Masoor Musallam is a classic dish from Lucknow. Masoor dal are red lentils. “Musallam” means “whole,” and these are whole, unhusked red lentils as opposed to split lentils. Some other names for this dish are “Lucknow Style Masoor Dal” and “Awadhi Masoor Dal.” It comes from the Nawabi, meaning it has its roots in cuisine… Continue reading Masoor Musallam, A Whole Red Lentil Dal
“Bombay Halwa” is a popular Indian sweet that also goes by the name “Karachi Halwa.” Bombay Halwa is a type of Turkish delight found in India. It is made of starch, sugar, and some kind of flavor. My favorite flavor of Bombay Halwa is made with pistachios and cardamom.
My dad only knew how to make two things for most of my life: Chai and Indian-style fried rice. Today he makes many delicious recipes, but his Indian fried rice is still a favorite. I always think of him when I make fried rice because he would make fried rice from leftover rice in the… Continue reading Quick and Easy Indian Fried Rice (Vagharelo Bhaat)
Chana Masala goes by many names: Channa masala, chole masala, chole, cholle. They are all the same dish. It is usually made with the more common, light-colored chickpea, as opposed to black chickpea, kala chana. In my house, we typically call it “Chole,” which is the Punjabi name for Chana masala. Chole is a popular dish… Continue reading Easy Chana Masala
Moong dal (also known as mung dhal or mag ni dal), the mung bean split into half, is a staple across the Indian subcontinent and other parts of Asia. In fact there is evidence of the lentil being widely cultivated in India over 3,000 years ago. Now, that’s one ancient bean! Today, moong dal is… Continue reading Moong Dal
Lachko dal, with is made with tuver dal (toor dal in Hindi) is a hearty Gujarati comfort food. It is no surprise why. Lachko dal is full of flavor and has an extraordinarily creamy texture. This lentil dish is also super easy to make, versatile enough to be eaten with rice or paratha, freezes well… Continue reading Lachko Tuver Dal: Hearty Pigeon-Pea Stew
Tangy, spicy and slightly sweet, Osaman is perfect as a warm vegetarian sipping broth on a cold evening. Osaman is a traditional Gujarati lentil broth. The water that the split pigeon peas (tuver dal/ toor dal) are cooked in is flavored with lemon juice and spices. For such a simple dish, it is surprisingly complex… Continue reading Osaman: Instant Pot Indian Lentil Broth
Dal was a big part of my childhood. Pretty much every time my grandma cooked for us, there was dal. And she cooked for us a lot. My grandma’s Gujarati dal was different than my mom’s. While mom’s was spicy and comforting, grandma’s dal had a whole different flavor profile. Grandma’s dal was traditional Gujarati… Continue reading My Grandma’s Gujarati Dal
Cucumber Raita is one of the quintessential side dishes in Indian cooking. It is ever present on restaurant menus and equally so in homes across India. There are many variations of raita in Indian cuisine. In general, raita is made up of a combination of yogurt and cucumbers, beets, onion, pineapple, or boondi. But even… Continue reading Cucumber Raita
Chicken Jalfrezi is such a delicious chicken curry that it’s hard to believe it’s a leftover chicken recipe dating back over a hundred years. Ever wondered what to do with that left over rotisserie chicken or the extra chicken breasts you cooked for dinner yesterday? Take a note from the British Raj and make chicken… Continue reading How to Make Chicken Jalfrezi
It’s no secret that I love chai. Recently, the head of Learning and Development was visiting from my company’s headquarters in London. He hosted a series of workshops and seminars for our LA and San Diego staff. One of those was a session on presentations. He asked us to come prepared with a short two… Continue reading Cardamom Tea Shortbread
The wind is howling away like I’ve never before heard in San Diego as I write this post. The hissing sound, so similar to Cinny’s when she’s pissed off at the dog, is incredible distracting. I thought I was going to blow away when I went to walk the dog this evening. I huddled into… Continue reading Mung Dal with Turmeric and Shallots
