Author Archives: Chitra Agrawal

Tamarind Rice with Black Beans & Cotija Cheese

July 3, 2010 Chitra Agrawal

Tamarind rice, also called puliogare (pully-oh-ga-ray), is a South Indian dish usually prepared with fried peanuts. Sabra and I came up with our own version of this rice by adding black beans, roasted pablano peppers, red onion and cotija cheese. … More »

Posted in Autumn, Dinner, Events & Classes, Gluten-Free, Recipes Index, Rice, Sides, South Indian, Special Events, Spring, Summer, Vegetarian, Winter | Tagged greenpoint food market, puliogre, rice, tamarind | 5 Comments

How To Make Yogurt Two Ways

June 25, 2010 Chitra Agrawal

I grew up eating homemade yogurt – sounds spoiled, but it’s actually quite common in Indian households. My father makes the yogurt in our family most of the time. His mother, my beloved grandmother and Dadi as I call her, … More »

Posted in Autumn, Gluten-Free, How-Tos, Popular, Recipes Index, Sides, Snacks, Spring, Summer, Vegetarian, Winter, Yogurts | Tagged crockpot, dahi, homemade yogurt, how to make yogurt, masaru, slow-cooker yogurt | 18 Comments

Tandoori Tofu Curry for Ediomi

June 18, 2010 Chitra Agrawal

A couple weekends ago, my friend Ediomi asked me to prepare a dish for her birthday/fundraising event to benefit her non-profit, Converse 4 A Cure. She founded this organization to raise awareness and educate people about Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) … More »

Posted in Appetizers, Autumn, Curry, Dinner, Gluten-Free, North Indian, Recipes Index, Sides, Summer, Vegan, Vegetarian, Winter | Tagged Converse 4 A Cure, jallof rice, tandoori, tofu | 3 Comments

Indian Tea Sandwiches

June 11, 2010 Chitra Agrawal

The idea of tea time came to India from the British, but the tradition is still very much alive. I’ve always loved this time of day when visiting my grandmother. She makes it a point to serve tea and also … More »

Posted in Appetizers, Breads, Chutneys & Pickles, Favorites, Lunch, North Indian, Recipes Index, Snacks, Spring, Summer, Vegetarian | Tagged mint chutney, tea sandwich | 2 Comments

Masala Loca in the New York Times!

June 4, 2010 Chitra Agrawal

The New York Times did an article on local food markets and they mentioned Masala Loca as one of the vendors at the Greenpoint Food Market “Worth Tasting.” It was already such a great experience for me and Sabra to … More »

Posted in Press & Features | Tagged greenpoint food market, masala loca, New York Times | Comments Off

Indian Tamales

June 3, 2010 Chitra Agrawal

I first made tamales with my friends Jo and Alana. We had maybe 10 different fillings which was really great because every tamale was different – seitan, greens, cheese, avocado, plaintains, beans, etc. It’s a fun activity to do with … More »

Posted in Autumn, Chutneys & Pickles, Dinner, Gluten-Free, How-Tos, Lunch, Mains, Vegetarian, Winter | Tagged indian, makhani, mint chutney, mustard greens, tamales, tamarind | 5 Comments

Greenpoint Food Market

May 26, 2010 Chitra Agrawal

This past Saturday, Sabra and I sold Indian tacos at the Greenpoint Food Market under our new name – Masala Loca. It was my first time selling at a market and it was really exciting. We made 200 tacos and … More »