About

Hi there!

My name is Asiya and welcome to my blog!  I am a stay at home mom with 2 great boys living in Toronto....well actually the suburbs but I was born and raised in Toronto!  I used to be an actuarial analyst in an insurance company.  After I had my eldest son, Hasan, I decided my time was better spent staying at home and raising my son.  Now 5 years later I have 2 boys (Hasan and Bilal) and my days are very busy with them.  I have always loved baking but never had much interest in cooking.  Since I became a stay at home mom making dinner was now my responsibility.  I love trying new recipes.  I've been blessed with a husband that loves to try new food and doesn't complain when things don't go well.  I started this blog January 2011 to document my recipes and help me to improve my cooking.  I try to keep my recipes easy and healthy.

My family is from Hyderabad, India so you will find a lot of Indian recipes and other recipes with a little bit of Indian influence thrown in, which mostly means more chilli and garlic!  My husband is Pakistani and that really has changed my cooking and opened up my eyes to the vast variety of Indian/Pakistani cuisine...not just the Hyderabadi food I grew up on (i.e. Khatti Daal, Shaami, Talawa Gosh, Kheema...)  The recipes you find on my blog are what my family and I eat.  So you will rarely find recipes that are loaded with butter and cream.

All the recipes on this site are, to the best of my knowledge, Halal.  For the most part it means you will not find any recipes that contain pork or alcohol.  Please note that I am NO authority on Halal and Haram. I do the best of my ability to make sure everything is Halal but once in awhile we all come across an ingredient that we had no idea was Haram.  If you see anything on this site which you feel is not Halal PLEASE let me know.  If you are in doubt of an ingredient I urge you to also do some research, talk to your Imam.  There are some ingredients that are controversial and some declare it Halal while others do not.  Some of the recipes on this blog use wine based vinegars which I know is a hot topic.  I looked at the resources I usually go to verify things and based on that I use them.  If you feel it is not right, then don't use it.  Regarding wine-based vinegar please see this post at My Halal Kitchen for more information.  Do what you feel is right and what you are comfortable with. 

I also write a blog chronicling the crafts I do with my boys called Keepin' 2 Boys Busy.  I would love for you to drop by and check it out!

I can be contacted at chocnchillies@gmail.com.  Thanks for stopping by and I hope you will give some of my recipes a try!

Please note all content and photos are copyrighted by Chocolate & Chillies unless otherwise specified.  If you would like to use any of the content (including photos) on this site please email me at chocnchillies@gmail.com.  All unauthorized use or duplication of content is prohibited.