This is an in-depth article on throwing an Indian chaat party at home. It includes easy menu ideas, recipes, essential grocery lists, and decor inspiration for the next chaat party.
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5 Ingredient Milagai Podi for Idli and Dosa (Indian Gunpowder)
Milagai podi, also known as Indian gunpowder, is a fiery spice blend that is mixed together with ghee to create the perfect chili oil condiment to dip idlis and dosas in. This version has five main ingredients of urad dal, chana dal, dried red chilis, asafetida, and curry leaves to create a nutty and spicy podi!
Best Brands of Ghee To Buy
I tried eleven different varieties of Indian and American ghee brands and analyzed price, availability, production quality, and overall taste to give you recommendations for the best ghee to buy.
What is ghee?
This is the comprehensive guide to ghee in Indian cooking. Learn about how to make the ingredient, the different varieties that you can buy, what makes ghee different from other fats like butter/clarified butter, and its use cases in Indian cooking.
Banana Leaves in Indian Cooking
This is the comprehensive guide to banana leaves in Indian cooking. Learn about how to buy, store, and cook with banana leaves in Indian cooking.
How-to: Cook Any Indian Dal
This is an in-depth guide for beginners for cooking the creamiest Indian dal! It has information for how to source lentils, instructions for cooking them on the stovetop vs. in the pressure cooker, and recipes of varying difficulty to guide you on your dal journey.
What is moong dal?
This is the comprehensive guide to moong dal in Indian cooking. Learn how to source the ingredient as well as different recipes that utilize this ingredient.
What is chana dal?
This is the comprehensive guide to chana dal and its use cases in Indian cooking. Learn how to source the ingredient as well as different recipes that utilize this ingredient.
What is urad dal?
This is the comprehensive guide to urad dal. Learn about the different varieties of urad dal from urad gota to urad flour and how they are used in Indian cooking.
What is masoor dal (red lentil)?
This is the comprehensive guide to masoor dal in Indian cooking. Learn how to source the ingredient and different recipes that utilize this ingredient.
Sour Cream and Spring Onion Raita Dip
This addictive dip is the best combinations of the classic sour cream and onion dip and an Indian yogurt raita. The greens of the spring onions are folded into the sour cream and yogurt raita for their freshness and the whites are sizzled in oil along with garlic to add sweetness and umami! Dip some chips in them or accompany it with grilled meats and rice dishes.
South Indian Black Eyed Peas Curry with Coconut Milk | Karamani Kolambu | Lobia Curry
What makes this recipe special? This South Indian style black eyed peas curry has coconut milk and warm spices. Black eyed peas are referred to by different names depending on the language you speak. In Tamil, this dish would be called karamani (black eyed peas) kolambu (stew). In other parts of India, black eyed peas...
Mutton Bone Soup | Indian Bone Broth Soup
This mutton bone broth soup has warm aromatic spices like ginger, black peppercorn, coriander, and curry leaves for a nourishing and brothy soup.
Cabbage Poriyal (Indian Cabbage Stir Fry)
Cabbage poriyal an easy Indian cabbage stir fry that is made by sautéing cabbage in cumin seeds, mustard seeds, shallots, curry leaves, and freshly grated coconut for a flavor-packed vegetable side dish.
Masala Vada | Paruppu Vada
Masala vada, also known as paruppu vada is a South deep-fried chickpea fritter made with ginger, curry leaves, and onions. It is a crunchy dish that pairs well as a side dish or as an appetizer!
Javvarisi Payasam
Javvarisi Payasam is an Indian tapioca pudding that is scented with cardamom, contains no eggs, uses evaporated milk, and has a buttery raisin and nut topping. It's the perfect warm and comforting winter dessert.
Saffron Pistachio Meringue Cookies with Meringue Powder
These gluten-free saffron pistachio meringue cookies are light and airy and so easy to whip up with the help of meringue powder.
Chow Chow Kootu (Chayote Squash Dal Curry)
Chow chow or chayote kootu is a South Indian lentil and vegetable stovetop stew that has subtle sweetness from the squash and creaminess from the dal. It is the perfect cozy curry to ladle over a bed of fluffy basmati rice.
What are curry leaves?
This is the comprehensive guide to curry leaves. Learn how to use this leaf in Indian cooking, where to source it, and how to grow it!
Mini Sweet Potato Samosas with Spring Roll Sheets
These mini spicy sweet potato samosas are made with spring roll sheets and fried until flaky and crisp. They are near copycats of the Trader Joe's spicy pumpkin and paneer samosas but use sweet potato, which is easier to cook than pumpkin!
Indian-style Roasted Brussels Sprouts
These are Indian oven roasted Brussels sprouts that are tossed in chaat masala, tamarind date chutney, and topped with crunchy pistachios! They make for a delicious vegetable side dish for the holidays!
What is jaggery?
This is the comprehensive guide to jaggery. Learn how this sweetener is used in Indian cooking and where to source it!
What is saffron?
This is the comprehensive guide to saffron. Learn how this floral and delicious spice is used in Indian cooking and where to source it!
Whole Oven Roasted Tandoori Chicken
This is a recipe for a whole tandoori chicken that is marinated in a yogurt tandoori masala, slow roasted in a home oven, broiled to get those crisped bits, and then smoked with charcoal for a tender, juicy, and flavorful dish.
What is asafetida (hing)?
This is the comprehensive guide to asafetida. Learn how this spice is used in Indian cooking!
Beans Poriyal (Indian Green Beans)
Beans poriyal is an Indian green beans preparation where the chopped greens are coated in a ground shredded coconut and curry leaf paste and roasted until the spices and beans caramelize into a spicy and rich side dish that has enough flavor act as the main star.
Cranberry Achar (Indian Style Cranberry Pickle)
This spicy and sour cranberry achar is an Indian-style pickle that is fermented and preserved in mustard oil, Kashmiri chili powder, and fennel seeds. It is the perfect condiment to liven up any dish.
Peanut Chikki (Peanut Brittle with Jaggery)
Peanut chikki is a crunchy and sweet peanut brittle made with jaggery, offering a deep molasses flavor that sets it apart from regular brittle. It is the ideal dessert for holiday or candy boxes.
Lychee Rose Mocktail
This lychee rose mocktail is a floral and sweet drink that is balanced out by the tartness of raspberries and a subtle zip from ginger ale.
Gulab Jamun Cocktail (Saffron Gin Cocktail)
This sophisticated gulab jamun cocktail features a saffron, cardamom, and rose-infused simple syrup, traditionally used for gulab jamuns, repurposed to craft a refreshing gin cocktail with floral and bright notes.
Indian Masala Popcorn
This Indian masala popcorn is spicy, tangy, and oh-so addictive. It gets its bold flavor from the homemade masala or spice blend that features chaat masala, fennel seeds, and chili powder. It can be made on the stovetop or with microwave popcorn for a delicious late night movie snack.
Gulab Jamun Syrup (Saffron Cardamom Syrup)
This recipe for a well balanced gulab jamun syrup with cardamom, saffron, and rose essence can be used for gulab jamuns, cocktails, coffee, pancakes and more!
Common Gulab Jamun Mistakes and Tips for Solving Them
I've made over 200 gulab jamuns, experimenting with different ingredients and techniques. This post is a summary of the common mistakes people make and is packed with tips and tricks for beginners to make the best gulab jamuns.
Dry Gulab Jamun
Dry gulab jamuns are the perfect one-bite Indian dessert that are great to add to your holiday dessert box. This fried milk ball is briefly soaked in a sweet syrup and then coated with confections like coconut flakes and crushed nuts.
Easy Gulab Jamun with Milk Powder
This is an easy recipe to make fluffy gulab jamun using milk powder which is soaked in a not-too sweet cardamom, saffron, and rose syrup.
Gulab Jamun Stuffed With Nuts
Soft and fluffy gulab jamuns with a special surprise of crunchy nuts in the center!
Kerala Style Egg Roast
This Kerala style egg roast has soft boiled eggs nestled on top of an onion and tomato masala with South Indian spices like curry leaves, coriander, ginger, and garlic. This egg roast is considered a "dry" curry that doesn't have too much liquid but rather has a chunky onion tomato masala perfect to pair with chapathis and dosas.
Vengayam Thakkali Thokku (Chunky Onion Tomato Chutney)
Vengayam Thakkali Thokku is a delicious chunky onion and tomato chutney flavored with delicious South Indian spices like curry leaves, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and garlic ! It is a perfect condiment that transports so well in lunch boxes and pairs so perfectly with rotis, dosas, and idlis.
Chai Spiced Puffed Millet Granola with Coconut Sugar
This chai spiced puffed millet granola has light and airy puffed millets, crunchy pepitas, coconut flakes, and tart dried apple slices, all of which are tossed in warm chai spices, sweetened with coconut sugar, and crisped with coconut oil to make a healthy granola perfect for your morning breakfast.
Iced Masala Chai
This creamy cup of iced Indian masala chai is a spice-forward cool drink for hot summer evenings that can easily be made in large batches.