What is Shoshar Shukto? Shukto is a classic Bengali side dish that is served at the beginning of the meal. And there are variety of shukto you can make based on what is in the season. It’s typically a medley of vegetables, and sometimes just one or two vegetables are used. No onion or garlic is added in shukto, which makes it one of the pure vegetarian Bengali dishes. In my cookbook - Taste of Eastern India, I have shared the classic mixed vegetable shukto recipe....

As the name says, it’s tomatoes that are dried in the sun, dehydrator, microwave or oven. It is no longer juicy, but you get that tangy robust flavor which is absolutely delicious. I had to make sundried tomatoes this year. For a rookie gardener (you can the journey in my Instagram highlight) it was such a joy to see the plants grow and shower us with so many tomatoes. It’s almost end of the season and while the plant started to lose its bright green leaves, it’s still growing more tomatoes....

What is Aamrakhand – Mango Shrikhand? Shrikhand is a traditional summer dessert that is very common in the state of Maharashtra. The key ingredient to make this dessert perfect is to use hung yogurt instead of just plain yogurt. The texture is very similar to that of mousse or thick smoothie bowl. Indian markets get flooded with mangoes during Summer, spreading their sweet smell in every corner and every home. There is absolutely no way that one can stay away from it....

Beetroot Cocoa Cake While beetroot can be an acquired taste, it’s not the same case with the cake. The combination of cocoa powder with grated beetroot gives a sweet chocolate taste. I added vegetable oil instead of butter and the texture turned out spongy with delicate crumbs. We absolutely loved the cake! You can even use the same batter to prepare cupcakes. Ingredients for the Cake batter EggWhite Sugar Vegetable OilYogurtLemon JuiceBeetrootsFlourBaking Powder and Baking SodaSaltCocoa Powder Hot water TIP: Everytime you add cocoa powder to a cake batter, add a little amount of hot water to the batter....

Why you will love this Bhindi Masala? If you dislike the okra in stew and curries due to sliminess, you will definitely like this dish. In this curry, the okra has the crunch minus the slime. It is packed with lots of flavor from earthy spices. The yogurt at the ends add a mild sour taste and creaminess to the dish. If you love okra, you must try kurkure bhindi and spice stuffed okra....

What are tostadas? Tostadas is a Mexican dish that uses deep fried tortilla, topped with meat or vegetables and beans. Baked Tostadas! To avoid deep fried food, I bake the corn tortillas. It turns out crispy and stays crispy for several days. Tostadas are lovely blank canvas to add in your favorite toppings. Vegetarian or non-vegetarian! STEPS: Just brush oil on the corn tortillas and layer in a cookie sheet....

Does it ever amaze you that how many similar looking dishes are prepared or served otherwise with different names across the world? When I came across Congee, it instantly reminded me of khichdi and risotto. All three dishes are rice based meal. Needs slow, long cooking hours. And gives a sheer level of coziness in every spoonful. Rice, being the staple for half of the world’s population, makes numerous such hearty one-pot meals in different delicious ways....

What is Murgh Malaiwala - Creamy Malai Chicken To break down the words, Murgh is chicken and Malai is cream. This is a unique chicken curry where you cook the chicken in milk and heavy cream. The end result is a rich succulent juicy chicken pieces. Creamy Malai Chicken or Murgh Malaiwala is a rich milk based chicken curry, and you prepare using aromatic dried herbs, heavy cream and milk....

My favorite mustard sauce is the one that is also at times referred as The Bengali Kashundi, something I learnt recently. I used to think that kashundi was this individual type of sauce prepared with green mango and mustard seeds. A classic condiment, used broadly in Kolkata, from street food to everyday cooking. And then I learnt from the food blog world that there are quite different varieties of kashundi available....

The key to a good Bhuna Gosht lies in the patience and letting it slow cook so the spices blends, coating on the meat. You will notice how the color of the meat changes from a mild yellow to a rich red color with robust aroma. What is Bhuna Gosht ? The name itself is indicative of its preparation style: “bhuna” means “to roast” or “to fry,” and “gosht” translates to “meat....

Grated Egg Avocado Toast The taste of this new trending grated egg avocado toast is quite interesting. I won’t call it mind blowing different if you are used to enjoying avocado egg toast. But grated egg does add a soft, fluffy texture to the toast. You can customize this Egg Avocado toast your way by adding some chili oil on top or infused oil. I kept it simple with salt, pepper and chili flakes sprinkled on top....

Grilled Nectarine Iced Tea How to prepare the Grilled Nectarine Iced Tea? It had only 6 ingredients!You steep the tea with black tea and rosemary. Then strain the tea to a pitcher. Let it cool down completely.Grilled the peaches, purée most of it and save some for garnish.Strain the purée to the cold ice tea and give a mixGarnish with a couple slices of grilled peach and serve! This season has been so busy for us, especially now school going back to in person....

What is Koraishuti Kochuri? To break down the words – Koraishuti refers to green peas, which is also referred to as motorshuti. This dish is also sometimes referes to as Motorshuti Kochuri. Kochuri means deep fried puffed bread, often prepared with just all-purpose flour. But you can definitely use wheat flour too or a mix of both the flours. Koraishuti Kochuri is also similar to North Indian Matar ki Puri / Poori....

Last week was pretty dull and boring with non-stop rain and cold winds, but what kept me excited was seeing Arvind finalizing the new design for blog. In between all the crazy workload, my sweetheart somehow managed to find time for planning, writing, fixing bugs and creating this new look. I feel SO proud and yes, I know 🙂 I am one lucky girl! This lucky girl decided to make some thing special for her boy, who has a sweet tooth and can never get tired of eating dessert....

Sometimes an easy and comforting food tends to get lost or ignored in between all the fancy smancy exciting ideas that keep revolving in our head. And it’s good because without inspiration and variety, life can get pretty boring. But once in a while, it’s nice to slow down, stay away from the kitchen and spend more time with the family. Make something light and easy, like this masala papad that doesn’t require too much effort and call it a day!...

As much as I love beetroot, I don’t like peeling or chopping the root. It gets messy with red colored spattering on my clothes. Roasting is my favorite way to enjoy beetroot, unless of course, I am baking a cake with it. Carrots, on the other hand, always taste so good when roasted. These two root vegetables pair together effortlessly and make a great salad just on their own. Before I get into the details of the recipe, I would like to mention the Wolf Gourmet® Elite Countertop Oven with Convection....

I might have stated this numerous times in the past and here I say it again, Egg is my favorite thing to eat. It’s my daily source of protein. Except for absolute raw eggs (yes, some do gulp raw eggs, straight up!), I can gobble it in any other form. As much as I love soft-boiled eggs with a sprinkle of salt and freshly cracked pepper in it, an egg curry with heaps of spices brings the same amount of joy in my mouth....

I don’t remember the first time when I had pesto and how did I react to it. I don’t even remember when it became my favorite. All I know is that it’s easy to make at home, it’s quick and it’s always super-yummy. There are so many different types of pesto sauce that you can never get tired of it. I decided to choose some fresh baby spinach for this recipe....

Two strawberry recipes back to back, you can say how much I like this fruit. With the weather getting a little warm, I wanted something light and airy. What’s better than creamy mousse! A quick blend, quick cooking, gentle fold and a little bit of wait later, we had this luscious creamy Strawberry Mousse. 4 Key Ingredients for the Strawberry Mousse: The strawberry mousse is a super simple and fuss free dessert that requires just 4 ingredients!...

Festival of Holi Holi is the festival of colors, Hindu Festival of Spring. There are arrays of sweets and snacks prepared during this day. People gather to pay with colors and enjoy the treats. One of the most common drink or dessert that is enjoyed during Holi Festivites is Thandai. Thandai is an aromatic nut and spice mix powder that is incredible with milk and used in several desserts too. Thandai Powder Masala is super easy to make and gets ready in 5 minutes....