EVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #230 CHINESE NEW YEAR Chinese New Year 2020 Gong hei fat choy is the Greeting for Chinese New Year in Cantonese and Gong xi fa cai (pronounced gong she fa tsai) in Madarin. Basically it means wishing you great happiness and prosperity. This year Chinese New Year, Spring Festival and also known as Lunar New Year falls on 25th January. Like most Indian festivals, Chinese New Year doesn’t fall on the same day every year as it follows the lunar calendar. Did you know that the New Year festival usually lasts 15 days? How is Chinese New Year Celebrated? Its a day for praying to God, for good harvest and planting. People also pray to their ancestors. A vast variety of food…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: A- Z RECIPE CHALLENGE THEME : A DISH BEGINNING WITH THE LETTER J Why I made Jaggery Banana Bread? Well, I’m a member of the group A-Z Recipe Challenge, a group started by Jolly Makkar and Vidya Narayan. What is required of in this group? Nothing too difficult but to cook a dish using an ingredient whose English name begins with the designated letter. This month we’re suppose to choose an ingredient that begins with J. Jalapeño, Jackfruit, Jelly, Jam and Jaggery are some of the few ingredients that I thought of. I have jalapeño poppers on my list to try out for so long. The urge is now even more urgent as I tasted them during my visit to USA and loved them. …
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #215 PIZZA MANIA What is FoodieMonday/Bloghop? Its a group of blogger friends who get together every Monday to post a recipe on a chosen theme.This group has helped to explore some unknown areas and test some unknown waters too. Its helped to grow as a Food Blogger over the years. This week’s theme Pizza Mania was suggested by Preethi who blogs at Preethi’s Cuisine.I love her raw mango and jeera rasam. Coming to the theme, you’ve got to check out her unique aachari aloo pizza. This week’s theme: For this week Preethi suggested that we make a unique pizza, either use a different kind of pizza base or toppings. While I used my all time favourite toppings, mushrooms and olives, I created…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #206 GLUTEN FREE TREATS Today my 100% concentration is not on writing the post and yet I want to say so much. The problem is that I just don’t know how to put my feelings into words. For once I’m lost for words! I guess that happens to all those who become grandparents for the first time or even many times. I guess the feeling is the same. Yes, now officially I’m a grandmother or more precisely as they say in Gujarati ‘Hu Ba bani gayi.’ So, now I proudly announce that I’m Ba to Lily Monique Mayuri Patel. Must say that’s a really long name but feel so honoured that the parents (my son and daughter in law) have decided that…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #200NOTOUT I joined FoodieMonday/Bloghop in March 2016 when their #31st theme was Fusion Thandai Recipes. I remember I was really struggling to figure out what to prepare for the theme and also how will I portray myself as a new member. What I found very quickly was that the members of the group were very friendly and helpful. Today we’re on our #200th theme and I’ve come a long way, more confident, have improved on how I write my blog posts, how I take photographs of the prepared dish, learnt about other Indian cuisines and also know the members and a bit about their families. Many old members have left and new ones have joined. With some its now a lasting…
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Continue ReadingEVENT:FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME:#192 ONE SPICE INGREDIENT When Sasmita who blogs at First Timer Cook was suggesting themes for #192, I wasn’t paying much attention as I thought I wouldn’t be able to participate. It was when I got back to my hotel in the evening and saw over 50 messages on the group’s WhatsApp, is when I began reading them out of curiosity. With One Spice Ingredient as the chosen theme, I immediately remembered that I had a recipe in the draft that fits the bill. I was about to post this recipe for the minicake theme but changed my mind. I now know why this one got saved. Sasmita has a wonderful blog with a huge range of recipes from Odia dishes to more…
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Continue ReadingEVENT:FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME:#190 MINICAKES RECIPE: THANDAI MUFFINS Thandai Muffins baked with thandai spice mixture make a delicious treat for the Holi Party. Both kids and adults love them along with chilled thandai drink. Eggless, these muffins come together in no time. Bake them a day ahead, they stay fresh for a couple of days. Just before Holi, I had baked some thandai muffins to share with my neighbors. The recipe did not make it to the blog on time for Holi. I kept it in the draft file thinking that I’ll use it next year. Yeah, I know its a long time to keep it, but I’m quite good at storing stuff 🙂 FoodieMonday/Bloghop Theme When Preethi suggested a few themes for the #190, I opted…
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Continue ReadingEVENT:FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOPTHEME:#189 GAJAR KA JALWA Once again in a few days I’ll be on the move. So the routine has begun, packing my suitcase (I hate packing!), time to wind up the kitchen, close the house. Last minute tension, as I’ll be attending two weddings and have to make sure have all the wedding saris, jewelry etc. Always get the feeling, ‘am I forgetting something?’ However, I calm down for a few hours as I remember what my kaka (chacha, uncle) always use to say when we’d travel by flight alone to get back to boarding school. He’d say as long as you have your passport, ticket and some money, you’re fine. Traveling often, does that make me an expert at packing my suitcase? Not at…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: A- Z RECIPE CHALLENGE THEME : A DISH BEGINNING WITH THE LETTER F RECIPE: FIG AND AMARANTH COOKIES Fig and Amaranth Cookies are gluten free, delicious, melt in the mouth kind of cookies that can be enjoyed on Fasting Days. Amaranth flour, a bit of butter and sugar with chopped dried figs, these cookies are so easy to make. No baking agent is used as I am not sure if baking agents are allowed during Ekadashi, Shivratri and Navratri Fasting Days. What is the A- Z Challenge? Well, we’re a Facebook group and every alternate month the participants make a dish with the relevant letter. The group was started in May 2018 by Jolly Makkar and Vidya Narayan. Jolly blogs at Jolly Homemade Recipes.…
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Continue ReadingEVENT:FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME:#184 PEGAN DIET Nope, its not a spelling mistake the word is definitely PEGAN. When Veena who blogs at Veena’s Veg nation suggested the theme, I too thought that she made a spelling mistake as the nearest I could think of was vegan. She quickly clarified that it was Pegan and sent a link for us to read. Last Monday was the day when we all, except Veena of course discovered a new diet Pegan. I think after the theme was announced most of us spent the evening reading about it and discovering what its all about. Also what followed was endless discussions and I think all of us were trying to figure out what the others are going to make, but all guarded…
