Aloo Methi Curry Recipe | Simple Vegan Potato Curry

Learn how to make Aloo Methi Curry ~ Vegan potato and fresh fenugreek leaves in spicy tomato gravy

Fried, boiled, baked, mashed, stuffed, being stuffed(?!), roasted, grilled…

The above mentioned are some avatars of potato that come out of my kitchen at least once or twice a week. There is something about Potato, isn’t it? The unassuming tuber grows out of sight, underground and when pulled up it looks like a part of the earth. Have you ever seen it competing with other colourful vegetables or trying to take away the spotlight from other vegetables? This spud is neither good looking with frills of cauliflower, nor has beautiful glossy colours of bell peppers. This tuber neither has the clear complexion of white eggplants, nor the radiance of sweet corns. It is oddly shaped unlike slender beans or round tomatoes and sometimes even comes with ugly black spots on its muddy body! Have you ever seen any vegetable seller singing its songs of praise, trying to attract his buyers? When he is praising the goodness and beauty of other vegetables, you will find the dirty sack of potatoes sitting quietly in some dark corner, trying very hard to stay out of spotlights and looks of admiration!

Ingredients for Aloo Methi Curry

That is how I see the potato; humble, unpretentious and highly adaptable. Cook it with any ingredient, vegetables or spices and it transforms into something irresistible. The down to earth and simple looking raw potato transforms into an exquisite and tantalising dish!

Achaari Aloo Gobi Recipe | Vegan Potato and Cauliflower Curry with Pickling Spices

Learn how to make Achaari Aloo Gobi ~ Vegan potato and cauliflower curry with pickling spices

My love for pickle is a talking point with my family and friends, so much so that I end up being a butt of their so-called ‘pickle’ jokes! I belong to the very rare group of species who can survive not tasting a piece of sugar-loaded sweetmeats for rest of their life but go berserk when a meal is served without a piece of pickle adorning the plate. So extending my love for pickle into a lip-smacking bowl of curry is one of the best ways to satisfy my never-ending cravings for something spicy and uplifting. Enter Achaari Aloo Gobi, a delicious and one of THE best vegan curries that you can make to jazz up even the most mundane meal.



The word ‘Achar’ means pickle in Hindi and this recipe of Achaari Aloo Gobi is built on the basic pickling spices; mustard, cumin, fennel seeds, nigella seeds, fenugreek seeds, and red chilli which are prominently used in North Indian pickles. The touch of sourness comes from the amchur power which is a dried mango powder instead of vinegar which is used in most of the Punjabi pickles. This dish is how a pickle should be, spicy, astringent, and sour. Unlike the dry version of Achari Baingan or gravy based Achaari Paneer Curry, this Achaari Aloo Gobi Curry is semi-gravy based dish.

Tilwale Aloo with Tenderstem Recipe | Spicy Indian Roast Potatoes with Tenderstem

Tilwale Aloo with Tenderstem Recipe ~ How to make spicy Indian roast potatoes with Tenderstem broccoli

Wrapped in many layers of clothing, knee-high boots and my nose buried in a warm woolly scarf, I walked on a slippery frost-covered path I welcomed the winter grudgingly when I had to cut short my walk due to heavy rain lashing around me. With no protection from trees that were decked up in autumn splendour, but now standing stark naked thanks to the sudden drop in temperature to freezing point and incessant rainfall which caused floods in neighbouring towns and cities, I came home soaking wet and in desperate need for something warm and comforting. The season of hot soups, hearty stews, spicy curries, warm salads and continuous supply of hot cup of joy is here!!! Hello, winter… Let me welcome you with something simple, spicy, hearty and delicious, like this Tilwale Aloo with Tenderstem broccoli.





Versatile, delicious and highly adaptable, Tenderstem broccoli takes just minutes to cook making it the perfect ingredient for a delicious and adventurous mid-week meal. Cook with any ingredient, pair it with any vegetables or spices and be amazed to see how it transforms into something irresistible. Add them to stir-fries or steam them with a pinch of salt, roast them in an oven or eat them raw, grill them with a little oil or batter fry until crisp. It can be added to cuisines from across the globe, from pasta and curries to stir-fries, tempura or ramen! Taking inspiration from my Indian roots, I use Tenderstem in simple Thoran (a quick stir fry tempered with mustard seeds and curry leaves and garnished with fresh grated coconut), Rasedaar Aloo (Tenderstem and potatoes in spicy tomato curry) and Vegan Kurma (Tenderstem and mixed veg in coconut and fresh roasted masala gravy).

Veg Seekh Kabab Recipe | How to make Baked Vegetarian Seekh Kebab

Learn how to make Veg Seekh Kabab ~ Vegetarian Seekh Kebab with assorted vegetables and paneer (Indian cottage cheese) flavoured with homemade aromatic spice mix

Flavourful. Succulent. Melt-in-mouth. Delicious. Seriously addictive.

That’s kabab or kebab for you. If you think vegetarian food is boring, then think again! This Veg Seekh Kabab or Vegetarian Seekh Kebab is a serious contender for their meaty counterpart and will give run for their money. Made with minced vegetables, cottage cheese and carefully selected spice blend, these kababs are a fine example of how a strong and complex flavours can work beautifully when they are carefully balanced to create a dish where the flavours in the end blend harmoniously without any one ingredient overpowering the other. This labour intensive dish is a result of my labour of love over many years as I have tried and tested over and over until I finally got that perfect blend of flavour, aroma, texture and taste by carefully measuring and balancing the ingredients and spices.

During my quest for perfecting the recipe for Vegetarian Seekh Kebab, I came across couple of interesting articles that gave an insight into the history of these much loved food around the globe. This is going to be one word heavy and photo heavy post and I must warn you well in advance so that you can skip the lengthy post and jump to the recipe post. But if you are a sucker for food stories and the rich history, stay with me as I take you on a culinary journey into the world of kebabs and the stories about the birth of kebabs, how they travelled around the world and how every country adapted them.

Aloo Tikki-Chole Chaat Recipe | How to Make Aloo Tikki Chole Chaat

Learn how to make Aloo Tikki-Chole Chaat ~ A popular Indian street food of spiced potato patties served with spicy chickpeas curry and assorted sweet date-tamarind chutney and hot mint-coriander chutney and topped with finely chopped onions, tomatoes and sev

Inside a small restaurant with double glazed window you will find several posters of Bollywood stars smiling at you. There are small granite tables with pickle and chutney trays on top and matching red velvet cushioned chairs. Large framed photograph of Guru Nanak is hung just above the cashier’s desk and a small table fan is rotating gently. The aroma of food being cooked inside the kitchen is intoxicating and people are busy savouring plates of Naans, Curries, Chaats, Indian sweets and Kebabs.

Come out of the restaurant you will find women in colourful saris and salwar kameez, men wearing colourful turbans and kurtas, pavement food stalls selling Samosas, Chaats and Jalebi, small shops selling mobile phones and bright fabrics in rainbow colours hanging in shop fronts. Add to this the Bhangra music and sweet smell of incense and spices is in the air. Am I in India?!

Lauki Aloo Matar Curry Recipe | Simple and Easy Vegan Bottle Gourd Curry Recipes

Learn how to make Lauki Aloo Matar Curry ~ A simple and easy bottle gourd curry with potato and peas cooked in a sweet and tangy tomato gravy

Vegetables, some you love and some you hate. And then there are few which don’t fall under either category and precariously balance in between depending on how it is cooked. Lauki or sorekayi or dudhi or bottle gourd was one such vegetable in my list. Did you notice I spoke about it in past tense? It is because I was not either fond of it or disliked it enough to put firmly under just one category. So, like many other vegetables while growing up bottle gourd and I shared love-hate relationship.

Ingredients for Lauki Aloo Matar Curry

My mother being a terrific cook, all the dishes she made using this unassuming gourd was an instant hit on our dinner table. She knew the ways to trick the fussiest picky eater to go for second helping with her amazing cooking skills. Apart from making her signature boLu kodhel and bottle gourd peel chutney, she also makes fantastic melt-in-mouth sweet halwa and delicious lauki ke kofte which I remember was one of the popular dishes she cooked for special occasions. The bland, pale and unattractive vegetable would get a massive makeover in her hands, making it one of the most desirable things to eat. That’s the power of mother’s cooking, which made me slowly fall in love with this vegetable.

Veg Hara Bhara Kabab Recipe | Simple Vegan Kebab Recipes

Learn how to make Hara Bhara Kabab ~ Mildly spiced Indian vegan spinach and potato kebabs flavoured with fresh herbs and aromatic spices

We made these Hara Bhara Kababs exactly a month ago when LD was recovering from another bout of viral infection. When I say we, it means my 6-year-old and I, mom and son team. Cooking with over enthusiastic kid means fun, but it also means mess! I kid you not. The kitchen will end up looking like a bomb sight with flour covered kitchen floor and counter tops, sauce smeared kitchen cabinets, and a child who is covered with every ingredient that went into that pot or pan of food you are making! Then why teach your kids to cook when it means more of a mess than its worth?! Absolutely. Well, there is not just one, but 101 reasons to introduce our kids to the joys of cooking.

Teaching our kids to cook is one of the most basic life skills we can pass on and most importantly, it gives us the opportunity to teach them valuable lessons. I find him curiously touch, smell and taste the ingredients. This natural inquisitiveness of LD turns into total fascination and then surprise when he watches the dramatic transformation the food goes through in terms of colour, texture and size right before his eyes during cooking and baking. The once firm and hard potatoes turn soft and mushy, the delicate, easy to crack eggs become hard when boiled, the crystals of sugar and salt completely gets dissolved, the fruit is turned to juice and how it becomes one of his favourite treat ice lolly when kept in freezer overnight! If this is not magic, then I don’t know what else is?!

Achari Aloo Recipe | Indian Roast Potatoes with Pickling Spices

Learn how to make Achari Aloo ~ Tangy and spicy baby potato roast with pickling spices

I was staring at the blinking curser on my laptop for the past ten minutes, desperately hoping for some words to come flooding from my mind to tip of my fingers. But alas, my mind seems to have its own agenda and all I can think is summer days where I can lounge away in the beach with a book in my hand, sand on my toes and the warmth of sun rays kissing my face. But at the moment it feels anything but summer as the temperature stubbornly refuses to rise in spite the fact that the days are growing longer…

Spices used for Achari Masala/Pickling Spices for Achari Aloo

After staring at the blinking curser for another five minutes, I decided to step out and get me a nice cup of green tea with ginger and honey to lift my spirit on a grey and windy day. As the kettle hissed as it boiled water, there was a sudden shower of hailstones from the skies, hitting angrily at the glass window panes. The pearls of ice that looked like a thermocol balls looked pretty on the lawn and reminded me of my hostel days in Dharwad where we collected them in buckets to pour them down from the terrace at unsuspecting visitors! The fond memories made me smile and shake head at our silly, harmless pranks. Ah, those carefree days of student life where fun was the mantra of life! My lips curved up with a nostalgic smile and it remained there as I sipped my tea watching the hailstones bounce off the floor and then settle comfortably. Halfway through my cuppa, I saw the clouds part and sun come out with all his glory and kiss the pearls of ice and melt them into a small puddles. Ah, the very unpredictable British weather! One minute it is raining, the next there is hailstones and the moment later the sun is shining only to hide behind the dark clouds as though a naughty boy has been sent back to his room while trying to sneak downstairs after way past his bedtime!

Roasted Hassleback Potatoes with Rosemary and Spicy Garlic Yogurt Dip Recipes

Learn how to make Roasted Hassleback Potatoes with Spicy Garlic Yogurt Dip

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

~ Albert Einstein

Last week was the most testing, tiring and anxious time for K and me as parents. It was not something entirely new as LD periodically finds himself swallowing cocktails of paracetamol and ibuprofen sometimes flavoured by teaspoonful of antibiotics! ~sigh~ It’s not my favourite sight, but something I have come to accept and carry on as his doctor keep reminding us how he is more susceptible to infections when compared to his peers due to his birth history. We hope that it will get better as he gets old when his immune system is better at coping with infections. For few months, it did look that way until LD ended up in the hospital!

Sukhi Aloo Bhindi Recipe | Simple and Quick Aloo Bhindi Fry Recipe

Learn how to make Sukhi Aloo Bhindi or Aloo Bhindi Fry ~ Spicy potato and okra fry flavoured with assorted aromatic spices

Its last term break for LD before the school shuts down for summer holidays in little over months’ time. The good weather that we enjoyed when the week long holidays began has come to abrupt end, which means that I am stuck inside the home with my soon to be 6 year old hyper active kid who loves outdoor activities. Can you imagine what that means?

It means he wants me to find and create new activities every 30 minutes, and some in 10 mins, to keep him busy and happy! Oh dear lord! I never imagined I would say this aloud, but I am really looking forward to the school reopen day on Monday and my 6 hours of time all by myself when LD is in school. I can’t help but entertain that mommy guilt creeping inside, and as usual, I know for sure that I will miss LD terribly when he is away at school. I guess its all part and parcel of motherhood in a nutshell.

Aloo Pepper Fry Recipe | Simple and Quick Vegan Potato Peppery Fry

Learn how to make Vegan Aloo Pepper Fry ~ Simple and quick spicy potato and bell pepper stir fry

We are home after three weeks of holiday in India. Getting back to routine after vacation is always challenging, especially when it was spent with the most important people in your life! The weather is not making it easy either, coming back from literally roasting under 38 deg C of Indian summer to the cold, cloudy and windy 8 deg C of British spring will take some time… May be a lot of time! ~sigh~

But the biggest challenge of all is getting back to the rhythm of cooking after being spoiled by the amazing food we have been fed, err overfed, by our loved ones back in India. From my amma’s amazing pile of soLe rotti to MIL’s mouth-watering patrode, from our family cook’s delicious raw jackfruit pakoda to the sinful street foods, we have stuffed ourselves to the hilt and it will take months of hard work outs to shed all the extra pounds we have gained.

Vegan Beetroot Kofta Curry Recipe | Mughali Style Vegan Beetroot Kofta Recipe

Learn how to make Vegan Beetroot Kofta Curry ~ Spicy beetroot and potato vegan meatballs served in Mughalai style creamy cashew and almond gravy flavoured with aromatic spices

One day a 5 year old asked his big sister, “What is love?”

She replied, “Love is when you steal my chocolate from my school bag every day… and I still keep it in the same place every day.”
~ Unknown

I was not even two years old when little sister entered my world shattering my monopoly in a large joint family! When I was born, my first cousin was in his mid-twenties while the youngest one was in his late teens. So it was not difficult for a chubby baby girl with jet black hair and cheeks that resembled a generous sized Idli to make every other person in our family to dance to her tunes just by shaking her little fingers. I was pampered and a spoilt brat who had many people falling on my chubby feet for the first 22 months of my life. And then my exclusive control on everyone’s attention and being centre of everyone’s universe came to sudden halt!

Aloo-Bhindi Pepper Fry Recipe | Quick and Simple Potato and Okra Stir Fry Recipe

Learn how to make Aloo-Bhindi Pepper Fry ~ Spicy potato, okra and bell pepper stir fry with assorted aromatic spices

As I grow older, I have begun to admire and appreciate simple things in life, especially the simple food. When I look back and think of about my decade long culinary journey, I can’t help but smile at my younger self who believed cooking the ‘special’ dishes was the way to prove my cooking skills. Many of the simple things get lost in the day to day life as we run frantically behind the things to make it rather a special one… every single day!

Like everything in life we forget to appreciate simple foods we cook every other day! Most of the simple food gets lost in the day to day ritual of making something ‘special’ for the dinner. Unfortunately, we don’t even realise that it is these simple dishes which makes the whole meal taste delicious. It can be a smudge of pickle that livens up any boring meal or a quick vegetable stir fry that lifts the flavour of everyday dal and rice into something quite special. Initially, as a food blogger, I was always busy focusing on posting special recipes that the everyday simple recipes were kept away from the spotlight. As the years went by, my love for simple, every day food has grown by leaps and bounds and they have been making appearance in the blog quite often. These simple dishes are my priced recipes and worth to be blogged as this blog serves not only as my journal for day to day cooking and food stories, but also it will be my humble legacy, my gift to LD and to everyone who loves cooking. To my pleasant surprise, it is these simple recipes which seem to be the favourite from my blog and made me realise that I am not the only one who enjoys and appreciates simple things in life.

For the next few months, I will be concentrating on such simple food that makes regular appearance on our dinner tables. I hope you will join me in this culinary journey and enjoy cooking and tasting the simple dishes as much as I do. :) One such dish is Aloo-Bhindi Pepper Fry. In other words, potato, okra and bell pepper stir fry with assorted spices. Sounds too simple to be true? Well, in this case it is true!

Aloo-Guvar Subji Recipe | Spicy Potato & Cluster Beans Curry

Learn how to make Aloo-Guvar Subji ~ Spicy potato and cluster beans curry recipe

After running like headless chicken during Diwali, I decided to slow down and smell the roses. As the winter has slowly crept in my corner of the world and I went on hibernation from social networks. It was rejuvenating, relaxing and most of all uplifting, just like a spa experience for a mind.

My days are full with reading, learning, creating, writing, working on a project which I love, recipe testing and of course, lot of cooking. With the Christmas just around the corner, LD’s school is gearing up for the festive season with school fayre, plays, choir, festive lunch and many activities which means close involvement with the parents. I am really looking forward to watching LD perform on the stage. Interestingly, LD is very cool about performing in front of big audience while I am the one who is hyperventilating! Fingers crossed, I should be fine! ;)

Dum Aloo Kashmiri Recipe | How to Make Kashmiri Dum Alu

Learn how to make Dum Aloo Kashmiri ~ A traditional Kashmiri dish of deep fried baby potatoes cooked in creamy almond and cashew gravy, no onion-garlic recipe

After a month of sultry hot summer days, the skies have opened their doors to cool showers. The welcoming sight of rain drenched plants and trees and the pearly rain drops on a window pane is what exactly we needed after a days of heat waves. As the temperature dropped couple of degrees, our cravings for some spicy delights just went up a notch! Another reason to love the pittar-patter rain!

Husband had come home with a bag of baby potatoes from market and dropping few hints about the Dum Aloo Kashmiri he had had couple of years ago! I pretended not to hear him as the last few attempts of making the famous Kashmiri Dum Aloo were far from being a success story! And the triple sin of not just cooking the potatoes, but also deep frying them before dunking in a rich cashew-almond gravy was something I wanted to avoid when I am on a path of eating healthy! Well, I don’t have to say who won in the end! Interestingly I am not even ashamed to have had committed this triple sin! Ha…

Paneer Stuffed Mirchi Bajji/Pakoda Recipe ~ How to Make Stuffed Mirchi Pakoda

Learn how to make Paneer Stuffed Mirchi Bajji/Pakoda ~ Spicy mashed potato and paneer/Indian cottage cheese stuffed chillies coated in spicy gram flour batter and deep fried till crisp

Coming here after months is deja vu all over again! The feeling is same as unlocking the house that has been locked for months. My feet makes an imprint on the thin coat of dust on the floor as I gingerly step inside the house which at the m. My eyes well up from sneezing uncontrollably as I

lift the dust covers from the furniture.The house starts to feel like a home as the cobwebs are brushed off and the floor is wiped sparkling clean… And finally the sense of belonging hugs me as I sit back and look around the familiar surrounding. I am home… Finally!

I have been away from blogging and social network for a very long time now. Although it wasn’t intentional, a long break from social media was simply rejuvenating and helped me clear my mind from the narcissist world of social network! This break helped me in rekindling my love affair with books, yoga and meditation. We as a family have been spending more time with one another, rediscovering the forgotten lanes of Bangalore, visiting our old favourite food joints, finding new favourites, introducing Lil Dumpling to the vibrant Indian culture, visiting family and friends, making new friends and of course, cooking family meals together.

Aloo Methi Recipe | How to make simple Aloo Methi

Learn how to make Aloo Methi ~ Simple stir fried potato and fresh fenugreek leaves with aromatic spices

I reach out for a bag of spuds when I am craving for comfort food. I reach out for the same bag of potatoes when I have very little time to cook dinner for the family. I reach out for this bag of tuber when I am cooking for friends, or a large gathering because I know that there is hardly anyone who says no to the food made using humble potato!

Since I am going through the so called writer’s block as I am juggling hundreds of things at once, I decided to just write an ode to potato! So you can simply skip to the recipe part if you are in no mood to listen to my rants and rambles about my love for this brown, unattractive tuber!