I have been obsessed with ratatouille since I saw the movie by the same name in 2007. Loved everything about it, the animation, the music, the city and the sentimentality of a rat who outwits a food critic with a simple dish that reminds him of his mother. I must have seen the movie half…
Category: Vegetarian
Mixed Pepper Pickle
Throwback to the summer; the Farmer’s Market was overflowing with all types of peppers this summer. So beautiful, in a plethora of colors and sizes, ranging wide across the Scoville scale. Mouth-watering and numbing! Definitely not in season anymore but the pickles are keeping us ‘warmed up’ in these frigid, snowy times as a fiery…
Kale in a Smashed Tomato Sauce
A rustic, versatile side dish packed with flavor! Kale simmered in a smashed tomato sauce. Ingredients: 1 bunch kale, stalks removed and chopped 3 plum tomatoes, whole 1 tsp. garlic 1 tsp. mustard seeds 1/4 tsp. ground clove * 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom * 1/2 tsp. paprika salt and black pepper to taste Olive oil…
Penne with Arugula and Parmesan
it is such a dreary day. There has been bad news in the family and I have no motivation to eat, much less cook. The gray weather outside is not bringing any cheer either. The world just seems so bleak. What a year we have had! So much can be said about that but back…
Dry Pepper Curry
Mirchon Ka Salan My take on an old classic. Pepper curry is one of the dishes that evolved in the melting pot of Hyderabad Deccan under the princely Nizam dynasty of India. The cuisine is a unique blend of Turkish and Arabic foods of the Mughals with the local, southern Telugu and Marathi cuisines. It is a wide-ranging spread of finely…
Persimmon-Tomato Chutney
Gorgeous, sweet persimmon. Juicy, tangy tomato. Perfect combo. A dollop will compliment almost anything. As a dipping sauce or slathered on your burger or accompanying a simple plate of daal and khichri. Ramp up the heat level to your preference. Ingredients:2 persimmons, chopped up4 tomatoes, deskinned and chopped4 garlic cloves, smashed and roughly chopped3/4 cup…
Slow-Cooked Baby Turnips
These absolutely delicious-looking Hakurei turnips at the local grocery inspired me to do a simple dish with Japanese flavors. A soy glaze (a high-quality store-bought brand works) instead of soy sauce gave it beautiful depth and added the salty, sweet and sour components while dark sesame oil brought a delectable smokiness. Ingredients:1 bunch baby turnips…
Borscht
The first time I had Borscht was in 2000. We lived in a one bedroom apartment on the Westside off the Theatre District. The place I had it at was the Russian Vodka Room, better known by its moniker, ‘Attitude Adjustment Hour’. Velvet curtains parted to steps leading down to a curvy bar, banquettes, and a piano….
Fermented Turnip Pickle
Shaljam Ka Achar Pickling has existed as a way of food preservation since antiquity. Unpredictable weather and long travel made it necessary to find a way to make food last longer. Pickles are in the Bible and the works of Shakespeare. Cleopatra treasured them as a secret to her beauty and Colombus used them to prevent…
Eggplant, Tomato, and Yogurt dip
With the kids home for the summer, I have not been updating the blog as much as I want to but still continue to pick up fresh, bright-looking produce and stock my fridge waiting for time to appear and inspiration to strike. Yesterday, I looked in and noticed plump, petite Italian eggplant I had picked up…
Lentil Fritters with Yogurt-Turmeric Sauce
Karhi An evergreen, soul food. Karhi combines crunchy pakora (fritter) with a vivid, velvety yogurt sauce and pops of flavor from the herbs and seeds to become one of the most appealing and interesting of dishes. To me, for some reason, this dish is sophisticated and uniquely female. Traditionally, karhi is the main dish, eaten with fluffy basmati…
Simple Lentils
Each year, on my return from wintertime in Karachi, along with memories of time spent with loved ones, there are other sights and sensations that resonate deeper. Two are the most memorable. First, drifting off to a nap after a simple, home-cooked meal with the sounds of the city around me, chirping, cawing, faint sounds of…
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