One Hot Mushroom Chettinad

Tuesday, February 19th, 2008

Filed Under India - Tamil Nadu, Mushroom, Side Dish - Dry, Vegetarian | 39 Comments

I have a folder in my browser favorites called Recipes-to-Try and it is overflowing with all the links I have been collecting over the past year… I have tried so many recipes from other bloggers, and I normally thank them through comments or e-mail, but I have never taken the time to take a picture and write a post about it. The reason behind this is nothing but sheer laziness.
All the food bloggers out there know how much hard work […]

Crab Curry

Wednesday, February 13th, 2008

Filed Under Crab, India - Tamil Nadu, Seafood | 36 Comments

Wish you all a fabulous Valentine’s day! Siv and I are not too big into V-day, it is just another occasion to go out and eat. But over the past few years, Valentine’s day has become the worst day to go out for dinner. Every place is crowded, you have to wait for at least half an hour before the table is free even after making reservations. And the worst part is, even the normally good restaurants churn out mass-produced, […]

Kothamalli Thogayal (Cilantro Chutney)

Monday, February 4th, 2008

Filed Under Chutneys and Dips and Pickles, Greens, India - Tamil Nadu, Vegetarian | 42 Comments

Comfort food is something you crave to come home to after a few days on the road. Comfort food is usually synonymous to familiar food. It is something so personal, one person’s comfort food can send another person running for cover. For most of us, it is something that we grew up with, associated with a warm childhood memory, a special meal that only one’s own mother can really make perfect. So it is not surprising that Siv and I […]

Gitatini - A Ginger Tamarind Cocktail

Thursday, November 22nd, 2007

Filed Under Cocktails, Ginger, India - Tamil Nadu | 40 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I forgot the last time we were in town for Thanksgiving and Black Friday. For those outside United States, Black Friday is the day after thanksgiving, the official start of the Christmas shopping season. Most stores open very early in the morning, some even open at Midnight, and has amazing sales. People line up before the stores open to get to the limited doorbuster deals. I have never been to a Black Friday sale, I always thought people […]

Spicy Mushroom Stir Fry

Sunday, October 7th, 2007

Filed Under India - Tamil Nadu, Mushroom, Side Dish - Dry, Vegetarian | 33 Comments

I’ve been posting a lot of meat based recipes lately, so time to post something pure vegetarian. Yep, trust me, I didn’t sneak anything in, no fish sauce, no minced meat, no shrimp paste, nothing. It is a Tamil recipe, I think. Siv gave me the recipe, but he has never made it before. He makes a great mushroom dish - a thick gravy, which is very tasty, and I know that is his mom’s recipe. When I wanted to make […]

Uppu Kari - Featuring Chettinadu Cuisine

Sunday, April 8th, 2007

Filed Under Good with Drinks, India - Tamil Nadu, Lamb or Goat, Recipes, Side Dish - Dry | 18 Comments

Chettinad cuisine is originated in the southern parts of Tamil Nadu state comprising of Madurai, Tirunelveli and Karaikudi regions. This cuisine is well known for its hot and spicy, aromatic non vegetarian dishes like Chicken Chettinad, Pepper Chicken, Fish Varuval etc. Chettinad cuisine is so different from the traditional healthy vegetarian cuisine of the Tamil Brahmins, but when I think of Tamil cuisine, the first word that comes to my mind is Chettinad - just my type of dishes!
When I mentioned to […]

Tamil Style Mutton Biryani

Friday, March 16th, 2007

Filed Under India - Tamil Nadu, Lamb or Goat, Recipes, Rice Or Biryani | 18 Comments

I am very lucky to be married to a guy who not only shares my passion for food, but is a fantastic cook as well. But even though both of us work full-time, somehow cooking is my responsibility in our house. It is not something that Siv demands, he doesn’t expect me to cook every day, he cooks when he is in the mood, and expects me to do the same. But I have a voice in my head that […]

Dry Curry Crab- Tamil Style

Tuesday, March 6th, 2007

Filed Under Crab, India - Tamil Nadu, Mains, Recipes, Seafood | 12 Comments

This is another one of my mother-in-law’s recipes, perfected by Siv. She is a fantastic cook, but somehow I always like Siv’s versions a little better. I guess the secret ingredient makes all the difference; yeah I’m talking about “Luvvvvvv” ;). Okay, he is sitting right next to me, and I need someone to load the dishwasher.
My favorite crab preparation is the Red Curry Crab at Malay Satay Hut, our favorite Malaysian restaurant. This is a very close […]

Fish Curry - Tamil style

Saturday, January 27th, 2007

Filed Under India - Tamil Nadu, Mains, Recipes, Seafood | 5 Comments

Growing up in Kerala, fish was the staple of our diet. I don’t think we had gone two days in a row without some kind of fish. Sometimes we would even have fish for breakfast! Fish curry with Dosa, Idly, Chapatti, Appam, you name a dish, we can have it with fish! Being a working mother, my mom didn’t have time to cook three different dishes for three different meals, I guess that was one of the main reasons for […]