Dry Shaak

Snake gourd, known as chichinda or lamba parval in India, is an ancient vegetable that has been cultivated for thousands of years. It belongs to the gourd family, which includes bottle gourd and bitter melon, and thrives in tropical climates.  Historically, it has been used not only for cooking but also in Ayurveda for its […]

The shaak I make with turkey berries is based on a Jharkhand-style curry. It features a delightful combination of slightly bitter turkey berries, hearty potatoes, and a blend of aromatic spices, creating a flavorful everyday shaak that’s both easy to make and a nutritional powerhouse. About this Recipe I was given a turkey berry plant […]

Parval nu Shaak is a traditional Gujarati dish featuring a blend of parval (pointed gourd) and potatoes cooked in a family recipe with dhana jeeru, green chilies, turmeric, and chili powder. The unique cooking method involves a large pan with a water-filled lid, preserving the dish’s authentic flavors and achieving the perfect texture without excess […]

Tindora and Potato Fry is a crunchy, spiced shaak of tindora and potato sticks. This can easily be pan-fried, but I make it in the air fryer for that extra crispiness and convenience. About this Recipe Tindora, or ivy gourd, is a popular vegetable in Gujarati cuisine. My family always had a tindora vine growing […]

Kurkuri bhindi is a crispy, battered okra dish. The classic North Indian dish is typically deep-fried, but this version is made in the air fryer. Kurkuri bhindi is a great way to eat okra because this dish makes it crispy, removing any potential sliminess. Ingredients Okra – here, it is sliced thinly, quartered, or halved, […]

Suva ni bhaji is a fragrant curry with fresh dill and moong dal (split mung beans). A traditional Gujarati dish with variations enjoyed across North India, especially in Maharashtra. This is something my family made whenever fresh dill was available. There are lots of good reasons to make this recipe: About the Recipe In Indian […]

Today, sprouts have become a popular health food crowd because sprouting the beans helps brings out the nutrients in the bean and helps with digestion. Sprouting beans is an ancient method and a tradition that has been passed down to me by my mother. For her, it was a nightly ritual when we lived in […]

Aloo methi is a potato and fresh fenugreek leaves curry that is flavorful and savory. The methi compliments the earthy potato by adding a savory and slightly bitter complexity. This is a very easy dish to make, and you can even prep it ahead of time.  This is something my family makes frequently. It is […]

Bhinda nu shaak is a simple okra stir fry, for anyone who loves okra. With only five ingredients, the flavors are focused on the okra. It is a very easy, traditional shaak perfect for a weeknight meal. It comes together in under 20 minutes.  Other names for this dish are “binda fry,” or the hindi […]

Ringan Tuvar nu Shaak is a traditional Gujarati winter recipe to make when both young, fresh tuvar and green garlic are freshly available. Fresh tuvar, or “lilva tuvar,” is a much-loved Gujarati vegetable. This dish features tuvar and eggplant, two of my grandmother’s favorite ingredients. This was a dish my Grandma loved to make every […]

Ringan Methi nu Shaak is a simple Gujarati eggplant shaak made with fresh fenugreek leaves. In English you might call this dish Fresh Fenugreek and Eggplant Curry, or Methi Banghan ki Subzi in Hindi. Eggplant is a very common ingredient used throughout India. I find it especially common in Gujarati food. We also love our […]

This Indian recipe for beet greens comes from the dish, “Moola ni Bhaji,” which is one of my favorite recipes of my mom’s for greens. It uses radish greens, which have a little more bite than beet greens. What really makes this recipe is the semolina. The semolina gives greens a whole new texture. They […]

Tindora nu Shaak is an example of a typical Gujarati recipe. This is a simple recipe, the way my mother makes it. The simplicity keeps the emphasis on the tindora and lets the tindora shine. This shaak is sometimes served as part of a Gujarati thali. Tindora is a neat little vegetable, common in India […]

Karela is a melon that looks similar to a cucumber, but with a distinctive warty flesh (think of the warts on some gourds). Other names for karela are “bitter melon”, “bitter gourd” and “bitter apple.” One major characteristic of Indian food, especially Gujarati food, is that each dish tends to appeal to all five tastes. […]

Paneer Bhurji is a delicious, easy-to-make North Indian dish that features paneer a common Indian cheese. Despite the base being paneer, it actually has a texture and richness similar to scrambled eggs. You can make this with homemade paneer, or buy your paneer from the store. I also make an egg version of this dish, […]

Vaghar is like a microcosm of Indian cooking. A proper vaghar is a balance of many flavors, which makes sense because it is one of the most powerful ways to add flavor to your dish. Vaghar adds: There’s something I do in all of my posts on this blog that I always feel a little […]

Papdi is not a common ingredient in Europe, but it is found in dishes throughout India, Southeast Asia, and East Africa. The plant is originally from East Africa. It is an important ingredient in many Gujarati dishes. Papdi is a lentil, it is also called hyacinth bean, or lablab. Each pod contains 2-4 beans, which […]

When people come over to my house for Indian food for the first time, I often serve Potato Shaak. I like it because it is so representative of the flavors of Indian cooking, and it just feels like a homestyle meal. I find that most people are really comfortable with potatoes. Potatoes just say home […]

This is the way I almost always make my Brussels sprouts. Sometimes I’ll change it up and add a few ingredients to them but the cooking method I use is usually the same. It’s simply the best way to get a good caramelization on sprout and just the right amount of softness. I picked up […]

I love this particular recipe that combines okra with coconut not only because it tastes great but also because it requires very little prep time and is ready in under 30 minutes from start to finish. Yesterday was day four of Navratri. We usually only have a small meal at home before we head out […]

This dish is a perfect example of how simple and wonderful Indian cooking can be. Last week I needed to come up with a shaak to eat with the gluten-free rotli I posted about, but our pantry was running low and we didn’t have many fresh veggies in the house. It was quite a busy […]

Asafoetida is a dried latex powder that comes from the root of an herb plant called ferula. In Ayurvedic medicine, it is considered to be really good for digestion and overall health, often added to beans and lentil dishes to prevent indigestion. I’ve always had an uneasy relationship with asafoetida, or hing as we call […]

Although many people probably haven’t heard of it, Fenugreek (known as methi in Hindi) is a very common ingredient in Indian food. Fenugreek imparts a very characteristic savory flavor that is slightly bitter but very delicious. Fenugreek doesn’t really taste a lot like maple, but it is used by many companies to give artificial maple […]

Many of the ingredients and techniques in this recipe seem a little unusual. I mean, what the heck is a hyacinth bean? And what! You want me to use a pressure cooker? And, yes I’ll admit this does take a little time to make. But I know if you make it, you won’t be sorry! This mixed […]