Stir Fried Black Chickpeas

Stir Fried Black Chickpeas/Whole Bengal Gram is a simple Bengali salad type snack, full of flavor, seasoned with some dry spices. I grew up eating this spiced chickpeas as evening snack and it's very popular street food of India. Ours was always homemade and my mother would serve it with puffed rice. This is one of the healthiest snacks with full of fiber, protein and other vitamin and minerals that keeps fuller for longer.

Bhaingan Bharta/Roasted Eggplant Curry

Baigan Bharta is made of charred eggplant usually on an open flame, skinned and cooked again with onion, garlic, tomato, spices and herbs. It's vibrant color and smoky flavor take it to another level. Baigan Bharta is a very popular dish in Indian cuisine and it is made differently in different regions in India. This is Punjabi Dhaba style vegan dish served with any Indian flat breads.

Sprouted Mung Bean and Whole Bengal Gram Salad

Sprouted mung beans and Whole Bengal Gram are wholesome, high protein and fiber rich legumes and very popular in Indian households. They make great tasting salads that is full of healthy ingredients and a delicious addition to side dish. They are so easy to sprout with minimal effort within 1 1/2 days and inexpensive vegan superfoods.

Alu Palok Dom/Potato-Spinach Curry

We love varieties of Alur Dom. This Alu Palok Dom in a delicious spicy spinach gravy pairs well with roti for simple lunch or dinner and with Loochi or Paratha for special occasion. When we crave for something comforting and easy to cook but wholesome, Alu Palok Curry comes to the rescue with the goodness of greens. It's an easy to make Bengali style without onion-garlic and it tastes as good as it looks! 

Chana Paloker Dalna/Bengali Style Cheese and Spinach Curry

Chanar Dalna in its new avatar, very wholesome, delicious and easy to put together. I got a lot of fresh spinach and some home made chana/panner stored in the refrigerator for a while. So I made this one simple Chana Paloker Dalna with lots of green goodness to savor with aromatic brown basmati rice, similar to its North Indian counterpart Palak-Paneer Kofta. This may not be a traditional Bengali dish but I made it in an authentic Bengali manner.

Idli/Savory Fermented Steamed Rice-Lentil Cake

Idli/Idly is a steamed Savory Fermented Steamed Rice-Lentil Cake served as breakfast. These beautiful soft fluffy Idlis are made with the same Dosa batter. It's a pure bliss to savor freshly steamed soft idlis with a bowl of Sambar and some chutnys.

Masala Dosa/Savory Rice-Lentil Crepe with Spicy Potato Filling

Crispy Masala Dosa is one of  the vegan dishes served with Sambar and some chutneys  nothing fancy but simple comforting and soul satisfying meal that we enjoy having it for lunch or dinner. Dosa, is a traditional South Indian breakfast staple that I didn't grow up having it. My lovely big sister started making perfect Dosa batter using her simple electronic mixer/grinder many moons back and the other accompaniments at home as she loved to explore regional food of India. My mother never had an electronic mixer like many households back then. My sister always made Dosa for Ma while she was vising her and would always send a big container full of Dosa batter for my brother and me to Ma on her way back home from her place. We loved it so much for having it for dinner. This is such an elaborate procedure, soaking, grinding and fermenting but my sister enjoys making it till these days. 

Bhatura/Bhature

Bhatura/Bhature is a very soft, chewy, leavened, deep fried, puffy white North Indian bread served with Choley/Chana Masala. This famous North Indian delicacy is popular all over the world savored as a delicious meal for breakfast, brunch or dinner. The combo of Choley and Bhatura is match made in heaven.  

Spicy Chickpea Curry/Choley Masala

This Chickpea Curry is easy, hearty and filling dish with full of spicy curry flavor without making it too spicy served as a wholesome meal with simple Indian flat bread for lunch or dinner. It’s easy to prepare with simple pantry ingredients. Chickpeas is a great source of plant protein, fiber,vitamin and iron. I like preparing the beans at home. It's time consuming but it's worth the effort. I soak overnight and boil it in a pressure cooker until 2-3 whistles instead of boiling in a pan that takes way longer time to cook. 

Alur Dom

   

Alur Dom is a very popular gravy based potato curry all over India and every region has its own variations. This is a Bengali style pure vegetarian(no onion-no garlic)and vegan Alur Dom with green peas. Dom or dum style potato means it is cooked on slow fire with the lid on for sometime that allows the spices and herbs to infuse the potatoes, resulting in a irresistible Alur Dom that every Bengali enjoys with Karaishutir Kachuri(green peas stuffed fried Bengali bread) Luchi(fried Bengali white bread) or just plain roti. 

Vegetable Brown Fried Rice

We love this wholesome and nutritious Asian flavored rice with veggies. It's so versatile to pair with any Asian vegetable dishes, seafood, chicken and meat items. Easy to cook with left over brown rice.

Chicken Tehari

Chicken Tehari/Tahiri, a simple rice and white chicken curry dish is so easy to put together that belongs to Awadhi cuisine of Uttar Pradesh, India. Tehari is in between Polao and Biriyani without fancy ingredients yet full of flavors and quick to whip up for restaurant style weeknight meals. This dish does not need any side dish other than some salad. It's a meal on its own. 

Brown Rice Veggie Pilafs

Wholesome grains are very important in our daily diets. Sharing two Simple and wholesome pilafs using brown rice with goodness of veggies. Theses vegan and gluten-free rice dishes are nutritious, tasty and easy to cook for busy days with leftover rice nicely pair with any non-veg items. 

Noakhalir Badam Shorshe Shorputi/ River Barb Fish Curry with Peanut Mustard Gravy

Cooking is always ritual to me, whether I cook for my family or friends. It is never boring or tedious for me. I enjoy cooking to the core and I cook till I drop. My cooking spirit inspired me toward blogging journey six years back that I never dreamed and of course some of my family members and friends encouraged me a lot as well. It's been a great blogging journey since then; cooking, taking pictures of food I make for family and friends, writing recipes and last but not least meeting people through my cooking. I appreciate everyone who loves my cooking style, tries my recipes and supports me continuously.  It's a happy place for me and I relieve stress through cooking and blogging; a true pleasure that gives me positive vibes and keeps me busy. Today I am sharing an heirloom recipe.