I’ve been pretty dissatisfied with the (admittedly few) garam masala mixtures I purchased (from admittedly Western/Eurocentric vendors). I think I’ve hit upon a good spice combination here. My version is sweetly aromatic with nutty overtones. Use in sauces, baking, rubs, and of course, curries. Adapted from Show Me the Curry and Serious Eats. I use […]
Tag Archives: Indian
Gajar halwa, or Indian carrot pudding
Wednesday, 27 July 2016
Carrots are one of my favorite vegetables. Although I don’t like carrot cake, I do love this Indian pudding made with lots of milk, some amount of sugar, and not as much butter (ghee, really) as I had anticipated. It takes a long time, but is so worth it!
Saag paneer: Indian greens curry with farmer’s cheese
Monday, 13 June 2016
One of my favorite desi dishes is saag paneer: Spicy greens with chunks of farmer’s cheese. It’s very similar to palak paneer which, if I understand the names properly, is made primarily with spinach as the leafy green. I enjoy a mix of several greens, including fenugreek leaves and mustard greens to add some oomph […]
Mint lassi
Friday, 1 May 2015
It started with an avocado lassi: smooth, minty, and refreshing on a hot day with spicy food. The problem with avocados is that their season is limited—they peak in winter here in CA—and dishes made with them quickly go brown, also muddying the flavor. Slightly brown avocado lassi tastes icky. But I learned it was […]
Almond & cumin rice
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
I recently took a vegetarian Indian cooking class in which we cooked a rice dish very similar to this one, except that we used cashews. I learned how the black (not white or green) cardamom adds a subtle smokey, resiny savoriness. My version uses a rice cooker, because, well, it’s an appliance I frequently use. […]
Curried zucchini & tomato soup
Friday, 14 May 2010
I had started writing up this recipe last summer, but got distracted by our renovation planning. What reminded me to post this was seeing a couple of tubs of this soup sitting in our freezer. In a few months we might make this again, if this year’s garden is as productive as 2009’s. § Here’s […]
Tomato and eggplant curry
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
We might be without a kitchen right now, but we do have several containers in the freezer that provide some easily zappable meals. One of these is a tomato and eggplant curry, a sweet reminder of the past summer — especially nice during this recent bout of cold and wet.
Kedgeree
Monday, 7 May 2007
Kedgeree, kitchiri, khichdi, or simply “kedge” in our household, is a great way to use up leftover fish, rice and vegetables. We usually make it for supper, but sometimes we’ll eat it for lunch. We cooked this yesterday, and late that night I saw Anita’s post about A Taste of Yellow’s blog cook-off for the […]
Chai
Thursday, 1 June 2006
For me, the best chai comes from a couple south Indian restaurants, Dasaprakash and Saravana Bhavan. (I’m usually disappointed by the Americanized café take on this drink: too bland or too cloying.) This recipe is certainly not perfect, but it’s a start. Use a full flavored, fermented black tea like Assam, Ceylon or English Breakfast. […]