Badam Burfi (Almond Candy)

I have fond memories of my mother picking me up from junior school and occasionally stopping off at her Indian friend, Dolly’s shop. I don’t even remember which shop was Dolly’s, what she looked like, or what her shop sold… but I do remember that she used to have a limited selection of mithai (Indian sweets). We’d buy a very small selection (as our budget didn’t allow for more), but more often than not, we’d have jalebis or burfi (barfi) of some sort.

Moist Vegan Mango and Cardamom Cake

Many varieties of mangoes exist, however the king of mangoes is the Alphonso. No other mango compares to this wonderful mango, which is also known as an Indian mango. They are large, yellow, juicy, sweet and not at all stringy. They are the type of mangoes that you have to devour over the sink because they are so juicy.

Tandoori Chicken Skewers

This is a delicious recipe that you can use to make roasted tandoori chicken or grilled (broiled) chicken skewers. The skewers are particularly delicious with rice and salad, or in pita/naan bread.

Spinach & Tofu Curry

I try to cook at least one dinner a week that has no meat in it. To ensure that we have enough protein for the day, I usually substitute the meat for beans or tofu.

The ingredients of this curry are nothing special. However, it is well balanced with fruit, vegetables and protein, and when served with rice, it will give you a good square meal. It’s a truly robust curry, full of flavor and easily digestible.

Dairy-Free Tikka Masala

The exact origins of tikka masala are unknown. However, it is now labeled as the “true national dish of Britain”. Apparently, one in seven curries sold in the UK is tikka masala!

Chicken tikka masala is one of those dishes that most carnivorous Brits enjoy. That includes me! It’s a curry dish where roasted chunks of chicken (tikka) are served in a creamily rich, lightly spiced, tomato-based sauce. Although chicken is relatively popular, there are other varieties including lamb.

Fluffy Naan Bread

There are an abundance of “curry houses” within the UK. They’re dotted all over the country, with the city of Birmingham being known as the curry city of the UK. I’ve lived and worked in a number of cities in the UK, and I’m happy to say that I’ve never visited a bad curry house. It’s really hard to find a bad Indian curry in the UK!

When we moved to Seattle, I was so disappointed. I can almost count the number of Indian restaurants in this area on one hand. They’re not bad, but they don’t even compare to the British Indian curry houses. The weirdest thing here in Seattle is that they ask the customer the required heat scale. Now, to Brits, a korma should be mild and a vindaloo hot, yet, it is possible to order a hot korma and a mild vindaloo. That’s just mind baffling to me.

Baked Gulab Jamun

Yep, gulab jamun is another one of those fried Indian delights that I love. Gulab jamuns are powdered milk dough balls that are normally fried, then soaked in syrup. Since, I’m a health freak - I wanted to see if I could bake them. It sounds like a radical idea, but I wanted to try it!

The result was pretty good! I made a batch in a day in advance at around 9:00 pm. I wanted to try one, but then we ended up eating the whole batch! I obviously had to make another batch the following day. They were soft and had absorbed a decent amount of cardamom spiced syrup.

Chicken & Cashew Curry

It’s a shame that Indian food doesn’t photograph well. Then again, Mexican food isn't that photogenic either. It also doesn't help when I shoot a photo when I'm in a rush to eat. You’ll just have to believe me when I say this curry was good!

I never knew that an Indian-style curry could take under 30 minutes and taste so good without tons of ghee. The chicken and mushrooms are coated in a rich, thick, creamy and mildly spiced curry that will work well with plain basmati rice and/or naan bread.

Curried Lentils - Daal

We never had beans/lentils growing up. As a young child, seeing my Indian friends eat daal seemed a little odd to me, it looked like a weird, lumpy yellow mess. It’s funny how our tastes change, because now I could eat daal by the bucket-loads! It’s highly nutritious and darn tasty!

I always thought daal was quite complicated to make, but if you have an hour or two whilst you're in the house, you can whip up a batch really easily. It tastes wholesome, warming and full of spices – a real treat!

Lamb Bhuna

Last year we had an Indian-themed New Year’s Eve dinner. I wanted a nice range of dishes to satiate our craving for Indian food, so I dug through all of my Indian recipe books.

Baked Onion Bhajis

We love Indian food, even the fried stuff, which is really weird for me. I love all of the onion bhajis, the samosas and the pakoras - I love them all!

When I stumbled across a baked onion bhaji recipe, I knew I just HAD TO try it out! The result was actually pretty good, they were spicy, sweet and totally moreish. I'm definitely making them again!