Technically I did not make these in a kadai which is a rounded bottom pot that is about halfway between a wok and a skillet with high sides but if you have a wok or a kadai it would be even better. This is a really great recipe that makes really delicious, unctuous vegetables in a thick creamy gravy. It’s great over rice or with most types of roti, naan, or other forms of bread. I topped mine with yogurt but feel free to use cream or coconut cream if you’re feeling luscious.
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Recipe: Ginger-Turmeric Chicken and Rice Soup
If you want a delicious winter soup that is easy and hearty and kind of feels like it heals you upon the first bite then this is the one. In the original recipe the ginger is in chopped chunks but in future versions I started grating it finely because the texture is a little strange to me but you can go either way depending on your personal preference. If you have leftover cooked chicken on hand this is one of those really easy recipes that doesn’t take much time or energy and the rice makes it hearty enough to be a full meal by itself.
Continue readingRecipe: Sformato
This recipe contains celeriac and arugula but a regular sformato is basically half way between a spinach quiche and a spinach souffle so feel free to replace the celeriac with other root vegetables you like and the arugula with spinach or other greens to taste the idea is easy enough. This froze really well and like many egg dishes is very stable in the fridge for a few days and perfect for a make ahead breakfast or dinner if you want to really impress someone.
Continue readingRecipe: Chicken Rendang
I’ve never actually had this dish before but I happened to have some extra tamarind and dried lemongrass on hand and realized I could make something with it and this was the recipe I ended up landing on. I suppose I should be less surprised that this was absolutely delicious. I ended up using much more mild chilies (kashmiri chilies to be precise) because that’s what I had on hand. I’m sure that the dish I made isn’t authentic in any sense but I loved playing with these flavors and it made me excited to try more dishes from Indonesia and Malaysia.
Continue readingRecipe: Cream of Barley Soup
I accidentally made this soup with bulgur wheat instead of barley once but it’s also similarly delicious. This soup is one of those hearty, thick soul satisfying things that sticks to your ribs and is perfect on a chill fall or cold winter afternoon. I cooked it down so that it was incredibly thick but you can stop it well before this point if you like a looser soup.
Continue readingRecipe: Potato and Pea Samosa
This is a super easy recipe which can be prepared ahead of time. The samosa dough is vegan, comes together in 2 minutes, and only contains a few ingredients you have around the house and these can be filled with any already cooked filling. They’re absolutely worth making, especially if you want to impress a crowd with surprisingly little effort.
Continue readingRecipe: Chipotle and Bean Chili
This is a super simple but really hearty chili that can be made with very minimal prep. This can also easily be adapted for any diet. It can be made vegan using vegetable stock instead of chicken stock, and it can be gluten-free by substituting potato starch instead of flour. This is a fairly spicy chili so you might want to serve it with cream, cheese, or some bread but it’s not so hot you can’t just eat it as it is. If you want a thicker chili you can mash a portion of the beans before you put them in the pot as well.
Continue readingRecipe: Vada Pav Burger
This burger is basically inspired by vada pav which is a kind of dreamy street food that is carbs (potatoes) on carbs (bread) with spicy chilies. You can use whatever bun you like, traditionally it’s made in something more like a parker house roll. You can also pick and choose your own toppings though I kept it really simple and went for cheese, lettuce, tomato, and a ketchup-mayo mix for a sauce but feel free to experiment!
Continue readingRecipe: Matzo Balls
I know there’s so many recipes on the internet for matzo balls and they’ll all create a little different texture but I had a lot of trouble finding one in grams/weight instead of cups which just does not work for me now that I’m in Europe so this is my eventual take on matzo balls. Unlike my grandmothers recipe they only take about two hours to come together also and you’ll get a medium dense but still buoyant ball. You can experiment with flavors but personally I think they should just taste like they do. If you have schmaltz definitely use that but olive oil or vegetable oil also both work.
Continue readingRecipe: Cauliflower Tart
This tart is so good that my cauliflower hating partner willingly went back for seconds. What I will say is that you cannot skip the step where you roast the cauliflower and you can’t skip blind baking the crust which does make this a kind of tedious recipe for a week night but since this will stay in the fridge for a good four days OR you can freeze the pre-baked or baked tart I would suggest doing this as part of a prep or even being a sneaky genius and making two at a time, eating one and freezing the other for the future.
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