Kiss the cook!

Chicken Kofta Curry - Day 7

2009-12-31T13:09:00.000-08:00

Apologies for the bad picture. It doesn't speak at all about the melt-in-your-mouth quality of these koftas or the mellow taste of coconut milk, studded with cashews. It was a hurried weeknight dinner, thrown together with pantry staples and there just wasn't enough time to find a good angle. Hunger won over the desire to capture the image satisfactorily.I used the chicken meatballs recipe from

Nectarines- a slice of summer- Day 6

2009-12-30T19:47:00.000-08:00

There's that time of the year again, where we buy into hype and believe we can change our lives by making resolutions - resolutions that, if you are anything like me, will never come into effect. Nevertheless, I persevere. This year I resolve to quit my whining about winter and simply learn to appreciate the joy of fresh snow, festive spirit, winter sales, cozy sweaters and leafless tress...err,

Butterscotch Cherry Blondies- Day 5

2009-12-29T13:49:00.001-08:00

What could compare to the seductive power of brownies, with their fudgy chewy insides and the dark chocolatey goodness? How about it's equally alluring cousin, the blondie? Often relegated to the status of a brownie without chocolate, the blondie relies on dark sugar for a lingering sweetness. Tart dried cherries prevent it from being one note, and butterscotch chips provide the requisite bite.

Rice Walnut Risotto- Day 4

2009-12-28T10:31:00.001-08:00

Rice kheer is no friend of mine. Most of my attempts to make rice pudding resulted in something akin to doodh-bhaat, and not the creamy concoction I desired. Probably because I never took to rice kheer the way I love my seviyaan. Growing up kheer always meant seviyaan- roasted in homemade ghee, sweetened with khoya and garnished with plump, golden raisins and meant to be scooped up with fluffy,

Quinoa Hash Browns- Day 3

2009-12-27T13:54:00.000-08:00

A disappointing brunch at the over hyped Public yielded this surprise; a quick search on the interwebz turned up the original recipe by Chef Brad Farmerie.Without much ado...Quinoa Hash Browns1 cup quinoa3-4 medium potatoes, gratedsalt-pepper to taste2 small green chilies1 tsp cumin powder1/2 cup chopped parsleySqueeze the grated potatoes and get as much moisture out as you possibly can.Grind

Blood Orange Cake- Day 2

2009-12-26T05:41:00.000-08:00

This marathon thing is such a rush! A big thanks to Nupur for thinking this up; blogging every day is a great way to get back into the groove. Gone are the much abused excuses of 'no time', 'I'll do it tomm' 'hit a bloggers block' and other stuff I come with to explain my procrastination. Now I wake every day knowing there is something on my to-do list that I love doing! And I love sharing this

Gulkand Malai Kulfi- Recipe Marathon Day 1

2009-08-15T08:19:00.001-07:00

I understand how people get attached to their blogs. Its so much more than a virtual space, a friend who waits for you, ungrudging, while you deal with your life. Never judging or criticising, just asking for a visit, every once in a while. Yeah, I can see how that bond has power over me. It has been silent on the cooking front for a while now, my indulgent cooking giving way to quick fix meals

Peas parathas

2009-07-28T09:53:00.000-07:00

There is no story behind this one, just a wickedly awesome recipe. We are apparently all out of words today. A dozen drafts have been written and summarily dismissed, and in the process this recipe has been languishing in the drafts folder for decades. Something as stellar as this paratha deserves a better write up, but maybe something with so much going for it can speak for itself.I can't spin a

Baking adventures, part I

2009-07-17T04:19:00.000-07:00

Baking is something that always has me bamboozled. Sneaky flour and its sneaky little ways. It will go into the oven looking all expectant dough like and make my house smell like vanilla and cinnamon, building my hopes up to a point where I'm dreaming about opening my own cupcake stores and such, and then the said baked product will either...a. collapse in the middleb. turn into a rock candy on

Coconut Banana Pancakes

2009-06-30T11:35:00.000-07:00

These pancakes would have had a serious identity crisis, if they had been around long enough to say c-r-i-s-i-s. Thankfully, eating at the speed of lightening is among my many talents! These breakfast treats were originally meant to be the luscious Bihari Malpua's. It all started when I read about Vikram's tryst with substandard Malpua's in Pune, and then his explanation on what the Malpua should

Sweet mornings

2009-06-29T04:56:00.000-07:00

I love jams and jellies and preserves. The time honored breakfast staples don't me feel so guilty about indulging in sugary treats when I should be filling up on oatmeal (shudder!) and such. A slice of milk toast, drizzled with some salty melted butter and a smear of jam is a perfect beginning to my day. So imagine my delight when I found a preserves mini sampler at a Harry and David outlet. I

Is it April First?

2009-02-02T06:50:00.000-08:00

This is a joke, right? RIGHT???!!! "It has long been shunned as a junk food, but now, a new study has claimedthat the humble chip can actually battle cancer.Chips are rich in vitamin C, which boffins consider could fight the deadly disease.It is thought the vitamin tackles dangerous free radicals, which are associatedwith cancer growth, reports the Daily Star. By eating a portion of chips- which

Classics...

2009-02-01T22:13:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you just don't mess with the classics. So when a traditional chutney is called for, there cannot be any substitute for creamy coconut, fresh sprigs of coriander, sharp green chillies, nutty dal ground together and topped with a simple mustard, curry leaves tempering. Maybe one odd dried red chili as well and some hing. That's it. And then simply serve with hot idlis. Another classic.

The one in which...

2008-12-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

...we are a little pressed for time and cannot offer you quality material but will direct you to someone that does. I have always been fond of learning about unique cooking techniques. Its an age old art and I'm amazed there is still room for creativity.Couple of fascinating articles on truly inventive cooking methods.The first is from Slate about a method of cooking that involves sealing food in

Right now...

2008-11-18T15:14:00.000-08:00

...... I'm craving the food generally served at Maharashtrian Weddings. I was never a fan of this food when I was kid, begging my mom to take me out for a Pav-Bhaji instead whenever my sorry ass was dragged to a wedding.(Long linktastic pointless post ahead. With the potential of being incomprehensible to Non-Maharashtrians. Do proceed with caution.) But for the fact that I haven't 'attended' (

Things are happy in KisstheCook land...

2008-11-18T05:29:00.000-08:00

...because I downloaded Picassa 3 which has better collage options than Picassa 2.So obviously I went overboard and made a gaudy collage. Wouldn't you?For a more restrained and completely adorable collage, click here.

Curry Puffs

2008-11-11T14:38:00.000-08:00

I get manic periods of restless energy sometimes, which balance my procrastination nicely. Too bad the manic fits are few and far in between. So one such time when I had a huge backlog of utterly awful movies I wanted to watch... (Why do I watch awful movies, you ask? Because they are there.) I boiled a bushel of potatoes, defrosted 4 packs of puff pastry sheets and settled in for an afternoon of

Love is....

2008-11-11T09:33:00.000-08:00

...when the hubby gets chocolaty desserts for no reason....just.So that's the Chocolate Praline cake, Chocolate Caramel Dome, Tiramisu and a Raspberry torte that was scarfed down before pictures could be taken. These were from Financier Patisserie, a place that I have passed often and drooled at. I would highly recommend..well, everything. :)

A BIG blogging break, awards and a heartfelt Thank You!

2008-10-29T02:24:00.000-07:00

I started the blog when I was feeling particularly friendless and lonely. I was looking for work and not having a lot of luck with the process and feeling utterly directionless. I envied the easy camaraderie dedicated bloggers had with each other, the comfort they shared in knowing each other's virtual identities, being a part of their virtual worlds. I read about the Arusavai Friendship Chain on

Sizzlin' chicken

2008-09-28T11:00:00.000-07:00

There was, probably is, a place called Zamu's in Pune which introduced me to the absolute goodness of Sizzlers. A cast iron plate, overflowing with tender chicken pieces, mounds of gooey mashed potatoes, sauteed sweet peas, and other assorted veggies came to the table magician style...in a cloud of smoke, making the beautiful sizzling sound butter makes when it hits a hot pan (I guess, hence the

Cupcakes

2008-09-21T17:20:00.000-07:00

Plain cupcakes with lemon frosting, vanilla frosting and sprinkles, chocolate frosting, red velvet with cream cheese frosting.Sheetal's beautiful red delights kicked off an acute cupcake craving in me. So ofcourse, I had to send the hubby out for some. It ain't easy living with food obsessed

Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

2008-09-20T05:26:00.000-07:00

There was a familiar argument in my house on weekends, well, there were plenty of arguments but for now lets just talk about this one. My mom would tell my dad to get groceries and he would head out with a cloth bag to the biggest market in Pune. Like all men, he is pretty clueless about what goes on in the kitchen and would end up buying half the market if not more. He would come home with bags

Pineapple, bean sprout, peanut salad

2008-09-15T04:33:00.000-07:00

Like I mentioned in the earlier post, I got a new cookbook. And I predict that you will be hearing a lot of it in the coming posts. Its a vegetarian cookbook by Carla Bardi. At the first glance actually thought it was Carla Bruni, then I thought 'Why should she write a cookbook?', then I thought 'Why would I buy a cookbook written by a former model? I bet there won't be a pat of butter to be seen

Juicy grapes

2008-09-15T04:22:00.000-07:00

Just look at the color of these grapes I got yesterday! I laid them along normal red grapes and some green ones to bring out the deep, rich, almost black color of the plump ones. And these babies are seedless, so off in the blender they go to have a party with some crushed ice!Random fact-Foods that are deeper in color eg: spinach, tomatoes, pomegranates are higher in anti-oxidant properties. So

Spicy Eggs

2008-09-15T02:47:00.000-07:00

Debu and I love this place in Manhattan! Its called Hummus and serves up (you guessed it!) hummus and the freshest pita bread. The menu has a total of 5 things on it, 3 of which are hummus with different toppings. And then there is Shakshuka, a heavenly blend of tomatoes, garlic, peppers and egg. Its piping hot, spicy and dunkable making it perfect food after a workout or while nursing a hangover

Hyderabadi food and my first food event(s)!

2008-09-06T17:35:00.000-07:00

Think Hyderabadi cuisine and its hard to go beyond the Biryani. And its for a good reason too. The spicy meat and rice dish cooked Dum style deserved every single bit of its stellar reputation. I remember staying in Hyderabad for 3 months and every day was pretty much a kebab and biryani day. Of course we had to drink copious amounts of beer to wash it all down. I can only thank God that I was

Happy Birthday to Ganapati Bappa!

2008-09-04T19:29:00.000-07:00

Puja thali- Curried potato and cauliflower, capsicum subji with chickpea flour, cucumber- tomato salad, dal, puri, peas pulao. It was my favorite birthday of the year. I have a deal with the elephant headed God, I study only the night before my exams and he takes care of the passing grade. This system has worked smoothly most of my high school. Now the stakes are higher and bribes need to be too

Filmy Breakfast

2008-09-04T14:18:00.000-07:00

Every time I hear 'Mooli ke parathe', I simply cannot resist saying it again and again in a Nirupa Roy voice. I simply have to go 'Beta, maine tumhare liye, tumhari pasand ke mooli ke parathe/gajar ka halwa banaya hai'...with a couple of wheezes and some dry, hacking cough for effect. This goes on for some time to much annoyance on Debu's part :). My funny bone was seriously tickled when I

Raspberry Limeade

2008-08-26T07:07:00.000-07:00

What do you when you have tart, luscious, flaming red raspberries, but you cannot take a picture to save your life?You trawl through other blogs, better blogs, people who are more than just monkeys with cameras and you look at nice recipes. You feel inspired and decide to forget the non existent photography skills and focus on something where your failure rate is not that spectacular. As a reward

Comfort food for Sunday dinner

2008-08-26T06:37:00.000-07:00

The hubby had been a little under the weather so I wanted to cook him some special comfort food. I live in the eternal hope that the next time I'm under the weather or pretending to be, the favor will be returned :). So anyway, I made him a simple dinner of Palak Dal, Roast chicken and rice and it was gratifying to see him eat like food was going out of style. Palak dal has a special

Crunchy French Toast and Triple Decker Sandwich

2008-08-19T10:02:00.000-07:00

My niece came to our place for a sleep over this weekend and I wanted to solidify my place as the cool aunt. So we watched Dora way past her bedtime, had cookies and lemonade in bed and slept late into the Saturday. Sometime during 2 in the morning, she started missing her mom and woke up howling, so I had to stay up for an hour comforting her. Man, toddlers are tough customers , you simply

Apple-Cherry Pie for Navya

2008-08-14T14:55:00.000-07:00

A dainty, frilly, latticework pie for little Navya, who amazes us by how 'not little' she is every time we see her.A perfect pie for the girl with curls and a sweet pink bow in her curls. Hopefully she will remember the pie with nostalgia tinted glasses and not keep in mind the shoddy latticework :) This and this was very helpful, it kept me from tearing my hair out in frustration. For the

Banana Nut Bread

2008-08-14T11:32:00.001-07:00

Not the most appetising picture to put on a food blog,eh?What do you do when you have overripe bananas? Make banana nut bread! I made mine with this recipe. A little skittish due to my spectacular baking failures, I stuck to the recipe and it turned out great. The only changes were more nuts (can you ever have enough?) and raisins. It was more cakey than

Summer Salad

2008-08-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know why I decided to call this Summer Salad. Maybe because it was zesty and peppy (can you describe a salad as peppy?). Because it lovely to have in summer, or maybe I'm unimaginative when it come to naming foods? I was having a lazy day, like I often do and wanted a no cook meal. So I mixed up whatever I had in the fridge. Well, normally that thought is what results in my kitchen

Mediterranean Pasta

2008-08-13T06:13:00.000-07:00

I tasted a Mediterranean pasta somewhere and since then I've been dying to try it at home. It seemed really simple, a different take on pasta and the flavors really exploded. The restaurant where I first tasted it had a base of pesto and pasta tossed olive oil, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, feta cheese and olives. I skipped feta cheese and artichoke hearts since I didn't have any and

Mexican Salad

2008-08-11T20:05:00.000-07:00

Hazy summer days gave way to sinister skies today. The day started out like any other, bright and full of promise but soon turned dark with grey clouds hovering and completely obscuring my view of Manhattan. It was depressing and gloomy in the apartment and I needed something to pep me up. Creamy avocado came to the rescue. Buttery avocado slices enveloped bright yellow corn kernels and sweet

Sweet, tangy, delightfully chilled- Mango Lassi

2008-08-04T21:37:00.000-07:00

2 ripe golden mangoes, bursting with the scent of summer1/2 cup thick, full cream yogurt2 tablespoons milksugar to tasteDrop in a blender and whip it, whip it good! Serve chilled and enjoy with a creamy lassi mustache.

Mantra, Paramus review

2008-08-01T20:14:00.000-07:00

Ever since I heard that there was an Indian place in New Jersey that was voted among the best 25 restaurants, I've been dying to go there. Finally it did happen, but not on a day that I was particularly hungry so I couldn't sample away to my heart's content. So I just wore my loose t-shirt, the one that can double as a circus tent and valiantly fought my way through two courses and dessert.The

Spaghetti and Meatballs

2008-08-01T11:33:00.000-07:00

I love the idea of spaghetti and meatballs. On hungry nights I dream about a plateful of spicy meatballs and fresh, steaming spaghetti plucked off the spaghetti tree. Unfortunately, the bland turkey meatballs I've had outside have always fallen short of my expectations. They literally taste like meat boiled in water. So I made my own chicken meatballs, flavored with tons of garlic paste(2 heaping

Aloo Paratha

2008-06-11T20:27:00.001-07:00

Just the name conjures up a wintry morning in Punjab. Hot griddles sizzling with pats of homemade butter, the clang of metal spatula on the tawa, thick fluffy parathas with just the right amount of stuffing, served up with a side of full cream yogurt and a slice of tangy mango pickle. Its my favorite breakfast and the ultimate comfort food.I tried my hand at these last weekend and was pretty

Veggie Puffs

2008-05-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

Ingredients: (Serve up to 4-6 people)Puff Pastry Sheets (Frozen)2-3 medium size potatoes½ cup green peas½ cup sweet cornOil, Garam masala, Red chilli powder, salt to tasteRecipe:Boil the potatoes. Cut into small pieces.Remove pastry sheets from the box as needed and divide the sheet into 3 parts. (Pepperidge farm 1 pastry sheet contains 3 single layers…so for 4-6 people, 1 sheet would be

Quick Fix Tiramisu

2008-05-10T17:33:00.000-07:00

Quick Fix TiramisuHere's a simple and quick recipe to make yummy Tiramisu. It takes less than 30 minutes to prepare this delicious dessert. Ingredients: (For 4-6 servings)8 Ounces regular or light cream cheese2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar1 teaspoon vanilla extract2 cups whipped cream1 package ladyfingers½ cup prepared espresso, strong coffee1 tablespoon

KHARERA (CHANA DAL KI SABJI)

2008-03-10T12:02:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite sabji made by chana dal, but u can make it by besan (gram flour) also.INGREDIENTS----------Chana dal---200 gms.(soaked in water for 5 hrs.)Garlic paste----2 tbs.Musterd seed----2 tbsRed chilli powder--2 tspSaltCoriander leaves---choppedTurmeric powder---1/2tspTomatoes-----1/2cup choppedMethi seed----a pinchWhole red chilli--2oil--for deep fryingMETHOD----------This

Potato Dolma Curry

2008-02-22T18:58:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe in a magazine years ago, when I didn't cook so much. The pictures always tempted me but at that time the complex recipe intimidated my can't-boil-an-egg self. I always carried it around though waiting for the perfect occasion. At one party where I was forced to put out all vegetarian fare, I did try this and it was a success.According to my one and half minute research, 'Dolma

Veggie Soft Tacos

2008-02-19T19:24:00.000-08:00

Here's a simple recipe to make Veggie. tacos. If you use Fajita size tortillas, 6-8 tacos can be made with the measures mentioned below.Ingredients:6-8 Flour Tortillas (Taco size tortillas are very big, so I normally use Fajita size)1 LB Vegetarian refried beans1 packet of taco seasoning mix2-1/2 to 3 tablespoons of tomato sauce 1/2 cup Chopped onion 1 green chili- finely chopped ButterFor

Anda paratha

2008-02-19T18:13:00.001-08:00

I had some leftover hard boiled eggs the other day and wasn't in the mood for your regular egg salad. So I did my own variation of it and put it in stuffed paratha for breakfast. It turned out pretty good, the egg filling was spicy enough to hold its own. I didn't even need dahi with it. Just a dollop of melting butter.Paratha stuffing3-4 hard boiled eggs1 bay leaf1 small onion1 clove garlic

Methi Malai Matar

2008-02-18T19:56:00.000-08:00

Despite the decadent sounding name this is actually pretty healthy. There's no real malai but there is milk. Ok, there is some malai (look at the title) but you can easily skip that step for a nutritious everyday sabji. I wasn't too keen on methi as a kid and my mom used this recipe to get me to start eating leafy greens and I love methi in all forms now. I have this friend who doesn't cook at

Gajar (Carrot) Halwa

2008-02-15T07:16:00.000-08:00

Gajar ka Halwa is mainly made by Carrot and Milk. Do u know that Carrot is a good source of Vit. A and Milk is of Vit.D and Calcium? So u can imagine how great it can be for u and ur kids,so just try this recipe-----------INGREDIENTS-------------Carrots- 1 k.g-Sugar--300gms.-Ghee-6-7tbs.-Milk-1lit.-Condensed milk---10-12oz.-Kaju--16 sliced-Raisins-25-Almonds-14 sliced-Pista-10 sliced-Cardamom 5-

Corn Chowder and Potato soup

2008-02-12T07:36:00.000-08:00

Its getting real cold out here. Winter, it seems, is not going to go out without a fight. And what a fight it is! The wind rattles my window panes, makes my piddly heaters ineffective and when I do dare to step out, knocks my breath out. Tis the perfect season for soup, coffee and masala chai. Here are my recipes for corn chowder and potato soup which are sure to warm your innards and chase the

Veg soup from leftovers

2008-02-10T18:14:00.000-08:00

I had plenty of leftovers this weekend and I didn't want to throw it all away so I put all my veggies in a pan with some store bought veg stock and lo-behold I had delicious soup! The soup was so good that my soup non-loving husband gulped down a couple of bowlfuls. That is the acid test of my cooking. I have a fussy eater on my hands so if he eats without grumbling it is fit enough to serve to

Jaggery Halwa

2008-02-06T11:47:00.000-08:00

Festival feasts are so special. I think smart old women from way back shrewdly decided that only way to keep the novelty of some foods alive is to restrict it and present it with fanfare only once or twice a year. The strategy obviously worked, as a kid I was always looking forward to the special foods associated with the festivals. Chakli-karanji for Diwali, the necklace of crystal sugar for

Spring Roll

2008-02-04T06:34:00.000-08:00

Ingredients--------All purpose flour(Maida)--1 cup-Cornflour- 1/4cup-Butter or refind veg. oil - 2 tbs.-Salt-Onion-1/2cup thinly sliced-Bell pepper-1/2 cup-Carrot -1/4 cup grated-Cabbage- 1/2 cup grated-Green chillies -Soya sauce-2tbs-Refind oil -for deep fryingMethod------U take first 4 ingredients and mix them well,then make stiff dough with help of water and set it aside for an hour.For