Indian As Apple Pie

YOU KNOW HOW TO MAKE DAL. BUT, DO YOU KNOW HOW TO EAT IT? And, no smarty pants. I do not mean with a spoon. Making Indian food is one thing. Knowing how to piece it together into a delicious multi-layered masterpiece is another. Just look at that mouth-watering photo above. My website and recipes are here to help. First, though, let me address split and skinned moong dal or duhli moong. Whenever you see the word duhli on packaging, it indicates a legume is 'washed' - no skin and usually split. Duhli moong, or yellow moong, comes from the whole green moong bean....

Minnesota .... Thank you for having me back! I am humbled.  This time, I'll be demoing my favorite Veggie burger at one of my favorite spots -- Eastside Food Co-op. They are one of the first places here to put my special spice blends on their shelf - and because of that, I'm committed to coming up here from Chicago to give them some spicy love back.  This week, I'm showcasing one of my favorite legumes - Black Chickpeas - or Kala Chana.  It's one of the four legumes we offer through Indian As Apple Pie because you cannot usually...

I'M FEELING FEVERISH .... No, it's not because of the chilly Chicago weather. I always get like this when I'm writing a cookbook. Why my entire family collectively groaned when I told them I'm updating my first book, The Indian Slow Cooker, for release this fall. All of you, however, should be smiling. Why? Because I will be sharing some recipes right here on my website. Some are new. Some are improvements on the old. All are ones you'll want to try.  This week's recipe is Rasam. I originally showcased a recipe for it on page 90 of my second book, Vegan...

  Veggie burgers at home? Way too much work, right? Absolutely wrong. So utterly simple you'll kick yourself for not trying this sooner. I make mine from cooked chickpeas and help them bind with besan, or chickpea flour. This easily makes them vegan, gluten free, and super high in protein and fiber.  Chickpea-Quinoa Masala SlidersYield: about 27 patties (2 1/2 inches in diameter, 1/4 inch thick) 4 cups cooked chickpeas*2 cups cooked quinoa, preferably red2 cups grated uncooked sweet potato1/3 cup grated raw carrot1 cup grated white cabbage1 medium yellow or red onion, finely diced1 (2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and...

Our #spiceoftheweek is #chaatmasala, and as I racked my brain to come up with more uses of our most amazing spice blend, these peppers came to mind. They are at one easy to prep - look beautiful on a plate, and are absolutely addictive. Here, I have used long peppers, which are all over markets at the moment. They are generally sweet, but if you don't mind extra heat, try this in a spicier pepper. Just make sure you tell your guests which is which!  Slice your peppers lengthwise (I used about a dozen) and clean out the inside carefully...

'Why should the omnivores have all the fun?' I thought as I tested the latest recipe for my upcoming third book. I was recreating my aunt's famous lamb kabobs - which are quite a sensation in her London suburb. There is just something oddly satisfying about them from the way the onions melt with the fenugreek leaves, ginger, and spices against the lamb backdrop. At least that's what my meat-eating husband tells me. I have a tough time when he has a craving for lamb kabobs - because I just can't get my vegetarian self to eat them. And that's...

It’s a well known fact that I’m a single mother of two little girls during the week. My husband has traveled for our entire 13 years of marriage – often leaving on a Monday and returning on a Thursday, Friday, and even Saturday morning at times. When he returns, I hear the predictable, “What’s for dinner?” This question is often met with a simple, one-word answer: ‘Dal’. Despite the fancy dinners my husband gets to enjoy when on the road consulting and schmoozing clients – the only thing he truly craves is a deep, steaming bowl of freshly-made dal (also...

Lentils are the heart of Indian cuisine. Regardless of where in India you live, or what kind of household income you have, there’s one thing you have in common: lentils – tiny little dried seeds that grow in a pod and pack a nutritious punch. In North India, they are prepped with earthy cumin seeds and cilantro, while in the South their flavors are heightened with slightly bitter mustard seeds and curry leaves. Regardless, when you get a bowl of lentils in your day you know you are also getting a plant-based protein that’s not only delicious but clean and...

It took me years to realize -- I'm just not that kind of mom. The seemingly cool mom who manages to whip up pancakes at my kids' whim. The one who has a special pancake flavor for every special occasion, and an even more special one stacked to the sky for that first day of school. Many of my friends ARE that mom. Not me. For one, we rarely had pancakes growing up that were not burned or over cooked (sorry, mom). Two, most of the breakfasts enjoyed in a North Indian household are savory not sweet. And, three, I...

The wait is finally over! My second book, Vegan Indian Cooking: 140 Simple and Healthy Vegan Recipes, can now be purchased through Amazon, and already on pre orders alone, it has been ranked in the top 10 Indian cookbooks. Pretty crazy, when the official release date is still not until early July. I want all of you to know how much I appreciate all of the support and the early sales. All of you - whether you buy one book or a dozen - mean so much to me and the success of my book, business, and mission. To best...