ABCD\'s of Cooking

Curried Green Lentils w/ Mushrooms & Red Bell Pepper

February 10, 2013 Chitra Agrawal

I know in my last post, I wrote about how I am making a ton of soups this winter, but I’ve also been raiding all of the dried lentils I have stored in my cupboard. For some reason, I have packets and packets of different varieties of lentils that I just never got around to making during the year. Winter is a great time to play around with these guys too, especially in New York because there is less variety in produce to select from at the farmer’s market right now. The more I cook different types of lentils, I’ve noticed that they’re all very distinct in taste and a really low maintenance food that can be made flavorful with minimal effort.

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Posted in Autumn, Curry, Dinner, Gluten-Free, Mains, North Indian, Recipes Index, Soups & Dals, Vegan, Vegetarian, Winter | Tagged curried green lentils, dal, gluten-free, green lentil dal, green lentil soup, green lentils curry, laird lentils, masoor dal, mushrooms, red bell pepper, soup, vegan, vegetarian | 1 Comment

Spiced Butternut Squash & Dill Soup

January 29, 2013 Chitra Agrawal

During the winter months, soup-making is second nature for me and a way of using many of the winter vegetables I find at the farmer’s market. I realized though that most of the really flavorful homemade Indian soups I grew up eating were actually lentil-based. Inspired by those recipes, I’ve started applying some of the same ingredients to soups I’ve been making out of winter squash, like butternut. I’ve found that cooked lentils and pureed squash actually have quite a similar texture and take on the flavors in much the same way.

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Posted in Autumn, Dinner, Gluten-Free, Lunch, Mains, Recipes Index, Soups & Dals, Vegan, Vegetarian, Winter | Tagged butternut squash, butternut squash soup, curried butternut squash soup, dill, North Indian, soup, spiced, spicy, winter, winter soup | 4 Comments

Apple Ginger Jam & How To Can

January 16, 2013 Chitra Agrawal

For the holidays, I made and canned apple ginger jam for my family, inspired by my friend Kim and a canning class we took from Marisa McClellan, cookbook author of Food in Jars (based on her blog of the same name), at the Brooklyn Kitchen. After the class (which included a copy of Food in Jars), we made a date to embark on our first canning expedition!

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Posted in Autumn, Chutneys & Pickles, Gluten-Free, How-Tos, Recipes Index, Vegan, Vegetarian, Winter | Tagged apple ginger jam, apple jam, Brooklyn Ktichen, canning, Food in Jars, how to can, how to jam, Marisa McClellan, winter jam recipe | 1 Comment

Vangi Baath Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Cauliflower

January 6, 2013 Chitra Agrawal

vangi baath roasted brussels sprouts and cauliflower

Happy New Year! I just got back from a trip to India where I was visiting family in Bangalore and Delhi. I took tons of photos of markets, street foods and some of my favorite eating haunts, which I’ll be posting in the coming weeks.

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Posted in Autumn, Dinner, Gluten-Free, Sides, South Indian, Vegan, Vegetarian, Winter | Tagged curry roasted brussels sprouts, curry roasted cauliflower, eating healthy, indian, New Year's Resolutions, roasted brussels sprouts, roasted cauliflower, vangi baath roasted vegetables, vegetables, vegetarian | 5 Comments

Indian Spiked Eggnog

December 17, 2012 Chitra Agrawal

Eggnog has always fascinated me because my parents never made or served it. In our house, the most similar drink was lassi, which is made from yogurt and sometimes flavored with fruit (mango), sugar or salt. It wasn’t until I attended my first holiday party that I had a taste of eggnog. I have to admit, I was not a fan, but over the years I have tasted some pretty good varieties.

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Posted in Drinks, Gluten-Free, Recipes Index, Vegetarian, Winter | Tagged Coquito, eggnog, holiday drinks, Indian eggnog, saffron eggnog | 2 Comments

Sweet Potato, Feta & Mizuna Greens Palya (South Indian Stir-Fry)

December 9, 2012 Chitra Agrawal

My mom’s palya recipe, which is a South Indian stir-fry dish, never gets old because I can apply it to so many different vegetables that are available around me.

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Posted in Autumn, Favorites, Gluten-Free, Lunch, Recipes Index, Sides, South Indian, Stir-Fry, Vegetarian, Winter | Tagged feta, gluten-free, indian, mizuna greens, palya, recipe, south indian recipe, sweet potato stir-fry, sweet potatoes, vegan, vegetarian | 3 Comments

Fresh Lettuce Dosa for Sandy Fundraiser

December 2, 2012 Chitra Agrawal

butter lettuce filled with South Indian potato curry and coconut chutney

My fresh lettuce dosa is a nod to Asian lettuce wraps & a healthy play on a traditional dosa, a South Indian savory crepe made from a batter of fermented rice and dal, made on a skillet and served with curried potatoes (potato palya) and coconut chutney. For this recipe, I take a butter lettuce leaf, instead of the fried crepe, and top it with the traditional curried dosa potato filling and coconut chutney. The result is super refreshing with the crunch of the butter lettuce and the warm potato filling and spicy chutney on the inside.
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