On a purely esthetic level, crimson and green slices of deliciousness entice the vision, like appliqued motifs on yards of crisp organdy. On a deeper level, the crustiness of cornmeal ingrained with earthy spices, the sweet-sourness of yogurt coupled with the brio of Serrano, the gooey esprit of melted cheese cutting ribbony strands through these savory cups freckled with corn kernels that are just as good inside-out or upside-down..beckon the epicure’s senses with enigmatic and aromatic aura. So go ahead, ogle before you’re set to gobble-gobble..

Upside-down Crusty Cornbread

(Makes 14 muffin-sized servings)

½ pint cherry tomatoes

2 Jalapenos or Serrano chillies

2 Tablepoons flax seeds powder + 2 Tablespoons water (or use 1 egg)

Dry ingredients -

• 1 Cup cornmeal
• ¾ Cup all-purpose flour
• 2 Teaspoons baking powder
• ½ Teaspoon baking soda
• 1 Teaspoon salt
• 1 Teaspoon coriander powder
• ½ Teaspoon cumin powder
• ½ Teaspoon red chilli powder/cayenne

Wet ingredients -

• 1 Cup plain yogurt/curd
• ¼ Cup water
• ¼ Cup melted butter

½ Cup corn kernels, fresh or, thawed and drained if frozen

1 Cup shredded cheese – we used Pepper Jack

Preheat the oven to 400°C. Cut the cherry tomatoes into halves and thinly slice the chillies. Grease or spray 14 cups in 2 muffin pans or 12 cups and another small baking dish. Line the bottoms with the tomatoes and chillies – the tomatoes with the cut side down.

Place the pans into the hot oven to preheat for about 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the flax powder and 2 Tablespoons water and set aside, if you are not using the egg.

Sieve together all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. In another container, whisk all the wet ingredients with the egg or flax mixture. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and gently stir until the batter starts coming together. Now stir in the corn and cheese.

Spoon the batter into the hot muffin pan, filling them ¾th of the way till the top. Tap the pan on the counter to get the batter to settle. Bake the remaining batter in the smaller pan. The cornbread needs about 18-20 minutes to cook. After this you can broil the bread if desired, to get a crunchier crust.

Run a knife along the edges of the muffin cups and then remove the bread. If you’re not serving the cornbread hot out of the oven, allow it to cool on a wire rack so that the bottoms don’t get soggy.

Serve the cornbread with a hearty soup or Pop’s Peppery Chilli. Leftovers can be re-heated on a cast-iron griddle to crisp up the crust and served with scrambled eggs for breakfast.

In the whirlwind of the everyday, the mind can barely find a little window to think beyond the menial tasks piled up on one’s head. There’s not a minute to spare for heeding the murmur of the imp of the perverse, urging one to reach for that piece of candy..or scoop out a some ice cream in the middle of the day. The luxuries are few and far between, even if they only orbit around the littlest of things, like perhaps sitting by the window, shuffling up bittersweet memories of yesteryears..or just looking in the mirror and smiling a little..or just closing one’s eyes to take in a joyful moment. And then a day like February 14 comes along, bearing hopeful promises wrapped in red ribbons and sprinkled with pink confetti. But it doesn’t take a pince-nez to see, even from a hazy distance, that the ribbons and confetti constitute an extravaganza that is strictly meant for one’s sweethearts, both big and small, and both inside and outside the confines of home. Of course it is implicit, unless specified by said sweethearts, that the extravaganza will be fashioned by one, leaving nothing but traces of soft confetti curls adorning one’s head, and perhaps a jagged-edged piece of sellotape lodged in the ridges of one’s elbow.

Once the tiers of the sponge cake, the hubby’s favorite that in one’s own world is, well..rather vanilla, have been conjoined with fruity fillings and drizzled with a simplified ganache, ready for the after-dinner surprise time..and the sugar cookies frosted with pink and red buttercream, have been sent off to the little one’s class party..a whiff of an idea floats by, tickling one’s suddenly alert senses, like a Dylan-esque answer to the mundaneness, blowing in the wind. Taking a cue from this instance, one happily submits to the moment, thinking hedonistic thoughts for a change, and lining up the perfect bunch of ingredients that will produce quick-setting, candy-coated results..while the devil on the shoulders breaks into a slowdance, sending a signal snaking down to one’s own two-left-feet, to follow suit. Of course, one takes note, while whipping up the two-good goodies, one’s brownie points were truly well-deserved..

Nutella Brownie Sandwiches

(Makes 12 sandwiches)

• 1 Box Brownie Mix (We used Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Mix)
• 2 Eggs, at room temperature
• 1/3 Cup neutral tasting oil
• 3 Tablespoons water
• 1 Cup chocolate chips, optional
• Creamy Nutella Filling (recipe follows)
• Sprinkles, colored sugar or confectioners sugar for decoration

Prepare 2 large cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper. Draw 3″ hearts on the paper, about 2″ apart. You will need 24 hearts, but you can bake them in 2-3 batches.

Mix all the ingredients except for the filling in a large bowl and stir a few times until well mixed. The batter should be thick but loose enough to be piped out. Transfer some of the batter to a piping bag with a large opening. You do not need to use an icing tip. Pipe out the brownie batter in heart shapes on the prepared cookie sheet. Dip your finger in a bowl of water and pat down the hearts if needed. Bake for about 13 minutes or until set. Cool for 2 minutes on the sheet and then carefully transfer to a cooling rack.

Once the cookies are cool, sandwich the hearts together using dollops of the Nutella filling. Dip the edges in sprinkles or colored sugar, or dust daintily with confectioners sugar.

Creamy Nutella Filling

• 1 Cup Nutella
• ¼ Cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 Cups confectioners/icing sugar
• 1 Teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• A pinch of salt
• 2-3 Tablespoons milk

Cream the Nutella and butter together using an electric mixer, until fluffy. Beat in a cup of the sugar. Add the vanilla and salt to the bowl. Continue mixing in the rest of the sugar, along with tablespoons of milk until the filling is thick and creamy.

When you’ve battled all odds and gone grocery shopping in the thick of snow to stir up a storm in the kitchen for Super Sunday, when those callused and chapped hands tire from flapping page after page for a revolutionary chili recipe, once those tips and tricks from Mommy and Grammy start to seem overused, when all that standin’ and grillin’ gets those feet a-killin’, when there’s never enough chips or rolls to pass around..when you’ve made umpteen trips to the pantry and refrigerator looking for nothing in particular, hoping for something to surprise you..and the tiny magnet holding another forgotten, dated list in place appears of a sudden in your field of vision..you stop in your tracks and read it till the smile that widens between your ears starts to hurt your jawline. “I love to cook with wine,” it reads, “sometimes I even put it in the food.” Instantly pouring what’s left of that Pam’s Perfect Red into a curvy glass, you kindle the fireplace and put your feet up, summoning to mind the tastes of all the wines you sampled during a Thanksgiving roadtrip to a family-owned winery in IN. And then it hits you, not very unlike the vapors that stung your nostrils and throat in rapid succession when you dunked a chip, in between sips, into a bowl of a fiery horseradish dip and put it in your mouth. You notice a bounce in your step as you skedaddle to the store to acquire the knobby, tapered root to whisk up a homestyle horsey-hummus that will pack a bowlful of punch for the hungry hordes, both before and after halftime..

Horseradish Hummus

• 2 Cups boiled and cooled chickpeas
• 1 Pod of garlic
• 1 Tablespoon horseradish paste (recipe follows)
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons roasted white sesame seed powder
• A few drops of hot sauce (we used Sriracha)
• Salt and red chilli powder according to preference
• 1 Tablespoon light olive oil

Grind all of the above in your food processor or blender to a smooth consistency. Store in an airtight glass bottle in your refrigerator for about a week. Serve with chips, salads, or even slather on toasts and warm Pita breads.

Horseradish Paste

• 1 Cup cleaned, peeled and chopped horseradish root 
• 1/2 Cup white vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons sugar (optional)

Place the vinegar and sugar (if using) in the jar of a blender or food processor, start it up and toss the horseradish cubes slowly, grinding to desired smoothness. This paste will store in a glass jar in your refrigerator for upto 2 weeks.

When the beans, greens, tubers and peppers have offered ample support to weeknight meals, cheering on from the sidelines as the lentils and gravies took centerstage, only a stellar performance from a lustrous vegetable can salvage another routine weeknight meal. The baby eggplants lure the dexterous daily hasher’s eyes from a distance. Perfectly poised in their round-bellied, purple-skinned, firm-faced stance, they call out stoically, breaking into brown veined disappointment should she bump them against each other, or the rim of the basket. She could plunge them in an oil bath with a scattering of seasonings till they shrivel and sport scowls, or slice them up in a ruthless pile and stir fry until they turn ratty. She could simmer them in a hot and creamy broth until they lose their vim and vigor, or dunk them in a bland batter to make listless fritters. But what she chooses to do, instead, is slit them up daintily, stuff them with a salty, peanut buttery, home-bred spice blend..and cook them tenderly and thoughtfully..and the results don’t just turn heads at the table, they tickle those taste buds with flavors that hit all the right notes at the right time..

Stuffed Baby Eggplant

(Serves 4)

8 Baby eggplant

1 Tablespoon oil

1 Large onion or 2 small ones, cut into thick slices

For the stuffing -

• 2 Tablespoons peanut butter, smooth or crunchy
• 2 Heaped tablespoons dosa mulaga podi (Substitute sesame or flax seeds powder + ¼ teaspoon cayenne)
• 2 Teaspoons coriander powder
• ½ Teaspoon cumin powder
• Pinch of turmeric and asafoetida
• ½ Teaspoon bottled tamarind concentrate, or a tablespoon of freshly extracted  juice
• ¼ Teaspoon fenugreek seeds powder, optional
• Salt to taste

Warm the peanut butter in the microwave for a few seconds. Add the remaining stuffing ingredients and stir well, adding a splash of water to get a thick but spreadable consistency.

Wash and dry the eggplants. Do not remove the stems. Make 2 slits in each eggplant, perpendicular to each other, going almost until the base. Now use a butter knife to slide the stuffing inside the slits. You should be able to use up all the filling.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick frying pan. Toss the eggplants in the oil, rolling them gently to get all the sides browned. Add the onions and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally and carefully. Sprinkle a little salt and then lower the heat, cover and cook until tender. Uncover and fry the veggies on high heat for 5 minutes, taking care to avoid breaking or burning them.

Kung Pao Potatoes

(Serves 4)

1 Package frozen fries (We used a 1 lb pack of Alexia’s crinkles)

1 Tablespoons peanut/sesame oil

2 Dried red chillies broken into large pieces

1 Teaspoon red chilli flakes

2 Garlic pods, minced

1″ Knob of ginger, minced

1 Red bell pepper, cut in thick strips

1 Large red onion, cut in thick strips

2 Spring onions, cut on the bias into thick chunks

1/4 Cup roasted peanuts

Sauce -

• 1 Cup vegetable broth or water
• 2 Teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 Teaspoons vinegar
• 1 Teaspoon sugar
• 1-2 Teaspoons chilli sauce
• 1 Tablespoon cornflour
• 2 Tablespoons ketchup

Prepare the frozen fries as per the package directions.

Whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.

Preheat a wok and pour the oil. Toss in the chillies, chilli flakes, garlic and ginger. Fry, stirring constantly. After a few seconds, add the bell pepper and onions. Stir-fry on high-heat for a couple of minutes. Add the spring onions and then the sauce mixture. Bring the pan to a boil and simmer for a couple of minutes. Garnish with the peanuts and serve hot atop a bowl of steamed rice.

 Featured in Organic Authority’s Meatless Monday Recipe Roundup: Chinese New Year

The sight of the dark green, broad-leafed Dinosaur Kale soaking up a fresh mist at the local fresh produce store is always luring for the health-conscious cook. She quickly hashes up a plan for it, letting it course through upto three meals in different avatars, to please the motley of unique palates in the family. Baked Kale chips for the little mouths, who love the crunch of the salt and pepper dusted, curly-edged crisps. A tall glass of Kale, apple and banana smoothie for the wholesome-breakfast buff on the move. And with those midribs and stem portions that will remain untouched, she reckons, as she reaches out to bag a nice, big bunch of the leafy green favorite, a delicious, garlic and spice imbued hodgepodge topped with toasted cashews. While she can’t wait to scoop some with a piece of warm, ghee-touched roti herself, she’s sure it will hit all the right notes to woo the rest of the family to the dinner table. Smiling tenderly at the thought, she riffles through the frozen section and grabs a pack of sweet corn kernels, to mix into her new recipe..

Kale Stem Hodgepodge
(Serves 2-3) 

• Stems and midrib portions of 1 bunch of Kale, cleaned and shredded in your food processor
• 1/4 Cup corn kernels, thawed
• 2 Onions, sliced thin and long
• 2 Cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 2 Small green chillies, finely minced (optional)
• 2 Tablespoons oil
• 1/2 Teaspoon cumin
• A pinch of turmeric
• Salt according to preference
• 1/4 Teaspoon each red chilli powder, coriander powder, fennel powder
• A dash of garam masala and black salt (optional)
• A handful of cashews, lightly roasted (optional)

Heat the oil in a pan/ kadhai and season with cumin, turmeric. Slide in the onions, garlic, chillies (if using) and saute for a few mins, until the onions are starting to turn translucent. Add the shredded kale stems, corn, sprinkle salt and let cook, covered, for upto 7 minutes. Add all the dry masala powders, stir well, and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until done. Top with roasted cashews and serve hot with any bread of your choice.

There’s something intensely satisfying about breaking the cold edges of butter into flour, whether one is an avid baker whose fingertips are well-worn with the feel of this gravelly, floury mixture, or an eager newbie who wishes to break that initial spell of baker’s block. It’s a little more comforting when the said action brings results that make one’s culinary pride..well..puff up..not very unlike our delectable drop-biscuits. Like little bouquets of green and gold, with the filigree of green onions, chillies and cheese woven right into buttered up, sourish dough..they’ll bloom on your baking tray within minutes..and be all gone, in a whisper.

Chilli-Cheese Southern Biscuits

(Makes 12 small biscuits)

1.5 Cups flour

1.5 Teaspoons baking powder

¼ Teaspoon baking soda

½ Teaspoon salt

3 Tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes

1 Cup plain yoghurt/curd, cold

¾ Cup grated cheese

4 Green/spring onions, chopped

3 Thai/green chillies, chopped

Preheat the oven to 450°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Toss in the butter cubes and use a fork or your fingers to work them into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the yoghurt, cheese, onions and chillies to the bowl and stir until the mixture starts coming together.

Drop tablespoons of the dough onto the baking tray. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the biscuits are puffed and golden. Serve right away.

Dainty little balls of saccharine perfection. Pristine, like the season’s first snowflakes. Tender, like feather-touch kisses from a little one. Precious, like winged-moments that take flight when one is too busy to notice. Laden with bursts of goodness, like the early harvests of juicy sugarcane. Gossamer, like the silken strands of cotton candy bagged at the holiday fair. Like life’s best things that come and go in a trice..a kind impulse, a note of thanks, the call of true love, a happy reverie..these Semolina Snowballs are too good to last forever..

Semolina Snowballs

(Makes 15-20)

• 1/3 to ½ Cup melted ghee
• ¼ Cup finely chopped cashews
• 1/8 Cup small raisins
• 1½ Cups fine Semolina/rawa/suji
• 1½ Cups confectioners/icing sugar
• ½ Teaspoon cardamom powder

Heat a tablespoon of ghee in a skillet/kadhai and fry the cashews until brown. Stir in the raisins, and after a few seconds transfer everything to a large mixing bowl and set aside. In the same pan heat a quarter cup of the ghee. Add the semolina and toss it with the ghee, stirring continuously until it smells well roasted, but is still pale. Set aside to cool.

Grind the cooled semolina to a fine powder in a dry grinder or coffee grinder. Put the powdered semolina in the bowl with the cashews and raisins. Add the sugar and cardamom powder and mix well. Heat the rest of the ghee and stir it into the semolina mixture.

Take some of the mix in the palm of your hand and press tight until it holds together in a ball. Place the snowball in a cupcake liner if desired. Shape the remaining balls the same way.

The balls are extremely delicate and will crumble easily. Store them carefully in a sturdy box or a nestle them in the cups of an empty chocolate box.

If the mixture cools down too much, the balls will not hold their shape easily. In this case, add more hot ghee, or place the bowl in the microwave for a few seconds until it warms up slightly.

In Chinese cuisine, textures and flavors play a pivotal role in creating a well-rounded menu. And the art that marries the two in perfect harmony is known as tiaowei. This New Year’s, we’re borrowing from that ideology to create a delightful appetizer for our party. The outer shell, deep fried to a golden brown crunch that breaks into glassy shards between the teeth, epitomizes the cui texture (crisp and crackling) and the inner filling, suffused with elements of heat, spice and piquancy in moderation, swiftly seducing the tastebuds, evinces the xiang flavor (rich and fragrant). When dipped in a conflagrant sauce and relished to the last crumb, our version of the traditional spring roll beckons you for second and third helpings..and like a narrative of rhapsodic tones and expressions, it is wont to work its magic on the meishijia (gourmet) in you..

Veggie-delite Spring Rolls
(Makes 12)

For the filling -

• 1 Tablespoon light olive oil
• 1/4 Medium-sized cabbage, sliced thin and long
• 1 Small carrot, grated
• 1 Green chilli, finely minced
• 2-3 Pods of garlic, grated
• 1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 Tablespoon freshly grated horseradish*
• 1/4 Teaspoon pepper powder
• A dash of red pepper flakes (optional)
• Salt according to taste
• A dash of brown sugar
• 2-3 Stems of green onions, chopped
• A handful of cilantro, chopped
• 1 Teaspoon soy sauce
• 2 Teaspoons vinegar

Warm the oil in a pan and throw in the cabbage, stir fry for about 3 minutes on a medium-high flame, then add the carrot, chilli, garlic, ginger, horseradish and fry for another 2-3 minutes. Add the pepper powder, red pepper flakes, salt, sugar and mix well, reducing the flame to low-medium. Finally add the green onions and cilantro, soy sauce and vinegar and stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Turn off the flame and set aside to cool.

For the rolls -

Set your preferred oil to heat up for deep frying in a pan/ kadhai.

Assemble the egg-roll wrappers on your counter, say 4 at a time, in ‘diamond’ shaped positions, and keep a small bowl of cold water to brush the edges. Follow the package directions (we used Nasoya egg roll wrappers) and accordingly, place a little bit of filling (about 2 tablespoons) in the center of each wrapper, fold either side then close the bottom, rolling upwards till you’re left with a small triangle shaped portion to secure the roll. At this point, brush the open-ended portion with cold water and envelop the roll, pressing lightly to ensure it is well glued.

Deep fry the rolls one or two at a time, flipping over until they turn brown and crisp, drain on a paper towel. Serve hot with ketchup or hot sauce.

Notes -

• If you’d rather use horseradish paste, use 1 teaspoon of the paste in place of the grated 1 tablespoon.
• You can add thinly sliced colored bell peppers, peas and even minced meat to the filling for different flavors.
• If you want to make these rolls ahead of time, pop them in a preheated oven for 5-8 minutes just before serving. Or if you’d rather freeze them, make sure they’re well secured after filling them and freeze in a ziplock bag, deep fry just before serving  do not thaw.
• For a fun take on these spring rolls, you could even cut each wrapper into 4 quarters, brush them lightly with olive oil, and stick them in a mini-muffin tray. Fill with prepared stuffing and bake in a pre-heated 350 F oven for about 15 minutes or until brown and crisp.

In the midst of sugar-dusted cookies and candied gingersnaps, we present a cracker of a red and green trellis with a pinch of spice. Woven right into a buttery, salty crust, this filigree of fragrant herbs and chillies alternating with shards of peppy sun-dried tomatoes decrees Christmas in its own spirit in the Tadka kitchens. While the colors of the season paint the outside world a sprightly shade, the hues of contentment come shining through around us, mottled with the remnants of these delectable biscuitty bites along the smile lines..

Merry Christmas!

Tomato ‘n Herb Crackers

(Makes about 35 crackers)

• 4 Thai/green chillies
• 2 Sprigs curry leaves
• 6 Sundried tomato halves
• 2 Cups all-purpose flour
• 1¼ Teaspoon salt
• ¼ Teaspoon pepper
• ½ Teaspoon baking soda
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, soft
• ¼ Cup olive oil
• 4 Tablespoons sour cream or thick yogurt

Soak the sun-dried tomatoes in hot water for 5 minutes and then drain and squeeze them out well. Or, if using the ones which come in oil, drain them well. Mince the chillies, curry leaves and sun-dried tomatoes and set aside.

Mix together the flour, salt, pepper and baking soda in a bowl. Add the minced ingredients and stir well, separating the tomato pieces if they are clumped together

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the butter, olive oil and sour cream/yogurt. Add the flour mixture and stir until the mixture starts coming together. Then use your hands to form it into a dough, but do not knead. Roll the dough into a log, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for half an hour or until chilled. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.

Cut the log into ¼” thick slices, rolling the log after every cut to get even rounds. Place the crackers on a parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes. Cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.

The crackers will be soft initially but will crisp up more once they cool down.

We love snacks and appetizers that we can make ahead of time and these fit the bill perfectly. To warm and crisp-up the crackers before serving, place 6 on a plate and microwave for about 30 seconds. Allow to cool slightly and serve. Flavorful and festive, Tomato and Herb Crackers are perfect for that holiday bash, whether served on their own, or with a mild cheese dip.

We’re sharing our crackers with -