Corn bread

I love the corn muffins sold at Kenny Rogers restaurants and decided to try and make them at home. The same recipe I use to make corn bread that goes well with soups and chilli. You can use corn meal or corn flour or makki ka atta to make this bread. Ingredients Corn flour or…

Käsestange

I fell in love with the German bread Käsestange almost three decades ago while on a research fellowship in the beautiful Bavarian city of Munich. Once I bought it from a bakery close to the train station on my way back home, a flat at the Schloss Blutenburg, built in the 15th century. After eating…

Banana Bread with Walnuts and Raisins

When I was working on the newspaper desk in Singapore, we would start work at the unearthly hour of 4.30 am and the one thing that kept us going was that we would take turns to bring in warm bread for an early breakfast. One of my colleagues used to make this really divine banana…

Green Garlic Chutney

Garlic cloves are said to be good for your health, but fresh green garlic is even better. It is available only for a limited season in winter. Fresh green garlic is easier to consume than garlic cloves as the smell is less pungent. It can be had in salads or made into a chutney. This…

Mac and Cheese

A comfort food and a favourite with my son throughout his schooldays was Mac and cheese. I used to make it three or four times a week. I use sharp English mustard and chilli flakes, which impart a unique flavour to the dish. Ingredients Elbow pasta 2 cupsAll-purpose flour 3 tbspsButter 2 tbspsOlive oil 2…

Apple Pie

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. This is maybe even more relevant in today’s pandemic-ridden world. And there are so many ways the apple can be eaten. Apple Crumble, Apple Pie or Stewed Apples, to name a few. And there is no better smell than an apple pie baking in the oven. It…

Tomato soup: Comfort in a Cup

I feel that tomato soup is like the Indian dal — there are as many ways of preparing it as there are people in the world. And each recipe is unique. With winter setting in, there is nothing more comforting than a bowl of hot tomato soup. This particular recipe I learnt from a friend…

Mutter-mushroom Curry (Peas and Mushroom Curry)

The combination of mushrooms and peas in a delicately flavoured tomato gravy is delicious. This is a dish that I fell in love with when I was a young girl. I loved the version of this curry sold at a restaurant called Chic Fish near my home. I have experimented till I have managed to…

Eggless fudge brownie

This fudgy brownie is light, but does not compromise on taste. The yoghurt and sugar give the fudgy texture to the brownie. Ingredients Dark chocolate 125 g Cocoa 1/2 cup Drinking chocolate 1/2 cup Butter 85 g Sugar 1 cup Hot water 1/4 cup All-purpose flour 3/4 cup Baking powder 1/2 tsp Corn flour 2…

Lemon tart

This is a dessert that goes well with a heavy meal of meat or chicken. It is light and tartness of the lemon custard is really good after a curry or steak. Use fresh lemons and the custard can be made earlier. It stays fresh in the fridge for up to 10 days. Ingredients Pastry…

Khaman Dhokla

This is actually known as just khaman in Gujarat, but as a pan-Indian dish it is known as dhokla. Filled with protein, this is a light snack that is good any time of the day. Ingredients (Serves 5) Chickpea flour or besan 1 cup (136 g) Semolina or suji 1 tbsp Turmeric 1/2 tsp Water…

Mushroom Soup

This creamy mushroom soup is delicious on cold winter evenings, especially with corn bread. I use fresh button mushrooms that are firm and have a lovely woodsy flavour. Ingredients Button mushrooms 250 g Onion 1 large, chopped Garlic 3 cloves, minced Butter 100 g Olive oil 4 tbsps All-purpose flour 4 tbsps Milk 1/3 cup…

Kerala Lemon Pickle

It is lemon season and this year has been a bumper crop. A great way to preserve lemons for the rest of the year is to pickle them. This is a spicy pickle that goes well with rice and yoghurt. Ingredients Lemons 8 Salt 1 tbsp Til oil or sesame oil 1/2 cup Turmeric powder…

Banana and Chocolate Rice Cake

I was trying to come up with a way to use rice flour and remembered some lovely dishes I had in Japan. Thinking of some the sweets made from rice flour, I decided to make a banana cake. The chocolate chips added a delicious but subtle taste. Ingredients Bananas 3 Eggs 2 Sugar 3/4 cup…

Orange Cake

This citrus cake has a kick from the local oranges, kinnows, I used. Kinnows are available mid-January to mid-February in northern India and Pakistan. This year, the fruit is particularly juicy, maybe because of the pollution-free days that the region enjoyed for a long time due to the pandemic lockdowns. Use seedless kinnows for the…

Tangy Tomato Basil Soup

I have been trying to get the taste of this soup from my favourite restaurant in Singapore. After a lot of experimentation, I have come up with a version I love. Ingredients Tomatoes 4 large Potato 1 large Spring onions 5 Fresh basil leaves 10 sprigs Paprika powder 1 tbsp Salt to taste Pepper powder…

Bacon and Tomato Bread

This bread is a meal in itself. It does not need any butter or cheese, it is moist enough and the flavours of bacon, tomato and herbs blend in beautifully in every bite. Ingredients Water 1 1/3 cup Olive oil 4 tsps Bread flour 4 cups Sun dried tomato in oil 1/2 cup, sliced Bacon…