Dal Korma - South-Indian Style

This is a South-Indian style Kurma/Korma with a healthy mix of lentils and beans. It makes a big batch, so adjust the spices accordingly. 

I love Chettinad style gravies and kurmas. There is a certain mix of whole spices that go into their gravies that I have been obsessively trying to decode and deconstruct for several years now. And I think I have finally figured out the whole spices that give that quintessential fragrance to their kurmas. The secret ingredient is stone flower - the innocuous looking, drab looking piece of lichen. Mix this with a healthy dose of fennel seeds, some cardamom and cloves, and I get a dish that takes me back to my favorite South-Indian restaurants. I have to warn that stone flower carries no aroma in its dry state, but a little goes a long way when it's simmered in the gravy.

Add this spice mix to a medley of vegetables instead of dal, and you get a nice South-Indian style vegetable Kurma that goes great with our parottas.

Chocolate & Walnut Cookies

It's been so long since I baked, I was literally dreaming about it. So, I set out to rectify it this weekend. After taking stock of my sparse pantry, I decided to make these simple cookies.

This is a mildly sweet cookie with bites of walnut and just enough chocolate to satisfy your craving. 

Lauki Soup with Soy, Tomatoes, Sweet Peppers & Onion

Lauki is a common Indian gourd. In my impatient quest to basically experiment with "souping" any and all vegetables and fruits, I decided to throw this also into the mix. But, I somehow can't stop with just one vegetable. I have to throw in familiar and comforting ones such as onion and tomatoes as well. 

This turned out to be an extremely flavorful and hardy soup. The lauki provides a creamy and substantial base to the soup. To add some protein to the soup, I added soya chunks as well. A bowl of soup fills you up nicely. The warm and earthy flavor of cumin is just enough to complement the inherent flavors of the vegetables.

Perfect during the wintry months. 

 

Coconut Paayasam / Thengai Paayasam

Coconut paayasam (sweet Indian porridge) is a straightforward dessert that's often prepared during special religious occasions. This is very hard to mess up, and takes no time at all to prepare. It therefore becomes the ideal dessert of choice to celebrate festivals that fall on busy weekdays.

Kashmiri Dum Aloo

Kashmiri Style Dum Aloo is a uniquely flavorful potato gravy made with yogurt and a host of spices. It's simple to prepare and is different from the regular fare of onion-tomato-cream based gravies. 

My understanding is that the Kashmiri style of Dum Aloo has strong notes of fennel and cardamom, so that's what I considered as the fundamental requirement of the dish and then went along with a version that's probably not completely authentic, but still sort of close to it... I think!

Sweet Potato Pie with Cardamom & Saffron

I have this notorious affliction to add saffron and cardamom to most desserts because I'm obsessively in love with the flavors. 

I was tired of cinnamon and nutmeg in pies, so I Indianized this version of sweet potato pie with Indian sweet potatoes, saffron, cardamom, almonds, and pistachios. Amongst Indian and non-Indian crowds, this is always a success and disappears in no time. 

Apple Pie

I know it's been awhile since Thanksgiving 2014, but it's not too late to share a few things I baked and enjoyed with friends. 

Classic Apple Pie with homemade pie crust is hard to beat. Last Fall was a literal apple fest at our place, and it seemed fitting to have this pie. It looks messy because of my last-minute "improvisations", but it tastes pretty good.