Cooking Learning 04

A super flavorful broth, crispy tofu, herbs and banh pho; this Vegetarian take on Vietnamese Pho is super delicious. Plus it takes less than an hour thanks to the Instant Pot!  Have you ever tried Pho?? The super yummy Vietnamese broth FULL of flavor and served with a LOT of toppings? If you have tried this, you will know how good this on a cold windy evening.  It is August yet but the evenings here in the Bay Area are getting chilly. All i am craving for is something like a broth based meal that is healthy, easy to make and full of flavor!  For those who do not know, Pho is a Vietnamese broth based soup. Pronounced as 'fuh', this is probably the MOST well known Vietnamese dish here in the US. It consists of a flavorful broth, rice noodles called banh pho, herbs and protein of your choice. It can be customized to be spicy using chilli flakes in the broth or as a topping. But don't fret; this tastes amazing even without the spice. Traditionally Vietnamese Pho has some kind...

TEN loaf bread recipes that you need to make SOON! They are colorful, flavorful and easy to make. Plus some are sweet and the rest are savory! Loaf breads is something I love to bake! With multiple uses from sandwiches to toasts and from tea time snack to perfect accompaniment to pasta; these loaves are yummy for every meal. Plus, they are easy to store and always LOVED by our family. Over the last few years I have baked several breads; both sweet and savory. I have used different flours and flavors to make these delicious breads. Here is a round up of my FAVORITE 10 breads from the blog. They are loved by my family and by my readers!  Depending on the time of the year and the upcoming Holiday season; you can make any of these and enjoy them for your sandwich or toast. Don't forget to use the sweet ones grilled and served with Vanilla Ice Cream on top! That is our latest favorite grilling day dessert!  Pin for Later To get the recipes; click on the names below. You will be red...

These Vegan Bao buns are the perfect breakfast you need! Juicy vegetables and tofu filled in the dough and steamed to perfection; this recipe is easy to make and addictive!  Have you all tried steamed buns before? The fluff balls of dough that are pillowy soft and cane be cut to expose the yummy filling in there? If not; I can assure you that you are missing something.  If you thought the yeasty dough for bread can only be used to bake; think again! Once you try these steamed buns, you will want them really often! It happened to me so I can promise you that.  For the longest time this recipe has been on my mind. Ever since I had a TON of these in HongKong last year. Now that three quarters of the year has gone by; I finally shot this one and put it on the blog. And with this month's #Breadbakers theme being Breakfast buns; I HAD to make them appear today on the blog. Thanks to our hostess Felice from All That's Left Are The Crumbs  for this theme.  To give you a...

Melt-in-the-mouth Indian shortbread cookies; these nuts studded Nankhatais are super yummy when made at home!  Have you had Nankhatai before? The MELT IN THE MOUTH Indian cookies that taste amazing with Chai or Milk? If you have not tried these yet; you MUST get your hands on a few. Better still; make them yourself using this recipe.  Though nankhatai is pretty similar to many shortbread cookies that are made around the world; but this one is distinct in flavors. Made with Indian flavors like cardamom and nuts; these cookies are generally eggless. We make a TON of these every year for Diwali; the biggest festival for us!  My mom always makes great nankhatais; using the method of soaking the ingredients overnight; mixing in yummy nuts and baking them to perfection. She generally uses ghee or clarified butter but I sometimes make it using vegetable oil too. This method makes them easy to make as they do not need any soaking etc. And they taste just as YUMMY!  The last ...

Everyone’s classic favorite Mac & Cheese gets a makeover with the addition of Spinach and marinated Artichokes. Plus it is made super fast & easy in your Instant Pot! Instant Pot; that wonderful addition to the kitchen that is making cooking more interesting and one pot! I have been using the IP for a few months now and I am completely LOVING it! From Indian curries to rice and from desserts to yogurt; I use it to make it all.  Following the recipes that are all around Facebook and Instagram, all my friends now own one of these wonderful pots. So, they urge me to update more recipes using instant pot and I find myself reaching out for the pot almost every weeknight.  For those who do not have the Instant Pot, I would urge you to get one soon. If you are not a fan, you can make the same recipes using the traditional pressure cooker. Remember; 3 minutes on Instant Pot corresponds to one whistle in traditional pressure cooker.  This week I made FOUR different Instant...