One Day At A Time

There are some must-haves in my kitchen. One of them is frozen hash browns. This is probably one of the upsides of staying in US. Cooking the Marathi style Batatyacha Kees with hash browns is a complete breeze. Traditionally, this delicacy is made for Upavas (Hindu religious fast). You can make it for breakfast or brunch. Its my favorite as an evening snack. This combination of potatoes and peanuts is a sure hit with kids as well. Ingredients: Grated Potatoes/Hash Browns - 3 cups Roasted Peanuts - about 1/2 cup Green Chilies - 2 or 3 Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1/2 tsp Coriander/Cilantro Leaves - few sprigs Curry Leaves/Kadipata - a sprig (optional) Oil or Ghee/Clarified Butter - 2 tbsp Sugar - 1/2 tsp (optional) Salt How to cook Marathi Batatyacha Kees: Add the grated potatoes to a big bowl of water to avoid blackening. I saved some time with store bought frozen Hash Browns. Grind the roasted peanuts to a coarse powder. Slit the green chilies lengthwise and finely chop cilan...

The other day I was talking to Mom and she told me about Pachadi. Its a vegan salad with coconut, raw mango and protein rich chana dal. And now mangoes are available. So, here I am with a traditional Konkani side dish.

This weekend I picked a nice fresh bunch of Methi (Fenugreek) leaves at our local Indian store. And I knew I had to make a creamy Paneer Makhani to go with aromatic Methi Thepla . That's one of the combos I like to cook. Why? Its both healthy and tasty. But today's Paneer curry recipe is without any onions and garlic.

The much awaited Friday is here. What's your weekend plan? Here, its still raining and cold. So, no outdoor activity for us. For our indoor movie special, I am making some snacks.  Along with the good old popcorn, we like to binge on nuts as well. Crunchy spiced peanuts are generally deep fried. Nowadays, I make a low fat version of these Masala Peanuts in a microwave. 10 - 15 minutes is all you need for a healthy tasty homemade snack. Ingredients: Raw Peanuts/ Groundnuts - 2 cups Besan/Chickpea Flour/Gram Flour - 1/4 cup Rice Flour - 1 tsp Cumin/Jeera Powder - 1 tsp Coriander/Dhania Powder - 1 tsp Chat Masala or Aamchur Powder - 1 tsp Red Chili Powder - 3/4 tsp Cooking Spray or Oil Salt How to cook Masala Peanuts in a microwave: In a mixing bowl or a big plate, add peanuts, chickpea flour, coriander powder, cumin powder, chat masala, chili powder and salt to taste.  Mix all the ingredients. Add about 2 tbsp water and mix with your hands to coat the peanuts we...

Though the cold weather is long gone, these rainy days make me cook those wintry meals. Soups are perfect for such days... hot and comforting. Let me tell you about one of our family favorites - Vegetarian Broccoli Cheddar soup. Ingredients: Broccoli Florets - 3 cups  Carrots (grated) - 1/2 cup Onion (finely chopped) - 1/2 cup Whole Milk - 1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese (grated) - 1 cup Garlic (finely chopped) - 1 big clove Bay Leaves - 2 Dry Thyme - 1 1/4 tsp Black Pepper Powder - 1 tsp Nutmeg/Jaiphal - 1/8 tsp Rice Flour - 1 tbsp Olive Oil - 2 tbsp Salt How to cook Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup: Heat oil in a big pan. You can use unsalted butter as well. Add onions bay leaves and garlic. Sauté until onions soften. Add carrots, thyme and nutmeg. Sauté for a couple minutes.  Add rice flour and sauté for another couple minutes so that the raw flour smell goes away. Rice flour will help thicken the soup. You can use all purpose flour (maida) or corn starch or po...

Some days I plan a whole week's meals ahead and shop accordingly. Well.. plans don't always work. Other days, I keep staring at the pantry and refrigerator to come up with some delicious menu. Turns out, South Indian Puliyogare is my plan of action for today. Puliyogare is a simple, yet tasty rice with a tangy tamarind flavor. Ingredients: Basmati Rice - 1 cup Raw Peanuts/Shenga - 1/4 cup Whole Cashews/Kaju - 2 tbsp (optional) Desiccated (dry) Coconut/Kopra - 1 1/2 tbsp Coriander Seeds/Dhane - 2 tsp Chana Dal/Split Chickpeas - 2 tsp Sesame Seeds/Til - 1 1/2 tsp Urad Dal/Split Black Gram - 1 tsp Methi/Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 tsp Dry Red Chilies - 5 Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp Asafetida/Hing - 1 tsp Curry Leaves/Kadhipata - a sprig Jaggery/Gur - 1 tbsp Tamarind/Imli - a big lemon sized ball Oil - 2 1/2 tbsp Salt How to cook South Indian Puliyogare Rice: In a small bowl, add about 1 cup water. Add tamarind to the bowl and microwave it for 20 - 25 seconds. Let the ...

Recently, a new member joined our family and I got promoted to being a Mom. I am enjoying every minute of it. Part of being a parent is eating healthy and making it look appealing to a child's eye. These days I go for more colorful delicacies. Today's Lemon Pasta Salad fits that profile perfectly with lots of bright colored veggies and protein rich beans. My baby doesn't eat solid food yet, but I am getting ready to cook for her. Ingredients: Bow-tie Farfalle Pasta - 2 cups Green Beans - 1 cup Dry Pinto Beans - 1/4 cup Bell Peppers - about 1/2 cup Carrots - about 1/4 cup Celery - about 1/4 cup Tomato - 1 small Lemon Zest - 1 tsp Lemon Juice - 5 tbsp Olive Oil - 4 tbsp Dry Basil - 1 tsp Black Pepper Powder - 1 tsp Garlic Powder - 1 tsp Salt How to make Rainbow Pasta Salad with Veggies and Beans: Soak dry pinto beans in plenty of water overnight. Wash the soaked beans. Add 3 - 4 cups of water in a pot. Bring it to a boil and add the soaked beans. Cook ...