NeVs KiTcheN

Ho Chi Minh or Saigon hits you with a scattering of mopeds, taxis, small shops, eateries, and simple people, with a huge language barrier. You would think that English would be their first language, however apart from being left hand drive, and a coffee drinking nation: there are no traces of being ruled by an English speaking country, or they have consciously eliminated any traces of ghoulish American invasion. However, despite the chaos, and communication barrier, the city makes you feel at home! My food journey in this capital city of Vietnam, left my taste buds ever so refreshed, and wanting more. Here's a very quick tour of where we ate and what we ate. But before we begin let me tell you that Ban Minh, and the Bun are not the only things this country has to offer. Before I went I read a lot of blogs, and all they mentioned were the buns. To tell you the truth, we didn't even have the Bun as our first meal, as there are loads of other better, healthier, opti...

Fat Labrador Cafe - A unique find in a bustling city like Pune!

It’s been six months since I relocated from Melbourne to Pune, and as I am slowly getting a hang of things in India, getting my confidence back, being fearless while crossing the road, having all my senses on high alert at all times, the one thing that I have been on the lookout for is GOOD COFFEE. Now everyone’s definition of good coffee varies, but since I am a self-proclaimed coffee snob , good coffee for me means the name of the coffee should match the actual drink served. So, if it’s a cappuccino it can’t be a latte, an espresso can’t be a long black, you catch the drift. Now India is predominantly a Chai or Tea loving country, so there are chai lounges, tapri’s (around the corner shops), tea cafes everywhere, that serve all varieties of tea. Coffee is still just an item on the menu, at most of the restaurants and cafes, to tick the box. So, if you see Coffee on the menu, it means a packet of instant coffee, mixed with hot milk and served with or without sugar, as...

Paneer Nilgiri- Cottage cheese cooked with Coriander leaves

Paneer Nilgiri Ingredients 1 Cup Coriander leaves 1/2 inch Ginger 1/2 tbsp. Garlic paste 2 Dry red chilies 1 Large Onion sliced 1-2 tbsp. Oil Salt to taste 1/4 tsp. Turmeric powder 3/4 tbsp. Garam masala 450 gm Paneer cubes 6-8 Green curry leaves or kadipatta 1-2 tsps. Kashmiri red chilli powder for color (optional) Method: Make a paste of the onions, dry red chilies, ginger and coriander leaves in a blender. Add some water if needed to blend. Cut the paneer slab into cubes and soak them in a bowl with water. Drain after 5-10 mins. Heat oil in a pan and add the curry leaves. Next add the paste, red chilli and turmeric powder. Mix and cook for two mins. Add some water, lower the heat and cover the pan. Cook till all water evaporates , stir occasionally making sure nothings sticks or burns. Now add the garam masala powder and salt. Taste for seasoning, adjust any of the spices as per your ilking, you can a...

Vada-Pav- The good old Indian Burger!

I cant say enough about this extremely popular snack in India especially in the state of Maharashtra. Vada paav, Pav Wada, Batata Vada are just different names for the same dish, where the Vada means a Potato Patty in the shape of a ball and Pav means dinner bun or burger bun. The minute I land at Mumbai airport, and smell the familiar air, I start craving for a vada pav . And as you would have it, on the drive home if you stop at a diner or a gas station with a fast food joint alongside, you can order a vada pav with some cutting chai (which is basically chai tea served in a small glass) and you are Home!! Every morning, thousands of commuters in Mumbai, get off the trains and have a vada pav for breakfast. And yes they do this every-single-day. It is cheap, filling, quick and so tasty, that it has just become the staple breakfast item for all fast paced Mumbaikars . The reason why people have started calling it an In...

VEGETARIAN ROGAN JOSH - OH YEAH!!

Rogan Josh is an authentic recipe from the beautiful paradise on earth called Kashmir. Kashmiri food is rich and infused with exotic spices…just like the place itself. The name Rogan Josh means a dark red curry traditionally made with mutton or ghosth as we call it in India, which is lamb meat. Rogan is an ingredient that adds the red color to the gravy. However the version we make at home makes use of red Kashmiri chilli paste or powder. This gives the curry a dense red color.I am not too sure about the word Josh here, but its generic meaning is punch so I am assuming it means a curry with a punch and lots of spice. I am sure there are lots of ways to make this curry but I haven’t found any Vegetarian versions. It is important that you have all these ingredients especially asafoetida and mustard to get the real flavour. So here it is straight form Nev’s Veg Kitchen...Vegetarian Rogan Josh Curry. Ingredients: Serves 2 2tbsps. Oil ...

Paneer with Peanut Sauce

Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) is my absolute favourite. I can have paneer in any shape or form. But paneer curry is my fav, and I keep trying to reinvent it all the time. So here is one version with a thick peanut gravy. Paneer with peanut sauce copyright@nevskitchen Ingredients: 1 Large Onion 2-3 Garlic cloves 1-2 Red chillies or just use chilli powder 1 tbsp Coriander powder 1/4 Cup Roasted Peanuts 250g Paneer cut in cubes 2 tbsp. Oil Water for cooking Fresh coriander for garnishing Method: Cut paneer pieces into cubes and add to a bowl with normal water. In a blender pot add onion, garlic, peanuts, chilli and coriander powder with some water. Make into a paste. Heat oil in a pan, add the paste and mix well. Cook for 5 mins, stirring well, until oil starts to separate. Add salt to taste. Drain the paneer cubes and add to the mixture . Add as much w...

MASALA POTATO SLICES (Batata Kachrya) - Lunch box treat

So it was Sunday evening Monday morning blues were sinking in. Anyways we had to get over it and what better way than a tasty lunch. This is extremely easy to pack and stays well. Usually have it with a few slices of brown or white bread. Hope you like it. Ingredients: Serves 2 4-5 medium sized potatoes 1tsp Mustard seeds (Mohri) 2-3 Small red chilies or 2 dry chilies 2 tsps Oil 1 tsp Turmeric powder 1 tsp Chili powder (dont use this if you dont like your food too hot) 1 tsp Coriander powder 1 tsp Cumin powder 1½ tsp Garam masala powder 5-6 Curry leaves Pinch of asafoetida or hing (optional) Salt to taste Method: Peel the potatoes. Chop them in small triangles, the thinner you cut them the faster they will cook. Add them to a pot of plain cold water and leave in there while you prepare rest of the ingredients. Heat oil in a medium sized (preferably non-stick) pan add the oil. Add the mustard seeds, asaf...

Leave a little Sparkle....

They say there is always something good in a day, and today amidst all the work politics, meetings etc. something that made me smile was an older patient, who is on life support, saying to me, "you are all heart Nev". 💖 I didn't do anything special for her, but I must have struck a cord somewhere!! And in return she just filled me up with so much gratitude and made my day. So I do strongly believe, you should leave a little sparkle wherever you go and you never know who's heart you may touch and make it all sparkly with love... In today's day and age when people are hating each other, trust is lost, loyalty doesn't mean anything and friendships are getting ruined due to egos, selfishness and an urge to succeed no matter what, a little positivity, and kindness can go a long way in building those broken souls. So my dear friends, please be nice when ever you can, not only to strangers, but to your friends and family as well. ...

Birthday tradition

In India we always have two different days or dates for our birthday, which means you celebrate your birthday twice. Now who will not like that :D. One according to the English calendar and one according to the Hindu calendar. The difference is our birth dates remain constant per the English calendar, but the dates change if we follow the Hindu calendar ( which everyone in India does & is considered more auspicious) according to the placement of the stars on the day we were born. The Hindu birthday is always before or around the same time as the date of our birth. Any ways to cut a long story short, last month was Mr N's birthday. Of course there were two celebrations, one big and one not so big. :) Mr N LOVES Black Forest Cake.Period. Its almost like a tradition to order a large Black Forest cake on his birthday. Now India, Australia very easy to get this cake...USA is a whole different ball game. You don't get any of the Asian pastries there, no pattice (thos...

Spaghetti with garlic & peanuts aka Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

This is one of the easiest & tastiest comfort food recipes that I am so happy to have in my repertoire. I wasn't sure if I should share this recipe as it’s too easy & not really curry based, however a lot of you liked my earlier spaghetti recipe, so I thought I should share this one. Now you might not enjoy the combination of garlic & peanuts drenched in olive oil, but if you are like me you will fall in love with this combination. Ingredients: 8-10 Garlic cloves- sliced ¼ Cup Olive oil Spaghetti ( as much as you like, I use a big handful for two people) ¾ Cup roasted peanuts or ground peanut powder 2-3 tsp. Chill flakes (Adjust to your taste) Salt & water to cook the pasta Black pepper & Cheese (optional) for garnishing Method: In a large pot add about a liter of water, bring it to a boil, add 2-3 tbsp salt depending on the amount of pasta you want to make. Simultaneously, in a small pan ad...

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