Bean Sprouts

I absolutely love cooked bean sprouts. I love cooked sprouts - of any kind! They're so delicious. And this recipe, inspired from one of my favorite cookbooks, is an absolute favorite of mine.


Spicy Bean Sprouts

1 cup Bean Sprouts
1/2 Green Bell Pepper, cut into strips
1/2 Tomato, blanched, peeled and cut into strips
1/4 cup Yogurt
1 tsp Gram Flour
a pinch of Asafoetida
1/4 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 Green Chilli, ground into a paste
a pinch of turmeric
1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/4 tsp Garam Masala
1 sprig Cilantro, for garnish
Salt, to taste

Blanche bean sprouts in some boiling water. Mix together the yogurt and gram flour to make a smooth paste.

Heat some oil in a pan and add the asafoetida, cumin seeds, green chilli paste, turmeric, red chilli powder and yogurt mixture. Cook for a few minutes. Add sprouts and salt. Cook until the consistency is a little thick and add the bell pepper, tomato and garam masala. Cook for a few more minutes and then remove from heat and serve hot.

Roasted Eggplants

This very popular Indian dish is very simple to make at home. The important part of this recipe is roasting the eggplants in a pan over low-medium heat until the skin is charred and the pulp gets the smoky delicious flavor. I'm not an eggplant person, but this is a pretty good way to enjoy them.


Bhaingan Bhurta
(Roasted eggplants with spices)

2 large Eggplants
1 Tomato, chopped
1 Onion, chopped fine
1 Green Chilli, chopped fine
1 tsp Chilli Powder
1/4 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Oil
2 tbsp Cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Roast the eggplants over a fire until they are soft. I use a dry pan and keep turning the eggplants until all the skin is charred. You could also do it over an open flame. Peel and mash the eggplants.

Fry the onions in the oil until golden brown. Add the green chillies, chilli powder and coriander powder. Add the tomato and fry for a few minutes. Now add the mashed eggplants and mix well. Garnish with cilantro.

This is great with roti or as a spread on toast!

Spiced Mashed Potatoes

A huge favorite in my house, these potatoes are light, flavorful and delicious.


Potato Podimas (Spiced Mashed Potatoes)

1 pound Potatoes
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
a pinch of Asafoetida
6 Green Chillies
1 tsp Ginger, minced
1/2 tsp Urad Dal (split Black Gram)
1 tsp Channa Dal (Red Gram Dal)
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds
4 Curry Leaves
2-3 dried Red Chillies
Juice of one lemon
1 tsp Oil
1 tsp Salt
1 bunch Cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Boil potatoes with turmeric and salt. Peel, mash and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds. When they begin to splutter, add the urad dal, channa dal, asafeotida, turmeric, curry leaves, red chillies, ginger, lemon juice, salt and mashed potatoes. Stir to combine and cook together for a few minutes. Garnish with cilantro.

Carrots with Fenugreek Leaves

This is a recipe from a cookbook I use almost like a bible, Pure and Simple by Vidhu Mittal. I simply love this book! Definitely add this to your cookbook collection. She has interesting and simple vegetarian dishes even for the novice cook. All the steps are clearly listed and complicated steps are explained in lovely pictures.


Carrots with Fenugreek Leaves
(adapted from here)

1 pound Baby Carrots, or Carrots cut into strips, peeled
2 cups Fenugreek Leaves, chopped, washed and dried
1/2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
a pinch of Asafoetida
1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
Salt, to taste
1/4 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp Coriander Powder

Heat the oil in a pan and add the asafoetida, cumin and carrots. Saute for about a minute. Add 1/2 cup water, salt and sugar. Cover the pan and let cook on low heat until carrots are tender.

Add chilli powder and coriander powder and cook for a minute. Add the fenugreek leaves and toss with carrots on high heat until wilted, about a minute.

Vegetable Biryani

So we learned how to make great chicken biryani in my previous post. Now we turn to vegetable biryani. I love this recipe. Being vegetarian, I'm glad that people like the chicken biryani, but really, I'd rather make up my own mind by tasting. And that's why I love the vegetarian version - and it's really delicious.


Vegetable Biryani

1/4 cup Peas
1 Carrot, peeled and chopped
10 Green Beans, chopped
1 Potato, chopped
1/2 bunch Mint Leaves
2 Onions, sliced
2 Green Chillies, slit
1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
1 tbsp Biryani Masala
1/4 tsp Chilli Powder
1 cup Basmati Rice
1 tbsp Ghee
1 tbsp Oil
1 piece Cinnamon
2 Tomatoes
2 Cardamom
1 Bay Leaf
1/4 tsp Fennel Seeds
2 Cloves
Salt, to taste

Heat the oil and ghee in a pan. Add the cloves, fennel, cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaf. Saute for a minute or two. Add the sliced onion and green chillies and continue to saute for a minute. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute until the raw smell of the paste disappears. Add the mint leaves and saute for a minute.

Add the tomatoes to the mixture and continue to saute. Add the vegetables, biryani masala, chilli powder and fry for five to ten minutes. Add 1 3/4 cups of water and let it come to a boil. Add the salt and mix. Add the basmati rice and stir to combine. Close the pan and allow to cook until rice is tender. Keep checking to make sure there is enough water. The rice should be just tender and not mushy.

When done, mix together to combine the rice, the spices and the vegetables in the pan. Serve hot with yogurt.

*Biryani Masala: This is available in most Indian stores. But you could also make it at home. The spice powder is a mixture of red chilli powder, coriander powder, cloves, cinnamon, aniseed, cardamom, ginger, garlic, onion, star anise and salt. Roast these ingredients on a dry pan and then grind to a smooth powder.

Chicken Biryani

Biryani is rice cooked with spices and either chicken or mutton or vegetables. For a long time I've been trying to find a perfect biryani recipe. Naturally, home cooked biryanis don't taste as good as the ones in restaurants, but this one comes pretty darn close!


Chicken Biryani

1 1/2 cups Basmati Rice
2 lbs Chicken Pieces
2 Onions, sliced
1 bunch Mint Leaves
2 Tomatoes, chopped
2 Green Chillies, slit
2 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
2 Cloves
1 small piece of Cinnamon
2 Cardamom
1 Bay Leaf
1 tsp Fennel Seeds
1/2 tsp Chilli Powder
2 tbsp Biryani Masala*
1 1/2 tbsp Ghee/ Clarified Butter
1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
Salt, to taste

Heat the oil and ghee in a pan. Add the cloves, fennel, cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaf. Saute for a minute or two. Add the sliced onion and green chillies and continue to saute for a minute. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute until the raw smell of the paste disappears. Add the mint leaves and saute for a minute.

Add the tomatoes to the mixture and continue to saute. Add the chicken, biryani masala, chilli powder and fry for five to ten minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups of water and let it come to a boil. Add the salt and mix. Add the basmati rice and stir to combine. Close the pan and allow to cook until rice is tender. Keep checking to make sure there is enough water. The rice should be just tender and not mushy.

When done, mix together to combine the rice, the spices and the chicken in the pan. Serve hot with yogurt. As I'm typing this, my husband is eating the biryani saying "its absolutely amazing".

*Biryani Masala: This is available in most Indian stores. But you could also make it at home. The spice powder is a mixture of red chilli powder, coriander powder, cloves, cinnamon, aniseed, cardamom, ginger, garlic, onion, star anise and salt. Roast these ingredients on a dry pan and then grind to a smooth powder.

Coming up next... Vegetable Biryani. Stay tuned.

Gram Flour Curry

This is a shortcut, quick curry made with gram flour and yogurt. Its delicious with rice and tastes a lot like a more (buttermilk) kozhambu.


Gram Flour (Besan) Pachadi

1 tbsp Gram Flour
1 cup Yogurt
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Urad Dal/ split Black Gram
2 Green Chillies
4-5 Curry Leaves
a pinch of Asoefetida
2 tbsp Rasam Powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
Salt, to taste
a spring of Coriander Leaves, chopped, for garnish

Mix salt, gram flour and yogurt. Heat some oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, green chillies, asoefetida and curry leaves. Heat for 2 minutes.

Add the rasam powder and turmeric powder. Stir and remove from heat.