MAIA FOODS

See you soon!!!

The adults we have become need to hear the stories again and again from our elders, if only to remind us of the children we once were, to believe the simpler times really existed…

Popping up tomorrow from 10-12, see you there!

Baked Long Eggplant Sabzi

The long eggplants are either known as Chinese or Japanese, depending on the shade of purple and length. They have really tender and soft skin and are often found in Asian, Indian, and Middle Eastern stores.

These baked eggplant slices are very easy to put together and perfect with a bowl of rice & dal or in sandwiches with some marinara sauce.

I did want to make some sandwiches the next day but they disappeared pretty quickly so will add more pictures later on the blog.

https://maiafoods.com/baked-eggplant-curry/

Moroccan Red Lentil Soup

This is a warm and hearty soup with robust textures and flavors. North African cuisine offers several recipes for hearty broths that combine meat, vegetables, lentils, or chickpeas.
The use of cinnamon, cloves, and cumin is what gives this soup its unique yet familiar taste.
I love to add fresh veggies to this soup to make it a one-pot meal and usually allow it to cook overnight in a slow cooker so that there is a warm meal ready for lunches or brunches.

https://maiafoods.com/moroccan-red-lentil-soup/

Quick 'n Easy Dum Aloo

This version is a riff on the classic but of course, modified to be made quickly in a pressure cooker or instant pot.

Not only is this curry delish but the teeny potatoes coated in a thick gravy look darn cute and tempting. Tear off a piece of naan or roti and scoop up one baby spud at a time.

https://maiafoods.com/quick-n-easy-dum-aloo/

Did you know that chai masala can blow up the flavor in your breads and cookies by several decibels???

maiafoods.com/maia-masalas/

And we are still needing to drum up funding for women in STEM…

So chuffed and emotional to see today’s google doodle on Dr. Kamal Ranadive. Initially I was unsure if it was just for me (because algorithms you know) or was everyone everywhere today reading about this scientist from my city, my alma mater, my mother’s alma maters (school and college) and a contemporary of my grandmother.

https://feminisminindia.com/2019/03/21/kamal-ranadive-indias-forgotten-cancer-crusader-indianwomeninhistory/

“One must maintain a little bit of summer, even in the middle of winter.”
~Henry David Thoreau

Ok snow, you can fall now, got all the roses in.

Peanut Garlic Dry Chutney or Danyachi Chutney

This is another staple from the Marathi kitchen and is used as a side, topping, or turned into a dip by mixing with yogurt or oil.
Aai’s pantry often has 3-4 dry chutney powders and they are pulled out every day onto the dining table at dinner. Bhakri (hand-flattened gluten-free bread made from sorghum or pearl millet flour) with homemade butter or ghee, chutney, and sliced onions is was often my dinner on school nights as I wrapped up a busy evening of homework and playing in the streets with my gang of friends.

https://maiafoods.com/peanut-garlic-dry-chutney/

Sometimes you feel the weight of every single thought and then morning comes like this…someone is watching over me.

Fasting Bowl: Barnyard (NO, I’M NOT A CHICKEN) Millet, Peanut Amti, Sautéed Sweet Potatoes, and grated Cucumber

English names for several grains and lentils indigenous to Asia and Africa are a product of colonial politics that systematically denigrated native knowledge as backward and uncivilized.

Names such as cowpea, horse gram, chickpea, pigeon pea, buffalo nut, etc. all evoke animal fodder and helped advance Eurocentric narratives of native systems as savage and animal-like.

Interestingly, things come a full circle as the western gaze seeks healthier and diverse grains and indigenous crops, fruits, vegetables, and practices are slowly gaining the respect they deserve

All recipes now on the blog
https://maiafoods.com/varai-rice/

“And the sun took a step back, the leaves lulled themselves to sleep and autumn was awakened.”
~Raquel Franco

Are you even Indian if you haven’t consumed buckets of this growing up?

Dahi Bhaat (aka plain yogurt + rice, curd rice, dahi chawal, thayir sadam) is mixed by loving hands when you have an upset stomach, when you have eaten too much, eaten too much fried food, eaten too many sweet treats, are traveling, are recovering from a broken heart, when it’s too hot outside, when you have spent hours studying for exams, and when you want nothing but comfort and love!

https://maiafoods.com/dahi-bhaat/