I m facing few health issues for almost a month now.Me & my husband are trying to cope up.Its a difficult phase for us and I hope we sail through it as smoothly as possible.Thanks a lot to everyone who mailed in to check on me, I really appreciate it.

The blog will be silent for some time now. I hope to get back to normal life, cooking and blogging soon .Till then, thanks a lot for all the love & appreciation all of you have shown towards my little blog. Thanks so much.

Lots of Love…

Tanvi

Today I m guest blogging at Kankana’s blog Sunshine & Smile. She is a lovely friend and it’s a huge pleasure to share her space today. I have been in touch with kankana via twitter for over 6 months now and she is full of warmth, energy & enthusiasm, which reflects in each of her blogposts. Her blog is full of mouth-watering dishes from different cuisines and whenever I land at her page, I leave hungry and smiling Thanks so much for having me here!

I have wanted to share this minced mutton rice pilaf recipe for a long time & knowing Kankana’s liking for non-vegetarian food, this was a perfect opportunity. This recipe combines three of my loves into one – meat, potatoes & rice. It is a super comforting & easy meal, which is usually a weekend special at my home.

Hop over to her blog to see my post here. You can find the printable recipe here.

Belated Diwali wishes to all my readers, I was not able to make anything for the blog this year, been lazy & got sweets from store How are all my favorite people doing? Its been a while since you guys saw some action on Sinfully Spicy I apologize for vanishing away! Life is slightly busy & I need to concentrate on few things which cannot be postphoned any further. So, even though I m regularly cooking ,blogging dosent fit the schedule always …hope you all will understand…

I m guest blogging for Rosa of Rosa’s Yummy Yums today while she is on a little break.She is one of the most encouraging & kind blogger around, whom I have been lucky enough to be friends with. Depth of her writing, beauty of her lens & her enthusiasm has always been inspiring. If you havent checked out her blog,do drop by, I bet you will fall in love It was a pleasant surprise when she wrote to me for a guest post. Thanks so much Rosa for inviting me to your blog.

I am sharing one of my favorite winter recipes with her wonderful readers today. Baingan Bharta or smoky & spicy mashed eggplant is one of my favorite ways to eat eggplant and the only way P eats it . Many of you would have already tasted baingan bharta in indian restaurants, now you can make it at home..How cool is that Check out my post on Rosa’s blog here. You can print the recipe here.

Just in case any of you is interested, have a look at a variation called hara baingan bharta which I shared long back here. Both the recipe are way different but if you are eggplant crazy like me, you have to try them all..

Enjoy & Thanks for stopping by!

Soups & Stews are my favorite things about winters. The thought of getting a chance to spend hours in front of the stove coupled with an aroma that fills up the house as spices simmer drives me nuts (in a good way). With nip in the air finally knocking here, I was thrilled while I made season’s first batch of stock & soup few days back followed by this slow cooked chickpea stew.

Store bought stocks & soups never excite me, I m the kind of girl who is crazy about fresh ingredients even if it requires heading an extra mile to get those. However, P is biggest fan of those ‘creamy’ canned soups, which his wife can never prepare in her life! He insists that she should change her style of cooking & delve into semi – home cooking, a concept which could never get the better of me. Can you believe that I have never bought canned chickpeas or any other beans for that matter? Nothing against them, but having grown up seeing mom soak the beans overnight, boil them next day & then use them in her recipes, even with ready-to-use options available here, I never feel like harnessing them.Somehow..

Anyhow, coming back to the recipe, bean based stews are best options for me when wanting to eat light as well as comforting. Few of you might have already guessed that this stew is heavily inspired by classic moroccan flavors – saffron, cumin, mint & black pepper make it hearty and add the required warmth for the winter season. Saffron & turmeric combined with chili powder is what gives it the lovely yellowish-golden color, nothing less than sunshine during those cold evenings. This is the kind of food, which is perfect for this time of year when I want to curl up in a blanket and watch a movie while eating.Don’t be bogged down by the long list of ingredients, they are mostly available in your pantry The stew is incredibly healthy (no meat/less oil) and will leave you satisfied to the tee…trust me

We eat it more as soup with crusty bread than as main dish. For those reasons, I like to keep the gravy slightly thinner (so that we can slurp). However, this can very well serve as a main dish with rice or flatbreads. I particularly like to add starchy  (root) vegetables to this recipe coz those pair up delicious with chickpeas. Choose the veggie (s) you like (carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes etc ). The recipe does not need any baby-sitting while it cooks in. And like ALL stew recipe, I need not mention that leftovers tastes all the way better..try it!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients  (Serves 2-3)

If using dried chickpeas: -

• 1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked in 3 cups water overnight or at least 8 hours & drained
• 2 cups water for boiling the chickpeas
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp oil

Note: – Skip the above step if using canned chickpeas and substitute with precooked ones.

• 2 medium potatoes, cut into 2″ cubes
• 3 tbsp mustard / olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
• 2 bay leaves
• 1″ cinnamon stick
• 2-3 cloves
• 4 cloves garlic, grated
• 2″ fresh ginger shoot, grated
• 1/2 tsp each fennel, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, lightly pounded in mortar pestle
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1.5 tbsp red chill powder (adjust to tolerance)
• 2 large roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt, slightly sour
• 2 tsp saffron dissolved in 1/4 cup luke warm water
• 5-6 fresh mint leaves, chopped fine
• 2 Thai green chilies, finely chopped (optional)
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• Salt to taste
• Chopped Cilantro/Mint leaves for garnish

Method: -

Boil the soaked chickpeas in 2 cups water + 1 tsp salt + 1 tsp oil in a pressure cooker or in a covered pot until 90% tender. If using a pressure cooker, cook on medium-high for approximately 10 minutes & 2 whistles. If using a covered pot, on medium-high heat, this should take 30-35 minutes. Note: – Chickpeas come in all sorts of sizes; the time that I have given is for the small beans.Once boiled, drain the chickpeas & set aside. Reserve the water & mix it thoroughly with yogurt. Set aside.

Heat oil on high in a 3-quart Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot (with lid). When oil gets smoky, add chopped onions, cinnamon, bay leaves & cloves to the pot. Sauté for about 6-8 minutes or until the onions are translucent but not browned. Next, add ginger, garlic, pounded fennel, coriander, black peppercorns and cumin to the pot.Cook for about 30 seconds or till you start smelling the spices. Reduce heat to medium and add the turmeric & chili powder next along with chopped tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until you see oil separating on sides of the pan. About 8 minutes.

Next, add the potatoes, boiled chickpeas to the pot along with yogurt mixed with water. Check the salt (remember that chickpeas were boiled in salted water) and adjust. Also depending desired gravy consistency, adjust the water in the pot. As a thumb rule, water should be enough to cover the contents as they cook. Cover the pot and let come to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low & let cook till potatoes and chickpeas are tender. About 12-15 minutes. You will need to occasionally stir.

Just when the potatoes & chickpeas are fork tender, add the saffron dissolved in water along with chopped mint & green chilies (if using). Cover and let simmer for another 8 minutes. Remove from heat & add lemon juice. Garnish with chopped cilantro or mint leaves.Serve over couscous, rice or with bread.

Enjoy & Thanks for Stopping by!

These cookies were not meant to be the way they finally came out of the oven…I mean they were really good but when I decided to make them, I had no idea that this would turn out to be a keeper recipe & these cookies would be one of my better attempts at cookie making (a skill which throws me out of the loop most of the times)

It was like one of those rare days when unplanned things go well.It just started with P casually looking at the mixing bowl & asking “What if you dont use maida (all purpose flour) at all? “. I am still to figure out whether he was trying to pose me with a challenge, pulling my leg or this was a casual question which met with an instant reaction ” Let’s try with a small batch then..”. Since I already had mom’s recipe to build upon, I assumed a baking disaster was no where in sight, luckily there were no surprises at the end! These cookies came out cozy & melt -in the mouth kind with a crumbly texture. Highly addictive nom noms with almond meal providing the right amount of richness and chickpea flour making them dense- all in all a superlative taste which is bound to please you. And no all purpose flour..isnt it something to be excited about? In my kitchen it was..

I have baked these three times in a month & these give some good company at tea time. Loaded with ghee (clarified butter) & cardamom, these cookies have a typical nutty flavor from besan, (fine chickpea flour ) a common ingredient in indian pantry. Besan is an unusual baking ingredient but with ghee gave the cookies a dense texture which scored on our tastebuds.The aroma of cardamom in the house while baking was therapeutic, I think I ll bake these at times out of occasion just for that. Pair these yellow-hued, eggless & unleavened cookies with masala chai or a warm glass of milk and trust me these will be a crowd pleaser. These will make great sandwich cookies with any tropical flavored jam/icecream or nutella for that matter. You can wrap these up to make up little gifts for the holiday season.

A few teaspoons of sooji (semolina) enhance the crispness of the cookies, so you dont want to skip it. However, from my limited knowledge of gluten-free, I think if you substitute semolina with equivalent amount of almond meal & use GF powdered sugar, these will very well qualify as GF cookies…if someone tries that, please let me know how these came out. The recipe is really simple & needs few ingredients!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients (Makes approx 18 cookies of the size shown)

• 1/2 cup ghee, softened but not melted (substitute with unsalted butter)
• 10 tbsp powdered / confectioner’s sugar
• 3/4 cup almond meal
• 1/2 cup besan (fine chickpea flour, available in indian stores)
• 2 tbsp sooji (semolina)
• 1/4 tsp green cardamom powder
• 1/8 tsp salt

Ghee = Glee !!

Notes :-

Well the season of guest posts continues on Sinfully Spicy Welcome to another one..this time at one of my super favorite indian cuisine blogs – Indian Simmer!

Prerna from Indian Simmer is one person who never fails to fascinate me with her warmth & energy. Always full of excitement, I would say that she is one of the most cheerful lady I have met in the blogging world. They say that you need an eye for beauty, as much as I have known her, I feel that the kind of emotions & personality you carry around in life tend to reflect in everything you do – be it words, lens or recipes. Beautiful people make beautiful blogs – Indian Simmer is a testimonial of exactly that! Her lens is what personifies indian cuisine to the root  - Vibrant, colorful & mouthwatering!

I was honored when she asked me to guest post on her blog. Thank you so much, Prerna. Among many of her creative ideas, she came up with this series where she wants to feature her favorite blogs; well the thought of kick starting the series is jaw dropping for me. To make the series fun, she posed me with a little questionnaire, which I tried my best to answer.

Read my little chit chat & recipe for Paneer Jalfrezi on her blog here. You can find the printable recipe here.

Enjoy & Thanks for stopping by!

Me & Kulsum always joke & tell each other that we are long-lost sisters, sisters who have never met or knew each other before our food blogs happened. We took off around a similar time frame in the blogging world and have been in touch for almost 2 years now. Sharing an unadulterated love for all things Indian – food, spices, culture & lifestyle, whenever we communicate via twitter or mails or comments, mostly, we end up saying “oh..I was thinking the same way too” ..It’s like you read my mind & speak my heart! These are the reasons I adore blogging. You touch people & they form a beautiful part of your life.

It’s a pleasure to share my little bit on Kulsum’s blog today. Thanks for having me over. While we were discussing the recipe for the guest post, she suggested doing something south indian. I mostly cook north indian food at home but am a die-hard fan of south indian food..It was a rare opportunity to make one of the south indian specialties which both me & my husband like to cook in our home kitchen. So I m sharing a recipe of Chettinad Chicken, which I learnt way back in Chennai when my husband was studying there. Every time I cook it, we enjoy it thoroughly. Hope you like it too!

Check out my recipe on her blog here. You can find printable recipe here.

I literally wait for the summer to end to make some dishes.The wet & cold weekend (yup the temperatures dipped to 64 ),made me crave my grandmom’s tahiri which is one of my favorite things to make since the autumn sets in to the finish of winter. Not missing the little chance I got last weekend, this rice dish was our comfort meal. The best part being that this is a one pot meal, has the perfect amount of spike to it, is loaded with satiating goodness of starchy vegetables and leftovers taste all the more better! Just few minutes of preparations & you are all set for a soul satisfying meal.It really need no side dish even coz its so much flavorful on its own, just a bowl of plain yogurt or green chutney/pickle will be more than enough. If you really want to indulge, add a dollop of cold butter or ghee over the steaming bowl of rice, let it melt and find its way right to the bottom on its own & you are good to go! The best part about this dish is the bottom burnt layer of rice which is achieved by a technique called  dumpukht  (see recipe).

My best memories of eating tahiri are of Sunday lunches when we sat on charpai(cot) under the bright winter sun amid the home-grown decor of winter vegetables in my grandmother’s vegetable garden. I remember picking up fresh stalks of young garlic and onions right from the soil and eating it with tahiri. The taste of unwashed, organic stuff was unmatched.I am a survivor of such homecooked authentic Indian dishes.A mention of these winter lunches still takes me back there, of the food relished during those growing years, times spent with family amid laughter & gossip.

The trio of vegetables that go into tahiri which is a speciality dish of  state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) is standard – white potatoes, cauliflower & peas.Called by the same name, this dish is quite similar to a non vegetarian rice recipe popular in south indian states – where it is made with minced meat.These vegetables go so well with the warmth of black indian spices – cumin, black cardamom, black pepper, cloves, nutmeg & cinnamon. The spices are fresh ground into a paste and then rice & vegetable are open cooked on low heat along with the paste for long to bring about the depth of flavors. The result is a aromatic pot full of comfort- the rice is not hot but has the right amount of spice kick for soothing the senses.

Tahiri is not pilaf, its cooked low & slow by a technique called dumpukht or indirect slow heating. What differentiates it from biryani is the fact that unless you make kacchi biryani, the rice & meat/ vegetables are separately half cooked, layered & then cooked to perfection. In tahiri, rice & vegetables cook start to 95% doneness in the spicy broth and finished via dumpukht cooking.  I hope all these techniques make sense

Printable Recipe

Utensil Required : A wide mouthed, heavy bottomed pot with lid/kadhai with lid
Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 1/4 cup oil (canola/vegetable/any unflavored oil)
• 3/4 cup thinly sliced red onions
• 2 bay leaves
• 2″ cinnamon stick
• 2 black cardamom, cracked open (substitute with 5 green cardamom)
• 3/4 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
• 3/4  cup cauliflower florets
• 1 large russet potato, peeled and  cut into 1/2″ cubes
• 1 cup basmati rice
• 1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp garam masala 
• Salt to taste
• 2.5 cups water (or as required for cooking your rice variety, check package instructions)
• Chopped cilantro for garnish

• 2 tbsp whole black peppercorns 
• 4 whole dry red chillies (adjust to tolerance)
• 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp whole coriander seeds
• 4 whole cloves
• 2 ” fresh ginger shoot, peeled & crushed roughly

Method:- Pick & wash rice 2-3 times under running water. Set aside. Thaw the peas if using frozen. Tip the soaked spices above into a blender jar & churn to make a smooth mix. We dont want a too fine or too coarse textures, just ensure that the black pepper seeds are crushed properly.Transfer to a bowl & set aside.

Heat oil in the pot /kadhai on medium. Once the oil is smoking, add the sliced onions. Cook the onions till they are light brown. About 8 minutes. Next, reduce heat to low & add the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, black cardamom & the ground spice mix to the pot.

Cook the spices & paste with regular stirring till you see oil separating on sides of the pot. About 6-8 minutes. At this point, add the vegetables along with washed rice to the pot. Gently combine everything to mix well.Remove from heat & pour the water required for cooking the rice into the pot, give everything a stir,add salt to taste & let the rice soak for 15 minutes.

Once the rice has soaked, transfer the pot to medium heat. Cover the pot & bring to a boil, reduce the heat to very low, and let cook for 10-12 minutes (or the time required for your rice variety to get 95% cooked). Turn off the heat, open the lid, add the grated nutmeg  & garam masala, gently mix with a wooden spoon & leave to steam on its own over the stove for another 5-8 minutes, undisturbed.

While the rice is steaming, heat up a cast iron skillet(enough to hold the cooking pot)on high.Once the skillet is hot, reduce heat to very low, transfer the rice pot over top of the hot skillet & let the rice steam for another 10 minutes on dum (indirect slow cooking technique).We want the bottom layer of rice to crisp up & burnt (almost). 

After 10 minutes, fluff up with a fork , garnish the rice with chopped cilantro. Serve with plain yogurt/raita & salad.

Note:- Traditionally, the sides of the pot are sealed with the help of dough to ensure tight seal between the lid & pot rim, to trap the steam & aroma within the pot..you can do so if you want. 

Today I m guest posting at Ananda’s blog A Pinch of Love. I have known Ananda & her blog since my initial days of blogging.Her blog is as beautiful & inspiring as its name. You land at her page..a blushing pink theme welcomes you and soon you will swoon over her recipes & photography.Hers is one of the best indian baking blog that I have known. She puts her heart and soul when she bakes lovely cakes like this or makes desserts like this and inspires a non-baker like me when she makes her own cake decoration like this. She knows how to create moods of seasons & festivals in her posts (see here & here) and how to win you over with her words.Her blog is a treat for the eyes ! Thanks for having me over dear girl, I m honored.

When she asked me about a guest post, she did not give me any preference. She said, anything I like. How sweet is that? Having known the wonderful baker & dessert maker Ananda herself is, I did not really want to do anything sweet,which left me with perfect room to stick to my love for savory indian dishes I remembered from few initial interactions with her that she loves seafood. This shrimp recipe is one which I have been wanting to share whole of this summer, but somehow every time I made it, I missed on taking pictures. This guest post presented me with the best opportunity to cater to Ananda’s seafood love and share the recipe before summer bids us goodbye.

Lets quickly head over to Ananda’s page for the recipe.Let me know how you like it.

Enjoy & Thanks for stopping by!

I don’t know out of where, but my mom back home has suddenly developed a liking for dates for over a  year now. She’s inventing lots of date recipes since then & pushing me to try them.Me, not the most sincere daughter around and quite a lazy bum to move, present her with a fresh & smart reason every time she presses me hard. Moms will remain sweet moms…still she has made me jot down a few over the phone albeit she’s very well conversant with my lack of interest when I tried switching the topic Can you believe that I have at least 6-7 date recipes from her which I have not even read since I wrote..sad no?I hope she’s not reading this.Sorry mommy

Few weeks back, P jumped over a box of Mejdool dates at Costco, and similar to zillion of other things, a whole-sale size pack of dates joined the bandwagon of buy & forget items in our pantry. A few times, I tried reminding him, but my voice fell on deaf ears. They sat and sat and sat and stared at me until last week mom told me that she has come up with a guilt free ladoo recipe. Another one? Oh ..you must be kidding..was my first reaction! As usual, it did not ring much of a bell coz I like dates but am not crazy about them…I find the sweetness overwhelming and texture single – noted.The most I do with them is to pop few into my mouth as a snack. Then she started telling me the ingredients that made their way into her recipe and how this ladoo recipe is now a favorite amongst her school colleagues.Few minutes later, came the question I have been dreading for over a year now – Did you try any recipe, I don’t see it on blog? Blog played the culprit here coz she knows that I document most of my day today cooking here.My silence answered her disappointment.I dedicate this post to her. She’s the world’s best Mom with the bestest recipes..love you mom See I made it!

Laddu or Laddoo is a ball-shaped sweet made with flour, legumes, ghee,aromatic spices & nuts in varying amounts and is very popular in the Indian subcontinent.Each home or mithai (sweet) shop in India has its own version of recipe.It is served at festive or religious occasions to the deity and is a way of celebrating happy moments of life. Normally, ladoos are super unhealthy but really tasty with the loaded amount of ghee & sugar that goes into them.

So girls & boys, here I m with my Mom’s wonderful recipe of date & dried fig ladoos which struck a note with both of us. These ladoos are totally free of sugar & grain but full of healthy ingredients.You can use any kind of nuts you want but most of you know that walnut is the best companion of dates.I added some almonds too. Use of poppy seeds is optional but gives an amazing bite to these sweet balls coupled with sweet & warm aroma from cardamom & cinnamon. Overall, a great recipe for snacking and spreading sweetness amongst your guests.Even these ladoos struck a note with me

Printable Recipe

Ingredients (Makes 25 ladoos)

• 1.5 cup dates, pitted, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup dried figs (anjeer), coarsely chopped
• 1.5 cup raw, unsalted walnuts
• 1 cup raw, unsalted almonds
• 2 tbsp white poppy seeds (khus-khus)
• 4 tbsp ghee, melted (substitute with unsalted butter)
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
• Ghee to grease the palms

• In a small pan, on low, lightly dry toast the walnuts and almonds for 3-5  minutes or till you smell the aroma. Set aside to cool.
• In the same pan, dry toast the white poppy seeds as well for 30-40 seconds on low.
• Once the nuts have cooled, tip them on a board and using a sharp knife chop them.Chop them as fine as it is possible by hands. This can be done in a food processor too. Take care that you don’t over pulse them so that they release the oils.

• Rub some ghee on your food processor jar (this will aid in taking out the ground dates later), attach the metal blade, tip in the chopped dates & figs and pulse 10-15 times & grind.You will get a highly sticky ball. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, tip the chopped nuts, poppy seeds along with cardamom & cinnamon powder.Combine well.With greased palms, take out the ground date & fig mixture and add to the bowl. Pour the 4 tbsp melted ghee on top.
• Mix everything with hands (preferably) till it comes together. You might need to grease your palms in between. 
• Once mixed, pinch equal portions and shape into balls or ladoos.
• Store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
• Best enjoyed with a glass of warm milk.

Enjoy & Thanks for stopping by!