North Indian food is vibrant, aromatic and boasts of rich flavors and diverse range of dishes. From comforting dals like moong dal, spinach dal to creamy dals like Dal Makhani, breads like garlic naan to simple and vegan dishes like Aloo Gobi, Baingan Bharta there’s something for everyone. If you love paneer, then check out creamy paneer makhani and the very popular Palak Paneer.
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...
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...
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 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...
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....
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 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...
These tandoori mushrooms are first stuffed with a flavorful filling made with cream cheese, onion, peppers, cilantro chutney and then coated in a marinade with yogurt and spices and baked to perfection in the oven. The final charring of the mushrooms over direct heat gives these mushrooms that smoky flavor which takes the flavors a notch-up!
Mushrooms appetizers are some of my favorite appetizers like the mushroom tikka, avocado mushroom crostini and more! However,...
Creamy Restaurant style Paneer Butter Masala is easy to make at home. This creamy curry is made with onion, tomatoes, cashews, cream and butter (of course!). t has a mild sweet taste and pairs beautifully with garlic naan or jeera rice.
You can never have enough of paneer. Can you?
There are just so many ways to cook with it. You cook it with green peas you get matar...
This easy Lauki Kofta curry is a simple vegan dish made with lauki (bottle gourd) koftas which are dunked in a tomato-onion based curry. The koftas are traditionally deep fried, but I like air frying them. This makes a simple and comforting meal which can be served with boiled rice or any bread of choice.
One of the ways I enjoyed lauki as a child (other than lauki kheer) was when mom made Lauki Kofta. In Indian cooking, we refer to koftas as small dumplings which are deep fried and...
Simple one-pot and nutritious Vegetable Daliya made with broken wheat and veggies is my go-to meal for busy days. It’s easy to make, vegan, minimally spiced and very filling with all the veggies and fiber.
When I was a kid, I wasn’t very fond of daliya aka broken wheat (it is also known as cracked wheat). My mom always made daliya for breakfast and it was made in 2 days in my house- meetha daliya (sweet daliya) and namkeen daliya (savory daliya). The sweet version...
This quick and easy Mint Chutney is easy to make at home and makes a great dip for a variety of Indian snacks like samosa, pakora etc. It’s also great as a spread for sandwiches, wraps. You only need 15 minutes to make this chutney which is also vegan!
I have often talked about how important chutneys are in Indian cuisine. I grew up with having some sort of chutney on our lunch table everyday. The kind of chutney that was there on our table varied from season to season. There was raw...
