One Day At A Time

Hi everyone! How's life in your part of the world? I hope all is well. The Hindu holy month of Shravan is here. I fondly remember how my mom used to pan-fry vegetables with semolina. Rava Fry is a common dish in Saraswat and Marathi cooking, and I'd love to share a recipe I made, inspired by her, in my Dallas kitchen. Ingredients: Taro Root/ Arbi /Arvi /Maadi - 4 medium Kashmiri Lal Chili Powder - 1 tsp Turmeric / Haldi - 1/4 tsp Tamarind extract / Chinch - about 1/2 tsp Salt - 1/4 tsp Coarse Rava / Semolina - about 3/4 cup Oil or Cooking Spray How to Pan fry Taro or Arbi with Semolina: Peel the Taro Root and chop into thick slices. Add salt, Tamarind, turmeric and red chili powder. Toss and set it aside for 10 - 15 minutes. Let it sweat and release some water. Mix well to coat the taro slices with all the seasonings. Coat the taro slices with semolina. Heat a cast iron pan. Lower the heat to medium and pour oil or cooking spray. Cook both sides of  the Taro slices covered wit...

Hey everyone! Hope all is well in your part of the world. Texas is usually hot this time of the year. That's where I am.  July 4th long weekend is right around the corner. Let me share some of my favorite American Fast Food joints. Over the years I have found my favorite fast food item - Spicy Chicken Sandwich. The first Chicken Sandwich Burger I ate was at Wendy's.  We have lived in Michigan, Florida and Texas and traveled all over the US. Alaska and Hawaii are on the pending list. Today I'll tell you my 3 most favorite American Fast Food Restaurants . Wendy's Spicy Chicken Sandwich Raising Canes Spicy Chicken Sandwich Chick - fil - a Spicy Chicken Sandwich My kiddo likes Chicken Fingers at Raising Canes Do tell me the joints you like to visit while traveling. Or your favorite grab and go meals.

  Hey everyone! Hope all is well. Goldilocks weather in my part of the world. Not so rainy anymore.  Today, I am sharing a well known Indian flatbread - Naan. My simplified version with just three ingredients and salt. If you are trying to avoid unnecessary additives in store bought Naan, this post is for you. Do try this homemade Naan and let me know. And kneading the dough in a food processor makes it easier. Ingredients: All purpose flour/Maida - 2 cups Homemade Yogurt/Dahi - about 1 cup Baking Powder - 2 tsp Salt to taste How to make Easy Three Ingredient Naan: In a food processor jar, add flour, yogurt, baking powder and salt. Run the dough setting until mixed well. Add more yogurt or flour to get smooth, soft dough. Divide the dough into 8 dough balls. Roll each one as thin or thick you would like, dusting some flour.  Heat a cast iron pan and place the rolled naan. When small bubbles start popping, flip and roast for a few seconds. Finish cooking the Naan on direct...

Hello everyone! I wanted to start the new year off right with an easy Konkani breakfast recipe. This is a common dish in the coastal regions of India, where coconut and rice are staples. Hope 2025 is treating you well. Where I am, the mornings are sweater weather, but the afternoons are warm enough to ditch the sweater! Ingredients: Flattened Rice/ Thin Poha/ Phovu - about 3 cups Fresh or Frozen Shredded Coconut - about 3/4 cup Mustard Seeds/ Sasam - 1/2 tsp Fresh Green Chilies - 4 Curry Leaves/Kadipata - a sprig Asafoetida/ Hing - 1/4 tsp Jaggery or Sugar - 1/4 tsp Oil - about 2 tsp Salt Mixture or Farsaan or Shev How to make Konkani Kaloun Pho: Thaw the frozen coconut. In a mixing bowl, add coconut and flattened rice.  In a small pan, heat the oil for phann or tadka or tempering. Add mustard seeds, medium chopped green chilies, curry leaves and asafoetida. Turn off the heat when mustard seeds start spluttering.  Pour this tadka in the mixing bowl. Add salt and sugar. Stir wi...

Frederick Meijer Garden, Grand Rapids Hey everyone! Hope all is well with you. In my part of the world, we're enjoying beautiful sunny winter weather. Where I live, two days of snow lead to school closures, which happened a few days ago.  This month, my food blog celebrated its 15th anniversary. It started in Michigan, and now I'm in sunny Texas. It's amazing how life takes you to different places. A sincere thank you to everyone who has visited my online home, left a comment, sent an email, and shared my love of food. "Less is more" is a mantra I learned from my mother, whose cooking style always featured few ingredients. I've adopted that philosophy in my own cooking. My cooking style has changed a lot over the years. I now cook Mexican and Italian dishes frequently in addition to Indian cuisine. I am always on the lookout for healthier alternatives, and often use semi-homemade or store-bought ingredients. I read nutrition labels carefully to find foods with...

Hey everyone! Long time no see! Hope all is well in your world. I am back with a healthier Indian Mithai recipe. It is gluten free and protein rich. Vegans can use Coconut Oil instead of Clarified Butter. I made this for my picky 11 year old. My kiddo eats pretty healthy, but feeding vegan protein rich beans and lentils is a work in progress. Today's sweet treat is made with Chickpea Flour and Jaggery . Jaggery also called as Good in Hindi and Gool in Marathi is a less processed form of sugar. It is darker in color like molasses . Hope you enjoy making this delicacy for your loved ones. Ingredients: Ladu Besan/ Chickpea Flour - 2 cups Ghee/Clarified Butter - 3 - 4 tbsp Jaggery Powder - 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp Saffron/Kesar strands - a pinch Cinnamon/Dalchini Powder - 1/4 tsp Nuts for garnish if you like How to make Homemade Besan Gud ke Ladoo: In a heavy bottom pan, add ghee and besan. Roast it at low or medium flame until you get a roasted aroma. Ladu Besan is a coarse form of chick...

Hey everyone! Hope all is well in your world. Texas heat has mellowed down. We are blessed with pleasant, cool weather these days. Touch wood!  There was a time when I used to cook Whole Wheat Atta Samosas at home. These days, whenever I am unable to make Homemade Samosas, I go for the frozen ones. Too many brands are available. Let me share my two family favorites.  Deep No Onion Garlic Samosa is my personal favorite. I can eat them on fasting days or during the holy month of Shravan. Next best for me is Haldiram's Punjabi Samosa. I did not like the Purani Dilli Samosa of Haldiram's. Airfrying these frozen samosas makes them highly convenient. At times, I airfry them without any oil.