large party. Seafood is delicate, yet the ground spices in the marinade for these tandoori prawns builds a savoury patina of flavour that complements the intrinsic sweetness of the prawns. Now, tandoori dishes – chicken, lamb and seafood must be grilled in a tandoor as the name suggests, but in the…
An everyday fish pulao is a wonderful dish to have in one’s repertoire. It makes a nice change from fried and curried fish. Like many if not most Indian home cooks, I cook from instinct, adding flavours and seasoning without always adhering to recipes and measurements. Cooking over time, one develops a sense of which ingredients complement each other and how much needs to be added to achieve a certain…
I made jowar cookies because I wanted to try whole grain cookies using some kind of millet flour. These sweet little discs could also go by lemon cookies. Now, traditional baked goods with lemon are always made using butter and all-purpose flour because together they create tender (cakes), crisp (cookies) and light, buttery textures. By making lemon-flavored jowar (sorghum) cookies using oil, my aim was to cut a few calories…