Aloo Gobi Chettinad

We have family visiting us from India which has kept me on my toes taking them places and getting them familiarized with the American way of living. We even went on a road trip covering 3000 miles in 12 days. Was a whole lot of fun and now are back home to the usual grind.

On our road trip we had Aloo Gobi Chettinad at an Indian restaurant. It was spicy, just the way we like it. I recreated using what I thought went into the dish, and the results were pretty close. It is a simple dish quick enough to be made with less time.



You will need:

2 Potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups Cauliflower (cut into pieces)
2 Tomatoes, chopped
½ cup Chopped Onions
3 tbsp Oil
½ tsp Mustard seeds
10 curry leaves
3 Dried red chillies, cut into pieces
2 tsp Pepper powder
Salt to taste

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the cubed potatoes and cauliflower. Return to a boil and cook for 6-7 minutes until almost done. Drain veggies and reserve.


Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and dried red chillies. Saute for a few seconds until the mustard seeds begin to splutter. Add the chopped onions and sauté until done. Now add the chopped tomatoes and cook until soft.


Add the boiled veggies, pepper powder, ½ cup water and salt to taste. Cover and cook for 8 minutes on low heat until the curry is simmering. Serve hot with rotis or rice.


Thanks to my readers for checking in during my absence, will try to update more often on here.

Have a great week ahead!

Spicy Basil Fried Rice - Restaurant style

This is one of our favorites at any Thai restaurant. Fried rice with lots of garlic and basil, spicy enough to make you cry! We used to order home-delivery on those odd days when I had no mood to cook, but the fried rice used to be disappointing. The fried rice would never be spicy enough. So there began my attempt to replicate restaurant style Spicy Basil Fried Rice. I've had to make this over and over to get the exact restaurant taste, trying different ingredients. One fine day I hit upon the right combination, here it is.


You will need:

1 cup Jasmine Rice (or Basmati Rice)
3 tbsp Oil
½ cup sliced onions
½ cup sliced green peppers
½ cup sliced red peppers
¼ cup frozen peas
½ cup carrot strips
5 cloves garlic, minced
1” piece ginger, grated
3 tbsp Sambal (red chilli paste)
2 tsp Sriracha (Asian Hot sauce)
2 tsp Dark Soy Sauce
1 ½ tbsp Brown Sugar
1 cup packed Thai basil leaves, washed and dried (or American basil)
Salt to taste



Prepare jasmine rice as per package instructions. Spread on a plate to cool and set aside.

Heat oil in a large pan. Add the minced garlic and grated ginger. Saute for a few seconds until fragrant. Now add the onions, bell peppers and carrots. Cook for 4-5 minutes until veggies are tender. Add the frozen peas. Saute for a minute and then add the sambal. Combine until veggies are coated. Now add the cooked cooled rice. Stir and then add the soy sauce and sriracha. Mix well and cook for 3 minutes on medium heat.


Add the brown sugar. The sambal and the soy sauce makes the fried rice taste salty and acidic, the brown sugar balances out by adding a little bit of sweetness. This leaves a very pleasant after taste without taking away the heat from the sauces. Lastly, add the chopped basil leaves.


Combine well, cover and cook for a minute. Turn off heat. Serve hot.