While most people think of summer and get excited about days spent at the beach, hot weather, etc., I get excited about trips to my local farmer's market and all the amazing fruit and vegetables I will find.  There's nothing that beats eating foods that in in season; my husband and I even prefer going to restaurants that regularly change their menu based on what is in season.  And what is in season right now is sweet summer corn!

Growing up, my father would regularly make bhutas for us -- whole ears of grilled corn, slathered with butter, fresh lime juice, salt, and lal mirch (cayenne pepper).  Before we finally purchased a grill, he would roast each ear of corn over an open gas flame from our stove, carefully using tongs to hold the ear and rotate it over the fire. 

I used my memories of bhutas as the inspiration for this recipe:  a grilled corn summer salad.  Not only is the corn in season, but so are the tomatoes and avocados.  That makes for a delicious and fresh-tasting salad!

Summer is officially here, and where I live it has been especially hot and humid for the past three weeks.  On these scorching days, the last things I want to do are spend a lot of time over a hot stove and/or eat something heavy.  That is why this recipe for mung dal ka cheela (savory pancakes made from mung lentils and whole mung beans) is a perfect summertime meal. 

Cheela are often made from besan (chickpea flour), but my mom makes them using mung dal, which is a lentil obtained by stripping the outer covering of a wholemung bean.  When I started making them myself, I used equal parts mung dal and whole mung beans--you can do the same, or use all mung dal or all whole mung beans, whatever you prefer.  I like using a combination because you get the nutrition of the entire whole mung bean as well as some of the crispiness from the mung dal.   

This recipe is as quick and easy as they come--the only time-consuming part is soaking the mung dal and mung beans!

I recently went back home for four days to spend time with my parents.  It was a relaxing weekend of time just spent at home.  One of the best parts of going home is getting the chance to eat your mom's handmade food, and this trip was no different in that regard.  We had some of my favorites--aloo paratha, dosa with chutney and sambhar, and a Rajasthani/North Indian dish called daal baati.  Daal baati consists of baked whole wheat rolls topped with spiced lentil soup.  It is a simple dish--but on a cold and rainy spring day, it is a welcome warm comfort.

I vividly remember being a young girl, getting together with some of our family friends, and enjoying daal baati for dinner.  To be honest, when I was really young, I didn't care for daal, so my Mom would just give me the baati with ghee (clarified butter) and sugar.  Which is still delicious and I may or may not have had a few of those when I just went home ...

Anyways, daal baati is a real comfort food, and it was perfect to eat in the comfort of my parents' home.  It was also really wonderful to spend time cooking with Mom and learning from her in person.  As we get older, we realize how those opportunities come less and less.  I encourage everyone to spend at least a little time learning how to cook one recipe from your own mom next time you go home!

Note:  the first ingredients photo is for the daal.  The second is for the baati.

My first attempt at making Indian food for my husband was six months after our wedding.  The dish I chose was a simple one:  channa masala.  I felt I had chosen an easy recipe and one that my husband really enjoys--"should be easy enough," I thought.  After an hour of slaving over the pot, the results were clear:  my channa masala was not good.  Of course my sweet Hubs ate it and told me it tasted great, but I knew the truth.  Hubs loves channa masala, so I had to try again; and after some trial and error (and more guidance from my Mom), I now know the tricks to make this a fantastic dish!

There are three things that really make this recipe work. 
First: use dried chickpeas which you have rehydrated in a pressure cooker or slow cooker, rather than canned chickpeas.  If you don't know how, it is really easy and you can follow my step-by-step directions to do it. 
Second: use MDH brand chana masala powder--they are a North Indian-based spice producer, and so their spice blends are not as spicy as many other brands which are based in South India.  I once used a different brand, and it was so hot that Hubs and I could barely eat it. 
Third:  adding tamarind concentrate or chutney to the dish helps thicken the gravy and adds a hint of tanginess.  
Now that I make sure to always use these three components in my channa masala, it turns out great!

Happy new year!  I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season with family and friends.  Hubby and I spent time at home with family and attending a wedding where we saw many friends we had not seen in some time.  I am sure you can imagine, as is customary when getting together with loved ones, that we indulged in more sweets and rich foods than usual.  With the fresh start that comes with a new year we are in detox-mode in our household!  That means lots of vegetables, fruits, legumes, and lean protein.  One of my favorite detoxing meals is this tandoori chicken salad!

This recipe for tandoori chicken is one of the very first Indian recipes I ever learned, and it actually comes from one of Hubby's closest friend's mother.  We would often make this recipe during the summer and cook the chicken on a grill during poolside barbecues in our former home of Atlanta.  Even though it is January and I have no access to a grill right now, the chicken cooks very well in an oven--it is so moist and flavorful!