I did too, for a really long time. Then I went and did something about it. I had bookmarked DK’s recipe from Chef in You ages ago and kept going back to it hoping to recreate it soon. Then one rainy day I decided it has to happen today! Indian Pav Bread Recipe Preparation time: 2 hours Cooking time: 25 minutes Makes 10-12 rolls Loosely adapted from Chefinyou Ingredients: 3 cups of all purpose flour ¾ cup of atta / chapati flour 2 ¼ teaspoon of instant yeast (one sachet) 1 cup of milk 1 of egg 1 teaspoon of salt 1 tablespoon of sugar 3 tablespoon of butter 2 teaspoon of melted butter (for brushing on pav before baking) ¼ cup of warm water...

Anyway, ridge gourd is very commonly seen in all supermarkets and wet markets in Singapore. I used to pass by without a second glance because I had never cooked with it before and had no clue where I can fit it in. I vaguely remember amma making a bajji (not the deep fried kind, we also refer to pachadi-like curries as bajji at home) with the vegetable but I wasn’t even sure if this was the same vegetable....

Pin THATTAI RECIPE Makes ~20 small thattai Ingredients: Rice flour - 4 cups Urad dal - ½ cup, ground to fine powder Chana dal - 2 tablespoon (I didn’t use them since didn’t have any) Butter - ⅓ cup Red chilli powder - 1 tsp Sesame seeds (ellu) - 2 tbsp Curry leaves - a few, each cut into two Salt - to taste Water - about 1. 5 cups Oil - for deep frying...

Vazhakkai podimas is a typical tamil dish which I was quite oblivious about until I got married. My mom-in-law is an awesome cook and she has a bunch of these really simple recipes that use so little masala and ingredients but taste so great. Vazhakka podimas is one of them and its one of TH’s favourite. Only catch is, we need to go all the way to Little India or Serangoon in Singapore to get Vazhakka (Plantain)....

In my 2.5 years in Hyderabad, if there’s one thing I had acquired a taste for, it’s Gongura (called pulicha keerai in Tamil, sorrel leaves in English). It’s a predominantly used green vegetable in Andhra cuisine and frequently found its way a lot into the catered food at work. Although I have seen fresh Gongura leaves many times in Little India, I pretended not to because I didn’t want to admit I have never cooked with it....

Brinjal, Eggplant, Kathirikai, Kathrikka - whatever one calls it, is a personal favourite vegetable of mine and I hardly tire of brinjal dishes. I love all varieties of chutneys too and like experimenting with different vegetable and spice combinations. Chutneys are great to make and store for a couple of days and I especially love the kind that can double up for rice in addition to tiffin like dosa idli. This brinjal chutney is heavy on the brinjal flavour so those who don’t like them much, consider yourselves warned!...

I haven’t baked much cookies in my life. The one recipe that clearly comes to my mind is the butter cookies I used to make often when I was in college. It called for copious amounts of butter so I was on the lookout for a low fat Xmas cookie recipe. These cookies came out nice and crunchy and yummy. I halved the ingredients amount. Christmas Sugar Cookies | Christmas Cookie Recipes...

Crinkle cookies or crackle cookies recipe : These cookies are pretty unique in that they have a slightly raised, cracked top and a crispy outer “crust” and yet a soft almost cake-like interior. The cracks on top are highlighted by the icing sugar we roll the cookie dough in before baking. My interest in Crinkle Cookies was aroused when I read Confessions of a Closet Baker which has a similar cookie and a story surrounding it, which the author refers to as Starry Starry Nights....

Eggless banana bread recipe: a super simple and healthy banana bread that’s eggless and contains the crunch and goodness of walnuts. Banana bread is one of my favourite things. There’s something to be said about the consistency of a banana bread, so intriguingly named because it’s actually more like a cake than bread but can be toasted like bread and with some salted butter on the side and a cup of coffee - ah, delicious!...

I love basil pesto and had been wanting to try the same rolls with a basil pesto filling. Finally managed to do it for a potluck a couple months back. Everything came together less than 2 hours (including rising time) and I wrapped the warm rolls, baking dish and all in aluminium foil and headed to my friend’s place. Nothing like freshly baked warm rolls to wow your friends, I tell you....

Here are some easy recipes for dishes you can make this year to celebrate Ganesh (Vinayaka) Chaturthi this year. Click on the image or the links below to get to the recipes.

These sandwiches are similar to the Mint Chutney Cheese Sandwiches that became very popular, but definitely don’t taste the same. A great lunchbox or picnic sandwich too! Grilled Guacamole Cheese Sandwiches Recipe Makes 4 sandwiches Ingredients: 1 ripe avocado 2 shallots 2-3 green chillies (or jalapenos) Some freshly squeezed lime juice Salt of to taste To assemble the sandwiches: 8 slices of any bread of your choice 2 tablespoon salted butter 4 slices of cheddar cheese (or a mix of cheddar and mozzarella works too)...

As I type this, I can visualise those humid Kerala evenings when the house would fill with the aroma of coconut oil and the sizzle of the sakkirams will reach us kids where we are playing or whiling away time doing pretty much nothing useful. Everything my grandmom used to do, especially cooking, was a labour of love. She never took shortcuts, never skimped on effort, was patient and painstakingly meticulous in everything she did (although patience was not a virtue of hers in general) and kai murukku / sakkiran was no exception....

Kaju Katli (kaju burfi, cashew barfi) is the only Indian sweet that The Husband likes that I love too, so I try to make every Diwali season. I have made kaju katli twice before this. The first time I made it, I got a perfect batch which I shared with friends but I couldn’t document the process to share the recipe and tips for beginners here, so that was that....

I had been meaning to make some lava cakes for a while, simply to see how well I can get the shape and inner molten centers right. For a first attempt, this turned out fabulous even if I say so myself 🙂 I baked this decadence over the weekend. It rose beautifully and the crust was cracked and heavenly. Be very careful not to burn your tongue on this. I speak from experience, like I almost always do....

The usual methods of making no-bake dessert is to a) use a microwave b) use a steamer c) use the stove top d) no cooking needed - just mix and maybe allow to set in the refrigerator. My favourite methods among all of this is using the steamer. This is because it allows the dessert to cook anyway and gives you similar results as baking. Of course, this depends on what you are making....

After moving into the new apartment, we had friends over and I decided on an Indo-Chinese menu. I was badly craving some and grabbed the opportunity to cook some up myself. I made the Chilli Paneer , Vegetable Fried Rice and Schezwan Vegetables for some gravy to go with the fried rice. Schezwan Vegetables Recipe Adapted from Sailus Food Serves 4 Ingredients : 1 large onion, cubed into 1" pieces roughly 1 carrot, cut into small, thin discs 8-10 french beans, cut into 1″ pieces 8 baby corns, each cut into 6 round discs 1 green capsicum, cut into 1" pieces roughly...

South Indian tomato chutney recipe (thakkali chutney) with no onion, no garlic, and no coconut. This easy South Indian tomato chutney can be served with dosa, idli, pongal, chapati, upma and most other breakfast dishes. Recipes from grandmothers are always special. So when a friend of mine offered to send a coffee table cookbook based on a Grandmom’s recipes from Palakkad, I didn’t have to think too much to accept it....

Unniyappam-Neyyappam-Kerala-Style using Rice Flour Ingredients: 1 cup of rice flour ¼ cup of grated coconut ½ cup of grated jaggery ¼ cup of pureed ripe banana (she uses palayan kodan or poovan pazham) 2-3 pods of cardamom, powdered ¼ teaspoon of powdered jeera (cumin seeds) 1 teaspoon of black sesame seeds (ellu) 2 cups + 2 teaspoon of ghee ( how to make ghee ) How I Made It: Add 3 tablespoon water to the jaggery and make a syrup by heating it for 3-4 mins....

Watercress is not something that makes it into my regular shopping list. In fact, before amma came and tried this, I’d never even tasted it. It definitely has a strong flavour which I thought went beautifully with dal. Ingredients: 1 bunch watercress ½ cup toor dal or moong dal, washed and soaked for 30 mins 1 large onion, chopped 1 tomato, chopped (optional) ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder 1 teaspoon red chilli powder...