Geetha's Kitchen

Avocado Toast Topped With Green Chile Chutney  With its inimitable and lovely chile flavor, Chile relish is a delicious all purpose seasoning to have on hand; it is wonderful to spice up whatever you are cooking, as a chutney/pickle with meals, Dosa, burgers, bajjis or other snacks, and as a sandwich spread.  I concocted this so that the members of the family who love their food hot can spike their foods to their hearts' content :).  I love to add a little dollop as a side with rice and mild curries.  It is fantastic as a starter spread atop yogurt, ricotta, or cream cheese surrounded by crostini or crackers; a little schmear makes plain old grilled cheese come alive!  Once you start making and enjoying chile relish, I am sure that you will find it indispensable and discover many uses for it. Try both green and red chile relish; each has its own unique flavor - the green chile has that fresh, crisp  taste while the red is a bit sweetly fruity.  ...

Methi (Fenugreek) Thepla Theplas are spicy flat breads (rotis) made with herbs.  It is similar to a tortilla in that it is a flat bread; but there the similarity ends.  A thepla is much more than a vehicle for wrapping other foods; it is a lovely spicy snack on its own or may be part of a meal.  Usha J. was very gracious to show me how to make these and I have been making them ever since :).  I am told that the traditional way to eat them is accompanied by Kichdi (a rice and lentil risotto quite popular all over India), a vegetable (with potato) curry, fresh  yogurt , papadams, and pickles.  I often serve them with Simple dal , Sweet Potato Curry, and Hot Lemon or Mango Pickles.  The leftover theplas are wonderful whether warmed up or at room temperature with a bit of Indian pickles and a cup of Chai . Fenugreek (fresh methi) is the most popular herb for making these wonderful rotis; but dill, mint, cilantro, spinach or other fa...

Kichdi, Ragada and Chopped Salad Rice and bean dishes are well loved in many variations not only in India, but also in many other countries; there are countless numbers of rice-and-bean dishes the whole world over. In the northern states of India rice and dals are combined with spices and vegetables to make Kichdi though they vary from state to state. Pongal , Ven Pongal , Bisi Bele Rice , Pulagam, etc are made in the Southern States. The combination of grains and lentils make for complete protein complementarity and wholesomeness. It can serve as an inexpensive yet attractive, filling, and delicious meal any time of the day. It is definitely part of the repertoire of comfort foods in our household. Every country, why every culture, has their own special version. In Egypt, we had Kusherie (it even sounds like "kichdi") and Risi e Bisi in Italy. Other countries also have similar dishes such as Kedgeree in the British Isles, Casamiento with rice and black beans f...