Looks like the foggy, rainy weather is here to stay - atleast for tonight. And what else can you do on a louzy night like this than sit back with a good movie and of course some spicy comfort food!

Not one to run out of ideas, I had just the perfect recipe in mind to celebrate with, and one I just knew hubby dear would absolutely flip for!

A large part of Indian comfort food consists of spicy tantalizing street food. Wherever you look, at every street corner, there stands a hawker frying up these little tasty treats in large quantities. And its no surprise that his tray gets empty as soon as it is filled!

The monsoons in India certainly boasts of many comforting specialities. One of my personal favourites of this weather is the Vada-Pav - a yummy potato fritter sandwiched between soft buns (called Pav) spread with a tangy Tamarind Chutney. One bite and sip of warm chai is enough to give you all the comfort you are looking for!

Vada Pav

Ingredients:

• 2 large potatoes, boiled and mashed
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2-3 green chillies, chopped
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp ginger, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• salt, to taste
• 1 cup gram/chickpea flour
• water, as needed
• a pinch of baking soda
• oil for deep frying
• slices of bread/buns of your choice
• 3-4 tbsp of Tamarind Chutney

Method:

• In a non-stick pan, heat a little oil and saute cumin seeds, coriander seeds, green chillies and ginger till fragrant. Add in onions and fry till they get transparent.
• Add salt, red chili powder and turmeric powder and fry for a minute. Throw in mashed potatoes and mix well to incorporate with the spices.
• Add coriander leaves and mix well. Set aside to cool.
• In a large bowl, mis flour with salt, baking soda and water, and make a batter just thick enough to coat.
• Heat oil for deep frying in a skillet.
• Make potato mixture into golf-sized balls and dip into the batter.
• Fry till golden on all sides. These fritters are called Bondas/Vadas.
• To assemble, heat bread/bun slices on a warm pan and spread chutney evenly on one side on a slice.
• Put 1-2 bondas (depending on the size of the bread slice) and top with a second slice.

Serve warm and enjoy with delicious Masala Chai!

The dreaded snowstorm has finally hit. It’s predicted to snow atleast 25 inches today, so lets see. With nothing much else left to do, I decided to hit my lovely kitchen and enjoy myself. Cooking has always been a relaxing activity for me to do and I especially love the smile that erupts on sweet hubby’s face when he comes home and sees a bunch of treats ready for him!

With the dreadful cold we are having today, I’m craving for something warm and fulfilling. And what better than stuffed parathas, especially stuffed with potatoes - yes, Alu Parathas!

Mom always made Alu Parathas for brunch, more so during the winter season. Even though winters in Delhi might not be as gruesome, it still gets pretty cold out there. These delicious stuffed beauties are just right to satisfy that winter hunger. Eaten with mango pickle or just by itself with cup of masala chai defintely makes this a crowd pleaser for the cold winter weather, and a contender for the Winter theme!

Alu Parathas

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour (atta)
• 2 medium-sized potatoes, boiled and mashed
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp green chillies, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
• salt, to taste
• 3 tbsp ghee/oil
• water as needed

Method:

• Mix mashed potatoes with salt, onions. coriander leaves, red chili powder, and green chillies and set aside.
• Mix flour (atta) with salt, carom seeds (ajwain) and one tbsp of ghee/oil and form into a smooth dough with water. Separate dough into golf-sized balls and set aside.
• For each dough ball, roll out the dough into a small circle and put around one tbsp of potato mixture in the centre. Bring the ends of the circle together and form into a ball. Seal the edges completely so that the stuffing does not come out.
• Roll out these dough balls and into a 6 inch circle. Fry on a heated pan adding a bit of ghee/oil around the edges to crisp it up.

Serve hot.

I have always preferred rice over rotis, and always tend to make a little extra just so I have leftovers for the next day. I like it when I take a peek into my fridge and find a box of leftover plain rice. It drives my imagination wild, since there is so much you can create out of plain boiled rice.

I have tried so many rice dishes over time but fried rice has always been a favourite. There is so much you can do to alter the taste and so many ways you can use to make a big bowl of fried rice. I often use whatever veggies or meats i have at hand, throw in a variety of flavours, and I have a great wholesome meal ready to be served.

This is another easy breezy recipe that hardly takes anytime at all and can be put together in minutes. I can’t even remember how many times I’ve cooked this up at the end of a long tiring day. And it never fails to please me!

Vegetable Fried Rice

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked plain rice
• 1 cup mixed vegetables (carrots, peas, beans, celery, cabbage…go wild! Frozen
• vegetables would also be a great option)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp soya sauce
• 1 chicken buillion cube (substitute with vegetable buillion cube for a vegetarian version)
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1/4 tsp red chili powder
• 1/4 tsp crushed black pepper
• salt, to taste
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• chopped spring onion for garnish

Method:

• Heat oil in a non-stick pan and fry onions till transparent. Add vegetables, bullion cube, salt, pepper and chili powder and fry till all the water from the vegetables evaporate.
• Add rice and mix well. Splash soya sauce and stir-fry rice till everything is mixed well.
• Garnish with spring onions and serve warm.

A great side to spicy Pepper Chicken!

Sometimes, you just want to get away from the hoohaas and settle down with something simple and wholesome. With all the festivities and holiday humdrum going around, food has taken the centrestage. Recently our meals have comprised of anything and everything from being fancy to exotic.

But today, I just felt like taking things easy. With the thick blanket of snow outside, i just want to cuddle on my couch, watch a good movie and have a simple and satisfying lunch. And there’s nothing simpler I can think of than a big bowl of rice, drowned in Dal (Indian lentils). As I have said many times before, Dal is cooked in many ways all over India. I, myself, make atleast ten or more variations of it.

This recipe is one that me and hubby crave for after every couple of days. It hardly takes any time and effort, but yet still feels like a meal fit for a King. Afterall, are we no less?

Tadka Dal (Lentils with a Spicy Tempering)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup red lentils (lal masoor)
• 2 cups water
• 1 small onion sliced
• 2-3 green chillies, chopped
• 1 medium-sized tomato, chopped
• 2 cloved of garlic, sliced
• salt, to taste
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)
• a pinch of asafoetida powder (hing)
• 1 tbsp ghee

Method:

• Boil lentils with onions, tomato, green chillies, garlic and turmeric powder till lentils soften and pulp. Add salt and stir well.
• In a small frying pan, make tempering by heating ghee and frying cumin seeds, fennel seeds, red chili powder and asafoetida powder till it all starts to sizzle.
• Add tempering into dal and stir well.

Serve warm over rice.

For the last one month, especially since Diwali, I have been on a cooking spree. I try to make new dishes, using different recipes and different ingredients. I’ve tried my hand at making things that I’ve never made before and thankfully, most of them have turned out great, leaving hubby dear asking for more!

On out last trip to the Indian grocery store, I saw a vegetable that neither me, nor hubby has ever been fond of. Its called the Round Grourd, Indian Squash, or simply as we know it in hindi, Tinda. Recalling my childhood years, I never liked it and would always try to scurry for something else to eat.

But I wanted to try this vegetable now, not as the way I knew it, but as I would like to. So I bought about four of these little babies leaving hubby dear with a frown on his face.

Today, while I was cleaning up the fridge, making space for next week’s groceries, I saw them lying in a corner of the crisper, almost forgotten. I accepted the challenge and got to work. I stared at it for a while and then it struck me - a great new way to eat it! Can’t wait for hubby to get home and try it, I know I love it, and am guessing it’ll put a smile on his face as well!!

Tinda Fry (Sauteed Round Gourd)

Ingredients:

• 4 tindas (round gourd), peeled and cut into wedges
• 1/2 tbsp cooking oil
• 1/4 tsp red chili powder
• 1/4 tsp garam masala
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• a pinch of amchur (dried mango powder, available at the local Indian grocery store)
• salt, to taste

Method:

• Heat oil in a pan and fry the tinda wedges till they start to brown.
• Add salt and spices and fry for another minute or two.

Serve warm.

Parathas are simply delicious eaten with almost anything! There are as many different kinds of parathas as there are dishes in the Indian cuisine. I especially love the stuffed ones, with all the wonderful varied fillings; but sometimes you just want something plain and simple. Afterall, simplicity is often the best form of beauty! Here these delightful bites can be seen served with a spoonful of Keema Matar.

Plain Parathas

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour (atta)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp cooking oil
• water, as required

Method:

• Add salt and 1 tbsp of oil to flour and knead into a smooth dough, using as much water as needed.
• Separate dough into golf-sized balls and roll each one into thin circles.
• Cookon a non-stick pan, adding oil a little at a time to form a crispy texture.

Serve warm.

Today was like any other day, when I got the intense desire to cook up some wholesome, easy comfort food. It’s been snowing all day and luckily for me, the weekend’s here. That only means one thing, me and sweet huuby have time for togetherness! With a couple of movies that we’ve been dying to watch for quite some time waiting for us, I decided to make warm delicious food that we could enjoy on the couch watching them.

That’s when I thought of pasta. We don’t usually have pasta that often. But when we do, I do the works, with bread sticks or garlic bread and all! I decided on making the Arabiatta sauce, a tomato-based spicy pasta sauce. This sauce usually calls for a pinch or two of chilli flakes to spice it up, but I decided to use the trusted old red chili powder to bring on the heat. The main reason being that I don’t think chili flakes are hot enough, at least not the ones in my kitchen! We will have this pasta with deliciously warm Pizza Rolls and enjoy the comforting feel.

Penne Arabiatta (Pasta with a Spicy Sauce)

Ingredients:

2 cups penne pasta
1 medioum-sized onion chopped
2-3 cloved of garlic, minced
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp tomato paste
salt, to taste

Method:

Boil penne pasta with some salt and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a pan and add minced garlic. Saute for a few seconds till frangrant and add chopped onions.

Cook for a few minutes on medium-low heat till onions become tender and transparent, and then add parsley, salt, chili powder and oregano.

Cook for a minute or two and add in tomatoes and tomato paste. Cover cook till tomatoes pulp and start to form a sauce.

Simmer on low heat for 7-8 minutes and toss in pasta.

Serve warm with a spinkle to fresh parsley and grated cheese.

I truly believe that any Indian food is Comfort food! With all the ingredients, time and commitment that goes into its preparation, eating Indian food totally relaxes me and put me in my “happy” place.

Certain dishes in the Indian cuisine, as very simple to make, take very little time and effort and are all-time favourites, especially when one desires comfort. Dal is one such dish. Dal or lentils, is a staple in Indian cuisine. It is eaten in almost every part of India, each having their own variations and tastes. On average, almost every Indian meal consists of rice, rotis, dal and a vegetable, accompanied by pickles, raita (youghurt) and salad.

Dal is a no-brainer when we come home tired and just want something soothing to the soul. With the winter coming at such a fast pace, this is definitely something that will bring comfort to both, your heart and stomach!

This recipe is very simple one and one of my hubby’s favourites!

Dal Fry (Indian-style fried lentils)

Ingredients:

1 cup red masoor dal (red lentils)
1/2 cup sliced onions
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp chopped green chiliies
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp aniseed
a pinch of asafoetida powder
salt, to taste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp red chili powder
fresh chopped coriander leaves for garnish
2 tbsp ghee
water, as needed

Method:

Boil lentils in about 1-2 cups of water till they become soft. Add more water as required.

Heat ghee in a pan and add asafoetida, cumin and aniseeds. When they start to sizzle, add in the sliced onions and fry till slightly brown.

Add salt, chili powder, turmeric powder, green chillies and tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes till tomatoes dry up.

Add the boiled dal alongwith a little water, depending on consistency desired and let come to a boil.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

I love having left-over rice. Most times I always cook an extra cup of plain rice just so I will have some left-over to work with the next day. Left-over rice is always a great start to many new variations such as fried rice! Another personal favourite of mine is tomato rice. My hubby A really loves this dish, and devours it with a huge helping of Dal and pickle!

Tomato Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked white Basmati rice
1 medium onion sliced thinly
1 tomato chopped
salt, to taste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
a couple of dried curry leaves
freshly chopped coriander for garnish
1 tbsp cooking oil

Method:

Heat oil in a non-stick pan and add curry leaves and mustard seeds. When they start to sizzle, add sliced onions.

Cook till onions turn transparent and add chopped tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes till tomatoes begin to pulp. Add salt, turmeric and chili powder and allow spices to blend in.

Add in cooked rice and stir-fry till mixes in with all spices. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve warm.

I have to admit that I’m not too fond of Tofu. My Mom always tried to get good healthy stuff into our diets and Tofu was one of them. Though she tried her best to secrectly slip Tofu into the many wonderful things that she made, I always caught her. But this was one recipe however that I absolutely loved. I think its the crispiness of the Tofu with the spiciness of the sauce that catches my attention everytime.

Try it, and I’ll bet you’ll get hooked to it!

Spicy Tofu

Ingredients:

2 cups of cubed Tofu
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp ground peanuts
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp freshly ground chili paste
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
1 tbsp chopped green onion
Salt, to taste

Method:

Heat oil in a pan and fry tofu till it gets golden brown. Remove from heat and keep aside.

Heat some more oil and add ginger. Sauté for a minute and add tomato paste, lemon juice, chili paste, salt and peanuts.

Cook till sauce is thoroughly mixed through and then add the fried pieces of tofu. Cover cook for 5 minutes till tofu absorbs the flavour of the sauce.

Garnish with chopped green onion and serve hot.

Serve with plain boiled rice and cucumber slices.