Latest Posts
Lehsuni Sev / Lasooni Sev / Garlic Sev / लहसुनी सेव / spicy vermicelli snack
If you like a punch of garlic in your snacks then there’s nothing more garlicky than this ‘lehsuni sev’. Every year for Diwali I peel a load of garlic and my husband, who has a thing about garlic breath, usually says something like ‘… there goes our social life this Diwali..’ Needless to say, this […]
Puffed Whole Wheat ‘Bhadang’ / भडंग चिवडा
I am not one for compromising on taste to keep the waistline in check. Neither am I prone to shortcuts in my cooking technique just to save time if I know that flavour will be compromised. I have always been known amongst my peers for taking a rather long-winded painful path to achieve the desired […]
Kothimbir Vadi / कोथिंबीर वडी /Steamed Coriander bites
Kothimbir vadi is to Maharashtrians what pakoras are to the rest of the world. Not that we don’t enjoy pakoras too – both have their own charm, but kothimbir vadi is the classic. It even has its own designated spot on a Maharashtrian thali served at weddings or festivals. The mere sound of a thunderstorm […]
Indian Borage Leaf Pakoras / Carom Leaf Pakora / Ajwain Patta Pakoda / ओव्याच्या पानांची भजी
Indian borage leaf, also commonly called carom leaf or ‘ajwain ke patte’ is no novelty to Indians. Like many, I grew up watching my Mum tend this herb in her garden and when the Monsoons hit Indian shores, she’d make these pakoras as our evening snack. I decided to have a go at growing this […]
Dum Ka Murgh / दम का मुर्ग
Dum ka murgh is the legendary Hyderabadi chicken curry, slow cooked in a richly spiced creamy sauce. I cooked it today for Gatari Amavasya (गटारी अमावस्या), the new moon night when Maharashtrians indulge in meaty feasts and binge on booze before the onset of the holy month of ‘Shravan’ when they’re required to abstain from […]
Lal Mathachi Bhaji / Red Amaranth Stir-Fry / लाल माठाची भाजी
I have almost zero recollection of the time as a kid when I enjoyed red amaranth stir fry in India. Lal math, as it’s called in my native language, Marathi, never enticed me as a kid. But last summer when I decided to grow red amaranth from seed purely as an experiment, I was astonished […]
Bottle gourd peel thecha / Bhoplyachya salancha thecha / भोपळ्याच्या सालांचा ठेचा
Bottle gourd, also known as dudhi in India, is a very versatile vegetable. Although it’s classed as exotic produce in the UK, it has become a common find in Indian grocery stores across the UK. A long pale green bottle gourd with delicate white flesh inside dotted with soft edible seeds is rather delicious (and […]
Purple Asparagus And Fennel Salad
During the British asparagus season from late April to June, I enjoy eating the spears raw as their sweet crunch and aroma is so appealing especially when they’re fresh from the farm. Add to that some shavings of fennel and you have the makings of a delicious spring salad. Who wants a boring tasteless salad? […]
Kairichi Chutney / Raw Mango Chutney / कैरीची चटणी
Chutneys and pickles are, in my opinion, a much-neglected aspect of Indian cooking. That is especially true in so-called Indian restaurants in the UK where you might find a bland mango chutney served with ‘poppadoms’ as a kind of appetiser, or perhaps a bowl of runny mint chutney. The truth is that Indian condiments have […]
Wild Garlic Tadka Dal
The scent of wild garlic is once again wafting through the woodlands of Britain. This year it’s even been in the news, though sadly not for the right reasons. It seems it’s getting too popular for its own good and some people (or maybe restaurants) are over-harvesting this precious seasonal delicacy. Our local patch has […]
Wild garlic – Let’s Keep It Sustainable
In the UK wild garlic appears in early Spring typically in old woodland in damp conditions. We are lucky enough to live within a short walk of a wild garlic glade where it carpets the woodland floor with green leaves from March followed by white flowers in April and May. If you are out looking for it you may well smell […]
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