Garam Masala Tuesdays: Khichdi

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This might not be one of the most popularly known Indian recipes. Most of you (and by that I mean non-Indians) probably have never heard of it. The Indians reading, of course, have- and probably have horrible stomach upset stories related to this dish.

So why am I sharing it today?

Because for the last three nights this is what are dinner has looked like. And whether or not there are bad experiences surrounding this dish, it is one of the most beloved comfort food cooked in Indian kitchens.

And I don’t know if its because of eating this at night or just a reduced appetite because of what happened on Thursday, I am feeling lighter and have lost 1 kilo in 2 days. Since Thursday I have actually lost 2 kgs! But I know once I am back to eating properly (which I am, as of today), those kilos lost will be gained again! But hopefully they will be gained in muscle and not fat.

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Garam Masala Tuesdays: Vada Pav

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Vada Pavs: Spicy potato fritters that are sandwiched between two pavs (buns), a sweet chutney, a garlic chutney and green chutney. The potato fritters are gluten free and vegan. By using gluten free buns, and omitting butter, Vada Pav can be an entirely vegan and gluten free option for those with dietary restrictions.

Vada Pav: Indian vegetarian sliders

Edited May 2020: The original post went live in July 2012. A print friendly option for the recipe, and a new cover image was added in May 2020. Rest of the images and text is from the original post. You can find the recipe for homemade pavs here.

Original Post:

Vada Pavs: Spicy potato fritters that are sandwiched between two pavs (buns), a sweet chutney, a garlic chutney and green chutney.

Vada Pavs: Spicy potato fritters that are sandwiched between two pavs (buns), a sweet chutney, a garlic chutney and green chutney.

Once or twice a month we take the four hour drive from our small town to the big city of Phoenix. We generally leave on Saturday and return the next day on Sunday. Since all of our Indian grocery shopping is done in Phoenix and so that the food doesn’t spoil we plan our shopping on Sundays. As a result we get to leave Phoenix a little after lunch, making us reach home around dinner time. And since there is no way I have the energy to cook anything after a hectic weekend, we get two Vada pavs  as to-go from Little India to have as dinner. Sometimes we get four vada pavs to-go and use the leftover 2 as breakfast the next day.

Both V and I love them and relish each bite.

Since our trips to Phoenix have reduced in frequency in the recent past, we have to wait longer for our dose of Vada pavs. So over the last few visits, both V and I would dissect the vada in order to replicate the recipe at home. And I think we have finally nailed it.

We went to Phoenix the weekend that just went by. And I am happy to say I wasn’t tempted to buy the Vada pavs. Because now I can make them at home.

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GMT: Mattar wala samosa

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I love samosas. Baked, fried. With potato filling or a non-vegetarian filling. From the market or made at home. I love them all. Any time. Any place. Any company.

Ever since I mastered the art of using spring roll wrappers, I thought of other ways to use them.

We have a packet of Deep chana dal cocktail samosas that I love. I prefer making stuff from scratch, but now and then I cheat here and there and Deep’s samosas are ones that I cheat with quite often. From the looks of it, Deep brand uses spring roll wrappers as the covering for their cocktail samosas. I was intrigued to try making my own cocktail samosa from spring roll wrappers too.

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