My Heart Beets

My Heart Beets: Indian recipes for home cooking

My Heart Beets is a cooking blog specializing in Indian recipes, written and developed by Ashley, who presents herself as the author and creator of the recipes. The site brings together a broad recipe collection organized by type of dish, cooking method, diet, and occasion, along with cookbooks and a shop.

An Indian recipe collection with family roots

Ashley explains that she was born in the United States into a family of Indian immigrants and grew up in a Punjabi family eating North Indian food. According to her account, it was through her partner, Rob, that she discovered South Indian cuisine, specifically that of Kerala. After getting married, she felt the need to learn family recipes and began writing down and measuring the ingredients her parents used without exact measurements, a practice she describes as common in Indian cooking. That work of observation and testing over several years gave rise to many of the recipes she publishes on the blog and in her books. Her father serves as the regular taster of traditional Punjabi recipes, while her young children participate as testers.

Organization of the recipe collection

The content is structured into several categories that allow browsing by type of dish, cooking method, diet, and holiday. Among the main sections are main dishes, desserts, appetizers, chaat recipes, beverages, breakfasts and brunch, salads, sides, snacks, soups and stews, condiments, and basics.

• Cooking methods: Instant Pot, Pour and Cook, recipes with five ingredients or fewer, baking, grilling, and air fryer.
• Proteins and meats: chicken and poultry, legumes (lentils and beans), eggs, lamb and goat, beef, pork, and seafood, as well as meatless main dishes.
• Special diets: vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, eggless, no onion or garlic, Whole30, keto or low carb, nut-free, paleo, grain-free, nightshade-free, and raw.
• Cuisines: Indian, Mexican, Asian, American, Italian, and Middle Eastern.
• Holidays and seasons: Christmas, New Year's Eve, Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving, Easter, Mother's Day, Indian holidays such as Diwali, and autumn, spring, summer, and winter recipes.

Featured recipes and original series

The site shows a selection of new and popular recipes, including Mango Burfi, Chocolate Burfi, Mango Kalakand, Instant Pot Tindora Stir-Fry, Kali Mirch Chicken Curry, red lentil dal, Thai coconut curry chicken, and Instant Pot butter chicken. In main dishes, examples include tindora stir-fry, shrimp roast, Indian-style vegetable lasagna, dried green mango dal, and matar makhana curry. In desserts are Mango Burfi, Chocolate Burfi, Mango Kalakand, and Instant Pot vermicelli kheer. In breakfasts are included a spiced potato and egg breakfast skillet with avocado, Indian shakshuka, egg bhurji, and broccoli cheddar quiche with a gluten-free option.

The blog has its own series called Onion Masala, presented as a base that makes Indian cooking easier, and a tool for creating customized Indian menus by selecting recipes for main dish, rice, dal, side, condiment, and dessert. It also publishes recipe videos, including Badam Halwa, homemade chai masala, Instant Pot crème brûlée cheesecake, and Lazy Tikki.

Publications and shop

My Heart Beets includes a cookbook section and a shop, as well as an email newsletter with subscription and the option to receive notifications of new posts. The site offers as a free resource a guide of tips and tricks for easy and delicious Indian cooking.