Few months back, one of my friend had brought a capsicum dish in her lunch box. I tasted it and immediately liked the sweet and spicy taste of it. I thought she had put some coconut in it, bacause of the name Kairas, Coconut being called as kaayi in Kannada. But I was surprised when she gave me the recipe, there was no coconut in it!!!. All this discussion had happened on lunch table and by the time I reached my desk, I had forgotten the recipe (thanks to my poor memory)....
It was over a year ago, one of our neighbors had invited us for dinner. She made a chicken gravy with mint which was so good that I still remember the taste of it after a year. I meant to try recreate it, but never got to it. Finally I made it last week and it was so tasty. I don’t she followed the same recipe, I pretty much made it up....
We all have seen one or the other person in the family/friends circle who has suffered with Cancer. Its difficult emotionally, physically and financially. So here is a great cause to help a dear blogger friend who is suffering from cancer, an event organized by Bee-Jai , Manisha , Shankari , Garrett and other food bloggers. Please read through. This is an appeal on behalf of a group of food bloggers who are friends of Briana Brownlow @ Figs With Bri ....
Wish you all a very happy and prosperous Diwali. It is Diwali time again. Many of our readers were asking to post new sweets. As most of our traditional sweets are already on this blog, I was searching for new sweets. I came across these cornflakes rolls on one of the TV shows. It attracted me as it can be done in a very short time (10-15 mins only) and we require minimum number of ingredients....
Curry leaves, abundant in iron, are an indispensable element in South Indian cuisine. They infuse dishes with their unique flavor and contribute to the region’s culinary identity. But did you know that these humble leaves also offer a wealth of health benefits, particularly in their iron content? In this blog post, we’ll explore the rich world of curry leaves and unveil a delightful recipe for curry leaves chutney powder. This versatile condiment can elevate your meals, serving as a delectable dipping chutney for rotis and idlis or as an exquisite flavor enhancer for your rice dishes....
I planted some tomatoes in our backyard this year. I was not sure what would be the yield, so in the small vegetable patch, I planted 8 plants. They grew so big and soon filled with tomatoes. I planted mostly cherry tomatoes of different kind, along with 1 bigger variety, since Ishaan loves the tiny juicy cherry tomatoes. I have not bought any cherry tomatoes in last 4-5 months. Last week we had to do some lawn work and I had to cut down the low hanging branches....
This year, I had decided to post something at least for one of the American festivals. Even though the lighting around my house, painfully reminds me of Diwali (which is just round the corner), and I terribly miss being at home in India. Although I could almost feel the fireworks of Diwali, I am just trying to enjoy the festivities of Halloween . All my colleagues seem to be so excited about it....
Who doesn’t like to make soft and puffed puris ? Here are few tips which can be followed to make perfect puris . Follow any one of them most suitable for you. Puri dough should be made little harder than chapathi dough. This prevents puri from retaining more oil when it is deep fried. Also once dough is prepared, make the puris immediately. I always follow this method and they always turn out perfect....
I am not a very big fan of sweet lassi, but I absolutely loved the spicy/salted version of it served with meals in almost all restaurants in Bangalore. When I saw ‘Mango lassi’ here at almost all Indian restaurants, I never actually thought of trying it. Then our friend told us that the mango lassi tastes absolutely yummy, so when I tried it, I could not stop at one glass....
This is almost the end of mango season here. This must be one of the easiest and very popular dishes prepared with mango. It is usually made with coconut milk. At my home, we make it with normal milk. This is served during festivals in many homes. This is also prepared with bananas. This can be consumed as a sweet dish on its own or as a side dish with chapati....
Wish you all a very happy republic day. “Ohh..today is April 10th, so your exam results must be out. Did you pass? Where are the pedas ?” this was a general question for us when we were in primary schools (1st to 7th standard/grade is called primary school in India, I have no idea what it is called in other countries). It was a kind of tradition for us to distribute pedas among neighbors/relatives when we got the results....
Please have a look at this (you can find this link, ‘lunchbox recipes’, at the top) and I hope you all will actively participate. Thanks. Chibbad(Konkani) or Karbooja(Hindi) is a kind of sweet melon. There are so many different kinds of melons available here , I was very much confused which one to use for this dish (and also for the milkshake ). Finally I zeroed on cantaloupe which had the same taste as the one we got in India....
Tandul – rice, chane dali – chana dal , paays – pudding also called as madagane , is one of the offerings I made for the Ganesh festival . Infact I had this on my to-do list for a long time now. Since it is one of the dishes made for the festival at my in-laws’ home, I finally prepared it. My aayi makes this pudding frequently for different festivals at home....
We are pizza fans, instead of going out and eating pizzas, I have started making them at home frequently. I make the pizza dough with one pack yeast (with recipe given below), use half of it and freeze remaining half. So we have pizzas once in a week or two. Making everything at home gives me enough options to customize it the way I want. I usually completely skip cheese....
It was last November/December when I had invited my friend Leslie and her family for dinner. She brought a big batch of sugar cookies that were beautifully decorated with some colored sugar. Ishaan was around 3 and 1/2 then. He ate atleast 4-5 cookies in one go. I had never seen him liking any cookie like that. I asked Leslie for the recipe and she was very kind to share it with me....
Every year, Tulsi pooja comes on Kartik shuddha Dwadashi. We decorate Tulsi vrindavan with mantapam and sugarcanes all around it. The mantapam and all the decorations are taken off after three days. After the pooja, sugarcane pieces were distributed along with puffed rice to all the people who came home to attend the pooja. In previous years, many farmers from nearby places used to supply sugarcanes for Tulsi Pooja. However this season, sugarcanes were not fully grown and hence they were not sweet enough to eat....
For preparing chutni, we use tender teppal (called jeev teppal in Konkani) which is generally available during rainy season. These tender teppals have a very strong aroma compared to dried ones. These are used in chutnis, tambli or tavashe (cucumber) hulel etc. When used, teppal is not eaten directly with the dish, but picked up and thrown. These teppals grow fully in December or January when they are collected, dried and stored in airtight containers after removing the seeds from them....
There was a time when I filled my pantry with all kinds of beans/lentils. Recently, I decided not to buy anymore till I finish all beans from the pantry. So this time, it was time for using up val/avrekalu. I have tried many dishes with these beans so far. This time I wanted something new. I had a vague memory of reading this val-eggplant combo on one of the blogs....
No matter how many different varieties of dosas I make, I am always open for new recipes. I feel they are great for breakfast as the main work – making batter, is done in advance. This is a healthy version with whole wheat. I have become a big fan of these dosas now. These are very crispy and tasty because of all different dals . Ingredients: 1/2 cup rice 1/2 cup urad dal 1/2 cup masoor dal 1/2 cup whole wheat 1/2 tea spn fenugreek seeds 1/2 tea spn cumin seeds 4 green chillies 1 tea spn sugar Salt...
It was around 3 years ago, I found a packet of 16 bean soup mix while doing some grocery shopping. The inspiration came from this post . It was very interesting to see so many types of beans in one packet. Since then, I have bought this very regularly. I have tried different combinations of veggies, sauces, spices in this soup. I make it for our lunch. This makes a very hearty and filling lunch....
