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…
A chocolate strawberry cake is always welcome on any table, especially if it’s a flourless cake. Strawberries in India, arrive at the end of the year; a happy coincidence when the mood and food are both celebratory. At a time when menus are loaded with rich offerings, a skinny yet scrumptious cake is a smart way to cut out a few calories. A flourless, butterless batter There’s no grain flour…
Pineapple is passe ́ when there’s an upside down orange cake on the table. A full orange – flesh, juice, pith and skin, goes into this grown-up, bittersweet cake. A generous drizzle of brandy and the golden crown of candied fruit slices on top make this upside down orange cake worthy of parties and celebrations. Choose your orange The Nagpur orange is India’s most popular orange. I use the term…
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…
When life gives you apples, bake an applesauce loaf. That’s what I did when my fridge was inundated with juicy, red fruit. It’s the cold season and I have a hankering for spiced treats, both sweet and savoury. This applesauce loaf is a rustic,farmhouse-style bake and is wonderful for breakfast,warmed with a pat of butter accompanied by a steaming mug of coffee. How to make the applesauce Making applesauce is…
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’m always looking for easy homemade sweets for festivals like Diwali. This coconut laddu fits the bill perfectly. Diwali cleaning, shopping and other prep leaves me little time to make complicated sweets, so this recipe works beautifully for me. Also, people are up to their gills in sweets and rich snacks; and so I believe in keeping what I serve, light, both in terms of sugar and fat (ghee in…
I was excited when the folks at BeeTee’s asked me to try Melt, their range of artisanal chocolates in my recipes. I received 3 of their chocolates and used one in the recipe I’m sharing with you today. They paid for this post but the opinions expressed here regarding the product are completely my own. Coconut milk chocolate anyone? When you get a delivery of free chocolates, you make chocolate…
A beetroot cake is not the most exciting type of cake to most people. I understand that reaction to the idea of a cake with beets in it. Honestly, I never understood why cakes needed vegetables in the first place. That disdain has long been replaced by an interest, even enthusiasm for cakes that use vegetables in surprisingly delicious ways. This beetroot cake is my humble shot at creating a…
A watermelon salad was just what the doctor ordered when my stomach needed rest from rich, heavy food. Watermelon and feta salads are popular but this post is an Asian take on that classic combination. This watermelon salad has silken tofu marinated in a tangy, savoury dressing – it’s lighter with a beautiful balance of sour, sweet and salty flavours. Why you should marinate the tofu I like the soft,…