Sweet apricot dumplings are a traditional dessert from Central Europe. We call them Marillenknödel. These Austrian dessert dumplings are fun to prepare and are sure to impress your family and friends. Coated by a tender choux dough sits a fresh apricot from the garden. Prepared the Austrian way, these apricot dumplings will transport you to a new uncharted food … [Read more...]
How to pick Lingonberries in the Wild
For a very long time I have been pondering how I should call these majestic rarer European mountain berries. In the end, I decided to leave it at Lingonberry. You might ask yourself why? Well, I will just let you take a look at the picture below and most probably you will come to a common conclusion. Especially, if you are from the US or Canada, you might … [Read more...]
Paris in a day
So, finally, I can say that I have seen Paris. It was getting ridiculous, considering that I had seen the whole rest of France except the French capital itself. My parents hadn't taken us to see Paris as kids because of the city's notorious criminal name and due to certain things that occurred to our family members there back in the past. However, finally all this … [Read more...]
How to pick wild Bilberries (European Blueberry)
This guide will show you how we collect bilberries in Europe in the wild. We call them blueberries or “moss” berries, so they are sometimes also known as European blueberries. Before we start, just to be clear: Only pick wild berries if you are certain that they are edible! I will be describing and sharing pictures further down that will help you to get around … [Read more...]
Useful road trip tips for India
Recently we decided to go on a short 12 day road trip to south India. While we were traveling I had the idea to share some of our knowledge and stories, which we experienced over the years. When you have been in India for some time you meet some of the most exceptional people and that's when you exchange useful travel tips, so you can make a better picture of the local … [Read more...]
Red Cabbage Juice with Grapes and Mandarin
Red cabbage juice is not your usual juice, which you get from your favorite juice bar. Heck, most of us wouldn't even consider juicing red cabbage. Yet, there is something to this healthy vegetable which makes it great juicing material together with other delicious raw produce! Are you a raw food fan? Lately, I have been noticing a certain food trend … [Read more...]
Lime Yogurt Dressing Recipe
Drizzle some Lime Yogurt Dressing over your green salad or your salad favorite. I leave you with the liberty once again to play around with the salad ingredients. You can add cooked French beans (or other beans), potato, cauliflower, or broccoli, or raw ingredients such as lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, beets, and kohlrabi. If you are looking for other creamy, more … [Read more...]
Spicy Tomato Sauce Recipe for Pasta and Pizza
A Spicy Tomato Sauce Recipe to use as a Marinara Pizza topping or as a Pasta Sauce or even in baked Lasagna. Homemade and freshly prepared from scratch! A Spicy Tomato Sauce Recipe in all its glory. Yes, that's what we need, don't you think so? This is a revamped Italian style Tomato Marinara with spicy hot vibes. I add fresh chili peppers to pep up this … [Read more...]
54 Nutritious Breakfast Recipes
The other day, I was pondering over the definition of eating healthy, and that's how I came up with this collection of nutritious breakfast recipes. What does it mean to eat healthy and do other people see it the same way or do we all understand something else under healthy eating? I believe there has been a misconception in this world about healthy eating. It … [Read more...]
Goan Beef Croquettes
I shared a New Year's Eve Appetizer collection, rounding up the best treats made by my food blogger friends. I also shared the fact that I usually don't make those appetizers but that I was an avid fan of homemade colorful, creative and above all tasty canapé. However, sometimes I like to make a batch and surprise visiting friends and I do have some goodie recipes in my … [Read more...]
Zimtsterne Cookies Recipe
Zimtsterne are another variety of popular Christmas cookies in the German-speaking regions, prepared Gluten-free with cinnamon as a main ingredient and cut out into stars. Learn how to make this Zimtsterne Recipe from scratch with the step-by-step recipe instructions further below: Cinnamon is a favorite spice during the colder winter days in this world. … [Read more...]
Indian Butter Chicken Recipe (Murgh Makhani)
Butter Chicken is definitely the most known and popular North Indian dish in the world. Most probably you will have come across this dish abroad and if you are in India then of course you couldn't have missed it. I, personally, don't remember when I tasted my first easy Butter Chicken recipe but one thing is sure, it must have been in this marvelous big colorful … [Read more...]
Homemade Coconut Milk
Back in Europe, I always regarded Coconut milk as something super fancy and difficult to come bye Honestly, 10 years ago, you would literally have to hunt down a can of coconut milk and the best place to find a lonely can of coconut milk would be in an Asian grocery shop. Those are still rather a rarity in the Austrian alpine villages, but at least some … [Read more...]
Christmas Cookie Collection
I believe one can never have enough cookies for Christmas. Various Christmas Cookie types, such as traditional and colorful new style cookies are a must in my house and I have to tell you Christmas is for sure not the same without the cookies. In my first years in Goa, I didn't miss the familiar smell of Christmas spices and the comforting feeling of the season but … [Read more...]
Homemade Vanilla Sauce
Warm homemade vanilla sauce over a cake, Buchteln, or other delicious desserts is a must-have, and a homemade version is always a hit. Surprise your loved ones with this easy to make Vanilla Sauce with real Vanilla beans! … [Read more...]
Chicken with Mushroom White Wine Cream Sauce
📕 Take on Hunter's Schnitzel This recipe was inspired by one of our more traditional recipes in Austria, the hunter's schnitzel (Jägerschnitzel). This is a natural unbreaded schnitzel cooked in a creamy paprika mushroom sauce. Schnitzel in all its forms in Austria or Germany is always either pork or beef. So if it is to be compared to the Israeli schnitzel, which … [Read more...]
Bethmännchen Cookies
We have a massive collection of Christmas Cookie recipes in Central Europe. Seriously, you would be surprised by the number of different cookies our ancestors were able to create in time. From spiced Lebkuchen, to soft Coconut Cookies and Sugar Baiser, the choice is endless! Coming from a rich Christmas Cookie tradition, I am still surprised at times by new cookie … [Read more...]
Vodka Cookies
Vodka Cookies are for sure an entirely new concept, especially during the merry Christmastime. Yet, I felt compelled to share these colorful and fun cookies with you. Usually, it's all about rum, egg liqueur and other fancy alcohol flavors at this time of the year but when you live in the Indian coastline state of melting cultures then you need to think out of the box … [Read more...]
Elisenlebkuchen Cookies Recipe
Elisenlebkuchen are some of my favorite cookies in the world! Learn further below why :) As I had promised, my dear readers, we are kicking into the Cookie week with a load of different sweet treats. I have joined up with some of my food blogger friends to present you a colossal collection of the best homemade cookie recipes. There is something for … [Read more...]
Tropical Garden Goa India Part II
The last days have been super hot in the small Indian Coastline state Goa and the retrieving rains seem to be over. Yet the heat is dragging along and I am starting to turn into a raisin. I am looking for water and I am yearning for cooling sights. I remember the days when plump water drops would fall on the broad Elephant Ears in my tropical garden Goa. I … [Read more...]
Croque Monsieur and Croque Madame
Saturday's used to be house cleaning days in my younger years. This would be the most annoying day and the best day at the same time in the week. My mum would make sure that my siblings and I would be up early mornings to attack the day. Yet, her plans rarely worked out and I must say I was very stubborn and cleaning the house was something I hated, but I was … [Read more...]
Goan Para Fish - Marinated Fish Pickle
Something that I thought I would never eat back in 2007, ended up being one of my most favorite Goan dishes. Dried Fish curing in fiery red marination is definitely unusual for a European, but when I was introduced to the fried Goan Para fish served with a mountain of rice and a good dose of Dal, I was instantly hooked by the flavor tango on my tongue. At the … [Read more...]
Sweet and Sour Papaya Sauce
Hello orange Season, welcome back! I have been seeing oranges lately, not in a bad way of course, no I am talking about the change of seasons and the time when orange-colored vegetables and fruits appear more frequently in the market. It might be Europe, the Americas or India, every September you'll notice warmer colored produce. While the old wives summer (also … [Read more...]
Tulsi Syrup Recipe - Indian Holy Basil
During the rainy season, our garden turns into a real Jungle, sheltering some of the weirdest and prettiest creatures alike. A couple of times I came across some insects that looked like branches and some dangerous looking frogs with a red line on their back were sitting in the broad daylight undisturbed by our hovering presence. Then there are yellow, dotted, … [Read more...]
Mushroom Duxelles Pasta Sauce
More then a year ago I had introduced you to Mushroom Duxelles, a mixture of finely chopped Mushrooms shallots and herbs. Back then I had shared my stuffed Tomatoes a la Duxelles at Cafe Terra blog, so a recipe was never shared here at Masala Herb. Mushroom Duxelles is usually used for stuffing's and the most known dish stuffed with Duxelles is Beef Wellington. … [Read more...]
Kohlrabi Potato Purée
The other day I came across a vegetable that I hadn’t seen for a while in my little neighborhood market here. As you must have guessed it from the title, I am talking about the humble Kohlrabi, a plump, whitish and roundish looking leafy bulb vegetable. Personally, I am very familiar with the taste of the bulb and I blame my mother for that. She had the habit to … [Read more...]
Chicken Roll ups with Ham and Cheese
A couple of weeks ago, I came up with some fun food. I had stumbled upon this dish by chance, and it is fun to make. You see, I have been going through a whole lot of time limits recently, somehow I am always out of time. Does that sound familiar to you? Among all the life-changing devices and technology, we all ended up having less time at hand. So, … [Read more...]
Chicken Tikka Recipe
To get a hand on a perfect tasty chicken tikka recipe is one challenge and then to even master the “technique” is another. It doesn't mean that only you, the home cook, is facing this famous challenge alone. In fact, in a place such as Goa, even though a popular tourist destination in India, you'll have a hard time hunting down a moist and flavorsome Chicken Tikka. … [Read more...]
Rice Patties Recipe with Carrots
Rice Patties are a great addition to your weekly meal plan to switch up things. These pan-fried savory rice cakes with carrots are prepared with leftover rice and are vegetarian and gluten-free. I created these rice patty cakes to celebrate rice in all its forms and shapes. Just FYI, rice patties are at times also known as rice cakes. 🔪 How to make rice … [Read more...]
Ridge Gourd Casserole Recipe
Ridge Gourd Bake Casserole is a delicious Week night dinner idea. The Ridge Gourd is a gourd vegetable growing in the tropical regions of this world, and most particularly on the Indian subcontinent. Learn how to use this healthy vegetable in this ridge gourd bake casserole with the step-by-step recipe further below: My all-time favorite vegetable on the … [Read more...]
Mini Gugelhupf Recipe
Mini Gugelhupf cake as a bite-sized dessert. Those are easy to make and oh so good. 📕 What is Gugelhupf? The Gugelhupf is the forefather of the American bundt cake and originated in Austria. This cake was especially popular during the Biedermeier period in central Europe. The Gugelhupf has many names and might be better known in some parts of Europe … [Read more...]
Tropical Fruit Garden India
I thought it was about time to show you all our Tropical Fruit Garden here in Goa, India. This is the best season for me to show off with all the wondrous fruit treats growing in our garden. We have many more trees, but they are still pretty young. In fact, most of them were planted a year ago, but more about that later on. Of course, we do have some … [Read more...]
Alle Belle Recipe - Coconut Crepes
Sweet Coconut Crêpes prepared with coconut milk and stuffed with sugar cane molasses and Coconut bits or flakes. You can add food coloring, too, to change the appearance to a bright-colored dessert. These are coconut crêpes, which are a common sweet delicacy in Goan homes. They are also known as Alle belle. The specialty of these stuffed coconut rolled … [Read more...]
Austrian German English Food Translations
A couple of days ago, me and my Bavarian - German friends were sitting outside waiting for the electricity to come back. We ended up talking about food (what else right?) and then, of course, we started to compare the Tyrolean/Austrian dish traditions with the Bavarian/South German food habits and tried to compare and figure out some food translations. We didn't find … [Read more...]
Herb Soup Dumplings (Biskuitschöberl)
Nearly two weeks ago I had posted our Austrian Semolina dumplings recipe and in the same post I had promised to share more traditional Soup dumplings. Back then I had also come up with a Clear Vegetable Consommé, and today you'll be able to reuse this Clear soup recipe together with some typical, easy and quick herb dumplings. These dumplings are commonly known as … [Read more...]
Buchteln Recipe with Vanilla Sauce
Buchteln are sweet baked buns. This recipe is with a hazelnut filling and it's from Austria. 📕 What are Buchetln? Buchteln are sweet yeast rolls with a filling. These sweet Buns are stuffed with jam or sometimes even with other surprises such as Topfen (fresh cheese) or even nuts. You will find this traditional dish all around the alps in the heart of … [Read more...]
Austrian Jagertee Recipe
The alpine skiing slopes are famous all over the world. Why? Mostly because of the tipsy making hot beverages, such as the heart-warming Jagertee. 📕 What is a Jagertee? Jagertee, Jägertee or Jagatee means Hunter's tea and Jaga is the local Tyrolean (regional Austrian German) word for Jäger in German. My conclusion is that in the old times, Hunter's used … [Read more...]
Vegetarian Potato Goulash Recipe
This Potato Goulash is completely vegetarian and a common weeknight dinner meal during the cold winter months in Austria. The one-pot wonder is easy to make and you just need a few ingredients to prepare the soup within 30 minutes. 📕 What is this dish? The Austrian Goulash soup with potatoes is a dish we all grew up with, in Austria. The authentic goulash … [Read more...]
Lebkuchen Spice Mixture
This little spice mix is one of the most important European spice blends during Christmastime. In the alpine region, it is the main ingredient while baking Lebkuchen cookies and without the spice mixture, it wouldn't be a Lebkuchen. These brown inviting and often decorated cookies are a form of the worldwide known Gingerbread and in dictionaries, the Lebkuchen is … [Read more...]
Coconut Ball Macaroons Recipe
For Christmas, light Coconut Macaroons are always common in each Middle European house. 📕 What are Macaroons? In German they are better known as Kokosbusserl and I can tell you, there are many variations. These cream/white shaded cookies are very simple to recreate and I guess, that and the taste are the reason for its popularity. Now you might be … [Read more...]