So at the risk of sounding like a bad Indian, I will admit I am not the biggest fan of lentils, or dal. Growing up in my vegetarian home, dinner almost every night was a dal, a veggie side and roti – whole wheat Indian flat bread. Super duper healthy but I got SO tired…
So it is summer time, even if it doesn’t often feel like it in the cool Bay area, and time to eat lighter food. My palate craves fresh tastes this time of year even if it isn’t scorching out. But as a cuisine, Indian is not exactly known for being low calorie. So I’ve improvised…
Okay, it has been a while and many of you have asked me to please return to samosajunkie!! Thank you for the kick in the pants and encouragement. Even though I had an excellent excuse (my baby girl was born February 8) I have missed writing and cooking terribly and am happy to be finally…
This time of year I find myself making soup at least a couple of times a month. Nothing better to chase away the winter blues – plus if you stay away from the cream, you get a filling meal that is pretty healthy. An added bonus is my toddler gets a kick out of sucking…
I love to have a stash of easy, quick, healthy side dishes that I can throw together that will accompany a showstopper of a main dish without stealing the stage. However, it can be hard to find such dishes in traditional Indian cooking. Most of the veggies have just as many spices and complex flavor…
I adore cilantro chutney – that green sauce that just about every Indian restaurant will serve with samosas or papad. And, I posted a recipe for how to make it last June – as simple as throwing a bunch of green stuff into a blender! It is the completely balanced combination of herbal and tangy…
Crisper weather is here and the season of comfort food is upon us. Growing up in an Indian vegetarian house has left its mark on me and my idea of comfort food is not the norm. For me this vividly yellow buttermilk curry is what I craved whenever I missed home. It is the dish…
We all have dishes that were special for birthdays. These chickpeas are what I requested for dinner on my sixteenth birthday. A couple of my girlfriends came over and my mother also made puffy, fried bread called batura that is the traditional accompaniment. I was in heaven. Half a world away my husband’s standard brunch…
I know the weekend feels far away but it is never too early to start thinking about what you’re going to make for brunch! Akuri is an unusual, Parsi egg dish that I had on my very first trip to Mumbai. The Parsis are originally from Iran. They follow the Zoarastrian faith and were persecuted…
When my family and I were visiting Calcutta in April, we discovered a gold mine at Arjun’s grandfather’s home – his grandmother’s old recipe book. Written in her own hand on yellowed pages, it contained a number of Didu’s signature recipes. I was ecstatic to find this culinary treasure. Arjun’s Didu was a phenomenal cook…