The stone fruit season might be long gone, but the last of these exotic (for Chennai at least!) nectarines still linger in the markets, so I’ve been making the most of them while I can. Although Chennai is not the first place you’d think of for stone fruits, I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find them—even… Read more »

Who makes their own jam, right? That was exactly my line of thought when I set about making a batch, and only because I had a huge haul of plums languishing in the fridge begging to be used up. Now I’m hooked. Not only is it easy as pie (actually, way easier than pie), but… Read more »

The real beauty of hummus as far as I’m concerned (apart from its taste of course), is that it’s just so quick to throw together. Even if you’re going the no-tahini-from-a-jar route. A can of chickpeas, some sesame seeds, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice. Blend. Eat. Lick. Do as you do. This basic recipe… Read more »

My first instinct is always to reduce rather than to add. Masala chai as we know it has a whole array of spices – whole and ground – that makes up its base. My version here, has just three (two actually, since the third is fresh mint leaves). As with many old recipes, there is… Read more »

  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 »

If you think adding roasted or sun-dried tomatoes to a dish (if you’re anything like me, any dish) elevates it, try roasted green tomatoes. They’re next level. Green tomatoes that I’m referring to here are basically unripe tomatoes; not the variety that stays green upon ripening. So you can use any variety of tomato that… Read more »

  This Earl Grey and orange combination is a no-brainer; it just makes sense. You would typically find iced teas flavoured with lime or lemon to give it that hint of acidity—which technically makes it an Arnold Palmer: sweet tea with lemonade—but since Earl Grey has hints of bergamot in it anyway, I switched up… Read more »

Ever since I made sauerkraut a few weeks ago, I’ve been thinking about using it in a borscht. I had my mind set on the more traditional beef version, but bad planning and an overload of beets languishing in the fridge made me go down the veg route. I was skeptical at first; just grated… Read more »

Hundredth post on The blurry lime. Like, 100. One hundred. And I made soup to celebrate. I clearly haven’t figured this out yet. I realise that this pea and pesto soup is a far cry from being celebratory, but it’s so good I made it twice last week! And I’m not even a big fan… Read more »

You need two ingredients to make this sauerkraut. If you think that sounds ridiculous, let me tell you that one of those ingredients is salt. Salt and cabbage. Super ridiculous. Fermented foods excite me. The other day I was in the kitchen when I heard this strange buzzing sound. After eliminating the possibility of a… Read more »

Horse gram is a lesser known variety of lentil that is used a lot in South India. Chock full of nutrients, I often use them in place of the more common green or brown lentils. I find that unlike other lentils, they hold their texture upon cooking; meaning, they are slightly more forgiving when it… Read more »

I wrote this recipe for Better Homes and Gardens, India, for their ‘breadless sandwich’ challenge. It’s in their July issue if you want to grab a copy! I contemplated lettuce wraps, veggie stacks, and polenta muffins for the base but they aren’t really sandwiches, are they? The real challenge here was to find a suitable… Read more »

The common green bean is an unsung hero. When you think about it, you mostly only see it used alongside other vegetables in curries or stir fries, as one of the sides for grilled meats, or in a kootu or poriyal to accompany rice; it’s always that default vegetable that gets bunged in with other… Read more »

If you had asked me what my least favourite foods were ten years ago, I would’ve said mayonnaise, eggplant, and broccoli (in that order) without batting an eyelid. Although I seem to have gotten over and even come to love eggplant and broccoli, there’s no love lost in the mayo department. There’s nothing you can… Read more »

  I think I may have done my fair bit of preaching about using ground almonds in desserts to replace flour. Not just from the health point of view, no, but for the texture and nuttiness that you get from the ground up nuts. I buy them in bulk, make big batches of this crisp… Read more »