Last year my kids came home raving about the Korean fried chicken they had at a restaurant. That being the case, I did some research to make it at home. It seemed pretty easy to make but there were variations in the dredging flour, the pieces of chicken used, and the sauce in the recipes […]
Roti or Chapatis are staples of North Indian cuisine. My mother makes them twice daily for both lunch and dinner. They are made of pure white wheat flour. However, as I can’t find white wheat flour in Brazil, I mix both whole wheat and all-purpose flour to make my Rotis. See Atta to get the […]
There are many different kinds of bread in India. Some are made from whole wheat flour, while others are made using all-purpose flour, yet others are made from grains like corn or chickpea or millet. Puri is traditionally made using white wheat flour and water. However, when I can’t find white wheat flour or Chapati […]
I made some Dal the other day. It was a hit, but like me, my family doesn’t care for leftovers after the next day. Therefore, I decided to disguise the leftover Dal as a Paratha. There are several ways to make Dal Ka Paratha: Cook Channa Dal (pigeon peas) with very little water so that […]
This is my Father’s favorite Paratha. He is my role model and I have tried to emulate him since I was young. Thus, this is also one of my favorite Parathas, second only to the white radish Paratha. It is really easy to make as it requires no prep other than making the dough – […]
There are many choices for Paratha fillings: some include meat, most of them are vegetarian. I vary the dough depending on whether the moisture in the filling will tear the Paratha. I use a wheat/white flour blend in either a 1:1 ratio or a 3:1 ratio (3 parts wheat, one part white flour) for the […]
The Hindu religious festival of Navratri (9 nights and 10 days) began this past Sunday and will end the following Tuesday. It celebrates the feminine nature of the Supreme Divine. It is celebrated twice a year in North India and occurs when the seasons change from cold to hot or vice versa. In practice, Hindus […]
I have never owned a rice cooker. I make rice in either a pot or a pressure cooker. Both methods work well, however, the pot takes 15 minutes to cook rice with a 5 minute rest period whereas the pressure cooker takes only 5 minutes. It makes sense as pressure cookers need only a third […]
Achiote (Annatto) seeds have been used in Mexico, the Carribean, and the Philipines to impart a deep orange-yellow color and fruity mildly peppery flavor to food. I make a cup of this oil and use it for recipes from these regions. Prep time: 3 minutes Cook time: 5 minutes Yield: 1 cup INSTRUCTIONS Add both […]
I dedicate this recipe in loving memory of, Gisela Spier, my landlady/adopted mom in Germany who treated me daily to coffee and cake. She used to make everything, including apple strudel, from scratch. I followed the outlines of the recipe on the lilvienna.com site, but, I doubled the recipe and used my technique to stretch […]
I feel very guilty whenever I serve and eat fried foods. For this reason, I have looked into investing in an air-fryer and have sought out recipes that bake instead of fry. Having said that, some recipes just can’t be made without deep frying. Sometimes you have to live a little. Here are some tips […]
If you have never had a Mathi, you don’t know what you are missing. This is top on my list of comfort foods. I’m still basking in the afterglow from having eaten three of them for breakfast with my cup of Masala Chai. Mathi is a crisp, flaky pastry that is generally served during high […]
Samosas are a triangular-shaped, flaky pastry dough that can be filled either with potatoes and mashed vegetables, spiced meat, or spiced shredded chicken. They are served with mint/coriander chutney and/or tamarind chutney. They make a wonderful tea time snack or a hearty appetizer with cocktails. India has been making samosas since they were introduced to […]
Tamarind is used in many countries. Mexico uses it for making sweets and drinks, Asians, especially Indians, use it in cooking, for drinks, and in chutneys. Tamarind imparts a sweet-tart taste and is very nutritious. It can be purchased as a concentrate, a pulp or as dried fruit in a plastic block. I use the […]
This sweet, delicious, soft-textured, deeply colored bread started with the intent of making Challah. However, as fate would have it, I found an opened strawberry yogurt drink in my refrigerator that I needed to find a use for. Traditional Challah does not include any dairy, even in the form of butter. As a result, I […]
Margaret and Franco, friends of mine in Cleveland, Ohio, invited me to a lovely luncheon where they were serving fried fish and these amazing oven-baked potatoes that looked and tasted exactly like crispy french fries. They were fantastic! Crispy on the outside and soft and airy on the inside. I made them for a family […]
I purchased a lot of red potatoes with the idea that I was going to go on a diet where I would swear off almost all carbohydrates except potatoes. Ha! It lasted ONE day. I should have known better. I’m too much of a foodie to ever diet. Anyway, with this diet in mind, I […]
I made this on a lark when I was trying to finish some milk that was coming close to its expiration date. It turned out to be a new favorite with my kids as it tastes surprisingly like mac-n-cheese but without the macaroni or the cheese. Imagine! Guilt-free mac-n-cheese. It is made in the same […]
My daughter was sick last week and I wanted to offer her a light meal that I hoped she would enjoy. I decided that crêpes were just what the doctor ordered (See my blog on crêpes). This way, I could get her and her siblings to eat a good amount of vegetables and fruit without […]
Béchamel, the mother of several other sauces, is a lovely white sauce that is so versatile and easy to make that it has become my go-to sauce for many Euro-centric recipes. The sauce is made with different consistencies depending on how you plan to use it. For example: Thin béchamel is a lovely base in […]
I made this dish recently when I was trying to finish off a variety of fresh vegetables in my fridge. This is a good dish for just that purpose. You can add seafood like shrimp or calamari to this dish as well. It is a heart-healthy, quick and easy meal that is very versatile. In […]
These moist and tender “biscotti” are so good they only last 48 hours in my home. They are deceptively quick and easy to make, however, they make a lovely presentation and lasting impression. I got this recipe years ago from the back of a bag of sugar. I hope you’ll try these out and let […]
I have tested a lot of Pad Thai recipes on the internet and was never very happy with the results as none of them tasted very authentic. However, my Thai friend, Suda, came over and showed me how she made hers and I have never looked back. I did, however, make some adjustments to her […]
After researching and testing out different recipes, I came up with a mash-up that my family loves. This is a great way to get them to eat breakfast on-the-go when they are running out the door for school. These also make a wonderful after school snack. Because these are so popular and given the fact […]