Maa-er Narkel Diye Cholar Dal ( Split Bengal gram with Coconut )

Maa's cholar dal has been one of my favorite dishes for as long as I can remember. 

My husband joined the club soon after we got married.  

But no matter how hard I tried, it wasn't easy to replicate the taste of her dal  until she shared her special tips with me  last summer . Ever since I have been flaunting her recipe at every gathering I can and thought it would be the most appropriate dish to begin the New year with....

Rikhi's Masala Meatball Curry

Rikhi is my sister-in-law and is probably one of the sweetest things that happened to my cousin Indrajoy. She is beautiful, loving and compassionate, the kind of person who instantly makes you her friend and promises to stand by through thick and thin.  In the family she is also known for her talent for dancing and passion for food. But it wasn't until last year that we got to taste her cooking...

Vegetable "Makhanwala" (made light)

It was almost after a decade that I cooked Vegetable "Makhanwala" the other day... and even before we started dinner I knew that this version was a keeper.....

Aloo-r Nimki from Maa's kitchen

This past week I was at home, chatting with Baba, Maa, shopping in Gariahat and eating food that evoked memories from my childhood.

You know there was a time when I hated anything that was deep-fried. My favorite meal used to be "sheddho -baat," steamed rice and boiled vegetables with a generous helping of butter and that I could eat even for breakfast. Back then, before leaving for parties, Maa would always remind me, "Ja deoya hobe khabe" that is 'try what ever is served,' and me being the sweet obedient girl that I was, would begrudgingly try the samosas, pakoras and puris which the kakimas would prepare with care and diligence... until one fine day I began to like what I was eating and was doomed for life... :)

Koncha Kodoli Boda (Plantain Cakes Odiya style)

In Odiya, plantains are called Koncha Kodoli, which literally means raw banana. Probably they are so called because of the semblance in their shape and color. Whatever it be, this vegetable is widely grown in Odisha and plantain cakes or Koncha Kodoli Bodas are quite popular with the people here.

Kheer Komla (Milk Pudding with Orange)

Happy Friday and a very happy Children's day !!

After procrastinating for days I am finally here....

A lot has happened in the last few months... the toddler has started school, I joined work and...... aah.. yup. and thats about it. Actually, though a lot hasn't really happened, life suddenly seems to have picked up pace and toddler and I are gradually settling down to our new routine. Naturally the time spent on doing things that are not of mutual interest has minimized... but I guess that is alright. after all they stay little for only so long and I should know better than to spend this time doing things that can wait.....  

...thus dinner these days is usually quick and simple.. wrapped up almost always with a helping of yogurt for dessert. Weekends are however different. We are all relaxed and while the boys hang out doing boy-stuff... I take my time and prepare something special for them. 

Last weekend I cooked Kheer Komla, one of my favorite desserts from childhood...

Literally, Kheer Komla means milk pudding with orange. In winter when the local markets flood with oranges almost every Bengali I know picks up a bunch and prepares bowls of Kheer Komla. Of course those who have the luxury of time, patiently watch over a kadai of whole milk while it simmers and reduces to kheer, then sweeten the reduced milk, flavor it with elaichi(green cardamom) and sometimes saffron, chill the kheer, then dot it with segments of oranges... While others like me take the short route and prepare the kheer with a mix of whole milk and condensed milk and then flavor it and adorn it the usual way. 

However if you are like me and find condensed milk a little too sweet for your taste, you might want to consider the way I prepare kheer these days. The recipe is a medley of  Cajeta and traditional Kheer. It is relatively quick, gives you a handle on how sweet you want your dessert to be and works like a charm every time....  

Kheer Komla (Milk Pudding with Orange)

Oranges in milk pudding flavored with green cardamom and saffron

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Recipe by Tanusree

Cook time: 45 minutes                                                               Total time: 45 minutes + chilling time
Yield: 2-3 servings

Ingredients

• 2 + ½ cup milk
• 3 tbsps sugar
• ¼tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 green cardamom
• 5-6 strands of saffron
• 1 orange

Cooking Directions

1. In a large saucepan or kadai, combine 2 cups of milk with the sugar and salt and bring to a boil over medium heat.
2. Dissolve the baking soda in 2 tablespoons of the milk mixture and stirring vigorously pour it into the saucepan of milk mixture. (The milk swells at this point so keep a close watch and stir continuously. )
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low,split open the green cardamom, add it to the milk and stirring occasionally simmer the milk for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile stir the saffron into the remaining milk and keep it aside.
5. Once the milk in the saucepan thickens and becomes a light shade of orange , add the remaining milk to it and stir occasionally simmer over medium-low heat for another 15-20 minutes until the flavored milk  thickens enough to coat the back of your spoon.
6. Now switching off the heat, pour the flavored milk into 2 or 3 serving bowls and chill for 1 hour.
7. Add the orange segments to the bowl and chill the dessert for another hour or until you are ready to serve.

Serve and enjoy !!

Until next time,
Tanusree

I shall be sharing this dessert at the following parties..

Sunday
Sweet & Savory Sunday Link Party @ Baking in Pyjamas

Monday 
 Mix it up Monday, 
Made with love Monday, 
Marvelous Mondays @ This Gal Cooks, 
Recipe Sharing @ Jam Hands
Melt in your Mouth Monday, 
Inspiration Monday Party 
Recipe Sharing Monday,
Inspire Me Monday, 
Clever Chicks Blog Hop,
Maniac Monday Linky Party

Meatless Monday :  Meatless Monday My Sweet and Savory

Tuesday 
Totally Tasty Tuesday @ Mandy's Recipe Box,
 Show Me What You Got @ Our Delightful Home ,  
Hand Made Tuesday @ Ladybug Blessings
Share it Link Party @ Winthrop Chronicles,  
Tasty Tuesday @ Anyonita Nibbles,  
Hearth and Soul blog Hop @ Zesty South Indian Kitchen,
In & Out of the Kitchen @ Feeding Big & More, 
Tuesday's Table @ Love in the Kitchen, 
Tickle My Tastebuds@Mini Van Dreams
The Southern Special @Spatulas on Parade
 Time to Sparkle Tuesday, 
Create Link Inspire, Tuesday Talent Show, 
Two Cup Tuesday, The Scoop, Simple Supper Tuesday, 
Brag About it Tuesday, Social Media 2-for-Tuesday, Take a Look Tuesday, 
Treasure Box Tuesday, Take a Bow. 

Wednesday 
What's Cooking Wednesday @ Buns in my Oven, 
Cast Party Wednesday @ Lady Behind the Curtain, 
Show and Share @ Semi Homemade Mom, 
Wine'd Down Wednesday, 
Wonderful Food Wednesdays at @ All She Cooks
Wonderful Food Wednesdays at @ Mom's Test Kitchen 
Wednesday, Whatsit@White Lights on Wednesday,
Wednesday Extravaganza @ Hunger Little Girl, 
Create & Share @ The Trendy Tree House,
What I Whipped Up Wednesday @ Sugar & Dots Look, 
Hump Day Happenings @A Savory Feast

Thursday
Link it Up Thursday @ Seven Alive,
Fantastic Thursday @ Three Little Chiefs, 
Thriving on Thursdays @ Domesblissity,  
Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage , 
 Freedom Friday @ My Turn,  
Thursday's Treasures @ Food Done Light,
Pin it Thursday @ Sweet Bella Roos

Friday 
Foodie Friday @ Simple Living and Eating,  
Friday Linky Party @ The Pin Junkie, 
Get Him Feed @ Anyonita Nibbles
 Friday Favorite (DYI too) @ Simple Sweet Home,  
Foodie Friday @ Not Your Ordinary Recipes,
 Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm, 
Weekend Wonders @ The Thriftiness Miss, 
Friday Food Frenzy @ Mostly Food and Crafts, 
Weekend Potluck @ Sunflower Supper Club, 
The Weekend re-Treat @The Best Blog Recipes

Saturday
Saturday Show Stopper @Will Cook for smilles
  Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Fresh Foods Wednesdays, Allergy-Free Wednesdays, 
Let’s Get Real, Gluten-Free Fridays,Fight Back Fridays

Vadai thatti potta Mor Kuzhambu / Vada in South Indian Kadhi / Channa Dhal fritters in Buttermilk curry # SNC Challenge

As part of the South vs North challenge, this month Laxmi Priya of Samayal Diary challenged the members of the northern team to cook Vadai thatti potta Mor Kuzhambu aka Vada in South Indian Kadhi. Now I have cooked a Mor Kuzhmbhu, that is a buttermilk curry before (remember Venthayakeerai Paruppu Urundai Mor Kuzhambu !) and was pretty confident about doing it right. But in reality it took me three trials to cook the curry without curdling the curd. I just wasn't paying enough attention to the nuances of the recipe...

Bajra Dosai (Pearl Millet Dosai)

I guess no one really needs an introduction to dosai... In case you do.. they are crispy South Indian crepes made with a fermented batter of ground urad dal (black lentils) and rice. While plain rice dosai with a filling of potato and side of sambar is standard, there are several variations like maida (refined ywheat flour) and rava (semolina) dosai that are widely popular in South Indian households. Traditionally these crepes are consumed for breakfast. However with the increasing popularity of South Indian cuisine throughout India, people these days do not mind a lunch or dinner  of dosai along with dosa masala, sambar and coconut chutney.

This month Sowmya of Nivedhanam tried a healthy variation of the traditional Dosai. Replacing rice with pearl millet she created Kambu dosai or pearl millet dosai and challenged the Northern Group of SNC team to try it out... Now I had urad dal and pearl millet flour in my pantry. I asked her if  I could use bajra flour to make these crepes. She said I could and the same proportion of  bajra(pearl millet) to urad dal would work even if I were to substitute the bajra with bajra flour. So that is what I did.  I soaked the urad dal with fenugreek seeds for few hours, then ground it to a smooth batter and to it I added a paste of the bajra flour. As you can see the substitute worked beautifully..

However if you prefer to use pearl millet instead of pearl millet flour,  soak the same measure of the grain along with the urad dal then grind the mixture to a smooth batter and follow the recipe thereon. You can use a different combination of vegetables to top the dosai,  but I stuck to Sowmya's choice of carrots and green beans and we enjoyed the way the crepes turned out.



Now a quick word about the accompaniments..  As I mentioned before, traditionally dosai are served with sambar and chutney. But if you are in a mood to experiment, try it with this Cucumber Kootu and some South Indian garlic powder. It is a delightful combination.. even my husband with really high standards for south Indian food was pretty impressed with the combo !

Nariyal Samosa (Coconut and Lime Samosa)

Unless we have company, I usually do not prepare evening snacks. A cookie or a toast is good enough with our evening tea. We like an early dinner. It isn't like that at my parent's place. They like to munch on something for tea and then have dinner around 9 - 9:30 at night... sometimes even later. Not a very healthy habit... but that is how it is... Earlier, when I was small my mother used to prepare one sweet and one savory snack everyday. Again not healthy... but that was how it was.. With time the number of snacks reduced to one but she still makes a little something everyday... and sometimes when I ask her for ideas for the blog she tells me what she prepared the evening before. That is how I was reminded of this Nariyal Samosa..

   

These samosas are a bit different from the ones that you get in the Indian stores. Typically it takes some time to prepare the stuffing for the Samosas.. but you barely need to no anything for these. Just spice up some grated coconut with green chili, add chopped onions and coriander to it, squeeze some lime juice, season with salt and sugar and your stuffing is all set. 

This recipe is my grandmother's....

After the Indian-Pakistan partition, owing to the unstable job scenario in Bangladesh, many of my mother's cousins from Bangladesh came to India and lived with them for a good many years. That meant that in addition to her family of five, my grandmother had to prepare meals for four to five more people everyday for all those years. I guess quick-fix snacks and meals would have been her saviors during that phase..  I am not sure if she bickered about the extra work load back then.. but in the years that followed I have only heard my grandmother, mother, uncles and aunt talk very fondly of the times they spent together..

I made these a couple of week's back when my cousin was here. She helped me take the step-wise photographs that you see below. In case the samosa fold feels like too much work, fold the dough empanada-style and fry them. I do not when I have to make bigger batches..

Vegetable Barley Soup with the Taste of Little India # French Fridays with Dorie

The flavors of this week's assignment for French Fridays with Dorie  weren't foreign to me. Garam Masala, turmeric and ginger are pantry staples in every North Indian household and it was good to be in familiar domains for a change.

This soup was quite simple to prepare. All we had to do was to saute some onions, garlic and ginger in one tablespoon of  olive oil, cover and cook chopped carrots and parsnips in it, then stir in the barley, add chicken broth or water, season with salt and red pepper and simmer the soup until the barley was completely cooked. From start to finish it took me about an hour to cook the soup. 

Considering that the grain in the soup was barley, I was a bit apprehensive about my husbands reaction towards it. He however did not seem to mind it at all. He simply added a dollop of yogurt to his bowl and quickly finished it. Seeing him I too added some yogurt to my bowl and later felt like it was the missing piece from the recipe. The yogurt helped in balancing out the heat from the ginger and garam masala and also added some tanginess to it. Overall we liked the Vegetable Barley Soup and I will probably make it again. 

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to know what the other members thought about the Soup. You can find the original recipe here For more such delicious recipes order your copies of Around my French Table and join the Doristas in this tasty adventure.

I shall be sharing this recipe at all these parties.

My Mother's Special Gujiya

Gujiya is one sweet that most North Indians symbolize with Holi... but that I learnt only in my freshman year in college. At home, my mother used to make them all the time. Father and I liked them much, so Maa would often make them to go with the evening chai or just like that, as munchies after a long day's work. She even packed some in my tuck box when I left for college and that is when I realized how good and special her Gujiyas were. My friends loved them and reminded me to get some back after the holidays. Maa obliged and soon that became a ritual...a ritual that continued even after my marriage. I believe she would have continued to pamper us with her supplies had we still been in India... but... we are not... So the other day, at my request, Maa finally parted with her special recipe and said I could share it with all of you if I liked....  

Anyone who has had Gujiya  will testify that besides the filling, a crunchy crust is the next best thing about it. Often, a wrong  proportion of ingredients and incorrect frying temperatures are considered responsible for a not-so-crisp exterior. Maa says, besides taking those obvious precautions, one also needs to add a bit of sugar syrup to the dough mixture while kneading it. According to her, this little detail does wonders to the texture of the crust. My grandmother had apparently cracked this halwai's-secret and had shared it with Maa and she claims that it is this little thing that makes her sweets stand out. I tried out her trick this time and was so thrilled with the outcome.. 

The initial plan was to take some of the sweets to our friend's place and play Holi there. But it got too cold to go out, so we smeared colors on each others faces and celebrated Holi at home with colors and my mother's special Gujiya....

Now a quick word about Mawa , before I go on to the recipe...

Mawa, also known as Khoya, is made by simmering full-fat milk over low medium heat for hours until it reduces to a mass of slightly caramelized granular dough-like milk solids. If you have the time and energy, you can make your own Mawa at home, just as Maa did,  or like me, you can skip the hard work and buy your mawa from the Indian store... (You can find the recipe here.) 

Roshogollar Payesh # Holi, Guest Post by my sister

I come from a family of great cooks. My grandmother was the best. According to my mother, she could fiddle around with whatever was available and create fabulous dishes out of them. I think, Moni, my aunt, inherited my grandma's skills and passed those genes over to my sister, Didi.....   So soon after announcing the Favorite recipes Event I asked my sister if she would like to do a guest post for me. She readily agreed. I knew she would. She is the enthusiastic one in the house, always enjoying life as it comes and always up for some fun...

An old  photograph of my big family with my grandparents in the center,
my aunt Moni in the top row and
Didi, in the bottom row..the one wearing red turtleneck and blue n white frock 

Now over to my sister, as she reflects on Holi... then and Holi.. now

Holi.....hmmm I remember Holi as in my schooldays ,the festival of colors, drenching in water, having loads of sweets snacks ,house hopping, changing wet clothes from time to time, having fun with friends, no studies, entertaining guests and taking ages to scrub clean at the end of the day. The fun filled day with loads of excitement has now become a memory for me. Presently staying in UK with my family and with very little friends around, Holi is just another day for me.

My sister with her daughter, Sneha

Right now, my 6 year old daughter is trying to get the essence of this festival from Indian movies and television. And on the special occasions, I try to recreate the festive atmosphere in the house by cooking simple desserts such as Roshogollar Payesh, a sweet dish that Maa used to make for us in the good old days...

This is an uncomplicated recipe for those like me who are compelled to be in the kitchen every single day.....

Medu Vadai

Medu Vada or Ulandi Vadai are donoughut shaped urad dal fritters that have been a traditional favorite of south India from antiquity. With exchange of food and culture, they have now become popular all over India and is often considered a healthy breakfast item. In south India they are often served with sambar and coconut chutney. You can however serve them with just about any chutney you have at hand and enjoy at teatime with your dose of caffeine.

Lately things have been somewhat unsettling around here. The  thing is... we want to move back to India. But right now the job scenario in homeland does not look too promising. We feel that the fact that husband and I are both past our mid thirties is working to our disadvantage. While I do not mind a change of career, my husband is not quite prepared for it. So he is tensed and I have been doing all that I can to lighten the atmosphere at home. Cooking his favorite meals, indulging in little scoops of ice-cream after dinner and mostly listening him out.. Hopefully things will change for the better soon.. Till then there will be a lot of deep fried snacks coming out of my kitchen. 

I adapted the recipe from Ez Cook Book.  Chopped onions were my only addition to their recipe. You can leave them out if you like or add some greens like finely chopped spinach, kale or fenugreek leaves to the batter. The recipe is highly adaptable so feel free to customize the flavors and make your own veggie medu vadai... 

Turnip with Coconut

Though Indian dishes cooked with coconut are usually associated with South Indian cuisine, coconut is a common ingredient used in most of coastal India. We, Bengalis tend to use it a lot, specially for flavoring our lentils and cooking root vegetables like carrots and radishes. I probably had that at the back of my mind, when the other day I tossed in some grated coconut into the pan of grated turnip ... the result was a lovely side dish to go with dhal and roti.  Both husband and I liked it and husband instantly recommended it for the blog.

My husband is fond of roasted potatoes and at his suggestion I added some while preparing the dish today. The potatoes do add to the flavor and also help increase the volume of the dish. However roasting the potatoes take time. So if you are in hurry and do not mind the extra oil, pan fry the potatoes or skip them altogether, you'll still have a lovely side for your meal..

Puneri Aloo (Potatoes with Peanuts n' Curry Leaves)

Earlier this year, while working on the recipe archive of the blog I realized that I haven't shared too many Indian recipes. Weird. Because I am an Indian. Grew up eating Indian food all my life. Love my spices and enjoy their aroma and flavors in all that I cook. Yet when it came to blogging I shared so little of my food and culture. So I decided to share at least one Indian recipe each week..

Keeping with the spirit I chose to share Puneri Aloo with you today. It is a traditional potato preparation flavored with curry leaves and peanuts. The name suggests that the dish is from the city of Pune in Maharashtra. Must be so. But I haven't  had this dish in Pune.  I have only tasted the version that came in "The Samsung Book of Indian Microwave Cooking by Tarla Dalal," the book that I often referred to in my early days in kitchen.

You see, I began to cook on a regular basis only after marriage. My mother believed that anyone who appreciates good food will eventually learn to cook. So she neither encouraged me to experiment in her kitchen nor assist her as a sous-chef. Later when I went to college, the hostel canteen took care of all our meals. In India, hostel accommodations always come with food, meaning there is always a canteen associated with every hostel, and the multi-tasking "bhaiyas" there take care of all the kitchen ordeals.. shopping, cooking, serving and washing... You only have to appear in the canteen in time and eat your meals. Being part of the system, which we all took for granted,  I never learnt to cook until I was forced to. As a result my initial kitchen-days were quite a ride. Back then,  rolling a "round" roti used to be a big accomplishment and a compliment from husband on my cooking a big achievement. The latter came in easily with this dish.. Thus it remained one of our favorites for a long time and then became part of a happy memory...

Palak Pakoda (Spinach Fritters) guest post by husband

It does not snow in India,  it rains... and in some states the rainy season is simply crazy. It just does not stop. It keeping pouring for days together until one fine day the sky clears and the sun decides to show up again. Indians are used to it . Unless the rains came down just when they put their heaviest bedspreads out to dry or their locality got flooded away by the continuous showers, they are cool with it. In fact they enjoy it and take it all with a plate of pakoda and a cup of chai....... Pakoda , chai and a good chat with the girlfriends is just about everything that an Indian lass needs to perk her up on lousy, lazy rainy day. 

Here, sitting in our New York apartment, I often get nostalgic for such days.. Here, an impromptu chat session with your girlfriends is unthinkable. Everyone and everything is so formal. Even to visit a friend, you have to make plans atleast a day in advance. A gloomy snowy day is not an excuse good enough to knock at the neighbors door and say hello.. 

On such dreary days when I loathe the relocation, my husband sometimes helps me get out of the blues by putting on my favorite music while he fries some pakodas to go with the chai.. They do not clear the sky or set me singing.. but they definitely help me get back to my life here with husband and our son in our little apartment in New York.

Spinach Pakoda

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Recipe by Nishi (my husband)

Prep time: 15 minutes                                                                  Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes                                                                  Yield: serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp dhana-jeera powder
• ¾ cup chickpea flour
• salt to taste
• ⅔ cup water
• 2 green chillies finely chopped(optional)
• 2 packed cups green spinach
• vegetable oil for deep frying
• garlic salt

Cooking Directions

1. Mix the first five ingredients to make a smooth batter.
2. Add the spinach and chopped chillies to the batter, mix well and keep aside till you are ready to fry.
3. When ready to fry, pour oil in a frying pan so that it is 1½ deep. Heat the oil to 325 ° F and drop handfuls of the batter-spinach mixture into the oil.
4. Fry the spinach fritters until the batter looks golden brown, about 4-5 minutes, turning once or twice in between.
5. Remove from the hot oil and transfer the fritters into a plate spread with paper towels.
6. Once the excess oil has completely drained away sprinkle some garlic salt on top and serve with tea.

I shall be sharing these fritters in all these food parties.

Panch Meshali Dal

No matter which month of the year it is, dal or lentils are always an integral part of  our Indian meals. While a moong dal-vegetable stew or a simple masoor dal is usually on the menu, every once in a while, we like a meal of creamy lentil stew with stuffed parathas and raita. Such a meal is specially comforting in winter, when the temperatures drop below freezing point and threaten to drop further...

While Dal Makhani and Dal Bukhara are the popular North Indian lentil preparations, a mixed dal stew like this one is an everyday affair. You can prepare it with which ever dal you have at hand or an assortment of the lentils in your pantry... Just make sure you add a tablespoon or two of whole or split urad dal to the mixture and  simmer the lentils along with the spices for a good 30 minutes to an hour. And there....you are ready for a treat..

Urad dal is one of the lentils that is extensively used in south Indian cooking. Besides being used to prepare dosas, papad and vada, small amounts of urad is roasted along with the spices in the preparation of south Indian stir fries. In North India it is mostly used to prepare dals. When cooked by itself, split urad dal feels a bit slippery. Though many like its texture, it is not a favorite at our house. We however, enjoy it in rich winter dals such as this. Without a drop of extra cream it does wonders to the texture and flavor of the dish at hand...

Urad dal also has several health benefits.  It is rich in iron and believed to be particularly essential for women undergoing menstruation. Different from red meat and other sources of iron, urad dal does not contain high calories and fat. It is a rich and inexpensive source of protein and contains both soluble and insoluble dietary fibers which help in digestion. Because of its high magnesium and folate levels it is also believed to promote cardiovascular health. However when consumed in excess it can cause flatulence... so a recipe like this mixed lentil stew is just right if you want to enjoy the benefits of urad dal without over indulging in it.

In Bengali, Panch meshali dal translates to a 'stew of five dals.' I am not sure if such a dal is part of traditional Bengali cuisine but something similar is popular in North India. It goes by the name of "Panch Ratani Dal" or Panchmel dal. The initial plan was to follow Tarla Dalal's recipe and cook Panch Ratani for dinner. But since the supplies at hand did not quite match up to Tarla-ji's list of ingredients I took a detour and cooked us Panch Meshali dal... 

Mustard Asparagus (Indian style)

I know that it isn't time for asparagus yet and with winter storm Janus headed our way there is no way we could pretend it was spring even if we wanted to.. yet half a pound of asparagus needed to be cooked, the half that did not get used up for Christine's party soup, and I was in the middle of preparing an Indian lunch. I asked my husband if he wanted some asparagus pakodas(sans beer) or asparagus poriyal to go with the rice and kadhi... He replied back saying, I quote, "Make the thing you make with mustard sauce and besan(chickpea flour)." I do not enjoy deep frying much, so I was glad he opted for the Mustard Asparagus.

Kadhi is a spicy yogurt and chickpea flour based North Indian curry dotted with pakodas or vegetable fritters.  However, when I make kadhi, I usually skip the ordeal of  deep frying vegetable fritters and make a stir fry instead. Mustard Asparagus is a particular favorite in that respect. Rice, kadhi and mustard asparagus is a combination that never seems to tire us...

Indian Chickpea Curry

Punjabi Chole Masale is a curried Chickpea Side dish that is very popular in North India and Pakistan. Served with Bature, a fried Indian bread, a carrot pickle and a salad of onions, lemon and coriander it is a dish that North Indians often enjoy for brunch. As a student, I have enjoyed many a meals of Chole-Bature in Delhi and in Allahabad and after moving a to US created my own version of Chole using staples from the kitchen. Though a close cousin of Punjabi Chole Masale, this Chickpea Curry recipe isn't very authentic or traditional. It is however delicious and serves as a wonderful side with both rice and roti. So give it a try and I guarantee that you will come back to it again....

Magas, a guest post by my Sister-in-Law

Recently my husband had his yearly medical check-up and ever since he has been consciously avoiding sweets and desserts... Yet when his sister asked if there was anything special he wanted from India, without a second thought he said Magas. Magas or Magaz is fudge-y Indian sweet made with besan (chickpea flour), loads of sugar and ghee. It is one of my husband's favorite. I like it too and was delighted to see the box of Magas that my sister-in-law prepared for us.... and I quickly convinced her to share the recipe with all of us.

She is a cook in training and has learnt this recipe from her best friend's mother, Bharti Shah. She prepared these under her supervision and jotted down the measurements the way aunty had taught her. So the ingredient measurements are in grams and not in cups and tablespoons.. but do give it a try. You'll be duly rewarded....