Rasaswad

I've been making too many rounds to the dentist lately, and the evening before my first extraction, as I was walking around the grocery store, I was struck with a massive, irrational panic that I won't be able to eat for a long time. So I bought a lot of food, and then the morning of, I spent an hour cooking soups to get through the rest of the day. Spinach Soup: Heat some oil (and a small knob of butter), add chopped ginger, garlic and white onion. Saute till soft. Add baby spinach, and saute. Also add one chopped tomato, salt, and lots of pepper. Add some water and let it cook for a bit. Once cool, also add a handful of fresh mint leaves, some milk and a dash of lime. Blend using the hand blender. (The mint gives a great flavor! Thanks to Tarla Dalal) https://www.tarladalal.com/Palak-Shorba-Punjabi-Spinach-Soup-30869r White pumpkin and daal soup: If I have more of this often, I bet I would lose a lot of weight. It was also delicious. In the instant pot, heat oil, ad...

Here's a couple of recipes that add a little something extra to "everyday" recipes: http://hebbarskitchen.com/methi-malai-paneer-recipe-paneer-methi/ Methi Malai Paneer. I actually used "malai paneer" for this recipe and also added green peas. Finely chop and clean methi. In a pan, heat some oil and saute for a couple od minutes. Take it out and set aside. In the same pan, heat some more oil/ghee, add cumin, bay leaf, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. Add chopped ginger garlic onions and saute. Add turmeric, red chilli, corriander powder. Add tomato sauce and saute. Add methi, sugar salt, milk (and cream optional). I also added some cashew paste to make it creamy, since we dind't have cream. Add Paneer, green peas, a pinch of garam masala. Simmer for a couple of minutes.   https://www.archanaskitchen.com/saunf-wali-hari-gobi-sabzi-recipe-cauliflower-spiced-with-fennel-and-green-chutney Saunf wali Hari Ghobi Heat oil, add saunf, bay leaves, ginger a...

1 pack Nanak khoya (defrosted). Big glass bowl, 2 mins in microwave. Stir. 1 min in the microwave. Stir. A pinch of saffron soaked in milk. Stir. 1 min in the microwave. Stir. Let cool will slightly warm. Blanch, peel and slice a few pistachios. 1 cup sugar (regular white cane sugar..not the Indian kind) and a big pinch of cardamom powder. Stir until the sugar starts to dissolve. Grease palms with ghee. Prepare pedas and garnish with slices of pistachios. Refrigerate after they set. Original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO-ckJnROrk

Onam Sadya Menu: Plate Preparation: Salt, ginger pickle, ? chutney, banana chips, fresh banana, fried kerala papad, plantains, cabbage Thoran, Avial Course 1: Rice, Parappu, ghee,  Course 2:  Rice, Sambar Course 3:  Rice Kalan Course 4 :  Brown payasam Course 5: Pal Payasam  Plantain: Cabbage Thoran: Avial: Parappu: Sambar: Kalan: 2 plantains (ripe)  1/4 tsp turmeric powder  1/2 tsp chilli powder 1 cup water Cut plantain length wise, remove the black part. Cut into cubes. Boil with the turmeric powder and chilli powder and water and you cook. Keep stirring. Add a bit of salt. Keep it aside.  1 cup grated coconut (frozen). Microwave. 3/4 cup is also enough 1 tsp cumin 5-6 whole black pepper 1 tsp ghee + 1/4tsp fenugreek. Roast well. Raw smell should go away.  Grind the masala to a smooth paste.  Now pour the coconut paste to the cooked plantains. Add salt. ...

Not sure if I can replicate this recipe, given that I was throwing in all sorts of leftovers, but here's a rough description of what I did: - Butter and flour a 10" spring form pan. - Toast about a cup of hazelnuts. Keep aside a handful for garnish, and grind the rest coarsely in a food processor. Remove and keep aside. - In the food processor, mix 1 stick soft butter and about 3 tbsp sugar. Now add 4 egg yolks and mix until pale and fluffy. Add 3 squares of melted ghiarardeli semi sweet chocolate (that's all I had), 1/2 container of hazelnut chocolate spread (that's all I had left), a table spoon of chocolate liquor (have something sitting around for a while in the fridge). Blend everything in the processor. - In a stand mixer, beat the 4 egg whites. Add some of the egg whites to the chocolate mixture to lighten it, and then add it to the egg white bowl and slowly fold. Also fold in half pack of white cake mix (yeah, I know, it's all very approximate), and t...

Some friends were visiting on a Friday evening, so I prepped the night before, and the meal came together beautifully. The awesome produce at Whole Foods helped too. Corn Salad http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/charred-corn-salad-with-basil-and-tomatoes-51104300 Watermelon Feta Salad http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/arugula-watermelon-and-feta-salad-recipe-1949660 Lavash Pizza with Mushroom and Gorgonzola https://www.joanneweir.com/recipes/pizza-breads/lavash-pizza-with-mushrooms-and-cheese/ Spinach manicotti Ladies finger with peach, raspberries and yoghurt

Here's an easy, casual cake, which can add a special touch to a nice, relaxed evening with friends. For me, the recipe really worked when our friend, D. said that it reminded him of his childhood in Spain. Here's the original recipe, but I made a whole bunch of tweaks: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/flourless-lemon-almond-cake-385 I added some flour, baking powder and almond extract, got rid of the cinnamon and added a lemon glaze and sliced almonds. Here's what I did: Preheat oven to 375. Butter and flour one 9 inch cake pan. Separate 4 eggs. Beat the yolks with a pinch of salt, and 2 Tbsp sugar until pale. Add the zest of about 4 lemons, a small dash of almond extract (~1/2 tsp), 1 1/3 cup almond flour,  2 Tbsp flour, and 1/4 tsp baking powder. Remove this thick paste (almost dough-like consistency) in another container. Clean the mixer bowl and whisk really well. Beat the egg whites and 1/8 tsp cream of tarter until soft peak forms. Add about 5 Tbsp...