Good evening folks!

I have always felt Sambar making is a big headache, but that is only if you want it to be a long and authentic one. Normally Sambar is prepared by stir-frying or sautéing grated coconut with other spices like powders, garlic, etc are Sautéed till it browns and the coconut mixture is ground to a paste and added to the dal-veg curry prepared earlier and lastly, for tempering - mustard seeds, dried red chilies, and curry leaves are used. A long process isn't it? Well, that is the authentic one. 🤷‍♀️
I am here to share with you the Simple Sambar recipe which is the best when you have time constraints. I somehow don't like the 'varutharacha sambar' (Sautéed and ground Coconut mixture Sambar) and it is super time-consuming.

Storytime- Once back in the good old days when I was in high school we used to have a carpenter who used to single-handedly do neat furniture for us. One fine day it was declared hartal and the very famous 'national hotel' was not opened that day. So I had to cook food for him too as mama was here in Dubai and I had already started my work for Sambar. I was quite hesitant to agree to cook for him as he is a local from our place and I am sure he would die laughing asking if this really was Sambar. I was new to my kitchen then, if at all I never tried Sambar much, there was a lot of pressure on me. I felt it like a mission. I did whatever I could to my understanding and prepared the Sambar. Voila and mission accomplished! My heart went *dhuck dhuck dhuck* in a fast rate. And I was indeed surprised when he said that this was the best Sambar he ever had! I was astonished 😲 I quite didn't know what to say as I didn't see this coming. So I thought to myself maybe he was just trying to make me happy as I was a little girl. Then he kept asking things like did someone help you in the kitchen and what all did you add in etc. I was overwhelmed and when he finally said to my dad that the guy who marries your daughter is the luckiest guy, I was blushing. @haseeb.hsb you lucky man😝
Not writing to brag about it here but isn't this one of the best critics a girl in her teens can get. Alhamdulilah since then I felt like I wanted to cook more. And try more. Always remember your motivation, encouragement and your kind words can always have a big impact on the lives of our children.

Anyhow, I never liked Sambar much and don't make it that often. Also, I hate making the varutharacha style, so will be sharing the "Simple Sambar" recipe on my blog. No videos or aesthetic pics as I never thought of putting this up here. But due to many requests for the recipe of easy Sambar came in, I thought I would share this beautiful story with you guys too! ❤️

Let's hop on and make this Simple Sambar!

Ps: Will update with pictures and videos the next time I make it. In Sha Allah ❤️

Serves: 4

Ingredients :

For sambar:

• 1/2 glass Toor dal
• 2 green chillies
• 1 small onion slices
• 1/2 tomato
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 tsp Ginger garlic paste
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• A pinch of asafoetida/hung (optional)
• Salt as required
• 1 potato, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 2 drumsticks/ beans/ ladies finger etc. *

For tempering:

• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1/4 tsp Mustard seeds
• 2 sprig curry leaves
• 2 dried red chillies
• 2 tsp Sambar powder*
• Other ingredients :
• About 2 tbsp tamarind pulp*
• 1 tsp Jaggery (optional)

1. Pressure cook everything in the list under 'for Sambar' except for the vegetables in about 1 and half cup to 2 cup water for 3 whistles.
2. Once the pressure is released on its own, let the cut vegetables cook in the dal curry mixture for about 15 minutes or until knife passes through the vegetables easily.
3. Temper the ingredients under the list 'for tempering' in coconut oil and add the Sambar powder and mix until raw smell of powders dissappear, (be careful not to burn) and toss it into the Curry and let it all boil well. Lastly add the tamarind pulp and Jaggery. Adjust salt and your Sambar is ready! 😋

Kaju chicken curry

The easiest chicken curry you can make! The only chopping required is for the onions. Other than that all the ingredients are blended or ground. Now you can imagine how easy it is going to be. Cashew paste makes the Curry even more rich and tastier. It is up to you to totally omit the cashew paste, you still have a thick and yummy chicken curry.

This curry is the perfect recipe for newbies to the kitchen, momma's with small babies, working moms, in fact anyone who has no time to spent in the kitchen all day and when hotel food is BOO. Also who doesn't like cheat days in kitchen, teehee. Well, this effortless curry is going to bring all smiles on your family's faces, this curry recipe is surely a keeper The recipe is so simple and effortless with minimal ingredients. I guarantee you this curry won't take you more than 30 minutes from start to end.

I was planning to make some naadan type chicken curry to go with my Ney pathil for breakfast. While I was in the mood for experimenting (yet I was starting to have strong symptoms of bad cold), so you know how badly I wanted to run from the kitchen. To top it my hubby was in a hurry and I had to make a curry super quick.

I had no time to think much so I did what I felt like and voila! It turned out so good Alhamdulilah!

This curry is made in a pressure cooker, yes! Thank god for pressure cookers. Always comes to the rescue when you are short on time. (I prefer to do it in a pot itself tough if I had the time), here I am using the cooker so that my onions are pressure cooked well in the masala and mashed well.

Rich and delicious cashew chicken curry can be accompanied with Ney pathil (oil fried rice pancakes), Ari dosa (rice crepe), ghee rice, appam, noolputtu/iddipyappam, chappathi, etc.

Guys! Please do give the recipe a try and let me know how you liked it! I am sure your family will love the curry😋👌

Ingredients:

• 700 gms - Fresh Chicken (both with bone and boneless)
• 2-3 tbsp any vegetable oil
• 1 and 1/2 medium-sized Onions sliced
• 2 medium Tomatoes (roughly chopped if required)
• 3 large green Chillis
• 6 Cloves of garlic
• 1-inch piece of ginger
• 2 sprigs of curry leaves
• 10 Cashews
• 1/2 cup Hot water
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 2 1/2 tsp Kashmiri Chilli Powder
• 5 tsp Coriander powder, leveled
• 3/4 tsp Garam Masala powder
• 1/2 cup water
• Salt, as required

Instructions :

1. In a heatproof bowl, place the cashews and pour hot water. Keep aside.
2. Grab a pressure cooker, pour in the oil.
3. Add the sliced onions, while sautéing grind tomatoes, ginger and garlic in a blender/grinder.
4. Add in the Curry leaves and slit green chillies.
5. Now pour in the prepared tomato mixture and add in the spice powders and the chicken along with 1/2 cup water.
6. Finally add salt and close lid. And cook for 2 whistles and off the flame.
7. While the pressure goes prepare the cashew paste by grinding cashew and milk, adding milk little at a time.
8. 
9. Once the pressure is gone, add the prepared cashew paste and stir well and add water as required and bring it to a boil. Garnish with chopped Coriander leaves and you are done! Enjoy❤️

Do try this recipe and don't forget to share your experience/feedback with me here in the comments or feel free to send me a mail. Also, do tag me at #taystedit if you try out my recipes on Facebook, Instagram etc so that I can see when you make it. ♡♡♡♡

Roasted Garlic Fried Rice 

When it's lunch time you always want to gorge on something yummy and here I am with the recipe of Roasted Garlic Fried Rice! So yumm that you will keep wanting it more.. A whole garlic bulb is chopped apart at the top and the garlic is placed in a foil and drizzled with olive oil which helps to release the lovely aroma of the roasting garlic😋😋

And this perfectly roasted garlic brings out so much of flavor in the fried rice, it's super delish!

Now to go with it I made General Tso's Chicken which I will be doing a post on it soon! That is a super simple side dish recipe, you wouldn't want to miss!

Back to the roasted garlic fried rice, if you love garlic but not it's strong pungent smell but love the amazing aroma it brings out when it is sautéed in oil or butter, this recipe is going to be your best friend as roasted garlic gives out a delicate and a not so intense flavor. 😋

And for the perfect fried rice, I would suggest you use spring onions too but since I didn't have them I haven't used it here. Also for the ratio of the garlic bulb for making the fried rice, it would 1 bulb for 2 person's quantity.

This garlic roasting technique is a game-changer - you may use it to substitute any recipe that calls for raw garlic and if you want a milder taste. Roasting garlic makes your kitchen smell killer, that's a bonus! Roasting Garlic takes about 20-25 minutes in the oven, you may also break open the bulb and keep the garlic cloves with skin on and cover in foil with the drizzle of olive oil if you are short on time. It is insanely creamy and rich that you would want to use it on anything and upgrade the food - soups, salad dressings, mashed potatoes, dips,etc. The options are endless 😋😋
I can't wait to try my hands on many other recipes using this technique! 😍

Also in the rush to feed my little girl, I forgot the eggs - keeping it real! So you may scramble eggs with a dash of salt and pepper or you may also do a sunny side up, which was my plan initially. Anywhoo, if you are not a fan of burnt garlic fried rice or intense garlicky flavor, then do try this recipe and let me know in the comments how you liked it ❤️

Ingredients :

For roasting garlic :

• 1 Garlic bulb
• Foil paper
• Olive oil

For the rice:

• 1 glass Jasmine rice/ Basmati/ Jeerakashala rice
• 200 gm Chicken breast, boiled with salt and pepper
• 1 carrot, chopped finely
• 1 cup French beans, chopped finely
• 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 tsp Black Pepper
• 1 tsp white pepper (optional)
• 1/4 tsp red chilli flakes (optional)
• 1 spring onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup Corn niblets
• 1/2 Maggi Chicken Cube
• 2 tsp green chili sauce (optional)
• Salt, as required

Instructions:

Roasting garlic :

1. Chop off the head of the garlic bulb and place the garlic in foil and drizzle some olive oil and cover it to form into a ball.

Roasted Garlic Fried Rice:

1. Cook the rice and set aside to cool.
2. Squeeze out the roasted garlic and sautee it in butter for 15 seconds and add in your veggies and the Maggi chicken cube.

5. Now in a wok on high flame pour in some oil, the chicken-veg mix and cooked rice along with a  couple of tbsp of soy sauce and mix well, finally add some pepper powder and garnish with a sunny side up. 

6. While you make any sides just place the used garlic bulb leftover in the middle and close the lid. This is optional.

• Note: I have used Jeerakashala rice here, as I did not have Jasmine rice with me. You may use whichever you have in hand and cook the rice according to its nature beforehand. 
• I haven't used a wok here as I made for a large quantity and added more roasted garlic. I highly recommend cooking this in a wok on high heat. 

Do try this recipe and don't forget to share your experience/feedback with me here in the comments or feel free to send me a mail. Also, do tag me at #taystedit if you try out my recipes on Facebook, Instagram etc so that I can see when you make it. ♡♡♡♡

One of my first experiments in the dessert segment was this 'Strawberry Vanilla Jelly Pudding'. Happened when I was a teenager, my mom had gone to India and my brother had invited his friend and his wife over for iftar and she called me up to say that she would cook the main dinner for our day and I took control of the snacks, juices, etc.

I had already planned what to make for the snacks etc, but choosing a dessert was a huge decision as this was the first time I was hosting a party all on my own (with little help from my sister). So now you know how I would have been brainstorming ideas. Finally, I thought to myself that I would make something with the ingredients available at home.

There, I saw a pack of strawberry/ cherry jelly peeping at me from the pantry. I was overjoyed! I started contemplating on how to make this jelly interesting yet uncomplicated. (As I already had so much to do in a short span of time i.e., before Magrib azan, planned the iftar on the same day morning). To get better ideas I opened the fridge to find apples sitting in there. I thought to myself that cutting apples into small cubes and adding to the jelly would add dimension and a fruit crunch in between for the first layer of my pudding and there I began preparing. Once the iftar was over I was overwhelmed by the response I got for this easy peasy dessert. Since then I never stopped experimenting🙈 Alhamdulilah. <3


When I called mama to tell her what happened excitedly she was like had already tried this after she saw a recipe in 'Vanitha' - Women's Weekly magazine which similar to what I explained to her. But anyhow she was happy that it was something that I achieved on my own without referring any recipe. Maa Sha Allah 😍🙈

Now let's go and prepare just the right kind of dessert you need after a heavy party meal!

Ingredients:

• Bundt pan
• 1 pack Strawberry/ Cherry flavor Jelly
• 1 pack Caramel Custard Pudding Mix
• 275 ml whole milk
• 1 Apple, Chopped uniformly
• 8-10 Strawberries, quartered
• Water, as required, on the pack
• Sugar, if required

Instructions:

1. Chop your fruits, (apple and strawberries uniformly) and make the jelly according to the instructions at the backside of the jelly pack.

1. 

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2. 
   
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4. Pour in the prepared jelly liquid into the bundt pan and drop in the fruits proportionately and place in the fridge to set.
5. 
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7. After about half an hour make your caramel custard according to the instructions on the pack and once the mixture is about to boil switch off the flame and let the mixture cool enough to pour over the jelly.
8. Ps: Do not keep the caramel to cool for too long as it might start to set.
9. Pour the cooled custard mixture slowly over the now set jelly and place in the fridge to set. At least for 3-4 hours.
10. 
11. 
12. Once set place bundt pan in warm water for 5 minutes and slowly invert onto a serving plate by keep the plate upside down on the bundt pan and tilting the plate and pan together to invert and voila! Your pudding is ready to be relished!

• NOTE: 
• I like the Green's brand for the Caramel Custard. You may make your own caramel custard if you want. But this is an instant option. (very handy when you have guests coming over)
• You may add extra sugar before the milk boils if you feel the sweetness of the custard isn't enough.
• Only use the bundt pan if you are willing to take the risk. If so please do not forget this step, place your bundt pan in warm water for 5 minutes before you invert the pudding onto a serving plate.
• You may do the same in a glass bowl for more transparency if you do not want to invert and take a risk😊 but the bundt pan version looks so beautiful 😍😍😍

Do try this recipe and don't forget to share your experience/feedback with me here in the comments or feel free to send me a mail. Also, do tag me at #taystedit if you try out my recipes on Facebook, Instagram etc so that I can see when you make it. ♡♡♡♡

Hi guys! I was least expecting to post this recipe here but Oh boy! Was I overwhelmed with joy to see the responses on the boomerang I posted on IG while making *Chicken Tikka Masala*? My DM was literally bombarded with recipe requests for the same! I was hesitant to share the recipe here as I did not capture or shoot the step by step cooking process, but I shall update the post the next time I prepare it. Like who doesn't love Chicken Tikka Masala? It is one of the most popular dishes from around the world. (maybe of course after butter chicken, teehee). No wonder it became popular for the flavors are divine leaving the tongue captivated.

A common confusion is the difference between Chicken Tikka Masala and Butter chicken as they are similar in preparation. Though Chicken Tikka Masala contains more spiciness while butter chicken is more on the sweeter buttery side.

Have you had that rice and chicken tikka masala combi from flights, the best part of flying on Emirates? The basmati rice and chicken tikka masala combination. Throwback to the good old days (when almost all flights served yummy and hot food). When I received all the recipe requests and I had some leftover Masala, I immediately made some basmati rice to go with it for lunch (and for the gram). It was so nostalgic. 😍😍😍



This dish is mostly prepared when in a mood for some North Indian dish and this was what happened yesterday when I was craving some Indian food and I was going blank on what to cook for dinner. So without a second thought, I convinced myself to prepare this and it was completely spontaneous! We normally prefer bone pieces of chicken unlike the usual boneless used for Chicken tikka. And to go with it I made this butter naan/tandoori roti which my hubsy was all praises of! In sha Allah (if Allah wills) will try to post the instant Naan recipe ASAP :)
Not to brag but he actually said it tasted as good as having from a restaurant. What else does a wife want, the approval of our husbands is what we all strive for. You won't believe if I said it wasn't a recipe I followed, nor did I refer anywhere, I felt like it and made it the way I wanted. I guarantee you everyone is going to love it!

Ingredients :

Chicken Tikka:

• 600 gms Chicken (small cuts)
• 2-3 tbsp Yogurt
• 1 tsp Ginger garlic paste
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Kashmiri Chilli powder
• 2 tbsp Tandoori Chicken Powder (for substitute check notes)
• Salt
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• Vegetable oil for frying

Gravy:

• 1 medium onion chopped coarsely
• 2 medium tomatoes chopped coarsely
• 1 tsp Ginger garlic paste
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 2-3 tsp Kashmiri Chilli powder
• 1 tbsp Tandoori Masala powder, (or check notes for substitute)
• 1 clove
• 1 cardamom
• 1/2 glass water
• 1/2 tsp Cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
• 2 tbsp fresh cream/ thick cream
• 1 tbsp butter
• Salt, to taste
• Sugar, a pinch

Instructions:

1. To begin with, heat oil in a Kadai and fry in the marinated chicken pieces in 2-3 batches without overcrowding for 15 minutes on medium-low turning over every 5 minutes.
2. Next, in a pan/ skillet pour in the oil from the Kadai used for frying, about 2 - 3 tbsp.
3. Add your dry spices, cardamom, and cloves into the oil and sauté for a minute and add in the chopped onion and sprinkle some salt and let it get translucent.
4. Next, add in the ginger-garlic paste and sauté till the raw smell disappears and add in the chopped tomatoes. Close and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Now add the powders - Turmeric, Chilli powder, tandoori masala powder, mix for a minute and pour in the water and let it boil for a couple of minutes and set aside.
6. Once cooled, grind in a mixer and strain to get the residual smooth paste.
7. Next in a pan /skillet add the butter and add in 2 tsp of Chilli powder to the butter for that rich color.
8. Now add the strained paste to the butter and once boiled add in the cream and salt.
9. Depending on the consistency pour in water if required.
10. Add in the dried Fenugreek leaves by placing it in your palm and rubbing your hands to make it into powder and add in a pinch of sugar to balance out the flavours.
11. Finally, add your fried chicken tikka to the Masala and let it boil for 5 minutes on simmer. Ta-da! Your Chicken Tikka Masala is ready to devour. 🤤🤤

Notes-

1. If you do not have tandoori chicken Masala feel free to use 1 tsp Coriander powder, 1 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp pepper powder, 1/2 tsp garam masala for the same.
2. Even though I cooked it spontaneously I had cleaned and marinated the chicken with salt earlier.
3. The oil is going to look burnt as the yogurt in the marination will turn black while frying, so do not pour in too much oil for frying.
4. For that charred look, I fried the chicken on a high flame in the last 2 minutes.

Do try this recipe and don't forget to share your experience/feedback with me here in the comments or feel free to send me a mail. Also, do tag me at #taystedit if you try out my recipes on Facebook, Instagram etc so that I can see when you make it. ♡♡♡♡