Recipes by Cuisine Archives

Schezwan Paneer

paneer cubes tossed in sauce garnished with green onions

June 1, 2023

Schezwan paneer is an Indo-Chinese dish where crispy paneer is tossed in a sauce made with schewzan chutney/sauce. It’s tangy, spicy with a hint of sweetness. Serve it as an appetizer or with hakka noodles or fried rice for a complete meal.

Paneer based Indo-Chinese dishes are very popular. If you are a vegetarian, they are your go to when eating out Indo-Chinese. While Chilli Paneer is the most popular, another crowd favorite is the Schezwan paneer.

This dish uses schezwan sauce/chutney for that depth of flavor in the sauce. Schezwan sauce is a condiment made with Kashmiri red chili chilies and the sauce is spicy, tangy and sweet. In the past I have shared recipes using my homemade schezwan sauce like Schezwan Noodles and Schezwan Paneer Momos.

For this recipe paneer is coated in cornstarch slurry first and then deep fried to make it crispy. It’s then tossed in a flavorful sauce along with onions, bell peppers. I have also included directions to air fry the paneer in case you don’t want to deep fry and are looking for a healthier version of this dish.

Ingredients Paneer (Indian cottage cheese): for this recipe, I have used store-bought paneer. Since the paneer that we get here isn’t as nice as the paneer we get in India, I always recommend soaking it in warm water for 20 minutes and then using it...

Upma Recipe (How to Make Upma)

bowl of upma with glass of chai on one side, blue color kitchen towel on another side and curry leaves in the background

May 5, 2023

One of the most common Indian breakfast, Rava Upma or simply Upma is a savory porridge made with semolina and veggies. It makes a filling and satisfying meal, especially with a side of chai or filter coffee! This is one of my go to breakfast recipes, you can easily make it vegan by skipping the ghee at the end.

Breakfast blues! I am sure I am not the only one who faces it. On most working days, my breakfast is a simple avocado toast or my favorite banana oatmeal. They are...

Chole Recipe (Punjabi Chole Masala)

chole served in a copper kadai and garnished with cilantro

April 24, 2023

Punjabi Chole Masala is one of the most popular vegetarian curry dishes in India. It is a chickpea curry cooked with onions, tomatoes and lots of spices. Chole is one of those core curries in northern India without which no party or wedding festivities is complete. I remember whenever we would call someone over for lunch or dinner, mom would almost always make chole (or rajma or dal makhani).

Chole is often enjoyed with bhatura (a deep fried bread). Chole bhature and chole chawal aka chole...

Easy Aloo Palak

March 23, 2023

Aloo Palak (Spinach & Potato Curry) is one of the most popular Indian dishes where spinach and potatoes are cooked together with spices. Naturally vegetarian and vegan, my easy homemade version of aloo palak uses minimal spices which makes it so comforting. Tastes best with flatbread like roti or paratha!

Potatoes are added to a lot of Indian curries and gravies. I think we have this habit of adding potatoes to anything and...

Moong Dal Recipe (Moong Dal Tadka)

moong dal tadka in a copper kadai with a garnish of cilantro and cumin

March 20, 2023

This simple and comforting Moong Dal is one of the simplest Indian dals made with split petite yellow lentils. This wholesome dal has a tadka (tempering) of cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and curry leaves making it flavorful. This dal is vegan, easy to digest and light on your stomach and pairs well with rice, roti or any grain of your choice. You can make this moong dal recipe in 30 minutes using a traditional pressure cooker or Instant Pot.

Of all the dals that I grew up eating at home on a regular basis like...

Namak Para Recipe

namak para served in a bronze plate with glass of chai on the side

March 14, 2023

Namak Para is crispy fried savory Indian snack made with flour, spices and ghee (or oil). These are best enjoyed with a cup of masala chai. My mom would often make a batch of these crunchy namak para during festivals like Holi & Diwali. But if you ask me. you don’t need an occasion to munch on them. They are highly addictive! They are traditionally deep fried but you can also air fry or bake them for a healthier option.

When mom used to prepare for Indian festivals back home, I used to...

Paan Gujiya

March 2, 2023

These Paan Gujiya are stuffed with a paan flavored filling made with mawa, real paan leaves, paan masala gulkand, fennel seeds, coconut powder and more! This is a fun take on the traditional Mawa Gujiya, the paan filling makes them really refreshing. These sweet gujiyas are a perfect treat for festivals like Holi, Diwali.

All my memories of holi start with me making gujiya with mom. It’s such a core memory that I can’t think of anything else when it comes to Holi....

Thandai Cake Jars

cake jars layered with cake, whipped cream with flowers placed in the background

February 27, 2023

These Thandai Cake Jars have layers of eggless thandai cake, drizzled with thandai and topped with a thandai flavored whipped cream and crushed pistachios. It makes an indulgent dessert for Holi/Diwali or any other festivities.

Individual desserts which are pretty to look at and delicious to eat are my favorite to serve at festive parties. Whether it’s my Rasmalai Cake Jars, or Badam Halwa Jars, they are guaranteed to be a crowd...

Paneer Bhurji

February 16, 2023

Paneer Bhurji is a popular Indian dish which has scrambled paneer (Indian cottage cheese) cooked with onion, tomatoes and spices! This easy and quick recipe gets done in less than 30 minutes and is great for breakfast or lunch. Paneer bhurji goes well with flat breads like roti and paratha or is great on toast as well.

Paneer is an integral part of Indian cuisine and we cook it in so many ways with palak paneer, matar paneer and paneer butter masala being the most popular....

Homestyle Punjabi Rajma

February 9, 2023

This is my mother-in-law’s simple homemade Punjabi rajma recipe. It has no frills, no special ingredients yet it makes the most comforting bowl of rajma. The kidney beans are pressure cooked and then an onion-tomato masala is added to them and they are cooked again until the masala and the rajma are very well combined with each other.

Like they say a good punjabi rajma should be “rassa hua” meaning the spices, masala, rajma should be intermixed so well with each other and the rajma...

Mixed Veg Recipe

mixed vegetables cooked with spices and served in a brass bowl with spoon placed on the side

January 29, 2023

Mixed Veg is something that I often make when hosting dinner at home because it is one sabzi which everyone likes. Made with lots of veggies like cauliflower, beans, carrots this restaurant style mixed recipe is wonderfully spiced and pairs beautifully with homemade naan or tandoori roti.

It was not often that we ate outside when I was a kid growing up in India. Dining out was reserved for special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries. And even when we...

Instant Pot Masala Macaroni (Indian style Macaroni)

masala macaroni served in a bowl and garnished with cilantro

January 25, 2023

This one-pot Masala Macaroni has macaroni flavored with Indian spices. It’s spicy, packed with flavors, made in the Instant Pot and makes a great, easy meal for busy days. This was something that I would take in my lunch boxes during my high school years.

Back then, pasta had recently become popular in India and so we would demand pasta in our lunch boxes. My house help in India would make this masala macaroni aka Indian style Macaroni. Sometimes he would pack the masala macaroni as such in our...