Pickling is the process of preserving foods in an acidic solution, usually vinegar, or brine. Using vinegar is the easiest, quickest, and least intimidating method of pickling. You can use either white distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar as long as the acidity level of the vinegar is 5%. I brew my own vinegar at home but for quick pickling like in this recipe, I use store bought vinegar to make sure of the acidity level. The old-fashioned way to make pickles is through fermentation, which is a longer process but also more beneficial to health. If you want to learn that method, you could sign up for my online workshops where I teach you how to ferment many vegetables full of good bacteria called probiotics.

Soft paneer cubes dunked in a creamy and aromatic sauce is a regal treat and Shahi means just that, Royal. This recipe has a curry that is oh so luxurious and rich with the use of nuts, cream, cardamom and saffron everything so exotic. This recipe is prepared with blanched onions and cashews. I like to strain the onion and cashew paste atleast once or even twice to make sure the curry is velvety. You can skip the turmeric and let the gravy be creamy white. I have added some turmeric in the picture below but don’t add it always. I have also added kasuri methi* ie sun-dried fenugreek leaves in this recipe but its optional. I personally love kasuri methi as it flavors the recipe beautifully and gives it a distinct aroma. It is an Indian spice that glams up a lot of curries.

Recipes are usually a reflection of the many influences we encounter in our lives. Some recipes are passed down for generations in our families and some are learnt from friends and others are adapted by trial and error from something we have eaten.

 “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” I am not sure what is the origin of this phrase, but I guess it is not difficult to fathom the idea behind this rendering. Do I agree with the saying? I guess Yes and No! No because the phrase is very archaic and sounds more like channeling the Betty Draper (from Madmen) inside you. And Yes! Sort of, in a very extensive interpretation of it. What I genuinely believe is

'The way to an honest heart lies through its belly’

I truly believe that food is an  intimate experience. Good food creates memories, it forges friendships, and makes the heart grow fonder.

“Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down on our blankets for a nap.”     

Barbara Jordan

That is a thought I could get behind. The recipe I am sharing here is for serious chocolate enthusiasts. These brownie crinkle cookies are the best of both worlds’ cookies, and brownies. These cookies with their crispy crunchy outer shell and fudgy dark center are decadent and undoubtedly milk’s new best friend.

This might sound strange to you, but I did not have my first piece of cornbread until I was in my thirties. In India we make a flat bread with cornmeal, but not cornbread. When I moved to Singapore, I remember going to an American restaurant which served freshly baked warm cornbread on the house while we waited for our meal. It was outrageously good. I always ordered some extra and it became a happy discovery for me.

This Italian bread is so delicious and easy to make, it is going to keep making its way back on your dinner table every now and then. Focaccia can be used as a side to many meals or as a sandwich bread.

This focaccia is perfectly soft and fluffy and satisfyingly chewy.  It is sprinkled with crunchy and flaky sea salt and drenched in extra virgin olive oil. This recipe is amazingly easy to make by hand, and even easier to make with the help of a stand mixer.  It happens to be a vegan recipe. It can be shaped into a free-form round or pressed into a rectangular baking dish and usually is one inch in thickness. Bread is the best vehicle for olive oil and if you love bread soaked up with olive oil, this focaccia speaks your love language

During the Covid19 pandemic, while we are all on lockdown and everyone is at home, I am constantly thinking of snack options for my family. It feels like the refrigerator is always open and the   pantry has become a place of comfort. I cannot say for sure, if we are eating out of boredom or if we big eaters in general!! Anyways, if you are facing a similar status quo, then you are in the right place and are reading the right recipe.

A cup of coffee along with a chocolate chip cookie (or two) is one of the few things that renews my faith in humanity. Oatmeal cookies, when done right are perfect as oats lend a soft and chewy texture to the cookie. The chewiness and the nuttiness of the oats, along with the chocolate chips make these a favorite twist on a classic CCC.

There is something special about cakes, whether they are decorated with sprinkles, marking a celebration or just a piece smuggled in couch while watching Netflix. Cakes can brighten an ordinary day. Cakes are universal bae. This mango semolina cake is extremely close to my heart as it has got all the cherished Indian flavors.

Some cakes never go out of style. They are timeless, well known and have had a great reputation for years.  Bakers might try and tweak the recipe a teensy bit here or wee bit there, but the basic recipe is beloved. I do like trying an elegant pastry; but a good slice of a bakery style, tried-and-tested treat is something I will fancy anytime of any day.

How many of you made homemade baby food? I pretty much fed Aditya (my son) all homemade baby food, and I think it was so easy to prepare. I had a small stove top pressure cooker and that made making baby food a breeze. These stove top pressure cookers are quite common in India and every household in India has a couple of them for sure. Aditya did not like the sound of the pressure cooker and the whistling sound used to scare him. There was a version I had, which did not make the sharp whistling sound, but it was too big, so I preferred using the small one for baby food. I used to make smaller batches of food so I could make it fresh.  If you ever made baby food at home, I am sure apple sauce was one of the things you made. So simple and so much better than the jarred version.

Chana Masala also known as Chole is a chickpea curry. There are countless ways to prepare this dish, depending upon the region, but originally this recipe belongs to Northern India. What I am sharing here is an authentic preparation that is cooked almost the same way in every North Indian family.

Dulce de Leche is a caramel like confection from Latin America. Dulce de leche is used to flavor candies or other sweet foods, such as cake, cookies and ice cream. My favorite uses of it are in a Banoffee Pie, filled in Tarts or swirled in a Brownie Batter like in this recipe Dulce de Leche Brownies which is absolutely Aah-MaZing! It also makes a good fruit dip.  Dulce de Leche is not available ready-made in many countries, and that is why had the dire need to teach myself how to make it at home. A homemade form of Dulce de leche sometimes is made by boiling an unopened Can of Sweetened Condensed Milk for two to three hours in a pot of water or 30 to 45 minutes in a pressure cooker. I love using the pressure cooker, it saves so much time in preparing meals or in this case a terrific confection.

Lentils have been around for ages, they are among the oldest known foods, but it is only recently they get a place at the table globally. Lentils are as good for the environment as they are for our health. They are super versatile and a powerhouse of nutrients.

Mango and chili are like Yin and Yang! They complement each other so well. The sweetness of the mango gets livelier with the intensity of the chili and salt in this drink. This fruity fiery drink is extremely flavorful. It is so smooth you can easily guzzle up a few glasses and before you know it, you will be tanked and dancing on the table. However, if you like to skip the alcohol, feel free to do so and use orange juice in the same quantities as the alcohol omitted.

Butter chicken is a dish that was born close to home, in a restaurant called Moti Mahal in Delhi about 70 years ago. Delhi is arguably the culinary capital of India, and Moti Mahal contributed significantly to putting India on the food map of the world back then. Moti Mahal is a successful chain of restaurants with outlets far and wide. There is famous adage which says when you visit India you must visit the Taj Mahal and (you must eat at) Moti Mahal. Frankly, I don’t disagree, in fact I urge you to visit one of the branches in Delhi as it is most authentic in that part of the country in my opinion.

I was never fond of bananas as a kid, in fact I was always very wary of any snack that had anything to do with bananas.  I quite frankly loathed the smell of it. But when I had my son, bananas being one of the foods introduced in the first year of his eating solids, I started buying them. Of course, initially he could not eat the whole banana and I became the dustbin for the leftovers (eye roll) I will not lie sometimes I started enjoying it. I think I used to be so tired with mothering duties, that a sweet snack probably gave me the much needed energy to keep going. I think that is when I realized what they mean when they say Bananas are so called mood lifters, once you eat one you do feel very satisfied as they are full of fiber and sugar thus making you feel energized.

Everyone who bakes a little, mostly has a chocolate chip cookie in their repertoire. There must be a million CCC recipes out there and not that the internet needs another one but here I am with my go to classic chocolate chip cookie recipe. I got this recipe from a friend’s mom about ten years back and this recipe is still my absolute favorite. This recipe uses bread flour which lends it an impressive chewy texture. If you want one good classic CCC recipe that is incredibly buttery and chewy in the middle, this is it.

Mustard Sauce is a pretty simple condiment, but if you try different grinds of the seeds, add different spices and vinegar to it, it can turn into something more complex. I absolutely love mustard sauce and can put it on a lot of things, but if you think you don’t like it, I really encourage you to try a different variety. It’s quite likely you might fancy something.