The first time I remember eating this dish was in a friend’s place when I was in college. She whipped up this dish in a jiffy and it tasted delicious. It is savory, spicy and a touch of sourness. Easy to make and perfect by itself or can be eaten with a chutney/pickle or a…
Chinese Stir Fried Vegetables
I have always loved Chinese. When I was growing up the only exotic food available was Chinese. When I lived in the US, I had to get my Chinese fix once a week. I went to this small place (don’t know if I can call it a restaurant) called Taste of China. It was a…
Roasted Beetroot and Sweet Potato Salad
There are days when all I want to eat is a nice big bowl of salad. I would not have said the same 20 odd years ago. When I first moved to Sweden, my first meal when I landed in Uppsala was a bowl of greek salad. I was astounded that my lunch was a…
Pokemon – Gotta Catch ‘Em All
Our first introduction to America was through Pokemon and Raffi. I still love Raffi songs. When we landed in the US of A almost 18 years ago, our son Aditya at that time was 4 years old. Our friends took us to the mall with their son who was about 8-10 years old. There…
Hot Spinach Dip
I love making appetizers. When I tire of hummus and baba ghanoush, I make this dip. It has been a sure hit every time I have made it. I serve it with breadsticks, crackers or bread. This is a recipe which has been modified from a recipe from Martha Stewart. It is rich and cheesy. …
Vatha Kuzhambu (A Tangy Spicy Gravy)
When I think of Vatha Kuzambu I remember my aunt-in-law. We visited my husband’s uncle and aunt every alternate year in Coimbatore. She made Vathakuzambu every single time. It was mouthwateringly scrumptious, the tanginess of the sauce with the spiciness of the chillis and a mildly sweet flavor from the jaggery served on hot rice…
Vegetarian Fajitas
One of our favorite food to eat in Mexican restaurants have always been fajitas. Last week my son was making a batch of chicken fajitas for the week and sent me a picture. This inspired me to make fajitas for dinner. This recipe has been modified from the Vegetarian Times (one of my favorite…
Keerai Poduthuval ( Stir-fried Greens garnished with coconut)
We all grew up learning about Popeye the Sailor Man and how eating spinach gave him muscles and that it is high in iron. Interestingly it does not have as much iron as was thought. It is a case of a misplaced decimal point. A German chemist in 1870 accidentally recorded that spinach has 35…
Chocolate and Nut Fingers
This recipe is from the Swedish recipe book, Sju Sorters Kakor. Ingredients: 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup walnuts – ground 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour (I used whole wheat) 2 tbsp milk (if required) – I did not need it Garnish 50 g semi-sweet chocolate – melted Method: Heat…
The Tenth Rasa – An Anthology of Indian Nonsense
Many many years ago, as part of a language class, we introduced gibberish and nonsense to shatter inhibitions in learning a new language. We used the navarasas (the nine emotions – laughter, compassion, anger, courage, surprise, love etc) and a line of gibberish to act out and play different ‘nonsense’ games. Students loved it and…
Chai With Preethi 