There are some recipes I want to get out to you guys and with all the rainy weather here recently, this pyaaz ki kachori seemed the most comforting to share right now.

Video here! I hope I didn’t bore you with the technical bit in the middle. I’m always really curious to learn about the ‘why’ behind the techniques we use in South Asian cuisine since the science behind them is rarely ever explained — especially in pastry. So I tried to bridge that gap just a bit without getting too textbook!

Tip: best to make the filling before the dough so it’s ready to go and has time to cool!

Pyaaz Ki Kachori

Yields: 8 kachoris

Sprouted Lentils

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole green mung beans (will yield about 3-4 cups of sprouts)

Instructions:

1. Wash the lentils thoroughly and soak in a large bowl of water any amount of your legumes that you want to sprout (as mentioned green mung beans are a great one to start with) the night before or at least 8 hours. They will swell and increase in size while soaking.

   1. Tip: choose a large bowl where the sieve has some room and isn’t touching the bottom of the bowl.

2. After soaking, discard the water, rinse again, and then transfer them from the bowl into the sieve. Place the sieve on top of the bowl (no water inside the bowl now) and cover with a damp cloth. Keep in warm spot but away from direct sunlight.

3. Twice a day, morning and night, empty any water that dripped into the bowl, bring the sieve with lentils under running water to rinse them for a few seconds, back into the bowl, and get your cloth damp again before covering them.

4. You’ll see tiny white tails form around day 2. By day 4 you’ll have pretty incredible long sprouts and you can “harvest” them — cook them, store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze them for up to 3 months!

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[RECIPE] Herby Sprouted Lentils Pasta Salad

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 1 cup orecchiette or pasta of your choosing

• 1 cup sprouts

• 1/2 cup snap peas, fibrous strings pulled off and then thinly sliced on a bias

• 1 cup asparagus, tough woody ends snapped off and then cut into thirds

• 1/4 cup roasted red peppers, roughly chopped

• 1 red chili pepper, thinly sliced

• 1/3 fresh mozzarella ball

• Herby Dressing:

  • 1 garlic clove

  • 1 cup packed basil

  • 1/2 cup packed parsley

  • 8-10 pieces of sundried tomatoes and a tablespoon of their oil

  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon, or to taste

  • Salt and pepper to taste

  • 1-2 tbsp EVOO for emulsion - see instructions

Instructions:

1. Make your dressing by combining everything except the EVOO in a small food processor. While grinding, pour in your EVOO to emulsify further (if you have a cuisinart mini food processor, the lid on top has holes so it steadily streams down your liquid). Taste and adjust for salt or lemon. Set aside.

2. Blanch the asparagus and sprouts next - blanched or gently cooked sprouts are even easier on the stomach than raw. Get a small pot of boiling water going, salt heavily, and prepare an ice bath in a large bowl.

3. First blanch the asparagus, dunk everything except the cut tips as they cook faster into the boiling water. Cook for 3 minutes and then add the tips and cook for another minute. Using a large slotted spoon or spider, immediately plunge them to the ice bath and leave them for a couple minutes before transferring them into your serving bowl.

4. To blanch the sprouts, make sure the water is boiling again, dunk and cook for 1 minute, and then immediately plunge into the ice bath, leaving them for a couple minutes before transferring into your serving bowl.

5. Bring the same pot of water to a boil again, and this time cook your pasta as instructed on the box. Drain and add to your bowl.

6. Add the rest of the ingredients: sliced snap peas, roasted red peppers, and red chili pepper. Give the dressing a quick shake or blitz to emulsify again, and mix into the pasta salad.

7. Tear some fresh mozzarella to add on top, drizzle some EVOO, and a pinch of flaky salt.

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Nimona with Crispy Roast Potatoes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh english peas (you want the freshest, ripest, sweetest peas to get the best flavor since its the bulk of this dish)

  • 1.5 cup coarsely grinded in a small food processor

  • 0.5 cup left whole

• 1/4 cup green chutney (you can use my homemade recipe or quickly throw one together quickly in the food processor with: 2 garlic cloves, 1inch ginger, 1 tomato, 1-2 green chili, 3/4 bunch cilantro, squeeze of lemon, pinch of salt, and a tiny splash of water)

• Mustard oil

• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds

• Big pinch of hing (asafoetida)

• 1/2 tsp coriander powder

• 1 tsp amchur (green mango powder) or sub with extra lemon juice

• Salt to taste (layer in salt as you go, you’ll need more than you think)

• 1 lime (mine wasn’t juicy, perhaps you’ll need half — taste and adjust)

• Water as needed for desired consistency (start with 3/4 cup and then after its simmered for a bit, add more if you want it more like a traditional stew)

• Roast Potatoes

  • 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size pieces

  • 1 tbsp kosher salt

  • 1/4 tsp baking soda

  • 1/4 cup ghee

  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Roast Potatoes

1. Get started on the potatoes first: preheat your oven to 400F with convection and add in your baking sheet so it heats up as well. In a medium sized pot, add in the cut potatoes to cold water with salt and baking soda.

2. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and cook until a knife can go through with just a little bit of resistance (for small bite sized pieces like mine it took about 10-12 min).

3. Drain into a sieve, season with salt and pepper, and shake them around a bit so that you can get more texture for crispier potatoes.

4. To your hot pan, add the ghee which will melt instantly, and then layer in the potatoes and gently combine so they are all coated in ghee.

5. Roast for 15 min then flip them with a spatula and roast for another 15 - repeat and keep turning / shaking a few times until they are fully golden and crispy (total roast time around 45 min)

Nimona

1. To a kadai or pan, add a generous amount of mustard oil to medium heat and let it heat up until you see a slight smoke coming up. Then lower the heat or remove from the heat for just a bit to let it cool down. This helps lower the pungency of raw mustard oil.

2. Bring it back on low heat, and add cumin seeds, once they are sizzling, add in hing, stir for a few seconds, then add the green chutney/paste, and cook for a few minutes on low-med heat.

3. Add the mashed peas, coriander powder, and a pinch of salt, and “roast” it on low-med heat for 10 minutes until you see the color gradually getting duller and darker. This is where that classic nimona flavor develops so you don’t want to rush it / skip it and you do have to sacrifice the vibrant green color for it :(

4. Add in water, the whole peas, another pinch of kosher salt, amchur/mango powder, stir, and let it simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasionally

5. Add in the juice of 1 small lime, add more water if needed to adjust consistency, and add more salt if needed after tasting. You’ll want to top with your roast potatoes last when serving so they stay crispy!

6. Serve with rice as traditionally eaten, or would be great with most breads too.

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The kashk that had me running to Atlantic Ave to find a boxed version, was from Sofreh - a truly incredible Persian restaurant. Below you’ll find my recipe for it that I adapted with the, surprisingly, very few recipes I found online. But I honestly wasn’t very precise with the ratio and it still came out great!

Eggplant Bhaja with Kashk

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 1 eggplant

• 1 tsp turmeric

• 1/2 tsp kashmiri red chili powder

• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

• Salt to taste

• Mustard oil

• 1/2 tsp panch phoron or bengali five spice (fennel, fenugreek, mustard, cumin, and nigella)

• 1/2 heaping cup greek yogurt

• 1 tsp fried shallots

• Handful dill to garnish

• Kashk:

  • 16oz greek yogurt (left out in room temp for 1-2 days)

  • 12oz water

  • Cheesecloth

  • Salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Cut the eggplant into thick discs, generously salt both sides, and set aside for 10 minutes.

2. In the meantime, combine in a small bowl the turmeric, red chili powder, black pepper, and salt. Also heat up a cast iron pan on low-med heat.

3. Your eggplant will now be releasing a lot of water — pat it dry on both sides before rubbing on your spice mix.

4. To your hot pan, add a generous amount of mustard oil - if it starts smoking your pan is too hot, take it off the heat and let it cool for just a minute. Add your panch phoron and coat in the oil for 30 seconds then add in your eggplant.

5. Cook for a few minutes they get are golden and brown and then flip to cook the other side. Have the heat on medium so they don’t brown too quickly before they can cook all the way through.

6. In your serving plate, spoon in the greek yogurt, and add the eggplant. Now with the pan’s residual heat, add a pinch of red chili powder for a minute to add some color to the infused mustard oil before spooning it on top of the eggplant and yogurt.

7. Drizzle with kashk. Top with dill and crispy fried shallots (storebought or homemade - my homemade instructions: combine thinly sliced shallots and a high smoke point oil in a small pot (enough oil to cover them), place on medium heat, and cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, just until they are golden in color. Immediately strain into a heat proof bowl, and then lay them on a paper towel to absorb excess oil and crisp up. Store in an airtight container at room temp. Save the shallot-infused oil!!)

Kashk:

1. Add yogurt and water to a small pot and turn the heat to medium high.

2. Stirring occasionally until it comes to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain a simmer. Keep simmering for about 1 hour or so (if you want to make a smaller quantity, half the recipe and simmer for 30 min), until it looks like dried up oatmeal. Every now and then give it a good stir so nothing sticks.

3. Put a strainer and cheesecloth on top of a bowl, and drain any remaining liquid out. When its not too hot to touch, squeeze out as much more liquid as you can. Hang to let it dry even further for at least an hour.

4. Now you can scoop this into ice cube trays and freeze to preserve the dried form. Or blend with a couple splashes of water and big pinch of salt until you get a consistency you like. You can also freeze this form or store in the fridge and use within 5 days.

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[RECIPE] Moong Dal Cheela

Serves: 2 (makes 4 cheelas)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup moong dal (split yellow mung beans), washed and soaked (you can do it the night before if you want to have it ready in the morning or 20 min is fine too)

• 1/4 cup water (+/- depending on your preference for how thick or thin)

• Optional: 1 small cooked beet

• Tiny knob of ginger, roughly chopped so that it’s easier to blend

• Salt to taste

• 1/4 tsp crushed black pepper

• 1/4 tsp roasted cumin powder

• 1/4 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)

• 1/4 red onion, diced

• 2 green chilies (+/- for heat preference), chopped

• 1 tomato, diced

• 1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped

• To serve: greek yogurt, green chutney, ketchup, hot sauce!

Instructions:

1. Add your washed and soaked lentils to a blender with water, ginger, ground spices (salt, pepper, roasted cumin powder) and if using, the cooked beet or spinach, etc. If you’d like to add other vegetables like broccoli, bell peppers, carrots, etc then do it in step 3!

2. Add the rest of your ingredients and give it a mix. Do a quick taste for salt!

3. Heat up some olive oil and then pour in your batter in the middle and gently spread it to your desired thickness. If you’re making a thick cheela or have a lot of other toppings/vegetables, then leave it on med heat and cover with lid to let it fully cook through.

4. When crispy on the bottom, flip to cook the other side. Again, cover if needed to cook all the way through for thicker cheelas.

5. Serve with lots of seasoned greek yogurt or a coriander/mint spicy chutney!

As promised below is my mom’s chole bhature recipe split into the chole (chana masala) first and then the bhature (crispy spongy deep-fried bread). It is the stovetop pressure cooker version, but you can use canned chickpeas and skip the pressure cooking process all together.

[RECIPE] Chole (Chana Masala)

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups raw chickpeas, soaked overnight

• Whole spices wrapped in some cheesecloth:

  • 1 star anise

  • 1 mace

  • 3 black cardamom

  • 1/4 cinammon stick

  • 6-7 cloves

  • 1 tsp peppercorns

• 2 tej patta (indian bay leaves)

• 1 tsp turmeric

• 1 tsp cumin seeds

• 2 dried red chilies

• 1/8 tsp hing / asafoetida

• 1 red onion, finely chopped

• 4 tomatoes, pureed or finely chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 inch ginger, grated

• 3-4 green chilies, finely chopped

• 1/4 tsp turmeric

• 1 tsp garam masala

• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper

• 1/4 tsp amchur (mango powder) or anardana (pomegranate powder)

• Salt to taste

• Lemon juice to taste

• 1 small bunch cilantro, finely chopped

Instructions:

1. Pressure cook your chickpeas if using dried / raw along with the whole spices, the bay leaves, and the turmeric. Add water - double the amount of chickpeas used or just enough to cover them. If using canned chickpeas, you can skip this step and start step 2 by adding whole spices if you’d like!

2. Heat up some oil and add cumin seeds and dried red chilies. Follow with ginger, green chilies, garlic, saute for a minute, and then add the onions. Cook for a few minutes until onions are a bit translucent.

3. Add the four ground spices and salt. Cook for another few minutes and then add in your pureed tomatoes. Mix and let it come to a simmer. If using canned chickpeas, you can add a cup or two of water at this point. Let it very gently simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes.

4. Mix in your chickpeas, add chopped cilantro, some lemon juice to taste, and serve with bhature or rice!

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[RECIPE] Bhature

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

• 2 cups AP flour

• 1/2 cup fine semolina

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp baking soda

• Pinch of salt

• 1/2 cup full fat greek yogurt

• Water as needed

Instructions:

1. Mix together the flour, semolina, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Add in the greek yogurt and mix with your hands until you have a shaggy dough.

2. Start gradually adding water and mixing more - a lot of it will be intuition as the amount of water you’ll need each time you make this will differ. But you want to stop adding water when you see that when you’re kneading its binding together.

3. Knead very well for a few minutes, and then sprinkle some olive oil on top and cover to let it rest for 15 minutes.

4. Uncover and knead for a few minutes again. We’re looking for a very soft pliable dough that’s stretchy.

5. In a large pot heat up your oil on med heat to frying temp.

6. Divide the dough into equal balls and roll them smooth. Begin rolling them flat into a long oval shape.

7. Test if your oil is at the right temp by dropping a small ball of dough in. It should slowly rise up.

8. Begin frying the bhature, making sure to carefully lower into the oil, and then as soon as it starts coming up, gently pressing it down in the middle so it puffs up. Flip and cook the other side until just golden. Remove onto a wire rack or plate with paper towels and enjoy!

I’ll also add below my instapot khichdi recipe that I shared a long time back. If you’d like a stovetop / non-instapot version, let me know!

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[RECIPE] GUJARATI KADHI

Serves: 4 (~40oz)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups greek yogurt

• 1/3 cup besan (gram flour but chickpea flour is a perfect 1:1 sub)

• 2-3 green chilies, finely chopped

• 1 inch ginger, grated

• Handful of chopped green garlic or garlic chives (indian grocery store will have frozen chopped green garlic and HMart has fresh garlic chives that are a good sub)

• Handful of chopped cilantro

• Salt to taste

• 5 cups water

• Ghee as needed

• 1 tsp mustard seeds

• 1 tsp cumin seeds

• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

• 1 large cinnamon stick

• 1/8 tsp asafoetida (hing)

• 1 sprig curry leaves

• 2 dried red chilies

• 2 tbsp jaggery (+/- according to taste, and if using sugar I’d start with 1 tbsp)

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, whisk together yogurt, besan, and salt. Add water and whisk again.

2. In a pot on medium heat, add ghee and once hot, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and cinnamon. Once they start spluttering / sizzling, add fenugreek seeds, and asafoetida (hing). Tip: you can also add the curry leaves and dried red chilies in at this point and skip the end tadka for a quicker process!

3. Add the green garlic, chilies and ginger, saute for a quick minute and then add in your yogurt mixture while continuously stirring. Keep the heat on medium or med-high as if it is too high you’ll risk the yogurt splitting. Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat to maintain a simmer for the next 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add jaggery or sugar, and another big pinch of salt. Taste and adjust as needed.

5. Taste and see if the besan is cooked or tastes “raw”. If it does, cook for 5 more minutes. Add in cilantro leaves and turn off heat.

6. In a tadka spoon or small pan, heat up some ghee and add curry leaves and dried red chilies. Let them splutter and cook for 3-4 minutes and then add to the kadhi on top.

7. Serve with plain basmati rice or khichdi!

8. To make in advance: mix yogurt, besan, green garlic, green chilies, ginger, salt, cilantro, and water. Store in the fridge for 3-4 days.

   1. Heat up your desired amount on med-high heat - don’t crank up the heat right away, let it slowly come to a boil, then lower to a simmer for 10 minutes. Add jaggery/sugar.

   2. Make tadka by following step #2 above and add to the kadhi.

[RECIPE] KHICHDI (in InstaPot)

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of Khichdi Lentils Blend, rinsed well

  • 1 cup split green moong

  • 1 cup arhar / toor (yellow pigeon peas)

  • 1/2 cup split masoor (red lentils)

  • 1/2 cup split yellow moong

  • 1/2 cup split white urad

• 1/2 cup basmati rice, rinsed well

• 4.5 cups water

• 1 small red onion, finely diced

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 inch ginger, grated

• 2-3 green chilies, finely chopped

• 2 medium tomatoes, diced

• 1 cup frozen peas

• 2 small potatoes, quartered

• Handful fresh or frozen fenugreek leaves (optional)

• 2-3 tbsp ghee

• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds

• Pinch of asafoetida (hing)

• 1/4 tsp turmeric

• 1/2 tsp red chili powder

• Salt to taste

• Juice of 1 small lemon

• Cilantro to garnish, chopped

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, rinse lentils and rice together until water runs clear. Add 4.5 cups fresh water and let them soak while you start prepping.

2. Turn your InstaPot on the saute setting, get your ghee hot, and add cumin seeds. Once sizzling, add onions and cook until translucent. Add garlic, green chilies, ginger, and cook for another couple minutes. Add asafoetida, turmeric, red chili powder, salt, and tomatoes. Cook for 3-4 minutes until tomatoes have softened.

3. Add peas, potatoes, fenugreek leaves, or any other vegetables you’d like. Add the lentils, rice, and water mix in the bowl.

4. Set to pressure cook: high pressure, natural release, 7 minutes. If you’re using only one type of lentil like red masoor, then you can do 4-5 minutes.

5. After it’s done pressure cooking, wait 10 minutes, and then manually release the remaining pressure (I just use a chopstick and press down on the button).

6. Add lemon juice, cilantro, mix well and adjust for salt as needed. Top with an extra spoon of ghee.

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[RECIPE] Kimchi Kale Pakora (video)

Makes: ~12 pakore

Ingredients:

• 80g curly kale, dried well and roughly chopped

• 200g kimchi with juice, roughly chopped after squeezing and saving the juice

• 3/4 cup besan aka gram flour (chickpea flour can be used as a 1:1 substitute)

• 4 tbsp cornstarch

• Optional: 1/4 tsp ajwain (carom seeds), crushed in the palm of your hands

• Chaat masala (I’ll add my recipe below if you want to make it from scratch, and if not I like the MDH brand one)

• Frying oil

• To serve: 1 cup greek yogurt mixed with 1/4 cup tamarind date chutney, or any sweet tangy chutney of your choice

Instructions:

• In a large bowl, whisk together the besan, cornstarch, and ajwain. Set aside

• Roughly chop your kale and add to the bowl. Then squeeze out all the juice from the kimchi in a separate small bowl, roughly chop into small pieces, and add to the large bowl with the kale.

• Using your hands, coat everything together very well and let it sit for 10 minutes so more moisture can be released before you add additional. In the meantime, add about 2-3 inches of frying oil to a pot and place on medium heat for it to reach 350 F. Also set up your station: wire rack on baking sheet (or paper towels lined on a large plate), a spider strainer, and the chaat masala.

• To the bowl, start adding the kimchi juice as you mix and coat everything together. The tricky thing with pakora is that recipes don’t work very well as the batter will be different each time so you have to trust your intuition. You may need less kimchi juice or more, but I like to stop as soon as I have enough of a coating where its binding together but not too tightly.

• Test your frying oil temp by carefully dropping in a small amount of the pakora batter. If it doesn’t float up after a few seconds, its not hot enough. Either using your hands or two spoons, grab some pakora batter and place into the oil and fry for a few minutes until golden. Don’t overcrowd the pot as you don’t want your frying temperature to get too low that they become oily / soggy. Work in batches and always keep an eye on your temp.

• After every pakora that comes out, hit them with a sprinkle of chaat masala right away!

• Serve with chutney, masala chai, and to reheat them if freezing ahead of time: place in a convection oven or air fryer at 350 F for 10 min or until heated all the way through! Enjoy on a rainy or snowy day :)

Bonus Chaat Masala Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp cumin seeds

• 1 tbsp coriander seeds

• 1/2 tbsp ajwain (carom seeds)

• 1/2 tbsp black peppercorns

• 2-3 tbsp amchur (dried mango powder)

• 1 tbsp dried mint

• 1/2 tbsp black salt

• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 1/4 tsp ginger powder

• 1/8 tsp hing (asafoetida)

Instructions:

• Toast the first four whole spice one by one for a few minutes - be careful not to burn them! Transfer to a bowl to cool.

• To a spice or coffee grinder, add the toasted whole spices along with the rest of the ground spices, and pulse until you have a fine powder.

• Taste and adjust for salt. If you want it more tangy add more dried mango powder, if you want it to have more of a kick, add 1/2 tsp kashmiri red chili powder.

The dish that gets me through winter week after week: sarson ka saag (mustard greens saag). It’s a punjabi staple, but anyone who knows saag knows it’s the best saag. It’s almost a little suspicious how something so nutritionally dense could taste so good. It’s typically made in a pressure cooker / instant pot, but because I want you to make this often and get your fibrous dark leafy greens in, the recipe is developed for stovetop cooking. I don’t think this saag is the same when it’s not paired with corn roti (makki ki roti) so if you absolutely don’t want to make it at home, check the refrigerated section of your local indian grocery store like Patel Bros. And it tastes even better the next day when the greens have time to sit and marinate in the flavors, so make this ahead of time! Video here.

[RECIPE] Mustard Greens, Spinach, & Kale Saag

Makes: 3-4 servings (~32oz)

Ingredients:

• Saag (Sarson ka Saag):

  • 1 bunch mustard greens (this will be around 400-500g) - stems and leaves roughly chopped

  • 1/2 bunch dino kale (around 150g) - stems removed, leaves roughly chopped

  • 1/2 bunch spinach (around 100g) - roughly chopped and keep separate from the mustard greens and kale

  • 1 cup water

  • 4 garlic cloves, halved

  • 1 inch knob ginger, cut into a few smaller pieces

  • 3 green chilies

  • Big pinch of salt

  • Tadka:

    • 2-3 tbsp ghee

    • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds

    • 2 dried red chilies

    • 1/8 tsp asafoetida (hing) - there’s no good replacement for this but you can just up your garlic and onion if you don’t have

    • 1 small red onion, finely diced

    • 3 garlic cloves, grated

    • 1/2 inch knob ginger, grated

    • 1/2 tsp red chili powder (use kashmiri if you want it milder)

    • 2 medium tomatoes diced or 1/4 cup canned pureed/diced tomatoes

    • 3 tbsp medium grind cornmeal or corn flour

  • Juice of half a small lemon or to taste

  • Salt to taste

  • To serve: butter, raw onions, crispy shallots, jaggery

• Corn Roti (Makki ki Roti):

  • 1 cup medium grind cornmeal or corn flour

  • 1/4 cup boiling water (for medium grind cornmeal you’ll need more, for corn flour you’ll need less, so boil extra water and add slowly as you mix)

  • Pinch of salt

  • Ghee to cook

Instructions:

• Wash and chop your greens. Keep the spinach separate and aside. In a deep pot (so the immersion blender doesn’t splatter greens on you), add the water, mustard greens, kale, garlic, ginger, chilies, and salt.

• With the pot covered, cook on medium heat for 20 minutes and then add the spinach and cook for another 5 minutes or until the mustard greens stems have softened.

• Blend either with an immersion blender or a standard blender, but leave it chunky, we don’t want it fully smooth. Bring it back on low-med heat.

• In a tadka spoon or small pan, heat up the ghee, and then add cumin seeds. Once they start sizzling, add the dried red chilies, hing, onions, garlic, and ginger. Cook until the onions are a bit translucent, then add the red chili powder and then tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes break down for 4-5 minutes. Add directly to your saag on the stove.

• Mix well and then in a small bowl mix your cornmeal with water and drizzle into the saag. Simmer and cook for a few more minutes. Add additional salt to taste.

• Finish with lemon juice once off heat. Serve with corn roti, butter, onions, lemon, jaggery - and saag always tastes better the next day :)

• If making the crispy shallots, combine thinly sliced shallots and a high smoke point oil in a small pot (enough oil to cover them), place on medium heat, and cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, just until they are golden in color. Immediately strain into a heat proof bowl, and then lay them on a paper towel to absorb excess oil and crisp up. Store in an airtight container at room temp. Save the shallot-infused oil!!

• Corn Roti:

  • In a medium bowl, add your cornmeal or corn flour and a pinch of salt

  • Boil some water in a small pot or kettle

  • Start with adding small amount of water and then mixing until you get a rough dough. With cornmeal it’ll look like its not coming together, but that’s where you can knead with the palm of your hands for a few minutes until you have a firm but pliable dough. With finer corn flour, you’ll need less water and won’t have to knead at all, but let it rest for 10 minutes before shaping.

  • Heat up your cast iron pan on medium heat and then working one at a time, shape into balls and on a sheet of parchment paper, flatten them using your hands. They should be thick but even.

  • Add some ghee to your hot pan, and very carefully flip it over onto your hand peeling the parchment paper away and then flip it onto the pan. Cook for a few minutes on each side until golden and crispy and if you want the charred rustic roti look you can cook on an open flame for a couple minutes. Brush with more ghee and serve immediately or wrap in a cloth in an insulated container.

Seeni Sambol Puff Pastry Rolls

Makes: 12

Ingredients:

• Seeni Sambol

  • 2 cinnamon sticks

  • ~5 whole cloves

  • ~4 whole cardamom pods, crushed

  • 1 sprig curry leaves

  • 5 large sweet onions, sliced

  • Big pinch of salt

  • 1 tsp red chili powder, or to taste

  • 3 tbsps tamarind date chutney (sub: mix tamarind paste, water, and sweetener - I’d start with 1 tsp paste as its very concentrated and tart especially depending on the brand, and gradually add sweetener, tasting as you go)

• Puff Pastry Rolls

  • 1 package puff pastry dough (I really like Dufour but any will do!)

    • Thaw in fridge beforehand according to directions

    • Flour for dusting

  • Egg wash (optional for a golden glossy bake)

    • 1 egg whisked with 1 tbsp water

  • Melted butter (optional, since I skipped egg wash in mine, I used this for a glossy finish)

Instructions:

• To a wide pot, heat up some neutral oil on medium heat and add in your whole spices and curry leaves. Saute for a couple minutes and then add in the onions with a big pinch of salt.

• Saute everything until you see the moisture being released from the onions and they begin to soften. On low-med heat, mix every now and then, making sure to scrape the bottom fond as needed.

• After about 40 minutes, remove your whole spices (cinnamon, cloves, cardamom), and then continue cooking for 10-15 more minutes or until the onions form an amber color.

• Add chili powder and tamarind date chutney (or your tamarind mixture) and give it a good mix for a few minutes. Taste and adjust as needed.

• Let it cool down before using in the puff pastry rolls or store in the fridge to have it ready to go in advance.

• Before taking your thawed puff pastry dough out of the fridge, lightly dust some flour on a clean surface, and only then bring your dough out so you can keep it as cold as possible. Apply pressure while rolling so that it stretches lengthwise and widthwise without tearing.

• Spread your seeni sambol mixture evenly and then begin rolling the dough lengthwise using your fingers to move forward in small motions so that it stays tight and snug in a log.

• Wrap in saran wrap and pop in the freezer for 15 minutes so it firms up. Preheat oven to 400F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

• Remove from freezer, cut into rolls, brush on egg wash if using, and bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

• Brush on some melted butter if you skipped the egg wash for a glossy finish.

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Vanilla Ghee

Makes: ~14oz

Ingredients:

• 16oz high quality unsalted butter (Kerrygold is best, I’ve noticed I’m able to achieve a more “danedar” ghee with this butter, which means “grainy” and a sign that you made immaculate homemade ghee. Kirkland butter is also good!)

• 1 whole vanilla bean, sliced through the middle

• Cheesecloth

Instructions:

• In a wide pot, add in your butter and then turn the heat to medium. Help the butter melt by breaking it up with your spoon if needed.

• Stir occassionally. Leave the heat to a medium or low-medium if your stove runs hot - eventually there will be bubbling and slight spluttering as the trapped water turns turns to steam. Science! Then you’ll start to hear crackling noises and then once the water content is gone, the milk solids will be the foam you see on top that will slowly sink to the bottom.

• At this point there won’t be any sound indicators, so you want to keep an eye on those white milk solids on the bottom, as soon as they turn a caramel brown color you can turn off the heat as the residual heat of the stove and pan will continue to darken them and deepen the flavor without burning. This is also when you add in your vanilla bean!

• After at least an hour of infusing the vanilla bean and letting the ghee cool, grab a clean sterile glass jar, a sieve with a cheesecloth on top, and strain it so you separate the ghee from the toasted milk solids.

• Store at room temperature for months! It’ll solidify as it cools (like coconut oil).

[RECIPE] CHILI CHEESE TOAST FOCACCIA

Serves: ~10

Ingredients

• Dough

  • 500g AP flour (around 4 cups)

  • 1 packet instant yeast (around 7g)

  • 1 tbsp kosher salt

  • 1/2 tbsp za’atar blend

  • 425g water (around 2 cups)

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• Stuffing & Topping

  • 3 heads garlic, roasted and mashed (save 1 head for topping)

  • 10-12 birds eye chilies, finely chopped (save 1/2tbsp worth for topping) - I used a mix of green and red and I took out the seeds for a few since my batch was especially spicy

  • 1 sprig scallion, chopped

  • 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped (save 1tbsp worth for topping)

  • 4oz mozzarella cheese (about 3oz shredded for stuffing and 1oz cubed for topping)

  • 1tbsp butter (kerrygold is great here)

  • Flaky salt

  • Grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Around 12-24 hours before you want to bake your bread, get the dough together in a large bowl (it will rise!). Whisk together dry ingredients: flour, instant yeast, salt, za’atar. Then add water and oil and mix until you have a rough shaggy looking dough - this is around an 85% hydration dough don’t worry about it not looking like other bread dough! Cover and rest for 15 minutes.

2. Stretch and pull the dough along the sides of your entire bowl then cover and rest for 15 minutes. Repeat this two more times. After the third stretch and pull, cover tightly with cling wrap and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.

3. When you are ready to stuff and shape the dough, make sure you have all your ingredients chopped and prepped! Roasting the garlic just involves cutting off the heads, drizzling some olive oil on top, sealing them tightly in foil, and then baking at 375F convection for 40-60min. Squeeze the garlic out or scoop them out and mash them in a small bowl.

4. Line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper (can help to slightly oil before adding the paper on top so it sticks) and then add a couple tbsps of olive oil on top of the parchment and spread with your fingers.

5. Bring the dough out of the fridge, oil your hands, and gently release it into the pan. Very gently spread it out and then add your toppings by first brushing on the mashed roasted garlic, then the scallions, chilies, cilantro, and shredded cheese. Press down slightly so that everything sticks before you fold the dough like a letter and then flip it over so that it is seam side down and rotate if needed so that it fits the shape of the pan.

6. Cover with another tray thats tall enough so it doesn’t stick, or use some wrap lightly oiled. Let it rest at room temp for its final proof for at least 2 hours and it will double in size.

7. Preheat your oven to 450F (no fan / convection) and set your rack to the second from the bottom. Spread some olive oil on top of the dough and start dimpling by using your fingers at an angle and pressing all the way down. Don’t pop the air bubbles! Nestle in the cubed cheese by pressing them down, and top with some flaky salt. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden.

8. In the meantime if you haven’t already, make your butter topping by heating up some butter and then mixing in the leftover roasted garlic, chilies, and cilantro.

9. Let it cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes and then transfer to wire rack. Brush on the butter while it’s still hot and immediately serve!

Garlic Spinach Dal (Masoor Dal / Red Lentil)

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• Base:

  • 2 cups red lentil (masoor dal)

  • 3.5 cups water (add a cup more if you like it more soupy - but you can also add this at the end!)

  • 1 inch knob of ginger, grated

  • 2 tomatoes, diced (sub with quarter of a can of 14oz diced tomatoes)

  • 2 birds eye green chilies (adjust for heat preference)

  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder

  • 3/4 tsp coriander powder

  • Salt to taste

  • 2-3 cups of baby spinach, roughly chopped

  • Juice of one lemon or lime

  • Optional garnish: cilantro, finely chopped

• Tadka

  • 3 tbsps ghee

  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds

  • 8 cloves garlic, finely chopped

  • 1 dried red chili (optional)

  • 3/4 tsp red chili powder (adjust for heat preference, I used kashmiri red chili which is mild)

Instructions:

• In the same pot that you’ll make your dal, wash your lentils a few times until the water runs clear

• Add water, ginger, tomatoes, green chilies, turmeric, coriander, and salt

• Cover and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the lentil has softened and you can press down on it. Occasionally stir in between - if you find the dal too thick for your liking you can add a cup more of water at this point. Mix spinach in at the very end and turn off the heat.

• In a tadka spoon or small pan, heat up your ghee before adding cumin seeds and once they start sizzling or “dancing”, add the chopped garlic. Cook the garlic until it has some color, making sure your heat isn’t too high so it doesn’t burn

• Add dried red chili and red chili powder, mix for just a few seconds, and then immediately pour on top of the dal

• Add a good amount of lemon or lime juice, add a tbsp of ghee, mix everything well and taste to adjust for salt. Serve with rice.

We’ve done the traditional kaju katli, the fusion churros with rabri, and for this season I thought we could do more of a hidden gem that doesn’t get the mainstream spotlight, which are my favorite to share! Link to video

I’m not Bengali, but my dad is from Kolkata, which is why he has a Bengali palate and food preferences that I’ve mentioned in prior videos. When we found mishti doi at this cafe in Jackson Heights, it reminded him of his childhood and he started frequenting them so often, we had to learn how to make this at home. You’ll find a lot of variations for this recipe with things like condensed milk, jaggery syrup, or just sweetening a whole tub of yogurt to shorten the process. But for that unique fermented and toffee-like flavor, you can’t beat the long way.

Since these are served chilled and are made ahead, they are the perfect thing to bring to someone’s house this holiday season. And also impressive - it’s homemade yogurt!! Although this recipe only has three ingredients, I’d say this is a more of a technical recipe than anything so I would read the instructions fully through once before starting.

[RECIPE] Mishti Doi (Caramelized Yogurt)

Makes: 5 dessert cups

Ingredients

• 3 cups full fat milk

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (feel free to adjust based on preferred sweetness level)

• 3 tbsps full fat greek yogurt (if using regular yogurt I’d strain in a cheesecloth for a bit to drain excess liquid)

• Optional garnishes: toasted coconut flakes, fresh figs, sliced almonds

Instructions

• In a heavy bottomed pot, bring your milk to a gentle boil on medium high heat, stirring frequently so the bottom doesn’t burn. Reduce until thickened for 15-20 min. You can check by either coating the back of a spoon, drawing a line with your finger through it, and if the line stays clear and separated then it’s thick enough. You can also see where your starting milk line was and reduce until you see it decrease by about an inch. As soon as the milk has reduced properly, turn the heat to the lowest setting to just keep it warm while you start making your caramel

• In a pan or small pot, add your sugar in an even layer and place on low-medium heat. Do not touch the sugar until you see some melting. Then gently bring the melted sides into the middle to incorporate more of the unmelted sugar and keep repeating until it’s all liquid. Very quickly the color will start turning amber and this is where you want to watch it carefully as it can go too dark within a few seconds and make the caramel bitter

• As soon as the caramel is an amber color and is smooth in texture, take it off heat and ladle in your hot milk one spoon at a time. Be careful as it will bubble and be extremely hot as it mixes with the caramel, but immediately start whisking. If you have any caramel clumps, just continue adding the hot milk and whisking. Alternatively, you can add it back on low heat to speed up the process as you mix

• Let the mixture cool until you can stick a finger in, then smear your dishes with some yogurt, pour in the caramelized milk, and cover the tops lightly with foil

• Turn your oven to 200F for 2-3 minutes, then turn the oven off but keep the light on, and place your dishes on the middle rack. The temperature in there should stay somewhere around 85-100F as you let it ferment for 5-6 hours - try not to open the oven especially if you have a cold kitchen!

• Transfer from the oven to the fridge and let it chill overnight or until you are ready to serve and garnish!

Last week on my IG stories I shared how I woke up with massive hives randomly (only had them once before as a child and we never figured out what from) and my mom immediately was “utaro-ing my nazar” which means removing the evil eye on me. So many of you were able to relate joking how that’s always the first line of defense for desi moms, many of you shared your own culture’s rituals for removing evil eye that I loved learning about, and so many wanted to know more about what it is and what exactly the steps are. And since it’s both Diwali season and witchy season, I thought it would be a fitting time to chat about all things spiritual.

A couple weeks ago I went to the Fort Greene Orchestra Beethoven concert at a beautiful cathedral with two friends, one of whom has known me since elementary school. Religion inevitably came up as a topic and when I was asked if I was religious, my childhood friend chimed in to also answer “yes” but looked at me for confirmation first. Even though my friend grew up watching me celebrate Hindu festivals and going to temple every week, religion and culture have such a big overlap for us that it can be hard to know exactly where someone stands, so I don’t blame her for not knowing with full confidence.

But this interaction did make me think about how I’ve kept my spirituality private and to myself. I mean, I’ve always been a reserved person. I was the child other parents called “shy” or “mature for her age” (which at the time seemed like just a nicer way to say shy). But specifically for this, I think one of the reasons was that because being raised in a dharmic religion is intertwined in so many ways with what the western world labels as “woo woo”, it can feel too complicated to explain. And the last thing we want is to be further misunderstood, or worse, diluted (looking at you astrology and yoga).

I was raised by a dad who as a child was taken by his guru every dawn to the cremation fields to learn meditation (spooky to visualize I know), who did reiki on me when I broke my leg in 7th grade, who teaches me about the layers of reincarnation, who has books in our temple room on spirits, and who always said we don’t exclude any religions.

And of course to compliment him we also have an ayurveda-homeopathy-yoga obsessed mom who burns sage and cinnamon while blasting religious songs on youtube way too early in the morning. I can’t remember her ever skipping a day of evening aarti (prayer with offerings - always red grapes for us) or even forgetting about a full moon to celebrate each month.

All to say, these small parts of my upbringing played a big role in shaping me and helping me find my own approach. I enjoy studying Vedic astrology, and I don’t go to bed without reciting the Hanuman Chalisa, but I also practice modern manifestation techniques, plucked a one-inch-long white hair growing on my forehead and saved it in a bag labeled ‘witch hair’ because TikTok told me to, and got my aura photographed in Chinatown right before sitting down at the SoHo Ganesha temple for four hours. It might not all fit neatly into a box, and that’s fine.

They say a language can be lost within a single generation, but I think this is also true for many of these spiritual practices. And to know me is to know how much I value cultural preservation.

The Evil Eye:

A big misconception the evil eye gets is that it’s always someone wishing harm on you or having extreme hatred/jealousy. But most of the time we may not be aware when we’re exuding any “negative energy”. It can be as human as seeing a new mother with her baby after going through a miscarriage and subconsciously wondering “why not me”. It can even be hearing about someone getting your dream job and thinking how lucky they are or how easy they have it.

For protection, Italians tie a thin red string on their wrist, Latins have egg cleanses, Turkish and Greeks have the glass eye hanging in their homes, Muslims will say mashAllah after complimenting or congratulating you, Indians will put a black dot behind their ear or wear a black thread on their ankle, and dozens of other cultures with their own methods dating back centuries.

So what happens when it’s believed you caught the evil eye? For a lot of South Asians, this is the ritual we do to remove it (materials needed are in bold):

• Place a handful (5-6) small-sized dried red chilies and a spoonful of rock salt or sea salt in your right palm

• With the person whose nazar you are trying to remove in front of you, rotate your hand with a closed fist from their head to their feet seven times clockwise

• Place the materials onto a small sheet of newspaper or paper towel and then place that on top of a bigger sized sheet of foil

• Using a lighter, keep burning the chilies until they are all fully burnt (and preferably outside as there will be smoke)

• Wrap it all up and discard it in the trash outside

It is believed that if the smell of the chilies is extremely pungent and burns your throat and eyes, then the person was not affected by evil eye. If it was mild to none, then the person was affected by evil eye.

[RECIPE] Mom’s Extra Stuffed Aloo Paratha with Beet Raita

Makes: ~6

Ingredients:

• Dough:

  • 1.5 cups of atta for dough (finer milled whole wheat flour but you can use regular whole wheat)

  • 1/4 cup of extra atta for rolling

  • Pinch of salt

  • 1 tsp ghee

  • 1/2 cup water (+/- depending on how your dough is coming together)

• Stuffing:

  • 5-6 medium to large russet potatoes, halved

  • 1 small red onion, finely chopped

  • 1 inch knob of ginger, finely chopped or grated

  • 1-2 birds eye green chilies, finely chopped

  • Half a bunch of cilantro leaves, finely chopped (and dried well)

  • 1 tsp red chili powder

  • 1 tsp mango powder (amchur)

  • 1/2 tsp crushed dried fenugreek leaves (methi)

  • Salt to taste

Instructions:

• First start steaming or boiling your potatoes as it will take around 20 min to be fork tender and cool down a bit

• In the meantime, in a large bowl combine your flour, salt, ghee, and slowly add in water a little at a time while kneading in between until you have a soft dough that leaves an imprint when you press down on it. Cover and let it rest while you get your stuffing together.

• Peel the potatoes when they are done cooking, mash them up, and then let them cool spread out on a plate so they aren’t steaming hot

• Chop your onion, ginger, green chilies, and cilantro finely. Tip: throw everything except the onion in a food processor for faster chopping!

• Combine all the aromatics and spices into the mashed potatoes and mix well. Make sure to taste and adjust salt or spice level if needed and set aside

• On a flat plate, add your 1/4 cup of flour that you’ll need as you roll your dough out

• Take your dough out of the bowl and form equal-sized balls rolling them in the palms of your hands. Place them all back into the bowl covered so they don’t dry out

• Heat up a tawa or cast iron pan on medium heat

• Taking one ball at a time, dunk it into your extra flour, and on a clean surface flatten it slightly with your hands before you start rolling using medium pressure and ensuring even thickness around the sides. My mom’s tip for rolling is to use your dominant hand as the one that keeps rotating the dough 90 degrees after 1-2 rolls for an even shape. Completely okay to keep sprinkling on more flour as needed

• Spread a thin layer of ghee on top of the flattened dough using your fingers

• Take a big heaping spoon of the potato mixture and form into a patty and place in the middle. Bring the sides of the dough up and gently pleat together as if forming a dumpling to seal the stuffing

• Using your hands, press down on the stuffed dough balls slightly and start rolling flat again

• Dust off any excess flour with your hands by flipping it back and forth in between your hands a couple times

• Add some ghee to your hot pan and carefully transfer the paratha to the pan

• Cook a few minutes on one side, drizzle ghee on the top, and then flip over to cook the other side until it is all golden and crispy. Occasionally pressing down lightly with a spatula

• While they cook, assemble the next paratha so this way you have a smooth flow going and the dough won’t dry out

• Serve with some butter, flaky salt, and raita!

Beet Raita:

Ingredients:

• 2 small beets, peeled and quartered

• 1 cup greek yogurt

• Water as needed

• 1/2 tsp dried mint

• 1/4 tsp crushed black pepper

• Pinch of chaat masala

• Salt to taste

Instructions:

• Steam or boil your peeled and quartered beets until fork tender and let it cool down

• Make your raita by combining all ingredients in a bowl and slowly adding in the beet water (or regular cold water) and whisking until you get the consistency you like

• Dice the beets and mix them into the raita

This tamarind date chutney is more tangy and layered than your average meethi (sweet) chutney. It’s so versatile you can add to salads, a marinade for tofu, or even just drizzled on top of lime wedges with a pinch of salt (some people have a sweet tooth, I have a tart tooth clearly). It’ll also last in your fridge for a couple months — probably longer!

Tomato and corn is one of my favorite pairings. Even just quickly charring the corn and adding a little mint for freshness elevates this simple salad in a big way. The chutney does the heavy lifting in this vinaigrette, but some supporting characters like a small green chili, jaggery, and olive oil bring the perfect balance of flavors. My mouth is watering all over again as I write this.

[RECIPE] Tamarind Date Chutney

Makes: ~16oz

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water

• 1¼ cups (or around 10 pieces) large medjool dates pitted and roughly chopped

• 1 tbsp black raisins

• 1/2 cup tamarind concentrate

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder

• 1/2 tsp chili powder (you can use kashmiri chili if you want less heat)

• 1/4 tsp black salt

• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

• 1/4 tsp ground ginger

• 1/8 tsp asafetida

Instructions:

• To a small heavy bottomed pot, add your water, dates, and raisins. Simmer on low-medium heat for 15 minutes until the dates and raisins have softened

• Add the tamarind concentrate, mix well and simmer for another 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally

• Turn off the heat, add in your spices, mix well

• Using a handheld blender, mix everything well - small blender will work too just let it cool a bit beforehand (and if you don’t want it thick / chunky, you can strain through a sieve)

• Let it cool before storing - it will thicken significantly as it cools. Store in an airtight container in the fridge

[RECIPE] Tomato Corn Salad with Tamarind Date Chili Vinaigrette

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• Salad

  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

  • 2-3 large sweet corn ears, husked

  • The leaves from 4-5 sprigs of mint

• Vinaigrette

  • 1 heaping tbsp of tamarind date chutney

  • 1 clove garlic, microplaned or finely minced

  • 1/4 tsp lime zest

  • 1/2 tbsp juice of a lime (or to taste for some brightness)

  • 1 birds eye chili, finely chopped (or you can split in half for less heat)

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 tsp jaggery

  • Big pinch of salt

Instructions:

• Char your corn straight on the gas or on a cast iron skillet (no oil needed). Don’t rotate too often - let the charring develop!

• In the meantime, make your dressing by combining all ingredients together and then vigorously shaking in a jar or whisking well. Taste for salt and jaggery if you need more sweetness

• Once corn is charred and cooled a bit, cut the kernels off the cob and reserve a few of the larger chunks aside for topping the salad

• In a large bowl, combine the corn, tomatoes, mint, dressing, and mix well. Plate and top with the larger chunks of charred corn

Also heyyyyyyyyyyyy (said timidly). Kinda cute of us to be on again off again, no?? No you’re right, that’s not funny at all. But I do hope you’ll take me back, and if not, that’s okay I understand and I hope you’ve enjoyed your stay with me.

With fall officially here, we naturally seem to ease into rest mode. Not full winter hibernation yet, but still a gentler pace to reset. I recently learned about the 7 types of rest by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, who talks about how paying attention to the kinds of rest we’re running low on can help us feel more consistently restored. We all love talking about how important rest is, but most of the time we’re pretty garbage at it. Too often, we wait until we’re already burnt out before turning to restorative practices. I started listing down my weekly habits and mapping them into these buckets to be more mindful of my rest deficits. Seeing how others structure their rest routines has been really helpful for me, so I’m sharing what’s been currently working in case it helps inspire your own seasonal reset too.

Physical Rest:

• Sleeping 8-9 hours of course

• Balancing movement (e.g., a slow leisurely stroll after an intense workout)

• Regular massages!!!!!!!!!

Mental Rest:

• Journal dumping

• Deep breathing exercises before bed

• Chess (but if it gets competitive and stressful, delete the app for a bit 😭)

Sensory Rest:

• Sitting with hot tea in the evenings, with the big light off of course

• Eliminating music on walks every now and then

• Coloring books - might be a bit more “active”, but I find the sensory feeling of marker-to-paper and the mindless action of it all to be the most relaxing (the books and markers I use)

Creative Rest:

• Consuming content (I know we always hear “create more than you consume”, but observing without needing to create is more than okay)

• Experiencing art, music, performances

• The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity – highly recommend

Emotional Rest:

• Therapy

• Journal dumping, again

• Crying

Social Rest:

• Balancing social/alone time, not saying yes to every social event

• More easy hangouts - “I’m in your neighborhood wanna go for a quick walk”

Spiritual Rest:

• Meditation

• Reciting mantras or using any type of vocal vibrations

• Going to a place of worship - if you’re not religious this can be any place where you feel like you’re a part of something bigger than yourself

[RECIPE] Homemade Sundried Tomato Basil Paneer

Ingredients:

• 1/2 gallon of Milk (full fat will give you the best yield but you can use a lower fat too, just make sure its not ultra-pasteurized / UHT)

• 2 tbsps of vinegar (or the juice from half a lemon)

• Salt to taste

• If making flavored: handful of sundried tomatoes and basil roughly chopped

Instructions:

• In a heavy bottomed pot, heat your milk with the gas on medium-high. Frequently stir the bottom so the milk doesn’t stick and burn

• Once the milk is simmering, turn off the heat and add in vinegar (or your acid of choice) one tablespoon at a time and stir in between

• Once you see your curds separated from the greenish whey water, carefully drain the curds with a cheesecloth on top of a sieve sitting in a large bowl (you can save the whey water and use in cooking as you would regular water)

• Optional: If you want the most neutral flavored paneer and especially if you used lemon juice, you can rinse out the acid by pouring a couple cups of lukewarm water on top and letting it drain

• Using the cheesecloth, make a tight ball of cheese and squeeze out any remaining water (doesn’t have to be bone dry)

• Optional but recommended: Tie a knot and let it hang for 10-20 minutes letting any excess water drip out

• If making flavored paneer: Add a couple big pinches of salt and your chopped sundried tomatoes and basil and mix well (taste and add more salt if needed)

• If keeping your paneer crumbled, you can now store it in the fridge in an airtight container. If making firm paneer, you can now shape it into a block either with your hands or using a container (Tip: leave it wrapped in the cheesecloth to make for easy removal of the paneer)

• Place a heavy object on top to set the paneer before cutting for as long as you can (ideally a 3-4 hours). I’ve also found that placing it in the fridge overnight helps solidify it even more if you need it to be more firm for your dish

  

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Wowow it has been a while huh? I hope you’re well and I hope you’ve been eating well <3 To be honest I wasn’t going to address my absence because I genuinely thought no one cares just get back to work. But I was so overwhelmed with gratitude with your messages that it didn’t feel right to come back and not say anything at all. Thank you so much for your love and support whether I’m online or offline - words are not enough to explain how grateful I am.

If I had to give a tldr, it would probably be this message from my best friend that had me bawling:

Girl was going through it for the past 2+ years, and managing a career and a business on top of that made it difficult to take care of my loved ones and myself during a dark period in our lives. My mental health and stress was so bad that I developed physical health issues as well, which is the absolute last thing you need when you’re trying to get your life in order :) :) All of that, along with a cross-country move to be closer to my family, kept pushing my RIS return and now here we are a full 1.5 years later... oop.

We’re all doing much better overall, I’m still figuring out my health one step at a time, but I have great providers and an even better support system. I am so happy to be back in NY – a long time coming after 5.5 years in the Bay. I do still deeply deeply miss the Bay Area and sometimes still can’t think about it without feeling a lump in my throat, it is perhaps the prettiest place I will ever call home 🥺 But being in NY is the right decision for now (the warmer weather is definitely helping) and maybe one day I can convince my family to move to the west coast!!

The new kitchen and space we’ll be cooking in NY is so special, it truly feels like the art studio / test kitchen plus home that I’ve been dreaming of. I’ve always been a biggg nester and all of my unused creativity being away from RIS was channeled into making this place feel like home and so much second-hand shopping that I am now fully addicted to FB Marketplace. I can’t wait to share more including all the cockroaches and leaky ceilings of course 🤠🤠

I am SO excited to cook for you again, to develop new recipes, share family recipes, and to just connect this little community together. I’ve been bursting with ideas so much recently that I’ve started keeping a notepad by my bed (literally why do the best ideas come when you’re trying to sleep or when you’re in the shower). This week’s (K)olkata (F)ried (C)hicken was actually an idea jotted down from way before my hiatus shortly after I shared my banana leaf mustard fish. Kefir has been become a fridge staple for me lately, so it was fun experimenting with it in cooking and just playing around in the kitchen again.

Anyways, if you made it this far I appreciate you!!! I’ll be active on TT, IG, YT, and now Snapchat!! Not yet quitting my day job because she’s an aries stellium okayy - so I don’t know exactly what my posting cadence will be like, but still a fan of quality over quantity 🫡 Thank you for being here, more to come ❤️