Kaadha - the sore throat soother

My parents used to make giant pot of this whenever one of us was sick, because they knew if one went down, the others would follow, and we would all be drinking it. It is a great soother of sore throats. I wouldn't call it a cure, but it definitely has some healing qualities. Some of the herbs you may never have heard of and frankly I had to look up the english definition of them. If you really want to make this you may have to venture to a spice store, or peruse Amazon.

Ingredients:
6 cups water
4 tsp mint leaves (dried or fresh)
4 tsp tulsi leaves (dried or fresh, this is basically holy basil, but don't use regular basil. You can buy these dried leaves on Amazon or Thrive Market)
1 tsp black peppercorn, crushed in mortar and pestle (m&p)
1 tsp cloves, crushed in m&p
2 tsp Jestimadh powder (Marathi), or Yashtimadhu (Sanskrit), or dried licorice root powder
3 tsp minced ginger
4 tsp coriander seeds, crushed in m&p
2 tsp sugar

Preparation:
Bring everything to a boil and let it simmer until it is about 2/3 or half the original volume.
Strain out the herbs for every cup you pour, but don't throw them away, you can keep adding water and boiling a couple more times. It will retain some potency.

Ukrainian Borscht Fantasy

I don't have a Ukrainian grandma. And I don't really have many Eastern European friends, or at least none that will cook for me. But for some reason, I have come to the conclusion that I like borscht, and it is something I have to make every fall when the weather starts to cool down. And also when my CSA starts sending me the perfect combination of vegetables for this wonderful, umami-filled deliciousness. Many borscht recipes call for meat, but if you want to skip it, I don't think it's the end of the world, it is still a delicious recipe. This recipe is based on the combination of a few I have tried. I think it's pretty good. The real test will be when an Ukrainian tells me "This is the best borscht I have ever had!". HAH! That will be the day!

Ingredients
16 oz pork sausage, removed from casing and crumbled
3 medium beets, peeled and shredded
3 carrots, peeled and shredded
1 leek, white and green part, sliced
1 cup tomato sauce (you can use canned, or I like to use Marcella Hazan's tomato sauce recipe)
3/4 cup water or broth
1/2 medium head cabbage, shredded
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 bay leaf
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp oil
Dollop of sour cream per serving

Cook
Heat oil in large pot on medium heat.
Cook the sausage down until no longer pink and has release some juices.
Add bay leaf and leeks and cook until leeks are soft. Add tomato sauce, broth/water, and marjoram and stir until well combined.
Add the garlic, the remaining shredded vegetables (cabbage, carrots and beets), salt, sugar, and black pepper and simmer for 20 minutes on low heat or until vegetables are cooked through.
Stir in balsamic vinegar.
Turn off heat, ladle into bowls and dollop about a tbsp of sour cream in every bowl.
Enjoy!

Vegetable Jalfrezi

This is a typical North Indian dish, clearly not Marathi, but I love it. It's one of those dishes that really hits the spot on a cool fall evening, hitting all the wonderful sweet, sour, and umami notes. You can adjust the level of spice to your taste, as well as the combination of vegetables you have. I have made this with all root vegetables too and it tastes great!

INGREDIENTS:
2 tsp Panch Puran (This is a popular spice blend used in many North Indian and Bengali dishes, it is a combination of 5 spices - fenugreek seed, nigella seed, cumin seed, mustard seed and fennel seed. So if you can't find it in your grocery store, you can always buy it separately and combine equal amounts to make your own blend)
Pinch of hing (asafoteida)
2 tsp garam masala (separated)
2 tsp coriander pwd
2 tsp chili pwd (adjust for taste)
1 tsp turmeric pwd
1 tbsp dried methi leaves (optional)
1 tsp cumin pwd
2 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
1 head broccoli separated into florets, stems sliced into rounds until it becomes too tough to slice
1/2 butternut squash cut into 1" cubes
2 green peppers cut into 1" cubes
1 sweet potato cut into 1" cubes
1 yellow onion, sliced
2 cups tomato sauce (I like to use Marcella Hazan's tomato sauce recipe for almost all my cooking now, even non-Italian dishes. It is fail proof, and has so much depth in flavor - http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015178-marcella-hazans-tomato-sauce. Keep the onions in the sauce, her recipe calls to discard them, but in my opinion it tastes better keeping it in there)
3 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
2-3 tsp sugar (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in pot on medium high heat and add panch puran.
Once seeds pop, add hing and let it brown a little.
Add sliced onions and stir fry until golden brown and softened.
And minced ginger and garlic and stir until fragrant.
Add turmeric, chili, coriander, cumin, 1 tsp garam masala, and dried methi leaves (if you are using them) and stir to combine with onion mixture.
Add tomato sauce and stir to combine, let it cook till oil separates and rises to the top.
Turn the heat down a little and add vegetables in order of time it takes to cook. In this case, we have butternut squash, sweet potato and broccoli stems which take longer to cook than the peppers and broccoli florets, so add them first. If you have other veggies, like carrots or green beans, adjust the order of veggies according to cooking time.
Add 2 tsp salt, put the lid on and let them cook for 15-20 minutes, checking every 7 minutes or so and stirring to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom. If they start to stick to the bottom, add a few splashes of water They should be cooked but still firm.
Taste the sauce a little bit and see if you need to add another tsp of salt as you add more veggies. This way, the amount of salt stays proportional to the amount of veggies you add.
Then add the vegetables that cook fast, broccoli and green peppers, stir to combine, and cover with lid and cook for another 10 minutes. You don't want to broccoli to wilt but you want it to gain enough of the flavor of the spices.
Add sugar, garam masala and salt if needed.
Garnish with cilantro.
Enjoy!

Veggie Lentil Masala burgers

Another made up recipe which I think turned out fantastic! I based it on the Green Monster Veggie Burger from the blog veganheaven.org. Not a blog I follow much, but this veggie burger recipe caught my eye because of its beautiful green color, and also because I realized how much of my CSA stash could get used up in this throw-it-all-in-there approach. With a few tweaks and obviously the addition of copious amounts of spices, I was able to make this my own. I love running a test kitchen! Why don't I do this for a living?

Ingredients:
2 bunches kale (any kind of kale you want, there are so many varieties to choose from! I went with the most common curly kale), destemmed
1 head broccoli, separated into florets and use the stem also by slicing it into discs and going down to the bottom until it becomes too tough to slice
2 sticks celery, rough chop
1 cup split moong lentils with the skin (soak in 1 cup hot water for 1 hour with 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 2 tsp coriander pwd)
3 medium red potatoes, peeled and large diced
1 yellow or red onion, diced
1 bunch scallions, white and green parts separated and sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup unsalted or raw almonds, rough chopped
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 large egg, beaten
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp coriander pwd
1 tbsp fennel pwd
2 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp biryani masala (if you don't have this on hand and are not planning on buying any, just use an extra tbsp of garam masala. Or if you feel like this might be too many spices for you, feel free to omit. I always err on the side of more spices because with burgers, the bun helps cut a lot of the spiciness. And you can also add a yogurt spread on the bun to cool your mouth down)
2 tbsp brown sugar
Salt to taste
4 cups of water
Oil to saute

Cook:
In a large, deep pot, boil the water on high heat.
Add potatoes and boil for 15 minutes or until done.
Remove cooked potatoes from water with a slotted spoon and place in a large bowl to cool.
Add kale, broccoli florets and stems, and celery to the same water and boil for 5 minutes.
Remove from water with a slotted spoon and place in same bowl as potatoes and let cool.
Add the lentils and the water they were soaking in, as well as the fresh ginger to the same pot of boiling water the vegetables were cooked in. Make sure the lentils are submerged, if not add more water.
Turn heat down to medium and place lid on the pot. Cook for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a separate pan on medium heat and add oil.
Once oil is heated, add onions, garlic and the white part of the scallions and saute.
Once brown and caramelized, add the almonds, turmeric, cayenne pepper, coriander pwd, fennel pwd, garam masala and 1 tsp salt.
Turn heat down to low and saute for 5 minutes until spices are fragrant, but be careful not to burn.
Add onion/spice mixture to same bowl as all the vegetables and combine.
Once the lentils are cooked, add the brown sugar, 2 tsp salt and turn up the heat to evaporate any excess water. A little water in the pot is fine as that will help when blending all the ingredients.
Turn off the heat and add all the other separately cooked vegetables to the pot.
Using your immersion blender, blend the vegetables and lentils together to form a thick mixture. The mixture will stiffen as it cools, so don't worry too much if it looks a little too loose to form burgers. However, if you still feel there is a little too much water, you can turn the heat back on and try to evaporate some of the water. But again, as the mixture cools, it definitely stiffens quite a bit.
It is very difficult to adjust any seasonings once you form the patties, so make sure you taste the mixture before doing so and add anything you think is necessary.
If you find the mixture is just too spicy for your taste, you can boil an additional potato or two and mash it into the mixture.
Put the mixture in the refrigerator to cool for a couple of hours or so.
Once cooled, add the beaten egg and combine well.
Roll out 2 inch diameter balls with your hands and slightly flatten to create patties.
You can either freeze these patties and defrost for when you want to make the burgers. They can keep in the freezer for a good 6 months or until they become frosty. I like to separate them with little pieces of foil or parchment paper so they don't stick to each other.
When you are ready to eat them, heat up a pan on medium heat and spray a little bit of oil.
Fry each pattie for 5 to 7 minutes on each side, or until browned and a shell has formed.
Enjoy on a lightly toasted sesame bun with some sliced tomatoes, lettuce and onion, as well as some raita (yogurt with cucumber, cumin and salt)!

Curried Zucchini Scallion Pancakes

These pancakes are melt in your mouth delicious. I kind of made up the recipe after I got some huge zucchini in my CSA and instead of doing the usual zoodles or simple saute I decided to try something new. It is a combination of zucchini fritters and the doodhi (green gourd) recipe I have on this blog, but because of some additional ingredients, the batter becomes less fritter-like and more pancake-like. Hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients
4 cups zucchini or 2 large zucchini, shredded
1 cup scallions, sliced
2/3 cup all purpose flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
4 curry leaves, crushed (if they happened to dry up in the refrigerator, which is fine) or sliced (if they are still fresh and pliable)
1 green chili (either a habanero pepper, jalapeno pepper, or if you can find it, a thai green chili), minced
Pinch of asafoteida (hing)
1/2 tsp turmeric pwd
2 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp shredded or desiccated coconut
3 tsp salt, divided
1 tbsp brown sugar/raw sugar/jaggery
2 tbsp oil to temper spices
Oil for frying

Preparation
Once you are done grating the zucchini, place it in a colander and sprinkle 2 tsp of salt over it and mix well. The water from the zucchini will start to drain out.
Let it sit over the sink or a bowl for 30 minutes.
Using your hands, squeeze out the excess water.
Put the zucchini in a bowl, and add the flour, scallions, eggs, garam masala, 1 tsp salt and sugar/jaggery and stir until combined well and forms a batter.

Cook
Heat the oil for tempering the spices over medium heat.
Add mustard seeds. Once they start to pop, add hing, curry leaves and green chili and saute for 1 minute or until curry leaves start to turn brown. You don't want them to burn, but you want the green chili to cook a little also to infuse the oil with the flavor and heat.
Remove pan from heat and add turmeric, stir so that turmeric doesn't burn.
Once it has stopped sizzling, add to the zucchini bowl and combine with other ingredients.
Heat oil for frying over medium heat (I used about a tsp of oil per pancake, but this is totally up to you. Obviously, the more oil you use, the crispier the pancake turns out, but I was okay with softer pancakes so I didn't use too much oil)
Add 1/3 cup of the batter to the pan and press down to spread batter over pan. Let it cook for 5 minutes, or until you see edges turn brown and the batter firm up in the middle.
Carefully flip the pancake and cook for another 5 minutes on the other side.
The timing really depends on how hot your stove runs, I had to turn the heat down after a couple of pancakes as they were getting pretty crispy but the center was staying mushy.
Enjoy hot off the stove, or reheat on a pan.
Tip: these taste great dipped in some yogurt sauce (yogurt, cumin, salt)

Preserved Meyer Lemons

I LOVE this recipe for preserved lemons. Once they are ready, you can use preserved lemons on almost anything and everything. The citrus flavor from these preserved lemons is a very concentrated flavor but without all the acidity. I don't know where all the acidity goes, I can't quite figure out the culinary science behind all that. All I know is that they are very versatile. I have roasted lamb with them, roasted salmon with them, put them on a salad, used the juices in salad dressings, used them in chimichurri, chopped them up and mixed them with tuna to make a delightfuly fresh and healthy tuna salad (minus the mayo). You can use them to make lemon bars, use the juices in cakes or pies... the list is endless. So get those creative juices flowing and find new ways to use them.
This makes a pretty large batch, so if this is your first time making them, you might want to halve it if you are unsure of it's uses. But I promise you once you find new ways of using them, you'll making them over and over again.

Ingredients:

4 Meyer lemons (you can obviously use other lemons if meyers are not available, but the flavor will definitely be very different. Meyers have a much sweeter citrus taste than other lemons, and they also usually have more juice)
2 tbsp sea salt
2 green or red chilies (I use the tiny Thai chilies but you can substitute these for serrano peppers or jalapenos if the Thai variety are not available)
1 cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
2 tsp whole coriander seeds
1 tsp whole black peppercorn

Preparation:

Thoroughly scrub the lemons until any waxy residue is removed.
Cut the ends off the lemons and slice them crosswise into 1/4"  thick slices.
Put the lemons in a glass bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients.
Press down on the lemons to extract the juices.
Pack the lemons into a glass jar and push down so that they are covered with the juices (if you are not using Meyer lemons, you may need to add extra lemon juice to cover everything).
Cover the jar with plastic wrap and put a rubber band around the neck to hold the wrap in place. Do not use a sealed/air-tight lid as the lemons will release gases as they ferment which need to escape.
Leave the jar of lemons in a cool dark place. They will be ready to use in a week, but it is best to let them sit for at least 2 weeks, so that they are softer and the flavors are more balanced.
Once they achieve a flavor you are happy with, you can put them in the refrigerator to slow down the fermentation process.
ENJOY!

Green Curry with Shrimp

This recipe has been adapted from one I found on Epicurious.com. They use a couple of different vegetables and the proportions are slightly different. After making those tweaks, I thinkt he flavors were much bolder and the result was fantastic! ENJOY!

Ingredients:
2 baby bok choy, sliced in halves
1 carnival squash, peeled and cut into wedge shaped sections (like an orange)
*1lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 yellow onion, half diced, half sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
2 thai green chilies, finely minced (can substitute with jalapenos or habaneros; reduce number for less spicy)
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1 can unsweetened light coconut milk, divided
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
10 fresh cilantro sprigs (leaves only)
4 kaffir lime leaves (these can be dry or fresh)
4 tsp Thai green curry paste (this can be found in any grocery store these days)
2 tbsp lemongrass, minced (this can be fresh or preserved)
2 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
1tbsp vegetable/canola oil

Preparation:
Roast the carnival squash wedges at 400 F for 20 mins, until they are partially cooked. Remove from oven and dice into large chunks.
Blend 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1/2 cup packed basil, cilantro, kaffir lime leaves in food processor until the herbs are finely chopped and they form a paste.

Cook:
Heat the oil in a large saucepan on medium-high heat.
Add the diced onions and green chilies and saute for 5 mins until the onions start becoming transparent.
Add green curry paste and ginger and garlic pastes and saute for 2 mins.
Add the herb and coconut paste that you just prepared, and the lemongrass and stir to combine for 1 minute.
Add the remaining coconut milk, fish sauce, brown sugar, baby bok choy, roasted carnival squash, shrimp, remaining sliced onions, and sliced red peppers.
Stir to combine all the ingredients and bring the sauce to a boil.
Reduce heat to low and cover.
Simmer for 20 minutes or until all vegetables and shrimp are cooked through.

Garnish with fresh cilantro and enjoy with rice or just on it's own as a soup.
DELISH!

*This recipe can very easily be made vegetarian. Simply eliminate the shrimp and either replace with more vegetables like brocoli or zucchini, or you can add tofu. As you can see in the picture, I added everything :)

Spicy Gawaar Bean

Gawaar beans are a common legume found in India and Pakistan and are delicious! They are not commonly available in the US, but if you happen upon a Patel Brothers or any other Indian grocery store, you will probably find them. Looks something like this - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guar

When combined with potatoes and onions and the usual parade of spices, it is a delectable dish... one of my favorites. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1/2 to 3/4lb gawaar beans, ends cuts off and fiber-y string along the edge removed
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium potato, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
1 tsp turmeric pwd
1 tsp chili pwd
2 tsp coriander pwd
1 tsp fennel pwd
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
Pinch of asafetida (hing)
1 tsp goda masala or garam masala (Goda masala is the Maharashtrian equivalent to garam masala, it has a coconut-y flavor and is not as peppery)
2 tbsp shredded coconut (can be desiccated or fresh)
1 tbsp jaggery/gour (can sub w/ brown sugar or any unprocessed sugars, NO refined sugar)
Salt to taste
2 stems fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish

Cook:
Heat 1 tbsp oil in pot on medium heat.
Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and hing.
Once popped add crushed garlic and saute until slightly brown.
Add gawaar beans, potato and onion and saute for a minute.
Add turmeric, chili, coriander and fennel and mix until vegetables are well coated.
Sprinkle a little water and increase heat slightly.
Once the vegetables start to sear and are sticking to the bottom of the pot, add a couple of tbsp of water and cover.
Check every 5-7 minutes and add tbsp of water until cooked through. Don't let any water remain at the bottom of the pot.
Once cooked, add salt, gour/sugar, coconut and goda/garam masala.
Garnish with chopped cilantro.
ENJOY!

Lemon balm pesto

That's right. You heard me... Lemon Balm! This might be the most delicious smelling herb on the planet. It literally smells like a citronella candle has exploded all over your nose holes.

 Aside from its ridiculous smell, lemon balm also makes an amazing pesto! So the next time you find yourself at a farmer's market, or you're wondering what to do with the bunch of lemon balm from your CSA other than making a LOT of tea(that was my conundrum), try this pesto.

Ingredients:
2 cups tightly packed lemon balm leaves (no stems please!)
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 tsp sea salt

Preparation:
Blend all the above ingredients together.
Enjoy!

Baingan Bhartha (eggplant Maharashtrian style)

Considering how much I hate eggplant, I just realized I have a lot of eggplant recipes on this blog. Grrr! Oh well, for all your eggplant lovers, have at it :)
Although this recipe has the same name as the Punjabi version, it is a very different flavor, and also temperature! Yes, this one is eaten cold, not hot. This is the baingan bhartha I grew up with and it is actually the few times that I will enjoy eating eggplant, rather than trying to eat around it, which you can't really do in this case because that's all there is.

Ingredients:
2 medium size eggplants (keep them whole)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 stems of cilantro, chopped (you can substitute this with parsley or mint, or all three if you like!)
2 dried red chillies
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Pinch of Asafoteida (hing)
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp yogurt (this gives it a nice tangy flavor and goes well with the herbs)
Salt to taste

Preparation:

Pre-heat broiler to 400 F.

Place eggplant on cookie sheet and brush with some oil on all sides.

Roast in oven for 30-40 mins, turning every 10 mins so that all sides are cooked evenly. The skin should be charred and the inside flesh all soft. A good indication is if the eggplant looks like it is caving in on itself.

Take out of oven and let cool.

Scoop flesh out of skin into a bowl and discard skins.

Combine chopped onions with eggplant mash.

Cook:

Heat oil in shallow frying pan.

Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and dried red chillies.

Once popped add hing and let sizzle for 30 seconds (until hing is slightly brown).

Remove from flame and pour over eggplant and onion mixture. You will hear the mixture sizzle as the hot oil hits the eggplant. This is good!

Once it has cooled a little, add the chopped cilantro and yogurt.

Salt to taste, usually about 1 tsp is enough.

Enjoy on a salad, or as a dip, or just on it's own!

Peanut Fried Rice

This is a dish I have to admit I kind of made up. It's a spin-off from a recipe a friend of mine gave me for Thai Peanut noodles, which are delicious. But I had leftover rice I wanted to use up, so this was perfect. Please note that this recipe is vegetarian, but if you would like to add some meat feel free to sear it separately and then combine at the end with all the rice and veggies. Alternative protein options are also welcome, like tofu or an egg which has been fried/scrambled first and incorporated into the dish at the end.

Andalusian Cabbage Stew

I adapted this recipe from Martha Rose Shulman. She has several books that contain an amazing array of Mediterranean vegetarian dishes, but this particular recipe I found in the NYTimes "Recipes for Health" section. It is a simple cabbage stew, spruced up with a variety of spices (which would be my doing since her recipe only called for paprika) and a vibrant splash of sherry vinegar at the end. Perfect to warm up your belly on a cold winter day... YUMMMM!

Butternut squash lasagna

This is the one of the yummiest veggie lasagna's I have ever made/eaten. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but can I just say WOW! It is adapted from Michael Chiarello's recipe, which is quite clever. Instead of layers of pasta sheets, he rolls the pasta around the delicious butternut squash filling and tops it off with a creamy bechamel sauce. The only thing I changed was to use half the cheese, but it still turns out super cheesy and delicious! At least you can be reassured that it is slightly healthier. Enjoy!

Channa Masala (Chickpea curry)

This dish is found in many if not most Indian restaurants. However, I always find it too tomato-ey or too greasy. My mom makes it with very little tomato, maybe too little. So I decided to adapt her recipe and one that I found on one of my favorite blogs, Orangette (see link http://orangette.blogspot.com/2006/02/public-display-of-chickpeas.html) I think the result is a perfect channa masala love-child! Since this (like many of my recipes) is an amalgamation, I will continue to tweak it and tinker with it every time I make it. I will be sure to include any successful changes here.

Artichoke-olive crostini

I found this recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Smitten Kitchen, but I changed a couple of things to add some extra punch. The woman is genius and I think is soon to release a book. Make sure you check out her blog (see links on left sidebar). You can use this as an apetizer at parties, or just toss it with some spaghetti for a simple yet flavorful meal.

Doodhi (Green gourd curry)

Green gourd (or bottle gourd as some call it) is not a very common vegetable. It is from the same squash family as pumpkins and zucchini. I stumbled upon it an Indian grocery store once and boy was I excited! My mom makes the most amazing spicy green gourd, and traditionally it is made with some moong dal. So here is my attempt at recreating it. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do! Delicious!

Baingan Bhartha (Punjabi eggplant curry)

This is another eggplant curry that I actually really like. The eggplant is first roasted and then cooked in a tomato-ey curry... delicious! The word 'Bhartha' (pronounced BHURR-thaah) refers to dishes in which the ingredients are roughly mashed either before or after the dish is prepared. This dish can be found in a lot of indian restaurants, since it is a typically North Indian recipe. I adapted it from a bunch of different recipes I found online and I think it has turned out quite well. Hope you enjoy it as much as my friends and I did!

Dadpe Pohe

Sometimes I like to make pohe raw, especially if they are the super thin kind. The fresh crunch of the onion and the oil tempered with spices pair nicely with the soft pohe. This is a very healthy recipe as nothing is really fried or greasy, yet it packs a great flavor punch. You can make these with brown rice pohe too. If you're looking for these in the Indian grocery store, they might be called Aval or Red Aval (brown rice).

PEAS PULAO

This is a simple rice dish that goes with almost every curry on the planet.

Stuffed Bhindi (Okra) Masala

Now I know okra is not a very common vegetable in western food, and usually if it is found in western food it is battered and deep fried and disgusting. Try this okra recipe and believe me, it will turn all you haters into fans! That's how I started liking it. Actually, truthfully, I do not like the okra that my mom makes at all (sorry Mom! At least you still have Prajakta as a fan!). It's gooey and slimey and although the taste is good, the texture is not nice. I think this is waaay better, because the okra maintains a little crunch and doesn't turn into a gooey mess. If you're feeling adventurous... ENJOY!