Dahi Pallay

April 22, 2022
Ingredients

dumplings (pallay)

Amount Ingredient
~½ cup gram flour (besan)
as needed water
1 tsp cumin seeds
to taste salt
as needed oil for frying

Yogurt (dahi)

Amount Ingredient
1 container yogurt
as needed milk
2 potatoes, medium
1½ cups chickpeas, cooked
⅛ – ¼ tsp cayenne peppper
1 tsp cumin seeds
to taste salt

Process
1. score potatoes (for easy-peel) and set to boil in salted water
  - OR set on trivet in Instant Pot with a cup of water for (8-10 minutes)
    
    can also cover with water in Instant Pot (without trivet)
  - OR pierce with a knife and microwave until cooked through (5-10 minutes)
2. mix the yogurt with milk to thin out until desired consistency is reached (keep it thinner than you want the final dish to be since the pallay will soak up the liquid and thicken the overall mixture, as will refrigeration)
3. add spices, chickpeas; whisk and set aside in fridge
4. prepare the pallay batter by adding all the ingredients to a bowl and mixing until there are no lumps; you may need to scrape some lumps against the bottom and sides of the bowl to crush them. use as much water as needed to get a runny consistency, something like crepe batter.
5. heat frying oil in wok, sauce pot, or something deeper than a frying pan, preferably
6. drain potatoes, peel, and refrigerate until they’re easy to handle; cubing hot potatoes is a hassle and causes crumbling/smushing
7. when the oil is ready, dollop blobs and strings of batter in and fry in batches until light or golden brown. vary the shapes so you have some dumpling shapes and some thinner strings or dots. dump fried pallay into large mixing bowl. repeat until all batter is used up.
8. cover fried pallay in water for 1-2 minutes; check to see that even the hard pieces have softened up, then drain completely and add to yogurt mixture
9. cube chilled potatoes, add to yogurt mixture
10. mix until everything is thoroughly coated; refrigerate and serve once fully chilled
Notes
- recipe as written is a bare-bones base to build off of; but I often like it just like this
mix-ins & toppings
- tomatoes
- thin-sliced onions
- some like to sweeten this dish with a little sugar (to taste)
- a drizzle of tamarind chutney adds sour / tangy notes
- dahi palla are often served with chaat masala sprinkled on top as a garnish and to add color
Mains // Recipe // Stovetop

calories calculated ○ cold ○ desi ○ mom’s recipe ○ pakistani ○ photo ○ vegetarian

Amount	Ingredient
~½ cup	gram flour (besan)
as needed	water
1 tsp	cumin seeds
to taste	salt
as needed	oil for frying

Amount	Ingredient
1 container	yogurt
as needed	milk
2	potatoes, medium
1½ cups	chickpeas, cooked
⅛ – ¼ tsp	cayenne peppper
1 tsp	cumin seeds
to taste	salt

Charred Asparagus with Beets, Dates, & Goat Cheese

April 10, 2022

Credits

Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit

Ingredients

Amount	Ingredients
2	beets, sliced thin
1	lemon, juice + zest of
¼ tsp	salt
15g	extra virgin olive oil
450g // 1 lb	asparagus
1 tsp	black pepper, fresh cracked
½ tsp	red chili flakes
55g	dates, pitted, sliced
85g	goat cheese, crumbled
2 T	mint, fresh, ribboned

Process

Toss beets in lemon juice, lemon zest, salt; set aside
Char asparagus in olive oil over medium-high heat
Sprinkle fresh cracked black pepper, chili flakes
Add chopped dates, cook til softened (about 3 minutes)
Add beets along with juices in bowl
Turn off heat; top with goat cheese, mint

Nutrition

Total recipe: 650 calories
Per 100g: 102 calories

Notes

85g goat cheese makes it quite decadent; this can easily be reduced

Charred Asparagus with Beets, Dates, & Goat Cheese

Mains // Recipe // Stovetop

better than takeout ○ calories calculated ○ one pot pan or bowl ○ photo ○ quick ○ vegetarian

Mint Kava

January 17, 2022
Ingredients

Makes 1 cup

Amount Ingredients
1 cup water, boiling
1 teabag, black tea
½ tsp honey
1 T lemon juice, fresh
5-10 mint leaves, fresh

Process
1. Add all the ingredients to a teacup and pour boiling water on top
2. Steep to desired strength
Nutrition

25 calories per cup

Notes

All measurements are to taste. I prefer it less sweet, more tart, quite minty and weak on the tea but feel free to adjust to your own preferences.
Drinks // Recipe // Stovetop

arab ○ calories calculated ○ desi ○ middle eastern ○ one pot pan or bowl ○ pakistani ○ photo ○ quick ○ vegetarian
Chickpea Salad with Citrus Tahini Dressing

January 16, 2022
Ingredients

Chickpea Salad

Amount Ingredients
180g chickpeas, dry^*
320g cucumber, diced
45g tomatoes, diced
22g shallots or red onion, finely diced
20g cilantro, chopped
^*Can replace with ~2 15oz cans of chickpeas (drained), or 450g cooked & frozen

Citrus Tahini Dressing

Amount Ingredients
75g tahini
50g lime juice, fresh
40g lemon juice, fresh
26g water
½ tsp sumac
to taste salt

Process
1. If using dry beans, add them to instant pot, cover with water by several inches, add salt and seal lid.
```
Pressure: High
Time: 40 minutes
Release: Quick
```
1. Prepare all the ingredients (chop, dice, juice, etc.)
2. Toss everything together and taste for seasoning
Notes
- This dish is best served cold, so if using dry chickpeas, prepare them in the morning or the night before and refrigerate
- Shallots are milder than onions but super expensive; use red onions if you’re not a Rockefeller
- Can use all lemon juice or all lime juice, if that’s all you have on hand
Instant Pot // Mains // No Cook // Recipe // Salad // Stovetop

arab ○ better than takeout ○ cold ○ middle eastern ○ one pot pan or bowl ○ photo ○ vegetarian
Kheer

January 9, 2022
Ingredients

Amount Ingredients
1 gallon // 3.78 L milk, whole
1 cup // 200g rice, basmati
1 green cardamom pod, shell discarded
½ cup // 100g sugar
to taste raisins, golden
to taste almonds, crushed/slivered

Process
1. Thoroughly wash rice until water runs clear, about 3-4 times
2. In heavy-bottomed pot or saucepan, set a gallon of whole milk on to boil; add rice and cardamom
3. Cook down until milk and rice thicken into rice-pudding consistency
  - Be sure to scrape bottom of pot to avoid scorching milk
  - Press the rice against the sides of the pot to mush and thicken; you can use a stick blender or hand mixer to speed up the process and for more even consistency
4. Once desired consistency is reached, add sugar, raisins and almonds; cook until sugar is thoroughly dissolved and evenly distributed
Notes
- Kheer may be served warm (if fresh made), but is most often chilled and served cold
- Some prefer not to stir the raisins and almonds throughout the dish, instead reserving them for garnish on top of the finished kheer; you can also do both
- If slicing almonds, microwave in some water in order to soften the nut and loosen the skin for easy removal
- Chilled kheer may form a skin on top; this is completely normal and nothing to worry about. To avoid this over with plastic wrap and push it down so that it touches the surface of the kheer
Recipe // Stovetop // Sweets

desi ○ mom’s recipe ○ one pot pan or bowl ○ pakistani ○ photo ○ rice ○ vegetarian
Black Bean Burger Salad

December 15, 2021
Ingredients

Amount Ingredients
1 tomato, diced
½ cucumber, large, diced
66g salsa
2 black bean burgers, toasted
15g cheese, shredded, Mexican blend
38g sour cream
3 leaves lettuce, iceberg, chopped
to taste cilantro, fresh

Process
1. Prepare black bean burger however you like (airfryer, stovetop, George Foreman grill or panini press, toaster oven, etc.)
2. Chop tomato and cucumber; toss with salsa and layer on bottom of a plate
3. Crumble black bean burger over salad base
4. Sprinkle cheese immediately on top so it melts a little
5. Add sour cream, lettuce, and cilantro
Nutrition

640 calories

Notes
- Can mix sour cream with salsa to make a kind of sauce
- Use whatever brand of black bean burgers you like, except the Don Lee Farms ones, which are bland with no flavor.
Airfryer // Mains // Recipe // Salad // Stovetop

calories calculated ○ low effort ○ mexican ○ one pot pan or bowl ○ photo ○ quick ○ vegetarian
Caprese Panini

December 13, 2021
Ingredients

Makes 1 large panini

Amount Ingredients
98g Bread, Italian, sliced (Pane Turano)
93g Mozzarella, fresh, sliced
55g tomatoes
3 leaves basil, fresh, torn
1 T balsamic vinegar (or reduction)

Process
1. (Optional) Spray one slice of bread with spray oil and lay it oil side down (see notes)
2. Layer on the rest of the ingredients
3. Add the other slice of bread and spray top with oil, if using
4. Heat in toaster oven, panini press, or George Foreman grill, or press on a dry pan on the stove
Nutrition

493 Calories

Notes
- If calories aren’t an issue, you can drizzle the outside of the sandwich with olive oil on both sides, or spread with butter instead of using the spray oil
- You can also drizzle some olive oil on the inside of the sandwich, but I find it’s not necessary
- If using the toaster oven, it’s fine to take the sandwich out halfway through and press it down a bit.
- Pane Turano is my bread of choice for paninis, but any nice sourdough bread should work fine. Other breads like ciabatta or foccacia will work, too, but the calorie count will be different.
Airfryer // Mains // Recipe // Specialized Equipment // Stovetop

calories calculated ○ italian ○ photo ○ quick ○ sandwich ○ vegetarian
Egg & Cheese Quesadilla

December 12, 2021

Tuck a 2-egg omelette into a 10″ flour tortilla and add 2 slices of melting cheese (I like American). Warm in toaster oven, airfryer, or in a dry pan on the stovetop until cheese is melted.

Nutrition

481 calories

Airfryer // Mains // Meal Ideas // Stovetop

breakfast ○ calories calculated ○ eggs ○ low effort ○ one pot pan or bowl ○ quick ○ sandwich ○ vegetarian
Corn Tortillas

December 5, 2021
Credits

Recipe adapted from Simply Mamá Cooks

Ingredients

Amount Ingredients
175g corn flour, nixtamalized (masa harina)
15g cornstarch
3g salt
1 cup water, warm

Process
1. In a bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients
2. Add warm water, reserving a couple of tablespoons, and begin mixing/kneading the dough
3. If needed, use the remainder of the water to fully hydrate the dough and form it into a ball; cover in plastic wrap and set aside to hydrate for ~30 minutes
4. Tear off chunks of dough and form into smaller balls (or weigh out 30g portions for street taco size tortillas)
5. Preheat tuvva, comal, griddle or dry frying pan on medium high heat
6. Set dough balls between plastic and shape using tortilla press
7. Place flattened tortillas onto dry pan and cook a few minutes on each side; if they puff up, press them down with a spatula. Do not overcook
8. When done, take off heat and immediately cover in aluminum foil; stack tortillas one atop the other
Nutrition

100g (cooked) = 218 calories

Notes
- Masa Harina is a type of corn flour which uses nixtamalized corn; do not use cornmeal
- The cornstarch helps keep the tortillas soft, highly recommended
- Take a sandwich bag, cut off the zip top and slit out the sides so that you have one long plastic sheet; use this to sandiwch your tortilla between on the tortilla press.
- Steaming the tortillas in aluminum foil helps keep them warm and pliable. Do not skip this step
- If you do not have a tortilla press, you can just squash the balls of flour with a heavy pot, use a rolling pin, or even just your hands; the press just makes things easier
Accompaniments // Recipe // Specialized Equipment // Stovetop

better than takeout ○ bread ○ calories calculated ○ mexican ○ pantry ingredients ○ photo ○ quick ○ vegetarian
Fajita Vegetables

December 5, 2021
Credits

Recipe adapted from Culinary Hill.

Ingredients

Amount Ingredients
14g oil, vegetable
2 bell peppers, small, sliced
2 red onions, medium, sliced
½ tsp salt
½ tsp oregano, Mexican, dried

Process
1. In a large skillet or wok, sauté bell peppers and onions in oil until desired consistency; cook less to keep them snappy, longer to make them soft
2. Add salt and oregano
Nutrition

100g = 71 calories

Notes
- Can sub regular oregano for Mexican oregano
Accompaniments // Recipe // Stovetop

calories calculated ○ mexican ○ one pot pan or bowl ○ photo ○ quick ○ stir-fry ○ vegetarian

Amount	Ingredients
1 cup	water, boiling
1	teabag, black tea
½ tsp	honey
1 T	lemon juice, fresh
5-10	mint leaves, fresh

Amount	Ingredients
180g	chickpeas, dry^*
320g	cucumber, diced
45g	tomatoes, diced
22g	shallots or red onion, finely diced
20g	cilantro, chopped

Amount	Ingredients
75g	tahini
50g	lime juice, fresh
40g	lemon juice, fresh
26g	water
½ tsp	sumac
to taste	salt

Amount	Ingredients
1 gallon // 3.78 L	milk, whole
1 cup // 200g	rice, basmati
1	green cardamom pod, shell discarded
½ cup // 100g	sugar
to taste	raisins, golden
to taste	almonds, crushed/slivered

Ingredients

dumplings (pallay)

Yogurt (dahi)

Process

Notes

mix-ins & toppings

Credits

Ingredients

Process

Nutrition

Notes

Ingredients

Process

Nutrition

Notes

Ingredients

Chickpea Salad

Citrus Tahini Dressing

Process

Notes

Ingredients

Process

Notes

Ingredients

Process

Nutrition

Notes

Ingredients

Process

Nutrition

Notes

Nutrition

Credits

Ingredients

Process

Nutrition

Notes

Credits

Ingredients

Process

Nutrition

Notes