I want to kick-off this post by clarifying that in my chicken drumstick curry the ‘drumstick’ refers to the moringa fruit (commonly known drumsticks in India). The moringa has caught the world’s imagination as a superfood and everything from its leaves to its fruit are consumed in the form of teas, capsules, health powders, drinks etc. Moringa oleifera or murunga, murungakkai, morunga, munaga, sojana, sajana, shajna and the many other…
Baking a simple lemon almond cake in the midst of a crippling pandemic gave me much needed joy and feeling of gratitude for the life that I have. Forced to be frugal, with shortages of ingredients, my choices had to be based on what was in my pantry and fridge. Craving a cake and having run out of all things chocolate, I had to make do with what I had.…
Holi is around the corner. And it’s time for thandai. It’s also time for kulfi. Spring is almost done and the door to summer has been opened. Daytime temperatures in many parts of the country are in their mid 30s (Celsius of course) and threaten every day to take off from the edge and soar into the sun. So thandai, kulfi and all other cooling concoctions are more than welcome.…
I ate the best crispy coconut prawns at The Green Turtle, a charming little restaurant on a white sand beach in Mozambique. Everything about that experience was magical – the spotless sand beside the turquoise Indian Ocean, the beautiful verandah-style restaurant, the delicious coconut water and rum cocktails and of course, golden, crispy and succulent coconut crusted prawns served in a coconut shell.. Crispy coconut prawns are a popular appetiser…
Bad weather had us boxed indoors last weekend. This apple French toast was an effort to lift our spirits in the sunless, foggy conditions. Apples are in abundance and a warm, cinnamon and vanilla-scented baked French toast topped with juicy fruit was just what the doctor ordered. Fresh, crisp apples and homemade whole wheat bread make this bake a hearty, homey dish ideal for family-style breakfasts or brunches. Choose the…
This cast iron roast chicken is one of those dishes that looks like I spent hours in the kitchen slaving over it. Truth is, this recipe, based on an Ina Garten original, couldn’t be simpler. It’s a testimony to the brilliance of cast iron skillets when it comes to roasting or browning meat. No other baking / roasting dish, pan or tray comes close.When you cook a cast iron roast…
October brings the smell of apples and a hint of winter; all the reason I need to bake a whole wheat apple cinnamon bread. Just like banana bread, this one has apples – little cubes of juicy fruit, not applesauce, not grated apples and not dried apple either. This bread is a little rustic, not the prettiest to look at and I admit, a little challenging to slice when it’s…
Chicken ularthiyathu (pronounced oo-lar-thi-ya-da) is a semi dry, spicy chicken dish from Kerala. Syrian Christian kitchens all over the state take great pride in their fish and meat dishes. The ularthiyathu style of cooking – slow frying or roasting of meats, that renders them tender while giving them a nice brown char. Beef ularthiyathu is famously cooked for every Christmas feast. No festive table is considered complete without this beloved…
As egg curry recipes go, this one is not a traditional one since cashew-based lamb/mutton and chicken curries are de rigueur but not egg curries. I saw no reason why a rich, mughlai-style curry such as this could not be paired with eggs. So I tried it. And it turned out really well. Paired with rotis, parathas or any other Indian bread, this creamy cashew egg curry makes for a…
My walnut crumble cake could well be titled ‘yoghurt cake’ because it has a generous quantity of yoghurt. This walnut and date topped cake is plumped up by full-fat yoghurt which yields a delightfully moist and tender crumb. So you have a wholesome, buttery, yoghurt-rich cake with crunchy, sweet-salty walnut crumble in the centre and on top. A double walnut crumble cake if you like. Curd, that’s Indian for yoghurt,…