Bangalore (hyacinth) beans Curry

It's been so long since we wrote on this blog. It's almost a sacrilege to let this go so unattended, and for anyone and everyone who does follow this blog, our apologies are sincerely extended. We've been extremely caught up in quite a few things, including a Bombay trip that we thoroughly enjoyed, and have decided to write today, no matter what.

So, our comeback today features a dish that I love, but Nishtha doesn't. It's the Bangalore (hyacinth) beans curry.

Having quite a cult following of marriage food caterers in Gujarat, this piquant yet sweet curry is an awesome combination with Indian breads like rotis and also with steamed rice. 

Bangalore Beans Curry

Here's what you'll need:

- Bangalore Beans (val) Split - 250 gms. 

- Red chilli powder - 2 tsp.

- Coriander Powder - 2 tsp.

- Mustard seeds - 2 tsp.

- Cumin seed - 2 tsp.

- Asafoetida - 1 tsp.

- Turmeric powder - 1 Tsp.

- Refined cooking oil - 7 Tbsp.

- Sugar - 1 Tbsp.

- Cinnamon - 3 

- Clove - 3

- Dry Red chilli - 3

- Malabathrum (tej patta)-3

- Salt to taste

- Coriander leaves for garnish

The recipe:

1. Cook the Bangalore beans in a pressure cooker for 4 whistles.

2. Pour oil in a pan; add asafoetida, cumin seeds and mustard seeds, cinnamon, cloves, dry red chillies and the malabathrum and heat.

3. Add the cooked beans along with the cooked water (about 300 ml.), and add the turmeric powder, salt, sugar, red chilli powder, coriander powder and cook for 10 minutes on a high flame.

4. Add about 1 tbsp. of lemon juice in this and keep stirring and then cook for 7-8 more minutes on a low flame.

5. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with roti or rice.

Try this out, let us know how it comes out. We'd love to hear from you.

Till the next time, Bon Apetit!

Our first compliment and flat beans and potatoes in peanut and tomato gravy

A couple of days back, my mother called me from Kerala and went, "We loved your subji!"And I  was like "What?"


Then it struck me. My mother made a dish from our first recipe on this food blog and they loved it! What better testimonial to our recipe than to get a compliment from our parents?! Nishtha and I were so happy that we almost did a somersault, were I but a little more athletic. 


So, to take this journey ahead, we're presenting to you today another one from Nishtha's palette: Flat beans and potatoes in peanut and tomato gravy. We went to the vegetable market last week and almost suffered a bout of depression. The vegetables all looked like runners after a marathon in summer. Withered, dry, lifeless and in Nishtha's words - boring. But we saw flat beans, and Nishtha said we should try it in one of her patent recipe tricks of peanut and tomato gravy. So we decided to give it a shot. 


(Flat beans are called papdi or valor in India. Below are a couple of pics of them to help you).

And we loved it. This dish went great with roti and with some great coriander chutney, the recipe of which is also covered in brief in this post. This is what it looked like:


For the flat beans and potatoes, you'll need:

- Flat Beans - 250 gms. 
- 2 large Potatoes
- Peanuts - 100 gm
- Garlic - 6 to 8 pieces
- Tomato - 3 Large
- Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
- Coriander Powder - 2 tsp
- Mustard  seeds - 2tsp
- Cumin seed - 2tsp
- Asafoetida - 1tsp
- Sesame seeds - 3 tbsp
- Turmeric powder - 1 Tsp.
- Refined cooking oil - 7 Tbsp.
- Coriander leaves for garnish
- Salt to taste

- Sugar - 1 Tbsp.

1. Cut potatoes length-wise.  Cut flat beans as shown in the picture.
2. Grind the peanuts, tomatoes, sesame and garlic into a coarse paste.
3. Heat the oil in a pressure cooker and add cumin seeds, mustard seeds and asafoetida in it. Add the paste in this cooker.
4. Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder, salt and 100 ml water  to the  paste along with potatoes and flat beans. Continue to cook on low flame till 3-4 whistles.
5. Garnish with some coriander leaves.


For the coriander chutney, add about 50 gms of peanuts, about 25-30 stalks of coriander, 3 tbsp of sugar, salt to taste, 3-4 green chillies and one lemon's juice in a mixer and grind this into a fine paste. Add a little water to make it easier to grind and bring about consistency in the chutney.

Plate up - flat beans and potatoes in peanut and tomato gravy

That's good to go. Do let us know how you liked it.


Till next time, happy eating!

Penne Pasta in Arabiatta Sauce

I am a big fan of pasta and I'm lucky enough to have a wonderful, handsome and  intelligent husband who is a fantastic cook (by now, you've probably guessed that Vinay is typing this post) and can make pasta so good that it's almost foodgasmic. We've had pasta on so many past dates that we've bonded over this lovely Italian recipe.

So I demand pasta from him almost every other day. And he gladly obliges because it's so easy to cook. 

Penne Pasta in Arabiatta Sauce

Here's a quick guide on how to make pasta for 2 people.

You'll need:

- Penne Pasta - 200 grams. 

- Onion - 1 large. 

- Tomato purée - 3 cups.

- Garlic paste - 2 tbsp.

- Black pepper powder - 1 tbsp.

- Arabiatta Sauce - 1.5 cup.

- Salt - to taste.

- Tabasco - 2 tsp.

- Worcestershire Sauce - 3 tsp.

- Whipped Cream - 1 cup.

- Black and green olives sliced - 15-20 pieces.

- Cheese - 3 cubes.

Now, you can use any pasta you like - macaroni, penne, fusili, even spaghetti. But penne pasta works best because the gravy fills inside the tubular pasta pieces, making it really chunky and tasty. 

1. Boil 2 litres of water and put the penne pasta in this for about 10 minutes. 

2. Drain the water from the pasta out completely. Do not add cool water to make it cool quickly. Let pasta cool naturally else it will become very soggy.

3. In a non-stick pan, put in paste of garlic, onion and put on butter and heat till the onion changes colour. 

4. Pour tomato purée in this pan; add black pepper powder and salt and stir on a low flame for about 10-12 minutes.

5. In the paste, put Tabasco, Arabiatta sauce, Worcestershire sauce and keep on low flame for another 5-7 minutes.

6. Add pasta in this mixture along with the sliced olives and mix well.

7. Grate the cubes of cheese on top as garnish and serve. 

Pasta transports us. It takes us on a trip around the world in a different time. Of places that have those small road side cafes on cobbled streets and the main squares, where little brown wooden tables and chairs rest in the shades of umbrellas opened up. And where broad hats with feathers and waistcoats with pocket-watches in them could well be the fashion of the day.

This recipe is to such places and times. Boun Appetito!

Open Sesame - Ivy Gourd (Tindora) and Potatoes

Nishtha and I are foodies, and have recently found out that we also enjoy cooking just as much as we enjoy eating delectable food items. So based on my sister, Anita's (who herself is an accomplished food blogger) suggestion,  we decided to start a small blog of our own, where we shall share as many things from our kitchen palette as we can - and here we are. 


So to get started, something not too many people would look for in a recipe cookbook, but something that Nishtha and I enjoy - Ivy gourd (Tindora/kundru) and potatoes with sesame seeds. Rather off-beat, yet something that can be cooked quickly and on a regular basis. 


(Please don't mind the quality of the photograph. It is tastier than it looks, and we are also working on buying a new camera with the money collected from all the donations you can make for our blogging interests).

Ivy gourd (Tindora/kundru) and potatoes with sesame seeds

For 2 people, you would need:


- Ivy gourd - 250 gms.
- 2 Large Potatoes.
- Sesame seeds - 1/3 cup
- Garlic paste - 1 Tbsp.
- Mustard seeds - 1 Tbsp.
- Cumin seeds - 1 Tsp.
- Turmeric powder - 1 Tsp.
- Red Chilli powder - 2 Tsp.
- Coriander powder - 1 Tsp.
- Asafoetida - 1 Tsp.
- Refined cooking oil - 5 Tbsp.
- Salt - to taste
- Curry leaves - 4-5 leaves
- Coriander leaves for garnish


1. Cut potatoes and ivy gourd length-wise. 
2. Heat the oil in a pan and add cumin seeds, mustard seeds and asafoetida in it. Add the curry leaves and heat for some time. 
3. Add garlic paste, potatoes and ivy gourd in the pan and cook on low flame. 
4. Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder, salt and sesame seeds to the pan and continue to cook on low flame for 15-20 minutes.
5. Garnish with some more sesame seeds and coriander leaves.


Serve this with Indian breads like Roti and paranthas. Top it off with some cool yoghurt raita.


That's that. Feels good to start off on our blog. We'll try to keep as many recipes coming your way. And some things that we just want to pen down somewhere. In the words of Albus Dumbledore, "I sometimes find, and I am sure you know the feeling, that I simply have too many thoughts and memories crammed into my mind... At these times... I use the Pensieve. One simply siphons the excess thoughts from one's mind, pours them into the basin, and examines them at one's leisure."


And oh, I always want to say this: Bon Appetit.