Posts Tagged ‘vegan’
Sunday, December 28th, 2008

I still haven’t got used to this crazy Texas weather. It was 65 degrees yesterday, and today its freezing 25 degrees. The kids have started the winter holidays. During these chilly winter evenings all I want to do is curl up at the corner of the couch with my cozy slipper socks, a throw and a good book. The dinner can wait, but can it really? Well this is what happened…. Some parathas, some really hot stuffed jalapenos on the side & a bowl of yogurt. Quick & Simple.
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Posted in Sides & etc. | 34 Comments »
Tags: Asafoetida, Besan, bharwan mirch, chickpea flour, Coriander, Garlic, jalapeno. stuffed pepper, oil, sides, spicy, vegan, Vegetarian recipe
Saturday, December 20th, 2008

Sweet Chutney served after a full course meal is an integral part of Bengali cuisine. Every single day while I was growing up, we would end end our meal with some kind of sweet chutney which would be polished of the plate with fingers & later the fingers licked off clean. I guess that served as a kind of dessert… the Bongs as everyone knows are famous for their “sweet teeth”.. not just a “tooth”. The chutney would be made of any seasonal ingredient. In summer it would be raw mangoes or pineapples, in fall & winter - the irrestible red tomatoes.
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Posted in Condiments and Sauces | 23 Comments »
Tags: apricot, cheese, Chutney, condiment, fruit flavor, jalapeno, Mint, red dry chilli, sides, vegan, vegetarian, Vegetarian recipe
Sunday, December 14th, 2008

Dal(Lentil) paratha/flat bread is something which I learned from my grandmother. My grandparents lived only a few minutes away from our home. And it would be often that my grandpa would walk by with a bag of hot, freshly made parathas and a bunch of flowers for me.
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Posted in Breads | 30 Comments »
Tags: Ajwain, bengali, Bread, carom seeds, chana dal, chana dal paratha, cholar dal, dal, dal paratha, dal puri, dinner, flat bread, legume, lentil, lunch, paratha, spice, vegan, Vegetarian recipe
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008

Remember all the groans & whines we came up with when we were forced to eat Karela/Bitter Melons when we were little? I have heard only of a handful of kids who eat this bitter vegetable without pulling a long sad face. I have found some ways (like this one), where the karela actually tastes not like karela. My kids (& my husband) do not whine when I make this stirfry. They Potatoes & the Karela are crispy, & has a nutty flavor.
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Posted in Sides & etc. | 24 Comments »
Tags: aloo, bitter melon, Cumin, garden, karela, khus, medicinal properties, poppy seeds, potato, side dish, stir fry, vegan, vegetarian
Saturday, November 15th, 2008
Talking of Dum Aloo…There are some hundreds of ways to make Dum Aloo. In West Bengal it used to be a must dish served for weddings with “Radhaballavi” (lentil stuffed puri), and I loved the slight & subtle sweet taste of that kind of dum aloo.
Also during fall/winter time, when there would be small new baby potatoes, & the peas in the shell, my mom would make peas kachori and dum aloo with the bite size potatoes. It used to be an all evening activity when we would all sit and shell the peas and rub the potatoes to skin the already peeling skins.
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Posted in Curries, Sides & etc. | 17 Comments »
Tags: aloor dum, Cinnamon, Clove, coconut milk, curry, Dum Aloo, Dum Alu, Fall, Garam Masala, oil, Potatoes, recipe, seasonal, sides, spices, vegan, vegetarian, winter
Tuesday, November 11th, 2008

Goan cuisine has very strong Portuguese & Iberian connections. The art of baking bread was brought to Goa by the European Missionaries. The bread came to be such an essential part of a Goan breakfast that there came a time, “towards the end of the Portuguese rule, when every village had its own local bakery.” Goan bakers adapted the European influence and added local ingredients to their bread giving it a very distinct Goan flavour. They used to use toddy instead of yeast for leavening.
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Posted in Breads | 21 Comments »
Tags: Ajwain, Bread, butterfly, Carom, dairy free, flour, goa, goan, goan bread, Nigella, pao, poee, recipe, vegan, vegetarian, yeast
Thursday, October 30th, 2008
Fall is here and so is Halloween, so we made our trip to the farm with the kids. It is a yearly ritual for us, picking the pumpkins, taking a hay ride through the mazes and petting and feeding the farm animals. This time the animals would not eat at all. I guess they were too tired & bored with all the zillion kids feeding them. They just sat in the shade and chewed on with a drowsy look.
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Posted in Sides & etc. | 15 Comments »
Tags: Fall, farm, gourd, halloween, harissa, In the Bag, ITB, jack o lantern, kumro, oil, Pumpkin, tomato, vegan, Vegetarian recipe
Saturday, October 25th, 2008

Gujias are fried pastries filled with coconut or khoya (Thickened Milk) and dry fruits. It is a festival sweet and mostly prepared during Holi, but what the heck?! Why not during Diwali or any other festival too? During these days of Durga Puja, and all the upcoming festivals I was actually craving for Gujias which I had years ago when we visited india during Holi. My hubby’s Aunt had prepared these delicous Gujias, & till date I have not forgotten them. Unfortunately, I did not get an opportunity to ask her the recipe. This is what I came up with and it might not taste like the unforgetable ones back in India, but these did taste delicous too.
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Posted in Starters & Snacks | 14 Comments »
Tags: Appetizer, coconut, dessert, diwali, festival, gujia, holi, karanjia, khowa. mawa, pastry, rakhi, snack, Sweet, vegan, vegetarian
Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008

Homemade Harissa
Harissa is a traditional side with Moroccan and North African food. It is a potently spicy sauce, with the main ingredient being a lot of Hot Peppers. I make this very often for quite a few reasons. It is very easy to make, & the Harissa added to about anything charges up the taste. Add it to rice, salads, dips, couscous or any other sauce or sides and you have a tongue tickling sensational taste.
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Posted in Condiments and Sauces | 12 Comments »
Tags: african, chilli, Coriander, Cumin, Garlic, harissa, hot, how to make harissa, Mint, oil, olive oil, peppers, side, spicy, vegan, vegetarian
Wednesday, October 15th, 2008

Labra: A Festive Combination of Vegetables & Spices
These 2 months of September & October make me extremely homesick. The cool air, clear skies and the while floating clouds spill out all the memories of the biggest religious festival of West Bengal: Durga Puja, the community celebration, and along with that- very special food.
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Posted in Sides & etc. | 12 Comments »
Tags: beans, Cabbage, carrots, chilli, communal, durga puja, labra, mustard, Niramish, niramish curry, oil, panch phoron, Potatoes, puja, Pumpkin, radishes, vegan, vegetables, Vegetarian recipe