EVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY THEME: STEAMED FOOD VEGETARIAN BAO BUNS What are Bao Buns? The first time I saw the Bao Buns was at the lounge of the Taiwan International Airport. Hubby and I were in transit and it was lunch time. A huge buffet was spread out and bao buns were among them. However, all the fillings were non veg. I took one plain one to taste and liked it. These steamed treats are super healthy and the best part is that one can use any filling. Traditionally a Chinese dish, the popular filling is pork belly. I searched several recipes to find what would work for me. Finally, I decided to use mushrooms as my main filling. A bit about the group: Members…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #251 RAVA RAAGA DISH: SEMOLINA SESAME SEED BREAD Theme this week on FoodieMonday/Bloghop After all the celebration, for the 250th theme by members of this awesome group, we are back to suggesting themes whereby all members have easy access to ingredients. Though many countries are trying to get back to some sort of normal life…which by the way is never going to be the same for anyone, some ingredients are still difficult to source. Keeping this in mind, Aruna who blogs at Vasus Veg Kitchen suggested that we use Semolina to prepare a dish. What is Semolina? Also known as Suji, sooji, rava, rawa, it is actually the middle part or endosperm of the hardy durum wheat. While milling the bran and…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #244 SNACKMANIA FoodieMonday/Bloghop Theme Many countries are still under lockdown or curfew while some are planning to open up malls, restaurants, shops but with limited people allowed in these places. This week Renu who blogs at Cook with Renu, suggested that we make snacks which can be stored at least for two weeks if not less. Truthfully, most snacks in my home don’t last beyond two weeks besides chevdo. Snacks With families at home with this Stay Home Be Safe that everyone in the world is practicing, more food is consumed. Especially when you have kids at home, they constantly need something to snack on. For many its not easy to get fresh fruits and vegetables all the time. So most of…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #227 PARTY STARTERS What are Party Starters? Have you heard of the saying “First Impression is the Last Impression?” Well, no wonder the first course at any party or as they call them starters or appetizers are usually the best taste wise, presentation wise, appealing to the eyes and taste all at once. Also known as finger food, party starters are usually small, can be eaten without in a couple of bites and some can be eaten with your hand. From simple chips with dips to elaborate and most expensive white truffle and gold mini pizza. When are party starters, appetizers or finger food served? Usually served during a sit down meal or at large parties. Sometimes parties like cocktail parties or…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #222 MYSTIQUE MEDITERRANEAN What are Vegetarian Chickpea Gyros? Vegetarian Chickpea Gyros, so delicious, healthy and unbelievably easy to make at home from scratch. Usually Gyros have a meat filling. In fact, these Vegetarian Chickpea Gyros are a great alternate for vegetarians, are filling and perfect for picnics, garden parties or as a main meal any time of the day. What Are Gyros? Gyros, pronounced as ‘eeyros’ is a Greek popular street food which is like a sandwich but served on a flat pita bread. The fillings range from chicken, lamb to vegetables. For a vegetarian version, roasted vegetables, chickpeas, pulled jackfruit are used. Actually, let your imagination run riot and use any of your favorite filling. Meat or veggie is usually…
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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:#179 FOODMAGBEST When Seema who blogs at Mildy Indian suggested the above theme, I didn’t even want to know what the other choices were. I like something that jolts me from my comfort zone and this was just the right theme. Basically for this theme we could prepare any dish and then work on the photography or presentation, pretending that its for a magazine cover. How exciting would that be in reality. In reality I would not be the one photographing the food or working on the presentation. I would have to just cook the recipe. Well, we all can wish for anything dear to our heart. Before I go into the recipe, I must mention that Seema has had the opportunity to stay…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: BREAD BAKERS THEME : MIDDLE EASTERN BREADS RECIPE: MANAKEESH Manakeesh, Manakish, Manaeesh, Manaqish or in singular form Manousheh is the Middle East’s version of a pizza. It is usually topped with herbs, cheese or minced meat and can be served for breakfast or lunch. Very popular in Syria, Lebanon and the Arab Peninsula. Traditionally, the women would bake them in a communal oven early in the morning in time for breakfast. Manaqish is the plural word of the Arabic word manqūshah which means to crave out or sculpt. The dough is rolled into a flat shape and then pressed by fingertips to create dips in which the topping lies in. The cheese usually used for the topping is a soft white cheese called Akawi.…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: MEGA BLOGGING MARATHON#92 THEME: A-Z FLATBREADS AND MORE – INDIAN FLATBREADS RECIPE: QUBANI NAAN Qubani Naan is a sweetish exotic flatbread with dried apricot,poppy seeds, cardamom and saffron. This Mughlai style naan is usually served with a more chilli or spicy curry. I decided to serve it with moong dal shorba. What is Mega Blogging Marathon? Well, its a group of bloggers who get together to post a dish for 26 days according to the chosen theme. For more details check out the initiator Srivalli’s page here. For this theme we had a choice of 3: A-Z Indian Flatbreads that are not made using batter e.g. like rotis A-Z Indian Flatbreads using batters e.g. dosa A-Z International Flatbreads. India And Flatbreads I decided to…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #158 INDIAN FLATBREAD Sometimes taking a break from blogging and commenting is required. I took a small break last week and though I had carried my computer to Nairobi, I didn’t open it for 5 whole days, not even to check what’s happening on Facebook, Pinterest… ok had to admit couldn’t keep away from Instagram but promise I did not post anything 🙂 Poonam who blogs at Annapurna, suggested the above theme. In a few weeks I’ll be doing a Mega Blogging Marathon on Flatbreads for the Blogging Marathon group. But lets get back on track to this group. Poonam’s blog is full of traditional and not so traditional recipes. She has so much patience to click photos of every step. As…
