31 March 2011

Happy birthday, Mom! Here's her "spring burst peanutty mung salad"


Today is my mom's birthday! Besides being a wonderful mother, she taught me most of what I know about food and cooking, particularly Indian cuisine. Not only does she do great renditions of all the classics, but she is always trying new recipes, expanding her repertoire and doing all kinds of creative (and beautiful) experiments in her kitchen! Her "spring burst peanutty mung salad", a gorgeous and colorful blend of mung bean sprouts, rice stick noodles, crunchy veggies, sesame seeds and peanuts in a spicy peanut dressing, is the perfect example. Mom says that she was inspired by summer rolls or spring rolls made with rice paper and decided to make a salad version. She just sent me this recipe today, and I can't wait to make it myself...or better yet to go home and have her make it for us!

29 March 2011

Noodles with tofu and spicy peanut sauce


I look back with great fondness at the first couple of years after I finished university. It was my first time to be living alone (without roommates), working for money (albeit not much!) and enjoying all the benefits of being 21 years old (if you know what I mean!). I lived the quintessential young professional's life in Washington DC, shuttling between work, the gym, happy hours and in my case dancing salsa which I fell in love with around this time. My studio apartment in Washington DC's Adams Morgan neighborhood had a decent-sized kitchen, and this was where I really started experimenting with cooking.

Better than in a restaurant palak paneer


I've never met anyone who didn't like palak paneer. Also known as saag paneer (palak and saag are both Hindi names for spinach), this classic menu item in Indian restaurants everywhere is a hit among both Indian food aficionados as well as novices. Something about the blend of creamy spinach with cubes of paneer (fresh Indian cheese) makes this dish supremely satisfying, especially with some warm naan, chapati or other Indian bread on the side. What's more, we all know that spinach is packed with nutrients and antioxidants (it wasn't Popeye's favorite for nothing!), making this dish a very healthy choice (albeit a bit rich)...

23 March 2011

Mango lemongrass lassi


Yogurt, long recognized for its anti-bacterial properties, is a crucial part of Indian cuisine. It's thus no surprise that we Indians have found all kinds of ways to use it, including in condiments (raita), curries and drinks too, via the simple yet sublime lassi. Who doesn't love a good lassi? Consumed in both sweet and savory versions as well as in various fruit flavors (mango being the most popular), lassis are the perfect antecdote for both the tropical heat of India as well as the spiciness of Indian cuisine. Since the mangoes we purchased a week or so ago had finally ripened, I decided to make mango lassi as an after-dinner drink tonight. Not just any mango lassi mind you, but one infused with lemongrass...

My favorite marché in Paris!


I often get emails from friends and friends of friends who are planning travels to Paris, inquiring about my favorite restaurants and other not-to-miss-spots here in the City of Lights. Many ask me about outdoor markets, which are without a doubt paradise for food-lovers. My favorite market in Paris happens to be right around the corner from the first apartment where I lived when I moved here, in the Northern part of the Marais in the 3rd arrondissement (now called NOMA by perpetually-New York imitating Parisian hipsters). The Marché des Enfants Rouges (literally the "Red Children Market") also happens to be the oldest in Paris, dating back to 1615. It gets its strange name from the orphange which used to be right next door, where the children wore red uniforms.

15 March 2011

Luis's special spicy olives


When we have friends who stop by or come over for a drink, it goes without saying that we like to serve little bites or snacks as an apéritif. Olives are a common apéritif here in France and are sold in infinite varieties, including stuffed with almonds or pimentos or marinated in garlic, just to name a few. We prefer to season our olives on our own though, and the other evening Luis whipped up a batch of "special spicy" olives that were just out of this world!

12 March 2011

Cachupa - the national dish of the Cape Verde Islands


The Cape Verde Islands. This enchanting archipelago of ten islands off the west coast of Africa, not far from Senegal, is truly a special place. With topography varying from starkly arid mountains to white, sandy beaches depending on the island, an ethnically mixed population (the country was a Portuguese colony until 1975), stable economy and political climate and amazingly rich music and culture, Cape Verde is a place unlike any other.

06 March 2011

Malai kofta


Malai kofta, a Punjabi specialty of melt-in-your-mouth balls made with paneer (fresh Indian cheese) cooked in a rich cream and cashew sauce, is one of the most revered Indian dishes.When I was a kid, malai kofta was my favorite Indian dish and probably my favorite dish in any type of cuisine period. I eagerly anticipated my family's weekend trips to Indian restaurants for the lunch buffet, where I hoped and prayed that malai kofta was on the menu. My mom would occasionally make it on her own, but this was a rare occurence considering all of the work involved. The other day though, I made my first attempt at malai kofta based on a recipe video from Sanjeev Kapoor and was very impressed with the results!

02 March 2011

Chickpea "burgers" with quick tomato chutney and yogurt mint sauce


Living in a country that doesn't have delicious readymade veggie burger patties as is the case in the States and other places is a blessing of sorts in that this forces me to make my own. When I stumbled onto Rachael Ray's recipe for burgers made with chickpea patties last night, I just knew that I had discovered a perfect new veggie burger. Already spiced up with these delicious patties, I decided to jazz up these "burgers" with even more of an Indian touch with my quick tomato chutney and a zesty yogurt mint sauce. The result was amazing!