Recipes by Ingredient 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...

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...

Quinoa Upma (Instant Pot & Stovetop)

Quinoa upma served in a plate topped with curry leaves, lemon wedge and a copper spoon placed on the side

March 28, 2023

This one-pot Quinoa Upma is a simple vegan, wholesome meal that packs more protein than the traditional Rava Upma. It makes a filling breakfast or lunch and can be enjoyed as such or with a side of cilantro coconut chutney or peanut chutney. You can make it either in the Instant pot or stove top.

I grew up eating a lot of lentils and beans and they are an integral part of my everyday diet. Quinoa wasn’t something I grew up eating but over the years it has become a part of my diet and I like...

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...

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...

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...

Paneer Eggplant Roll-Ups

paneer eggplant rolls garnished with fresh basil

November 15, 2022

These Paneer Eggplant Roll Ups are stuffed with a paneer and spinach filling and topped with a spiced tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. This gluten-free recipe is perfect for entertaining during the holidays!

Colder days call for comforting dishes and when you think of comforting food, pasta definitely makes it to the top of that list. Isn’t it? The tomato sauce, pasta and all that cheesy goodness screams comfort.

These eggplant...

Roasted Whole Cauliflower Tikka

November 13, 2022

Are you not sure what to serve your vegetarian guests in place of turkey on the Thanksgiving table? Try this Roasted Cauliflower Tikka. Whole cauliflower marinated with aromatic spices then baked in the oven and served with a tomato based creamy sauce! This will surely impress your vegetarian guests!

I love adding Indian inspired dishes to out Thanksgiving table like the masala smashed potatoes, tandoori mushrooms, apple chutney and more. However these are all sides and vegetarians...

Paneer Tikka Corn Chaat

paneer and corn tossed with onion, tomatoes served in a glass and garnished with cilantro

September 28, 2022

This Paneer Tikka Corn Chaat makes a flavorful vegetarian appetizer which is great to serve at Holiday parties and festive get-togethers. Marinated paneer cubes are cooked until golden (just like the paneer tikka recipe) and then tossed with corn, onion, tomatoes and a bunch of spices in this appetizing chaat. You can serve it in bowls or in small glasses like I did!

I always find that the main course is easy to plan when deciding on a menu for a Diwali party, or any Holiday party. It...

Tawa Pulao

rice with vegetables like potato, pepper garnished with cilantro served in a paper plate

September 14, 2022

Spicy and full of veggies, Tawa Pulao is a popular street food from the city of Mumbai in India. It has rice cooked with vegetables, butter, pav bhaji masala and garnished with cilantro and fresh lemon juice. The addition of a chili-garlic paste made with Kashmiri red chilies gives it that bright color and also adds to flavor.

I have been to Mumbai a few times in my life and every time I go there, I feel like I am always eating. From vada pav, to pav...