Love for pasta is growing by leaps & bounds in India, especially amongst younger generations. In Mumbai, for instance, roadside stalls on main thoroughfares sell Penne Alfredo and other types, as per their colourful menu banners. We are getting more experimental day by day, although we need a little mirchi on whatever pasta we tuck into. And maybe dhania too. A few select recipes for pasta bhakts...
Yes, coconut milk does go well with pasta. Chef Sabyasachi Gorai makes a light sauce with onions, garlic, soy, chopped nuts and pours it over fusilli or spiral-shaped pasta. Gorgeous.
Please find the recipe here: Coconut Cream Pasta
A few years ago model Gigi Hadid bustled into the kitchen and cooked up a spicy preparation that had short pasta, vodka, cream, chilly flakes and tomato and won over the Internet. Kshamaya Daniel followed in her footsteps and Indianised the take a tad.
Please find the recipe here: Gigi Hadid-Inspired Spicy Vodka Pasta
Mayur Sanap whips up a classic pasta salad in just 10 minutes with nearly 20 components including zucchini, peppers, cherry tomatoes. He keeps the ingredients prepped beforehand and tosses them together just before serving. Great fare for summer picnics (erm, in the shade), barbecues and light lunches, even office tiffins.
Please find the recipe here: Pasta Salad
We like to desi-fy our pasta and make it hot, hot, hot. And an arrabiata is ideal for that purpose. Richa Tiwari adds chillies of three types to her take on it and chopped chicken for extra bite.
Please find the recipe here: Pasta Arrabiata With Chicken
Says Zelda Pande: "Assassin's Spaghetti, or in Italian Spaghetti All' Assassina, gets its name not from the murder you commit on the pasta -- because you actually kill off the spaghetti by burning it crisp -- but from the levels of red chilly that will do in the eater." Ingredients: Ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic in a fiery sauce, spaghetti, burrata, wine.
Please find the recipe here: Assassin's Spaghetti
Fruit is a good pasta tweak, especially if you are planning something light. Mangoes, strawberries, small pineapple chunks, unripe kiwi are often added in small quantities to pasta preparations, especially a pasta salad. Anusha Praveen combines a la dente macaroni with crisp green apple pieces, juicy cherry tomatoes and a few crunchy veggies and dresses them up with a creamy, herb concoction.
Please find the recipe here: Green Apple Pasta Salad
Nadiya Sarguroh has a not overly complicated pasta recipe with tomatoes and basil for both beginners and seasoned home cooks. Along with a rich tomato-cream cheese sauce, she adds a selection of vegetables to penne.
Please find the recipe here: Cheesy Tomato And Basil Pasta
Chef Sarab Kapoor's pasta offering is simple but not short on taste. The jalapenos contribute the spice. Mushrooms and the tomatoes add body. She finishes it off with a little cheese and fresh spinach.
Please find the recipe here: Penne With Jalapenos, Mushrooms And Sundried Tomatoes
Knowing how to make a white sauce for pasta is a must, even a basic one, to tide you through days when you would like to make a quick meal. Once you have the sauce recipe down pat, add whatever vegetables you prefer to it and cream, cheese, spices and your preferred pasta.
Please find the recipe for a white sauce and four other sauces here: 5 Sauces To Up Your Cooking Game
Broccoli and bow pasta work well together -- good sambandhan -- especially in soup, with an onion-garlic base. Zelda Pande spikes it with a dash of chilly flakes and adds a lil bit of grated cheese.
Please find the recipe here: Spicy Broccoli Pasta Soup