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RED AMARANTH RAITHA

I want to preface this post by saying this: if red amaranth is hard to come by where you live, this recipe works really well with spinach or other local greens too. You’ll get the same flavours (but without the bright pink hue of course). Amaranth—both the green and red varieties—are ubiquitous to these parts… Read more »

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MAPLE-ROASTED FIGS + CINNAMON YOGURT + CANDIED WALNUTS

I’ve had great luck with figs this year. Every single fruit that I’ve bought has been plump, pink, and yielding to the bite. Of course I’m one to open up pre-packaged boxes and switch up those mottled specimens for perfectly squishy ones, but still. We eat them as is for the most part, but considering… Read more »

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WHIPPED FETA WITH ZA’ATAR ROASTED TOMATOES

Whipped cheeses seem to be all the rage these days – feta, goat’s cheese, you name it and someone’s whippin’ it. I did a whipped paneer version not so long ago that turned out great, so feta seemed the obvious next choice. I love its saline hit especially paired with sweet and tangy elements. We… Read more »

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LABNEH WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS + CHILLI BUTTER

I don’t know what category of foods this dish falls under – is it a dip? A salad of sorts? A side? None and all of the above? Who’s to say, but we ate it piled high on homemade garlic bread, so I’m leaning towards it being a dip. Making labneh at home is nothing… Read more »

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MANGO GINGER RAITHA

Mango ginger is one of my favourite seasonal ingredients. Around this time of the year, just before summer sets in, you’ll find them aplenty at grocery stores and in heaped mounds at outdoor markets. At a glance, mango ginger looks a lot like ginger. But once you peel away their soft skins, you’ll find that… Read more »

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BEETROOT RAITHA WITH COCONUT

When I was photographing this raitha earlier today, my husband came into the room and said “I can’t believe you don’t have this one up yet.” I make this so often during the week, sometimes as a side that we eat alongside rice, and sometimes—I’m a weirdo if you didn’t get the memo—as a snack… Read more »

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KADHI WITH ‘UNCONSTRUCTED’ PAKORAS

Any recipe that has the word ‘deconstructed’ in it conjures up images of broken tart shells and food that has been meticulously and painstakingly cooked and then taken apart, or that’s been cooked as separate elements and then put together. I get it, and I’ve even tasted some dishes made in this manner that were… Read more »

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HOMEMADE RASPBERRY FLAVOURED YOGURT WITH CHIA SEEDS

   Until three years ago, I didn’t know how to make yogurt at home. What seems like a basic enough task now evaded me for a long time. I pulled out all the tricks and hacks I found on the internet from measuring exact temperatures using a food thermometer to setting it in ceramic, stainless… Read more »

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ROASTED BEET, CUMIN AND CHIA LASSI

   I started my previous post by saying that I don’t do many breakfast foods on here, and here I am now with another one. This is inadvertently becoming a new trend.  Lassi is strictly speaking not a breakfast food, but fruit lassi, yogurt-smoothie—really, what’s the difference? I make the mango and cardamom lassi and… Read more »

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TURKISH FRIED EGGS

   The idea of putting yogurt and eggs together may sound unconventional and even slightly eccentric. Yogurt plays an integral part of Turkish cuisine and is used liberally on everything sweet and savoury. It cools a dish down by reducing spice levels, adds acidity and creaminess, and in this case where the yogurt is cold… Read more »

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HUNG YOGURT WITH ROASTED PLUMS & COCONUT

  Every time I have some extra yogurt that needs using up, hung yogurt is my go-to option. I know it’s something that takes a good few hours of ‘hanging’ time for most of the whey to seep out from it, but it’s a simple enough task to do before bedtime – tie up the… Read more »

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SAVOURY PINEAPPLE LASSI

I was experimenting with this pineapple lassi a few days ago, not with the ubiquitous sweet version, but a savoury one. The flavours are what you would expect with a typical ‘salt’ lassi: cumin, mint, and salt. The addition of fruit is the wildcard ingredient here. I always add a pinch of salt to most… Read more »

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CHILLED BEETROOT SOUP

I never was a big fan of beets. Their infamous reputation for being overcooked and slimy was something that I experienced first-hand in my years at boarding school. It’s funny how something that would require great expertise and dexterity like cakes and breads were churned out effortlessly everyday, while the humble beet evaded them. Although… Read more »

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LABNEH WITH SUMAC, CHILLI, AND MINT

  Labneh is the easiest cheese you’ll ever make. Although called cheese, this Middle Eastern staple occupies the space somewhere between yogurt and cheese in the dairy spectrum. It is made very simply by straining yogurt in muslin overnight until all the whey water seeps out resulting in the most luscious ‘cheese’—labneh. Although making labneh… Read more »