Festive delights: Tempting Samosas!

India is a land of many festivals. Back home, as Holi or Diwali approaches, air seems heavy with festive anticipation. One of the major festivals of Hinduism, Holi spiritually signifies the victory of good over evil and hope over despair. It is also referred to as “Festival of Spring” or “Festival of colors”. Holi is celebrated as…

Aromatic Egg Biryani

As an adult, I think Biryani is my favorite Indian dish. Meat/veggies/eggs and rice are cooked separately before being layered with various elements and finally, cooked together in steam…it results in one of the most tempting and insanely delicious rice preparations ever. Seriously, if you haven’t tried Biryani until now, you are missing a lot. Biryani can…

‘Andra-style’ Idli-Sambhar ( Steamed, savory rice cakes, served with lentil-based veg stew) & Peanut-tomato chutney!

Idli-Sambhar is the most beloved, traditional breakfast combo of the South-Indian households of India. Irrespective of the state and the region, South-Indian cuisine is insanely popular throughout our country. Idlis are these soft, steamed rice cakes that are served with steaming hot lentil stew called Sambhar and a variety of chutneys. This meal is equally…

Holi special: Khasta Dal Kachoris (Spicy, lentil-filled puffed pastry, made from scratch!)

Festivals is the time I miss home aka India the most! The get togethers , the enthusiasm and the food!! The festival of Holi calls for a variety of delicious sweet and savory snacks like gujiya, namkeen-paare, kulfi, mathris and thandaai. One of the most loved Indian snacks, crispy  or ‘khasta’ dal kachori is a particular favorite…

An explosion of flavors- Pani-puri!! (Puffed up, crisp dough-balls, filled with spicy mint water, then eaten whole!)

Where do I start with describing Pani-puri? ‘Pani‘ literally means ‘water’ and ‘Puris’ in this case, are deep-fried, puffed up crisp dough-balls. In this dish, these puris, along with some other fillings, are filled with spicy water one by one and eaten whole immediately. No one knows when, where and how Pani-puri was invented but we Indians…