Warm Dates in Ghee with Ricotta & Dried Apricots
In Ayurveda, dates and ghee are considered rich in Ojas. Using this as my inspiration, I came up with a delicious snack/dessert which combines the goodness of dates and ghee, and elevates it with a stuffing of ricotta and dried apricots. Warming the dates in ghee is an excellent touch - makes the dates soft and chewy, and who doesn't like a warm dessert!
Kachori Parcels
The kachori mix is crunched up in phyllo pastry sheets, baked, drizzled with yogurt, three kinds of chutneys, onions, cilantro, sev and pomegranate arils (if doesn’t make your mouth water, I don’t know what will). Kachori Parcels will remind you of mum or your fave chaatwala without the trauma of frying. Spectacular, no?
Chai Spiced Nankhatai
NANKHATAI are sweet, salty, eggless - very much like the shortbread cookies. These are spiced with a light chai masala flavor and baked with ghee, yielding a nutty, buttery backdrop. They are perfect with tea and coffee!
Spiced Creamed Corn / Makai no Dano
Dano is a winter dish that celebrates abundance – abundance of local corn, of ghee, of friends and family, of happiness. Desi Makai no Dano is an iconic dish made by the people of Dahod that celebrates the abundance of desi corn grown in the Panchmahal region. Dano derives its name from the Gujarati word for corn kernels – makai na dana; a dish made from dana became known as dano ( daa-no) – desi makai no dano.
Avocado Achaar Paratha
Parathas with achaar (pickle) was something mum learned from her friend. She’d make it with “gol keri” - a sweet and spicy mango pickle. It was a tasty, travel-friendly paratha; you could just roll ‘em up and dunk in the hot chai that so alluring calls your name at the train station…
Mango & Saffron Shrikhand
Shrikhand or flavored strained yogurt, is the creamiest, yummiest and fastest indian dessert you can ever make! To get nice and thick Shrikhand that would put store-bought ones to shame, you want to start with a really good quality full fat greek yogurt. I use Fage yogurt - it’s my absolute favorite. It’s less tart than any other yogurts I’ve tried and great for making Kadhi and Shrikhand.
Vegan Tomato Soup, Indian Style
Indian tomato soups aren’t as tart as those I find in the U.S. or the more frequent bisque-style ones. I reckon there is a higher inkling for sour than tart for Indian taste buds. This soup hits just that note with pepper, a little of garlic and bay leaf. It’s non-fussy to make, and with homemade ghee-roasted croutons (see recipe), it’s super comforting.
Mom’s Ghee Roasted Croutons
Back in India, my mum used to make homemade croutons long before I knew what “croutons“ were. She uses ghee as the prime roasting agent, which partakes a lovely light nutty flavor and help lower glycemic index of otherwise high carb bread. I added herbs to mum’s original recipe and it works great for soups and salads alike!
Acorn Squash with Curry Leaves
A one sheet meal that requires minimal ingredients so easy to put together and is equally effortless to make. The flavors on this one are going to blow your mind. Mildly sweet and nutty squash with aromatic and wonderful tasting curry leaves will make this baby #1 on your regular weekly menu.
Turmeric Milk Nightcap
Turmeric Nut Milk or A good night’s sleep hug in a mug 💤. Nut milk, turmeric, adaptogens, black pepper, ghee and saffron - everything you need for a relaxing stress-free wind down after all the super-person work you do 💪