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• Sweet Boondi: Little Round Balls of Crunchy Sweetness

  In Cook, Food / By Chris Chopp / 9 April 2012 / 0 comments

  

  Boondi: Small round crisp balls made of besan (chickpea flour) deep fried until golden brown. This easy to make ingredient is used in countless recipes across India. Each ball is only a few centimeters in diameter, hollow on the inside and nearly flavorless, which allows boondi to take on the flavor of whatever recipe in which it is used. In all my travels through India I’ve only tasted boondi as [...]

   

• Jalebi: Iconic Sweet Spirals of India

  In Cook, Food / By Chris Chopp / 12 February 2012 / 0 comments

  

  Take a walk through most any market and you’ll inevitably stumble across a stall making India’s most iconic, delicious, and habit forming snacks. Jalebi is a popular sweet among Indians, and after one taste, it’s usually a favorite among tourists as well. Crunchy to the touch and nearly odorless, jalebi is instantly recognizable by it’s unique orange swirl shape. The lip smacking sweet taste of jalebis can be enjoyed year [...]

   

• You Say Dosa, I Say Dosai (VIDEO)

  In Cook, Food / By Chris Chopp / 4 January 2012 / 0 comments

  

  A mixture of rice and urad dal is the recipe base for idli, South India’s most popular breakfast food. It also is the start to South India’s second most popular breakfast item, dosa. Two completely different cooking techniques creates the difference between soft, spongy idli rice cakes and crisp, golden brown flat dosa. What is Dosa? Dosa or Dosai is a thin crepe-like flat pancake formed by grilling a fermented [...]

   

• Incredible India? More like Incredible Idli!

  In Cook, Food / By Chris Chopp / 14 December 2011 / 8 comments

  

  Years of travel in North India set my palette to expect nothing more interesting than simple parantha and curd for breakfast. Don’t misunderstand me, I love a good spicy gobi parantha. What’s not to like about steaming hot, freshly made flat bread, stuffed with a mixture of potatoes or cauliflower and spices? But after a few weeks on the road one does crave something new and exciting for the early [...]

   

• Sambhar, South India Lentil Stew For Rice, Idli, Vada or Dosa

  In Cook, Food / By Chris Chopp / 22 November 2011 / 1 comment

  

  Sambar (sambhar), a South Indian lentil stew that is as traditional to India as apple pie is to America. And as such, it seems every family has their own recipe including how to make sambar, and what ingredients are used to make sambar. Generally speaking, sambar is composed of dal (lentils) simmered with tamarind flavored water and a special blend of spices called sambhar powder. A variety of vegetables are [...]

   

• Coconut Chutney (Kobbari Pacchadi) VIDEO

  In Cook / By Chris Chopp / 10 November 2011 / 1 comment

  

  America has bacon. England has fried tomatoes. And India has coconut chutney. No food is as important for breakfast in the southern states of Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh than freshly made kobbari pacchadi. You might think the popularity of this condiment is overblown. After all it is just a few simple ingredients and spices blended together. Then again, so is ketchup and mustard. And any restaurant that [...]