Indian As Apple Pie

Oh yes, I did! I took the Mumbai street food Pav Bhaji and made it completely comfortable on your dining table. If you're not familiar with this snack, pav means bread, while bhaji means vegetables. The story goes that street vendors came up with this popular combination as a lunch option for workers that wanted something lighter and faster than traditional Indian food.  Amongst my kids' friends, we call it veggie sloppy joes. When making these at home, serve them up on a large tray so guests can assemble themselves. Above, from left to right, you have Cilantro Green Apple Chutney, toasted...

Our #spiceoftheweek is #chaatmasala, and as I racked my brain to come up with more uses of our most amazing spice blend, these peppers came to mind. They are at one easy to prep - look beautiful on a plate, and are absolutely addictive. Here, I have used long peppers, which are all over markets at the moment. They are generally sweet, but if you don't mind extra heat, try this in a spicier pepper. Just make sure you tell your guests which is which!  Slice your peppers lengthwise (I used about a dozen) and clean out the inside carefully...

Chaat means so delicious that you want to lick your fingers clean, and why Indian small plates are called chaat. At once spicy, savory, and with hints of sweet notes, the dishes like papardi chaat, samosa chaat, and aloo chaat all make you want more and more and more. One of my favorite spots to try Indian chaat is Kamdar Plaza on Devon Ave. in Chicago. Tell them I sent you!  Most Indian street vendors put together their own spice blend, called chaat masala. It's used to give street foods a pop in flavor and extra punchiness. A few key spices are...

Imagine waking up to this over the weekend. Your family will love you for it. Potatoes pair really well with Indian spices, so putting them together in these delicious hash brown potatoes makes perfect sense to the mind and the taste buds. Be prepared to hear 'seconds, please!' Here's what you'll need:  From the top left, that's oil (I love using coconut), spices, a heavy caste iron or non-stick pan, onions, and potatoes. I used my Le Creuset Balti, part of the Cuisines of the World Line, which I love and which I had the opportunity to demo for them in...

It's no secret that it's strawberry season. Everyone is talking and writing about these luscious nuggets of sweetness. Of course, they are delicious just like the shot above - but is there anything else you can do with them? YES. Make them into a delicious chutney - a condiment that will not only have your guests raving - but may just be the talk of your summer table.  But, first - what exactly is chutney? Think of relish or salsa multiplied by a thousand. Chutneys are India's answer to both condiments and then some. In Indian cuisine we love layering...

It's bordering on Farmers' Market season. Sure, that means beautiful produce. But, if you are like me, it also means a few of those well-intentioned impulse purchases going to waste. Think of this amazing stew as a way to collect all the little veggies you meant to eat and putting them to good use.  Although I grew up eating North Indian food in my home, I also ate a ton of South Indian food made by friends from Tamil Nadu and other areas of South India. My absolute favorite was homemade Sambhar and a fermented rice-lentil crepe called dosa. Here's...

When you google the term 'Chana Masala' you come up with various recipes for Indian curried chickpeas which sadly make no mention of the masala that is key to making your chickpea dish scream authentic.  Masala is an interesting term in my culture and language. For the most part, it can mean two different things. First and foremost, it refers to a dry mixture of spices, that when used with certain ingredients give your dish a taste of authenticity. It can also refer to a wet base of ingredients, which when added to key ingredients, spices and water, will make a delicious curry....

Upma.  If you know what this is, I don't need to say anymore. If you don't, just know that you must make this amazing dish for yourself. It's purely addictive. Ask my BFF from high school, Grace. She lives in Israel and makes this dish often for her family since I taught it to her over 2 decades ago.  In its most traditional sense, Upma is a common breakfast dish made in many South Indian homes. It's traditionally made from rava, a wheat derivative, or cream of wheat. Cream of wheat is meal made from wheat. I found this funky explanation and...

Let's be honest. Winter in Chicago is no joke. Sure, you can claim it's like the East Coast (where I grew up), but the issue is that it's a longer and just plain colder one most years.  This year, this is how I'm getting through it, with bowls and bowls of this... Aren't you warming up just looking at this? I know you want to dive into it like I did this week. What I want to stress? It literally took me 8 minutes.  The catch is having your broth made ahead of time. Making it is super easy and...

It felt like 2011 all over again. When I watched Mumbai-born Chef Floyd Cardoza win Bravo's Top Chef Masters with his take on the seemingly mundane South Indian breakfast upma.  I mean Indians in the know get how addictive and delicious upma actually is, but how could it capture the attention and respect of the culinary West? It's ... so .... simple.  It was the same feeling seeing Kitchari - and my take on it - make headlines in the Washington Post food section this week. "Are you serious?" "Wow. How Cool!" were some of the responses from my Indian-American Facebook friends. "Kitchari in the...