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Recipe: From The Club To Our Kitchens – Chili Cheese Toast

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Chili cheese toast has been an Indian staple for generations, and many of us – myself, for certain, and my children as well – grew up eating it as a special snack. My association with it began at clubs, which were the only social gathering spaces back then. We as a family would look forward to those outings, and to the snacks available there which were inherited from the British. Even a few weekends ago, I found myself ordering chili cheese toast at a club get-together, as has been a habit for all these decades. The funny thing is that something that had such exotic connotations in childhood is actually an extremely easy dish to whip up, as you’ll see below.

Even though my first association with chili cheese toast was in a club setting, it has since become a faithful familiar at home. I realized when my kids were growing up that it was perfect to make for play dates, when the children need carbs for energy and good-tasting things to add to the fun. Later, it also became a go-to for when I found myself returning home after a long day and in need of some kind of easy-to-prepare, comforting snack.

There are a couple of different methods to putting a chili cheese toast together, depending on whether it is open-faced or a sandwich. Here, I share the method for open-faced toast, in which all that delicious melty cheese inspires the appetite on sight.

Chilli cheese toast really is all about the cheese, most would say. To this day, I still use trusted Amul cheese in mine, even though such a wide variety is available. This is also a nostalgic throwback. The India of my growing years, in the 1970s, experienced a huge dairy movement, known as the White Revolution. This was when milk not only became a major Indian export, but also became very accessible for purchase on the market all over the country, wherein earlier people relied directly on cows and farmers. All store-bought dairy products became popular, and among them cheese. At the time, Amul was the only brand we knew of. I remember when slices were introduced, not just blocks of cheese. They remain reliable. I travel so much and pick up some very flavourful foreign cheeses often, but when it comes to certain basic recipes, the simple ingredients of my childhood remain close to my heart.

Chili Cheese Toast
(Yield: Serves 2)

1½ cups grated cheese (mozzarella or pizza cheese)
3 slices bread
1 green chilli (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon coriander leaves (finely chopped)
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 200°C.

Place 3 slices of bread flat in the oven tray. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the slices. Next, sprinkle the green chilli and coriander leaves.

Bake for 2-5 minutes. You will know when it’s ready when golden spots appear and the cheese melts. Remove from the oven.

To pack more punch, sprinkle with red chilli flakes if so desired. Serve your chili cheese toast hot.

I hope this effortlessly tasty snack brings a bit of joy your way!

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Recipe: Sweetening The Summer – Strawberry Compote

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My husband’s most favourite dessert of all time is, hands down, strawberry compote. To be fair, a compote is not the dessert itself, only its special enhancement, but for him it can be the best part. Every time we travel to certain parts of the world, he looks for sweet treats that contain it. I decided that it was about time that I start preparing it at home too, and my trials turned out beautifully – and so, I believe, will yours.

While my spouse reaches out eagerly for interesting dishes while travelling, as for me I am often more interested in the process of how an item is prepared than in only consuming it. As a baker, I am very interested in what other people bake, and love exploring small local bakeries. These tend to be excellent, and I chat with the owner or the workers and taste the pastry they are most known for. Obviously, the bakers will never reveal their secrets, but I have a sensitive palate and can often deduce certain tricks and techniques that I then experiment with once I am back home. I like to figure out what ingredients may have been used, and what has made a treat particularly moist or rich, for instance. Of course, when one is in a holiday mood everything always feels just perfect and lovely. But I believe we can keep some of that good mood going by revisiting those memories through food we recreate back home.

I’ve eaten a great deal of strawberries because of my husband’s love for them, sharing so many treats that contain either a compote or the fresh fruit with him. While I can’t recall the first time I tasted compote, I certainly can tell you when the first time that I saw wild strawberries in a dessert was. It was during a trip to Rome a long time ago. We noticed strawberries and cream on the menu. Naturally, we ordered it. The wild strawberries were in season – fresh, small in size and simply bursting with flavour. This particular dessert became something that I would specifically request at certain cafés after this.

It can feel like strawberries are almost universal, because they seem to be available everywhere. However, that’s just a perception I have now, versus how it felt before. Strawberries were once considered an exotic fruit in India, at least while I was growing up. They were hard to grow and scarce in the market. I remember seeing them in photographs and wondering what they tasted like. Soon enough, hill stations and towns with conducive climates began to cultivate them in India too. Humans are resourceful that way, no? If the conditions are right, we can find a way to grow anything.

Back then, Bombay always had access to fancy fruits first, and set trends thereafter. My sister, a resident of that city, used to make a simple two-ingredient strawberry jam and send it to me, or hand-carry it on flights for me. I would use it as a compote over ice cream and desserts.

We now get strawberry harvests of very good quality here in Tamil Nadu as well. However, I still strongly feel that the best experience depends on the season, even if produce is available year-round. For instance, let’s take a less glamorous fruit: the watermelon, which has been a staple local produce for as long as I can remember. While I can procure it even during the monsoons, I do not. I know that it tastes best and offers the most benefits only during the summer, and that’s when I consume it.

Coming back to strawberries and to this compote, this is a very easy recipe and it will give you a jar of delight that you can use to add sweetness to anything. You can use either sugar or honey to prepare it, and the best part of it being homemade is that you can control the amount you use. I prefer mine lightly sweetened with a larger ratio of fruit to sugar, so that I can enjoy bigger portions with less guilt. This is one of the reasons why I prefer to make jams and spreads at home in general, or get mine from friends who do so. The amount of sugar and preservatives that goes into those big tubs and jars in supermarkets concerns me.

Trust me, once you try this out, you’ll see that I have many reasons to make my own jams, spreads and compote! This strawberry compote is easy to make, versatile and just so delicious. It’s difficult, and unnecessary in my view, to go back to storebought items when the goodies made at home are so wonderful!

Strawberry Compote
(Yield: 2 cups / 1 jar)

2 cups chopped strawberries
4 tablespoons sugar or honey (adjust as per need)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
A pinch of salt
1 teaspoon chia seeds
5 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a pan, add the strawberries. Add sugar/honey and water and boil until the fruit begins to disintegrate and the mixture begins to thicken. At this stage, you can add more sugar/honey if required.

Now, add the chia seeds. Remove the pan from the flame and allow the mixture to cool and thicken more as it does.

Once it has cooled down completely, fill a jar and store in the refrigerator. You can keep this refrigerated for 2-3 weeks. It makes for a great topping on toast, ice cream and cheesecake. You can even make ice cream with it or add a dollop to yoghurt. In case you’re in need of ideas, the next recipe I will share will be a dessert that uses this strawberry compote, so do keep an eye out for it!

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Recipe: A Healthy Start To The Day – Hummus Toast With Veggies

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Trying to incorporate a lot of protein into my meals is how this hummus toast loaded with veggies came into being. It’s just perfect for right after my workout, when I’m most hungry. Putting it together is easy on mornings when there has been hummus and pita bread at home for dinner the previous evening. The leftover hummus is put to good use with this lovely toast, or else eaten as a snack with fruit later in the day.

Hummus originated in West Asia and is a versatile dish which utilises protein-rich chickpeas. I have shared two very appetizing hummus recipes on this blog so far. If you would like to make the hummus rather than buy it, you could choose from this coriander hummus or this curry leaf and green chilli hummus. For a plain and basic hummus, just eliminate the flavouring ingredients from the recipe.

The boost of protein aside, another reason why I enjoy this hummus toast with veggies as my morning meal is probably because of the novelty factor. It is so different from the kind of breakfasts that I grew up with, and I often find myself dreaming about travels past and future when I prepare something from another cuisine. Instagram also inspires me, and I love learning about dishes from everywhere, and figuring out how to fit them into my repertoire at home.

While authentic Indian breakfasts are absolutely wonderful, and traditionally wove the logic of seasonality into them, they also tend to be carb-heavy. I am not trying to find fault with them at all, for I understand that they were primarily designed for people from historical periods when everyone needed to labour a lot more, and usually had much less to consume or choose from. But as we move with the times, we need to adjust these diets to suit our contemporary needs. Now, for our present lifestyles, we need fewer carbohydrates and much more protein. I still remain an advocate of Indian cuisine, but I am equally a believer in adapting, evolving and exploring!

You can use any chopped salad as a topping for this toast, although I’ve suggested my preferred ingredients below. I’d also like to share a tip about cutting vegetables. In the morning, I make sure that my vegetables are finely chopped because I have a tendency to gobble breakfast up as quickly as possible post-workout. Knowing this about myself means that I not only cut my vegetables in a certain way at that time, but also that I cut them differently for my lunch preparations. When cooking for the afternoon meal, the vegetable slices are always larger in size, so that I take my time to chew them properly and digest them better. Small changes like these make us more mindful about both cooking and eating. It’s all about calibrating our choices so that they suit us well.

Hummus Toast With Veggies

1 slice sourdough bread
2 tablespoons hummus
Salad (as per recipe below, or make your own)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Veggies
¼ cup parsley (finely chopped)
¼ cup coriander leaves (finely chopped)
¼ cup cucumber (finely chopped)
2 tablespoons onions (finely chopped)
Salt to taste

Toast a slice of sourdough bread. Add the dollop of hummus and spread it over the toast.

Put all the finely chopped salad ingredients in a bowl and mix.

Sprinkle the salad over the hummus on toast. Finally, drizzle some olive oil. Your hummus toast with veggies is now ready to be enjoyed.

I have shared many toasties here on this blog. You probably know that I am a big fan of sourdough, based on how often I have used it in recipes here. It tastes fantastic on the day it is baked but turns hard by the following day, which is when it becomes ideal for toasties. So this hummus on toast with veggies joins that list too, bringing more pep – and of course, more protein – into my mornings, and hopefully yours too!

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Recipe: Charmed Out Of My Bias – Caramelized Bananas

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The festive season is about to begin here in India, and sweets galore are going to be produced, shared and consumed across the length and breadth of the country. It will be almost impossible to avoid consuming significant amounts of sugar at this time, but aside from moderation, we can also tweak the dessert offerings in our own homes and serve sweet but balanced treats. This will add a touch of novelty too. These caramelized bananas are a perfect addition to a more thoughtful celebratory menu.

Bananas provide not only a great sugar rush, but they are high in potassium and kept on hand by many gym-goers as they replenish electrolytes. Living in a country that produces over a quarter of the world’s bananas, and especially in a region where the plant is prevalent everywhere, my exposure to the fruit and the plant are certainly high. The plant itself is one of my favourites, and is beautiful to look at. I frequently use the stems and flowers in dishes, such as this banana stem buttermilk. I do bake the fruit into a loaf now and then, or cook it in a kela nu shaak but to tell you the truth, I am personally not a great fan of it. The fact that I thoroughly enjoy these caramelized bananas is therefore a testament to their tastiness.

The first time I had them was on a surprise holiday with my husband. We went on a really long trek wherein we got lost. Two hours later, we found the little spot that we were supposed to reach, and here, the organizers of the journey prepared a freshly-made picnic for us. It is difficult to carry a lot of items on a tedious hike, so the meal contained simple ingredients. Bananas, being such a portable fruit and good for after a workout like an outdoor trek, were a practical part of the menu, in the form of this dessert.

Despite everything I said earlier in praise of the fruit’s nutritional qualities, my longstanding dislike usually trumps my desire to consume it. Still, a few bites of this dish during that picnic were all it took to charm me. You can imagine my surprise when I found myself carefully observing as more caramelized bananas were being prepared, mentally noting how to make them myself later! They were made in a jiffy, too. I knew right then that I’d found a lovely dessert that would be easy and quick to make, and possibly healthier than most traditional treats.

I believe what made me like them so much was the use of cinnamon and other spices, which flavoured my far-from-favourite fruit in a lovely way. Who knew that a fruit we take for granted and a few ingredients common to an Indian kitchen could result is something so delightful?

Caramelized Bananas

(Serves 2)

1 tablespoon butter
2 small bananas (cut lengthwise)
¼ cup sugar (use less if you prefer)
3 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon grated ginger
A pinch of salt

Heat a flat pan. Add sugar and allow it to melt. Once it has melted, add water and stir continuously so it all comes together. Now, add the ginger, cinnamon powder and salt and keep stirring.

While the sugar is melting, heat another pan and add the butter. Once it melts, place the sliced bananas on the pan and allow them to turn golden on both sides.

When the sugar syrup is ready, add it to the bananas. The mixture will splutter so be careful. Sauté for a minute on a medium to high flame. Turn off the flame and allow to cool a little.

Serve with fresh cream, or just on their own.

These caramelized bananas really changed the way I think of bananas for the better. They are such a simple dessert. I can attest that they satisfied someone who doesn’t even enjoy the fruit, which says a lot about how tasty they are!

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Recipe: A More Exciting Bite – Egg Bhurji

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A bhurji is basically a scramble, so egg bhurji is Indian-style scrambled eggs, made super delicious with the use of local spices. I first ate them on a recent holiday in the hills of North-East India, where I took one bite and thought, “Oh, this is such a simple recipe – why didn’t I think of it earlier?” I already knew how to make bhurji, having done so with paneer plenty of times and with tofu more and more often, but I just hadn’t considered making eggs in this method. Egg bhurji is now frequently enjoyed in my home, and I thought you may want to make some as well.

The reason why egg bhurji has become a staple at my dining table is because of the protein boost that is provided. I have been rather good at sticking to my workout routine lately, and it’s important that I consume more protein to support it. Eggs are a fantastic, and very easy, way to do this. I have been looking at more exciting ways to consume them rather than just having a plain omelette or a sunny side up, which can get boring on a daily basis. You may remember the moringa omelette recipe that I shared once, in which two nutrient superfoods came together. You may also remember the recipe for shakshouka, which is more ornate and a lot of fun over Sunday brunch.

This bhurji is not at all elaborate, but is interesting because it is so flavourful. It has all the same spices as a standard subzi (Indian-style vegetable accompaniment). If you’re vegetarian, you don’t need to be left out. Just substitute the eggs in the method below for paneer or tofu, and your bhurji will still turn out delicious!

This new routine of eating eggs daily reminds me fondly of my late brother, who used to bolt six of them at a time when he was a rower. I’ve written about his large breakfasts before. Even though I am not an athlete like he was, now that I’ve gotten disciplined with exercising and am consciously eating eggs for this reason in particular, I can’t help but smile thinking of how I have once again followed in his footsteps.

I prefer my egg bhurji freshly made – warm and straight from pan to plate. But I know that it works well in a tiffin carrier too, so you can make it in the morning and have it for lunch. It’s also simple to prepare, which will mean that your cooking will be quick even when you’re getting ready to head out to work.

Egg Bhurji

(Serves 1)

 

1 tablespoon milk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon oil

1 teaspoon ginger (grated)

1 tablespoon tomato (finely chopped)

1 onion (finely chopped)

2 green chillies

Salt to taste

½ teaspoon coriander powder

¼ teaspoon garam masala powder

½ teaspoon chilli powder

A handful of coriander leaves

 

Break the eggs into a cup and add milk. Stir well. Set aside. Heat a pan and add the oil. Add the onions and ginger. Sauté for a minute or until tender.

Next, add the tomatoes and green chilli. Sauté well until soft and then add salt, turmeric, coriander powder, garam masala and chili powder.  Mix well. Add the eggs and milk mixture. Continue stirring for less than a minute. Serve hot, garnished with coriander leaves (or put it into your lunchbox). Egg bhurji goes really well with rotis.

Eggs don’t make that many appearances on this blog, but here are a few more recipes that feature this protein-rich powerhouse to the fullest!

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Recipe: Still Sweet, And So Delicious – Sugarless Date Payasam

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I have often been attracted to making sugarless desserts for two reasons. First and foremost, for myself, as I have an incredibly sweet tooth that I can’t seem to control, and I hope to satisfy it without making as steep a health compromise. I try to convince myself that when a dessert is sugarless or sugar-free I can also eat it guiltlessly, or guilt-free! I know this isn’t true, of course. Natural sweeteners and the sweetness that is intrinsic in certain ingredients like fruits do contain sugar, and anything sweet will spike your glucose levels even if you don’t add processed sugars to it. Still, I know that so many of you struggle with the same concern, which is why a treat like this sugarless date payasam can still make a difference in our dessert indulgences.

The other reason why I learned how to make more sugarless desserts was that my father-in-law used to put me up to the challenge of inventing ones for him. He was diabetic, and he would always say, “Just add Splenda or aspartame!” I would always refuse to, knowing that these have other side-effects. I would instead reach out for natural sweeteners like coconut sugar or dates, as their glycemic index is lower than that of refined white sugar. While my father-in-law is no longer around, the dishes I learned or came up with for him remain in my repertoire, and so does the habit of cutting down sugar content as far as I can.

Awareness of the dangers of too much sugar consumption is of extreme importance in India, which has one of the largest percentage of diabetics in the world. I often have diabetic visitors, which doesn’t surprise me at all given the prevalence of the disease in our country, and I ensure that I serve sugarfree desserts when they come over. There are also sugarless options on the re:store product menu. Whether or not my guests or family members are diabetic, I do keep an eye on balancing out our sweet consumption in multiple ways. Making dishes like these is one such way, and a necessary concession since giving desserts up completely is quite a big ask!

This particular sugarless date payasam is one that I learned from my dear friend Girija. I hadn’t heard of it before she served it to me, and I was wary of trying out the recipe, but I am very glad that I did. It is utterly delicious. For those who haven’t heard of it, a payasam is essentially a South Indian milk pudding, and I am thrilled to have a version of it that doesn’t require, let alone rely on, sugar or even jaggery. All it needs is the sheer sweetness of dates.

Sugarless Date Payasam

(Serves 6)

2 cups deseeded and chopped dates

1 cup cashew nuts

Water (for soaking)

2 cups milk

3-5 strands saffron

¼ teaspoon cardamom powder

 

Soak the dates and cashews separately in fresh drinking water for an hour.

Then, grind the cashews with the water that was used for soaking. Once the paste is smooth, add the dates. Grind once more until the paste is smooth again. Add the cardamom powder and saffron strands. Place the mixture in a pot and refrigerate until cool.

Once it has cooled, add the milk and stir well until it all comes together nicely. Adjust the milk quantity to your preference. I like it to be a little thick. Return to the refrigerator and let it cool again.

Serve very chilled. This is a perfect dessert for these hot summer months. As you can see, this delicious sugarless date payasam requires only grinding and mixing, which also makes it an easy dessert that even beginner cooks can prepare.

I have used cashews as I enjoy the rich flavour the nuts provide, but you can substitute them for another kind if you prefer. I also feel that the cashews sort of tone down the sweetness of the dates, which can be intense.

Ultimately, the payasam is both rich and sweet, which means that it is best in smaller portions.

Here is a suggested tweak to this recipe: add a handful of cooked rice to the milk, and then add then to the ground cashewnut-date paste and mix. This will give the dessert more substance, and more of a mouthful in each serving. The sweetness quotient will also further reduce. This preparation may technically turn it into a kheer rather than a payasam, but I have little doubt that anyone will complain! It will turn out delicious both ways, and while my father-in-law is not here to enjoy this dish in either variation, the rest of my family certainly does. As for me, my sweet tooth is sated, with a spoonful or two less of… guilt!

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Recipe: Right For The Season – Mixed Vegetable Raita

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In the past, I have shared the recipes for Indian-style homemade yoghurt as well as for a typically Gujarati banana-mustard-cucumber raita and a slightly elevated cucumber raita. A raita is a cooling curd-based accompaniment that is usually served with biryani or any rice-centred meals, but I find it goes well even with upma and other dishes. Raita can be made in numerous ways, and as I keep reiterating on my blog when it comes to just about any popular food item, each household, each community and each region will have unique takes. I have tasted okra raita, which is quite delicious, as well as beetroot raita, which has a lovely colour. Today, because Spring is in the air and my mood too is bright, I have decided to make a colourful mixed vegetable raita.

When I say “Spring”, in my part of the world that means that we can feel the heat beginning to set in, and are in the phase immediately before the heat truly takes over. Here in Chennai, I am able to see lovely flowers everywhere right now: from mango flowers in the trees (the fruits will soon be in season, and you can expect several more mangolicious recipes from me soon) to hibiscus blooming in my garden.

Right now, it is a joy to go to the fresh fruit and vegetable market, as a variety of produce comes into season. When I travel, this happens to be my favourite pastime no matter which city I am in. I love to explore markets, taking photographs, admiring the colours, textures and arrangements. It feels like that here in my own city too right now – where strawberries, other kinds of berries and oranges are in abundance at the local market and inspire my creativity.

So this raita captures the vibrance that is around us during this time of year. I have used carrots, cucumbers, shallots and tomatoes along with mint and coriander leaves, so the raita has a mix of lively shades.

I have mentioned in the past that the desire to consume yoghurt at every single meal is the only thing that keeps me from going completely vegan. At the moment, I am trying to reduce my intake at least. Which means that if I’m only going to have some for one meal of the day, instead of all of them, why not make that dollop or two a little more exciting? That’s where this raita really comes to my rescue, fulfilling my craving while adding novelty to my basic but essential curd.

Mixed Vegetable Raita

(Yield: 1 bowl)

2 cups curd

2 tablespoons grated carrot

½ cup diced cucumber

¼ cup chopped purple shallots

¼ cup diced tomato

2 tablespoons coriander leaves

1 tablespoon mint leaves

Salt to taste

½ teaspoon ground cumin powder

¼ teaspoon chilli powder

 

Add the curd to a bowl along with the spices. Beat well.

Add the diced and chopped vegetables. Mix well. Adjust the flavours by adding more if required.

Pour into a serving bowl and garnish with some more of the spices as well as the green leaves. Serve as an accompaniment to a wide range of dishes.

This mixed vegetable raita is so simple and so summer-friendly that I am sure you will be preparing it often over the next couple months. It will be refreshing on your plate, especially if you like me are in a part of the world that’s getting hotter by the day!

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Recipe: The Best Of The Basics – Dosa & Idly Batter

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Growing up in Chennai, idly and dosa and other South Indian dishes were home food for us, comfort food alongside Gujarati dal and dhokla. Of course, home food – usually made from scratch – was the norm as there weren’t as many restaurants back then and going out to eat was a luxury. This applied even for staples and simple fare, which are now just as easily available as fine dining. While you can now buy dosa and idly batter at a drop of a hat, and the convenience is great, I still prefer to make it myself. This recipe is for those who, like me, would like the reassurance of knowing exactly what goes into every plate you serve yourself and your loved ones.

Dosa and idly batter is much easier to make than many think. It uses rice which has been boiled and processed in a mill after harvesting, which is sold as idly rice. It requires fermentation, and the humid temperatures in this region are conducive to that. You can use the same batter for kuzhi paniyaram, a kind of dumpling, too. In fact, when I was growing up, this is usually the order in which we consumed each batch: the first day was for idlys, the second for dosas and the last leftover batter was used up in kuzhi paniyarams.

To this day, I find a special joy in waking up in the mornings and seeing that this batter has risen overnight, sometimes so high that it knocks the lid off the pot! That’s the sign of a great breakfast to come, although the delicious things you can prepare with this can be eaten at any time.

You can get fluffy, soft idlys and crispy dosas from the same batter. It’s all about the preparation method. In the recipe below, I share the method for making dosa, which is pretty straightforward and which pairs well with chutneys and sambars too. As for idlys, they are steamed; some people do this in a microwave, but I’m not a fan of that gadget and I love hot idlys from a traditional steamer with my preferred chutney or a sambar. The trick to them is to not beat the batter, as one does for a dosa, but to be gentle both while mixing and while dropping the batter into the tray. In the next post, I have a bit of a surprise, using the same batter. First, however, this is how you make the batter, and how you make a dosa!

Dosa & Idly Batter

(Serves: 6)

3 cups boiled rice

1 cup urad dal

2 teaspoon methi (fenugreek) seeds

2 + 2 cups water

Salt to taste

Wash and soak the rice, urad dal and the methi seeds separately for at least 6 hours or overnight. I recommend around 10 hours.

Dispose the soaking water. Add 2 cups of fresh water and grind the urad dal and methi seeds finely, using a wet grinder or blender. Set aside.

Now, grind the rice with 2 cups of fresh water until you get a fine consistency.

Pour the rice batter over the dal batter. Add salt and mix gently using your hands.

Cover in a big pot and allow to ferment. The size of the pot matters so that the batter has space to rise. Well-fermented batter doubles in quantity and is sour. When stored in the fridge between uses, it will remain fresh for 3-4 days.

Here are a few more tips: the trick behind making a batter that can yield both a crisp brown dosa and a soft white idly is the proportion of rice to lentils. To make dosas even crisper, add some poha or rice flakes to the batter while grinding. Some people also add rava. However, I personally feel that the use of a heavy iron pan and adequate ghee or oil contribute more to crispness than these other techniques. Use only parboiled or boiled rice to make dosas, and only husked urad dal. Adding fenugreek increases the fermentation and makes for a tastier dosa.

As I said earlier, you can use this for dosas, idlys and kuzhi paniyarams. Here is the method to prepare dosa, a South Indian crepe that is staple in this part of the world.

Remove the required quantity, and gently mix the batter with a steel spoon. Heat a cast iron pan or tava.

Once it is hot, sprinkle some water on the pan. When it sizzles, you know that it’s the right temperature. Take a ladle full of the batter and pour it into the centre of the pan. Gently, using a circular motion, spread the batter on the griddle, similar to making a crepe. Use a teaspoon of ghee or oil and spread drops of it onto the dosa.

Allow it to cook on high heat, until you see it turn golden at the bottom. Gently, with the help of a spatula, lift from the edges and flip for no more than a few seconds. Now fold the dosa and serve hot. Accompany it with sambar, chutney, curry or podi – the choice is yours.

I hope you’ll begin making your idly and dosa batter from scratch too. It’s an easy process, and I am sure you’ll enjoy both the preparation method as well as consuming the results!

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Recipe: Celebrating Change – Coorg-Inspired Coconut Chutney

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As I mentioned a few posts ago, we have a new addition to our family: a daughter-in-law, as one of my sons is getting married. There is newness all around me right now: a new year, with new changes and new surprises. There is a lot of mutual love and acceptance, but there is also a great deal of learning – both on a personal level as well as in the form of new experiences. This is true for every one of us at this time, as the family expands and we adjust to that expansion, even if joyfully. This coconut chutney, which has a twist, comes from my daughter-in-law’s culture in Coorg, South India. It is a delicious take on a classic, and we love it so much that it has now become the only kind of coconut chutney that we make at home.

I have shared a wide range of chutneys on this blog: from peanut chutney to plum chutney, and much in between. Despite also sharing a variety of coconut posts over the years, the two had not come together so far. So I’m thrilled to share this less-than-typical, and very tasty, coconut chutney. The method is exceptionally simple, and if you already have a standard coconut chutney in your own repertoire, you will find this an easy upgrade.

I would love to share more recipes from Coorg as I myself begin learning more over the coming years. I hope you’ll enjoy doing so alongside me, too.

As I said earlier, the learnings are myriad. Becoming a mother-in-law is a whole new chapter of my life. I am sure it won’t always be easy, but I look forward to a lot of togetherness. I hope to apply all the lessons I have learned over the decades about open-mindedness, warmth and sincerity. When I think of my kids and how I have accepted their loveliness and their quirks both, and how they have also been welcomed by so many, I know that we can all find it in our hearts to grow together. I wish also that we can be caring and thoughtful towards each other in the world at large, and instil harmony everywhere.

It’s about accepting differences, of course, but it’s also about celebrating them. I can think of no better way to do this than through food. So without further ado, here is a Coorg-inspired coconut chutney to usher in bright times for us all!

Coorg-Inspired Coconut Chutney

(Yield: 1 cup)

½ cup grated coconut

Marble-sized tamarind pulp (soaked)

2 green chillies

A small piece of ginger

2 tablespoons water

Sugar to taste

Salt to taste

In a blender, add all the above ingredients and blend to a smooth texture. If you require the consistency to be thinner, add more water.

That’s it. Now that your chutney is ready, serve with dosa or idly. Stay tuned for upcoming posts on preparing the batter for these, as well as a special and fun way to enhance your dosa experience!

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Recipe: A Kind-Of Salad Condiment – Kanda Kairi

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Kanda kairi is a traditional Gujarati condiment, but it is eaten in such large quantities in my home that it almost qualifies as a sort of salad. It features only two basic ingredients, as its name attests: onion (or kanda) and raw mango (or kairi). So it is remarkably simple to put together, and tastes great by itself and as an accompaniment.

Across Gujarati homes, you’ll find some kanda kairi being served on any thaali at this time of year. Similar to how buttermilk is a staple in the summer, so is this dish. It’s quite interesting how the kanda kairi has a reputation for being a cooling condiment, given the ingredients involved. Yet somehow, the combination works for this purpose. I recall how when I was growing up, my mom would insist that my siblings and I have a tablespoon of it daily during the hot months. I used to make a face every time, but now I do the same thing, and I love it.

Aside from onion and raw mango, I like to elevate the flavour with a bit of jaggery (which you don’t need if the fruit you use has a hint of sweetness), as well as some chilli powder. In India, we love to add that spice to raw mangoes as well as to guavas, as it adds a delicious edge.

Kanda Kairi

(Yield: Serves 2-4)

1 cup raw mango (grated)

½ cup onions (finely sliced lengthwise)

2 tablespoons coriander leaves (finely cut)

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon powdered jaggery

½ – 1 teaspoon red chili paste

 

In a bowl, add the raw mango and onions and coriander leaves. When ready to serve, add the salt, jaggery and chili paste. Mix well and gently, using your hands.

Your kanda kairi is now ready. Enjoy it as a salad or condiment. To me, it’s a bit of both – and so easy to bring together!

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