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Ginisang repolyoSautéed cabbage and carrot

Ginisang repolyo is the budget-friendly side every Filipino family seems to know, cooked on a weekday evening in Manila or Davao to stretch a meal with plenty of rice. Shredded cabbage and carrot are sautéed with garlic and onion and seasoned with soy until just wilted, sweet and still crunchy. Cooks often add pork, shrimp or sliced hot dog; add fried tofu instead if you want it more filling and vegetarian. The common mistake is cooking the cabbage until it sags and smells sulphurous; stop while the shreds are still bright and springy. Chef's tip: give the carrot a minute alone in the pan first, because it takes longer than the cabbage to soften.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Dadpe poheRaw flattened rice with coconut

Dadpe pohe comes from the Konkan and Pune side of Maharashtra and is eaten as an evening snack or a light supper, especially in the rainy season when fresh coconut is plentiful. Thin poha is never cooked: it is mixed with fresh coconut, onion, tomato, lemon and green chilli, pressed under a lid for a few minutes so it softens in their juices, then finished with a quick tempering. It is fresh, sweet-sour and crunchy. The common mistake is rinsing thin poha, which turns it straight to mush. Chef's tip: rub the coconut, onion and tomato together with your fingers first so they give up their juice; that is what softens the poha.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Chilli idliStir-fried idli cubes

Chilli idli was born in the Indo-Chinese restaurants of Chennai and is now how many South Indian homes use up yesterday's idlis for a fast dinner. The cold idlis are cut into cubes, fried until golden, then tossed with onion, green pepper, garlic and a glossy soy and chilli sauce. Crisp at the edges, soft inside, sweet, sour and hot, it is eaten on its own or as a side with fried rice. The common mistake is using fresh, warm idlis, which crumble in the wok. Chef's tip: use idlis straight from the fridge and fry them in a single layer without stirring for the first minute so a crust forms. Idlis kept for this should have gone into the fridge within two hours of steaming and be used within a day or two.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Ginisang upoSautéed bottle gourd

Ginisang upo is humble everyday food in Filipino homes, especially in the provinces where upo (bottle gourd) climbs over backyard trellises: the pale gourd is sautéed with garlic, onion and tomato until just tender and juicy, then eaten with rice for lunch or a light supper. Families often add ground pork, shrimp or fish sauce; this vegan version leans on tomato and a little salt and pepper. The common mistake is cutting the gourd into thick chunks, which take too long and go watery; thin half-moons cook in minutes. Chef's tip: don't add water at the start, because the upo releases plenty of its own juice once salted.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Masala pastaSpiced macaroni

Masala pasta is how countless homes in Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad cook pasta on a school night: macaroni tossed in a quick onion, tomato and capsicum masala with cumin, chilli and garam masala, often with a little ketchup for the children. It is tangy, mildly spiced and comforting, with the sauce clinging to every piece. The usual mistake is draining away all the pasta water, so the masala turns dry and sticky. Chef's tip: save a mug of the starchy cooking water and add a splash while tossing; it makes the masala silky and helps it coat the pasta. If you add cheese, many cheeses are made with animal rennet, so choose one labelled vegetarian.

by KrazyBadal 1 views

Suji toastSemolina vegetable toast

Suji toast, sometimes called rava toast, is a Mumbai and North Indian home favourite for breakfast, tiffin or a quick dinner with soup. A paste of fine semolina, curd and finely chopped onion, tomato and capsicum is spread on bread and pan-toasted, paste side down, until it forms a golden, crunchy crust. It tastes like a cross between a vegetable uttapam and cheese-free toast, and children love it with ketchup. The common mistake is making the paste too runny, so it slides off and stays raw in the middle. Chef's tip: let the semolina and curd sit for 5 minutes while you chop; it thickens into a paste that spreads like soft butter.

by KrazyBadal 1 views

Pyaz tamatar ki sabziOnion and tomato dry curry

In Punjabi and Uttar Pradesh homes, pyaz tamatar ki sabzi is the dinner that rescues an empty vegetable basket: just onions and tomatoes, cooked with cumin and red chilli until they collapse into a jammy, spicy-sweet side for hot rotis or parathas. It is humble but rich-tasting, and it keeps well for the next day's lunch box. The common mistake is adding the tomatoes before the onions have softened, which leaves the onion raw and the sabzi watery. Chef's tip: cut the onions into thick petals rather than fine slices so some keep a little bite in the finished sabzi.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Lemon coriander soup

Lemon coriander soup is a fixture on Indo-Chinese restaurant menus from Delhi to Hyderabad and a favourite light dinner at home on cold or under-the-weather evenings. Finely chopped vegetables simmer briefly in hot stock with ginger, garlic and coriander stems, the broth is lightly thickened, and it is finished with fresh coriander and plenty of lemon. It is clear, tangy and warming. The usual mistake is boiling the soup after the lemon goes in, which makes it bitter and dulls the colour. Chef's tip: chop the coriander stems and cook them with the vegetables; they carry far more flavour than the leaves, which go in only at the end.

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Burnt garlic fried rice

Burnt garlic fried rice is one of the most-ordered dishes in Indo-Chinese restaurants from Mumbai to Bengaluru, and it is a ten-minute dinner at home with a tub of leftover rice. The name is a bit of a fib: the garlic is fried to a deep golden brown, never black, so it turns nutty and sweet, then tossed through the rice with spring onion, soy and white pepper. It is simple, savoury and fragrant, good alone or with chilli paneer or a vegetable manchurian. The usual mistake is letting the garlic go dark brown in the pan, because it keeps cooking in the hot oil and ends up bitter. Chef's tip: lift out a spoonful of the golden garlic to scatter on top at the end, so you get crunch as well as flavour. Leftover rice must have been cooled quickly (spread out, into the fridge within an hour) and used within a day; fry it until it is piping hot all the way through and steaming, and never reheat it a second time.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Ginisang pechaySautéed bok choy

Ginisang pechay is a no-fuss Filipino weeknight vegetable, cooked in homes from Manila to Cebu to go with rice and a piece of fried fish or tofu. Bok choy (pechay) is sautéed in the classic Filipino base of garlic, onion and tomato, then seasoned with a dash of soy so the leaves turn glossy and the stems stay juicy. Many cooks add ground pork, shrimp or a splash of fish sauce; this version is vegan. The common mistake is covering the pan, which steams the pechay olive-grey; keep the lid off and cook fast. Chef's tip: cook the tomato until it slumps into a jammy sauce before the greens go in; that's where the flavour comes from.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Corned beef guisadoSautéed corned beef and potato

In Manila and all over the Philippines, a tin of corned beef in the cupboard means dinner is never more than 15 minutes away. Corned beef guisado is the beef fried with lots of garlic, onion and small cubes of potato until the edges crisp, and it's eaten with garlic rice and a fried egg for breakfast or with plain rice for a fast weeknight supper. The common mistake is cutting the potato too big, so it's still hard when the beef is ready; keep the cubes to 1 cm. Chef's tip: once the beef is in, leave it alone for a minute or two so it catches and crisps on the bottom before you stir.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Ginisang sardinasSautéed sardines with egg

Ginisang sardinas is everyday Filipino home cooking, especially in the rainy season and towards the end of the month when the budget is tight: a tin or two of sardines in tomato sauce sautéed with garlic, onion and fresh tomato, then stretched with egg. It's eaten for dinner with plenty of hot rice; some families add misua noodles to make it a soup. The common mistake is stirring too much once the sardines are in, which breaks them into mush. Chef's tip: fry the garlic until just golden before anything else goes in; that toasty garlic is what makes the tin taste homemade.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Chilli garlic noodles

Chilli garlic noodles are the punchier sibling of hakka noodles on every Indo-Chinese menu, from Kolkata's Tangra to college canteens in Pune, and they make a quick dinner at home. Boiled noodles are tossed over a fierce heat with plenty of garlic, crushed red chilli, soy and vinegar and a handful of crunchy vegetables. They are hot, tangy and garlicky, good alone or with a bowl of manchow-style soup. The common mistake is overcooking the noodles, which then break and clump in the wok. Chef's tip: cook them a minute short of the packet time, rinse under cold water and toss with a teaspoon of oil so they stay springy and separate. Check the noodle packet if you need them egg-free; many hakka noodles are, some are not.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Curd sandwich

The curd sandwich is a staple of home kitchens all over India, from Bengaluru tiffin boxes to Delhi picnic baskets, and an easy summer dinner when it is too hot to cook. Thick hung curd is mixed with grated carrot, capsicum, onion, coriander and black pepper and spread between slices of bread, eaten cold and creamy or toasted until crisp. It is cool, tangy and crunchy. The usual mistake is using runny curd or wet vegetables, which make the bread soggy within minutes. Chef's tip: squeeze the grated carrot in your fist before adding it, and make the sandwiches just before eating.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Kandyachya patichi bhajiSpring onion greens stir-fry

Kandyachya patichi bhaji is winter cooking from village kitchens in Satara, Kolhapur and Marathwada, when bunches of spring onions are cheap at every market. The chopped greens and bulbs are stir-fried with garlic and green chilli, then dusted with gram flour, which toasts and clings to the greens and makes the bhaji dry and savoury. It is eaten with jowar or bajra bhakri and a spoon of thecha or curd. The usual mistake is tipping the besan in one spot, where it forms raw lumps. Chef's tip: sprinkle the besan evenly over the whole pan like flour on a board, then keep stirring on a low heat until it smells nutty.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Godhuma dosaInstant wheat dosa

Godhuma dosa is the Tamil answer to an empty batter tub: in homes across Tamil Nadu and Andhra it is whisked together from wheat flour and water at dinner time and cooked straight away, no soaking or fermenting. The thin batter is poured onto the hot tawa so it sets into a crisp, lacy net flecked with cumin, onion and green chilli. Eat it hot with coconut or tomato chutney, or with podi and oil. The usual mistake is making the batter too thick and spreading it with a ladle like a rice dosa, which gives a gummy pancake. Chef's tip: pour the watery batter from a little height in a spiral from the edge inwards, then fill the big gaps; the small holes are what make it crisp.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Schezwan fried rice

Schezwan fried rice is a star of Mumbai's Indo-Chinese carts, where it is tossed in huge woks late into the evening for office workers heading home; at home it is the best thing to do with last night's rice. Cold rice is fried hard with garlic, carrot, cabbage, pepper and spring onion, then coated in red Schezwan sauce until every grain is orange and hot. It is spicy, garlicky and slightly smoky. The common mistake is using freshly cooked warm rice, which clumps and turns mushy. Chef's tip: break up the cold rice with your fingers before it goes in, so it hits the wok as separate grains. Leftover rice must have been cooled quickly (spread out, into the fridge within an hour) and used within a day; fry it until it is piping hot all the way through and steaming, and never reheat it a second time.

by KrazyBadal 1 views

HolanRoasted green chickpeas

In late winter, around the time of Holi, village children in rural Punjab pull up bunches of green chickpea plants from the edge of the field and throw them onto a small fire of dry stalks. Once the pods blacken they rake them out and shell them hot, blowing on their fingers, and the bright green peas inside taste smoky, sweet and nutty. At home you can do the same in a heavy iron kadai. The mistake is leaving them on until the pods are fully burnt; by then the peas inside are dry and hard. Stop when the pods are blistered black in patches and the peas are just tender. Chef's tip: a pinch of salt and chilli with a squeeze of lemon on the shelled peas turns them into a quick chaat.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Kurkuri bhindiCrispy fried okra strips

Kurkuri bhindi is the dhaba and wedding-buffet side that disappears first: thin, slivered okra tossed in a dry coat of besan, chilli and amchur and fried until it shatters. In Punjabi and Delhi homes it is served as a tea-time snack, scattered over dal-chawal or eaten by the handful while the rest of dinner cooks. The mistake almost everyone makes once is washing the okra and slicing it while still damp: the coating turns into gluey lumps and the strips go limp. Wash it an hour ahead and dry it completely. Chef's tip: toss the slivers with the spices first and add the flours only just before frying, so the okra cannot release liquid into the coating.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Mushroom tikka

Mushroom tikka is a newer member of the Punjabi tikka family, popular in Delhi restaurants and at North Indian weddings, where it sits next to the paneer tikka on the starter counter. Whole button mushrooms soak up a smoky, tangy yogurt marinade and turn juicy and meaty in a hot oven, with charred onion and pepper on the same skewer. The mistake is rinsing the mushrooms under the tap: they absorb water, the marinade slides off and they stew rather than char. Wipe them clean with a damp cloth instead. Chef's tip: roast them hot and fast; too long in the oven and they shrink and leak all their juice.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

ChooriCrumbled roti with ghee and sugar

In Punjabi villages choori is what a grandmother makes when a child comes home hungry before dinner: a warm roti or leftover paratha crumbled by hand into ghee and shakkar until it turns into soft, sweet, buttery crumbs. It is eaten with a glass of tea or milk in the late afternoon, and in many homes a bowl is set aside as an offering on Sankranti and at the gurdwara. The common mistake is using cold, leathery rotis straight from the box: the ghee won't soak in and the sugar stays gritty. Warm them on the tawa first until they are soft and just crisp at the edges. Chef's tip: a pinch of crushed fennel and some chopped almonds turn it into a little treat for guests.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

BhakraFried yogurt semolina cakes

Bhakra are the thick, sweet fried cakes that Parsi families of Navsari and Udvada make for the Navjote and wedding days, for Jamshedi Navroz and to pack for long journeys, because they keep for a couple of weeks. The old recipe rises with toddy; this alcohol-free version uses sour yogurt and a little baking soda, which gives the same faint tang and a close, cakey crumb. Outside they fry to a deep mahogany crust, inside they are firm, buttery and fragrant with cardamom and nutmeg. The most common mistake is frying in oil that is too hot: the outside browns in a minute while the centre stays raw and doughy. Chef's tip: fry them low and slow, and break one open before you do the rest of the batch.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Gathiya nu shaakGathiya in yogurt tomato gravy

Gathiya nu shaak is a Kathiawadi dhaba standby along the Rajkot and Bhavnagar highways, cooked in ten minutes and eaten with hot bajra rotla, raw onion and buttermilk. A spicy gravy of onion, tomato, garlic and whisked yogurt is brought to a simmer and thick bhavnagari gathiya go in right at the end, so they soften on the outside but keep a little bite at the centre. It is rich, fiery and comforting. The common mistake is adding the gathiya too early or letting them sit in the gravy; they swell and turn to mush. Chef's tip: have everyone at the table before the gathiya go into the pan, and serve within two minutes.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Bread pakoraStuffed bread fritters

Every tea stall from Ludhiana to Delhi's Kamla Nagar has a tray of bread pakoras by ten in the morning, and school children and office clerks eat them standing up, squashed into a paper plate with ketchup and fried green chillies. Two slices of soft white bread hold a layer of green chutney and spicy aloo, and the whole sandwich is cut into triangles, dunked in a thick besan batter and fried until it puffs and crisps. The common mistake is a thin, watery batter: it soaks straight into the bread and the pakora comes out heavy and oily. Keep the batter as thick as idli batter and dip quickly. Chef's tip: use bread that is a day old, which holds its shape in the batter far better than fresh.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

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