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!

KaaTu Mavina Hannina Saaru/Gojju Recipe | Wild Mango Soup from Udupi-Mangalore

Learn how to make KaaTu Mavina Hannina Saaru/Gojju ~ Sweet, spicy and tangy wild mango soup/curry from Udupi-Mangalore

A big hello from India! :) It’s been 3 weeks since we landed here and the life has been, well, little chaotic trying to do hundred and one things at once! We have been struggling to come up with the fact that this is not our annual month long holiday with our loved ones and we are actually going to live here permanently!

Sometimes I feel it’s all a dream and I will wake up next moment in our old house in England listening to the howling wind, grey skies and rain drops splattering around! But that is not the case as every time I wake up here in my parents’ home, all I can hear are the noise of tweeting birds, bright sunlight streaming through the curtains and to the lull of ceiling fan… Life is so much different to the life that lived just a month ago… I will write more about our Indian adventure later as we are still living out of suitcases.

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!

Beetroot Pachadi Recipe | How to make Beetroot Pachidi

Learn how to make Beetroot Pachadi ~ Beetroot in spiced coconut and yogurt gravy

We three have been very busy here.... Busy doing nothing! Oh wait... We are enjoying the bright sunny days with clear blue sky, lush greenery around us, a lazy stroll in our parents farms, breathing fresh air, warmth of sun shining on our faces, reading books in the cool evening breeze, sleeping under the twinkling stars, playing in the mud and building sand castles in the beach and eating whatever our heart desires! We really have been busy... ;)

Beetroot and Potato Curry Recipe | Simple Beetroot and Potato Curry

Learn how to make Beetroot and Potato Curry ~ Beetroot and potato cooked in mildly spiced coconut gravy

There are different types of cooks. Some follow others’ recipes and some create their own recipes. Some draw inspirations from other sources and some cook from the recipes handed down through generations. Some are trained and professional cooks and some have just begun this adventurous food journey. Some like fusion cooking and some stick to the age old traditional recipes. But all have one thing in common and it is their love and passion to create delicious meals for their family and loved ones.

Sprouted Peas Dal Recipe | Kid Friendly Dal Recipes

Learn how to make Sprouted Peas Dal ~ Sprouted green and yellow peas cooked in sweet and sour split pigeon peas lentil gravy

It was a dull day yesterday. What looked a promising week full of sunshine and high temperature; it was dull, grey, cheerless and just blah! I didn’t sleep on previous night and the light headache that I woke up to gave me company through out the day and became a really-big-headache kind of headache by the time we reached home! And the fact that I missed 2 successive days of my exercise regime to get in shape and beat hubby at bike race just added more guilt and bruises to my pride.

Afghani Borani Kadoo or Kadu Bouranee Recipe | Afghani Sweet & Savoury Pumpkin/Butternut Squash

Learn how to make Afghani Borani Kadoo or Kadu Bouranee or Kadu Borani ~
Pumpkin or butternut squash cooked in sweet tomato and onion gravy with a hint of spice, a traditional Afghan recipe

For one month we watched my 3 and half months old Lil Dumpling, lying on his soft blanket chewing his chubby fingers or a teether, rolling from his back to tummy and tummy to back, cooing, gurgling and giving me that oh-so-adorable gummy, toothless smiles which made my heart flip over and happier, and watching his drool wet the colourful blanket underneath him. And then suddenly from the day he turned 4 months old he showed more interest in the food we were eating, watching us closely as we placed every morsel of delicious food cooked by my Amma in our mouth. He started noticing the way our mouth moved, chewing the aromatic and flavourful food. All of a sudden his otherwise favourite meal, milk, looked pale to him in comparison to the colourful food on our plates. For a baby who enjoyed banging spoons and his toys on the tray attached to his high chair, he began noticing the food spread out in our dining table and soon his coos and gurgles were replaced by high pitched demanding cries with his mouth imitating chewing action whenever we all sat down at meal time!

Pressure Cooked Stuffed Baby Brinjal/Eggplant/Aubergine Recipe | Baby Eggplants Stuffed with Onion and Peanut Paste

 Pressure Cooked Baby Brinjal/Eggplant/Aubergine

Time! A four lettered word! But if you start looking for the deep meaning, all the time in your life will not be enough… This simple four lettered word is the most precious thing in everyone’s life! But it has become all the more valuable when I new joyous chapter of motherhood touched my life! Time has always been precious and now it has become a treasured part of my life!

Low Fat Oven Roasted Potato Wedges Recipe ~ Roasted Cumin and Sea Salt Flavoued

Low Fat Oven Roasted Potato Wedges ~ Roasted Cumin Flavoued

I had major plans for Easter break! A trip to pet farm for Lil Dumpling followed by a canal side walk to show little duckies following their Mamma ducks and then visit to local library with some spring and summer wardrobe shopping thrown in! Thursday evening I left the office little early, eagerly looking forward to spend next four days with my two men outside in open air, breathing fresh air and creating new sweet memories along…

Mango Ginger (Ambe Halad/Ambe Haldi/Manganari) & Coconut Chutney | How to Make Simple Coconut Chutney

Mango Ginger (Halad/Ambe Haldi/Manganari) & Coconut Chutney

I miss home! Home as in India that sits on top of small hill surrounded by greenery! The open space and the fresh air, the swing on large balcony and the little seating area in front of house, the rustle of Amma’s freshly starched cotton saree and the jingle of gold bangles in her hand, the sound of turning the news paper and the clicking of grandfather’s clock from my Appa’s study, the aroma of fresh blooms of jasmines and roses from my Amma’s little garden and the noise of leaves swaying to soft breeze, and the heady aroma of freshly brewed filter coffee and the roasted spices from Amma’s kitchen! Oh, I miss them all and more…

Sprouted Moong Usal Recipe | Moongachi Usal

Sprouted Moong Usal | Moongachi Usal

You know that you are watching too much TV when you laugh at the F.R.I.E.N.D.S jokes even before it is made! ~sigh~ Yes! The joy of staring in to idiot box for too long is rubbing on me and slowly I see myself blinking like an idiot at idiot box!

After coming back from 9-5 work load and then one frantic hour of giving bath to Lil dumpling (and in turn getting drenched from top to toe by all that splashing by LD), chasing the super active naked toddler around with nappy in one hand and night dress in another, stuffing his mouth with food and almost threatening him to disinherit in my will (whatever meagre wealth I can accumulate after spending most of my salary on his toys and fancy cloths and shoes and not to forget the bomb they charge at his day care in name of looking after him in my absence) if he doesn’t stop from throwing food all around except in his own mouth, trying to teach him brush his teeth instead of chewing and then patting him to sleep, I am left with long evening to kill. These past couple of days I am easily spotted with a dazed look due to heavy work load and bags of dark circles due to lack of sleep. I feel too tired and lazy to cook after a really busy day, I plonk on the sofa with a TV remote in one hand and the fingers dancing on buttons that will bring shame to the most competitive typists! 

Veg Manchurian or Vegetable Manchurian Recipe

Veg Manchurian

Nature is beautiful. Nature is inspiring…. And sometimes, it can be deceitful!

Don’t take it wrong, as my intentions are not bad… It’s just an observation from my end when I actually saw that little, delicate crocus buds blooming in our garden. Yes, Crocus blooms in mid-Jan! Who would have thunk?!

Balekai-Batate Palya | Plantain & Potato Stir Fry Recipe

Balekai-Batate Palya

What do you do when you are in no mood to follow a recipe (which happens most of the time) and bored of eating something you have already tried? Of course you wear a cap of recipe developer or recipe creator! Or dining out or ordering a takeaway is another option.

Tofu Tikka Recipe | Grilled or Pan Fried Tofu in Spicy Yogurt Marinade

Tofu Tikka

While the leaves outside turned to rustic shades of red, yellow and orange, I decided to colour our dinner plates with the same colours. Wondering what I am talking about? Just my usual rambling on a beautiful autumn day. But wait, I have a recipe too which uses coloured peppers and tofu who are here to bid good bye to fall and welcome brrr… the winter. Bight shades of yellow, red and green bell peppers adorned our dinner plates with gold crusted tofu in the form of Tofu Tikka.

Spicy Gobi/Cauliflower Roast | How to make Spicy Cauliflower Roast

Spicy Gobi/Cauliflower Roast

What a week it was! I am talking about last week here in UK. Just when we were getting ready to welcome winter, the weather gods decided to play some joke and have a dig at us. The temperatures shoot up from mere 10-13 deg C to soaring highs of 30 deg C!!! Yes, a whooping 30 ‘bloody hot’ degree C!!!

Veg Balls in Garlic Sauce

Love Thy Neighbour... And their food;)

The unique tang of fresh ginger combined with the pungent flavor of Garlic in Chinese food is some thing I love. It is not just pleasant to one’s tongue abut also to one's the eyes, nose and imagination. For me best Chinese food is the one which has color, aroma and unique fragrance. The aesthetic presentation of food itself is an art and I’m still learning to master this unique food style. Today I am posting my favorite side dish Veg Balls in Garlic Sauce. This is my favorite side dish which goes very well with veg noodles or steam cooked rice. Well, this is my own recipe which I shaped to match my taste.
Check the recipe of Veg Fried Rice.

Veg Balls in Garlic Sauce

Ingredients:
For Veg Balls:
¼ cup Carrots
¼ cup Cabbage
¼ cup Beans
¼ cup Mushrooms
½ cup Fresh Bread Crumbs
2 tbsp Corn Flour
¼ tsp Ajinomoto
¾ tsp White Pepper Powder
1 tbsp Soya Sauce
Salt to Taste
Oil for deep frying

Veg Balls in Garlic Sauce

For Garlic Sauce:
6-7 Cloves of Garlic, chopped finely
3 spring Onions, chopped finely
3-4 Green Chillies, de-seeded and chopped finely
½ tsp Ajinomoto (Optional)
1 tsp Sugar
¼ cup Tomato Sauce
2 tbsp Soya Sauce
2 tsp White Pepper Powder
1½ tbsp Corn flour
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Oil

Veg Balls in Garlic Sauce served with Veg Fried Rice

Method:
For Veg Balls:
Cut the vegetables into very small pieces.
Heat oil in wok and stir fry the vegetables with ajinomoto for 2-3 minutes.
Turn of the gas and keep it aside to cool.
To these vegetables add salt, soya sauce, pepper powder, bread crumbs, corn flour and mix well. Add water only if required.
Make small lime sized balls and deep fry in oil till they turn golden brown.
Drain them in paper towel and keep them aside.

Veg Balls in Garlic Sauce

For Garlic Sauce:
Heat oil in wok and add finely chopped garlic, spring onion, green chillies and ajinomoto and fry for 2-3 minutes.
To this add tomato sauce, soya sauce, salt, sugar, pepper powder and enough water.
Add water to corn flour and make thin paste and add this into wok slowly.
Keep stirring the sauce till it thickens. Usually it takes 5-7 minutes.
Dip veg balls into the hot garlic sauce just before serving.
Serve this hot with veg noodles or veg fried rice and enjoy!

Hot Pot of Veg Balls in Garlic Sauce

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Some Facts about Garlic:
Garlic was worshipped by the ancient Egyptians, chewed by Greek Olympian athletes and thought to be essential for keeping vampires at bay! But it is also good for zapping bacteria, keeping your heart healthy, warding off coughs and colds.