7.15.14 Cooking with FillMyRecipe + Mango Cucumber Chile Salad

As a food blogger, I love doing awesome things with food. And when I come across others in the Madison community whose love of food leads them to do awesome things too, well obviously, I have to tell you all about it. Recently, I met Sara Parthasarathy, founder of FillMyRecipe , and learned about all of the wonderful things she’s doing to make good authentic Indian cooking fun and accessible to all. Which is definitely awesome in my book.

Spice Kit for Rajmah (Kidney Beans) Masala

Now I’ve always loved Indian food. And our recent travels to India only helped to reinforce my affinity for it. While I’ve been known to cook a few delicious Indian-inspired dishes, when it comes to real, authentic Indian food, I still have much to learn. Indian cooking can be complicated, and a little intimidating for many cooks. Not to mention, recipes often involve many spices, some of which are not the easiest to find in Wisconsin. If you weren’t lucky enough to have obtained a somewhat ridiculous amount of spices in New Delhi like I did, you may find yourself in a bit of a bind when it comes to some recipes. So when the craving to cook some serious Indian food strikes, what is one to do?

In the past, my answer was usually just to hack it with whatever spices I had laying around (not always with the best results), or just throw in the towel and go to an Indian restaurant. Luckily, Sara Parthasarathy, an expert at Indian cooking, has devised FillMyRecipe to help us Indian food aficionados cook up some very tasty, authentic Indian recipes. Hand made right here in Madison, each Ethnic Spicery Packet comes filled with pre-measured, individually packed spices, and an authentic recipe from Parthasarathy’s family. Curries, daals, masalas - with all of your spices measured out and ready to go, making good Indian food with one of these spice kits is a snap. And when you love Indian food as much as I do, this is a very, very good thing.

Of course, with all of the delicious Indian food you’re sure to be whipping up, you’ll probably need something light and refreshing to go with. My current go-to is this super simple mango, cucumber, and chile salad. It’s beyond easy to make, and while I can’t vouch for any Indian authenticity, it certainly is delicious.

Mango Cucumber Chile Salad

serves 2 as a side

• 1 very ripe mango, sliced
• 2 persian cucumbers (or ½ english cucumber), thinly sliced into rounds
• ¼ tsp (or to taste) cayenne chile powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp thinly chopped scallion
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs (mint, cilantro, basil, chives or a mix)
• 1 lime

1. Arrange the mango and cucumber slices on a plate. Evenly sprinkle chile and salt over. Top with the chopped scallions and herbs, then cut lime in half, and squeeze juice evenly over everything.