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: #247 IT’S CHAAT TIME Summer time in India equates to not only mangoes but also Chaats and loads of it. This is the time when most kitchens are closed especially in the evenings and families venture out to sample lip smacking street food and chaats. However, this year I’m sure its a totally different scenario with everyone cooped up at home. However, that doesn’t mean that one cannot enjoy Chaats from the comforts of their homes. FoodieMonday/Bloghop Theme Here in Kenya, we don’t get Chaats as street food, as it has its own street food specials like Mahamari, Fried Mogo, Kebabs, Chicken Tikka, Kachri Bateta, Viazi Karai, etc. If we want to enjoy some Chaats we either have to make them at…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #242 MASALA DABBA What is a Masala Dabba? Masala is the word that refers to spice in the Indian Subcontinent and dabba is a tin. Every Indian household wherever they may live, be it in India, US, UK, Australia, Europe, Africa, etc will have a tin where spices that are used regularly are kept. Just spooning them out from the masala dabba or tin is so much easier than opening and closing individual spice jars or bottles. What my Masala Dabba contains Depending on which part of India you come from or which community you belong to, the spices in the dabba will vary. For example my sister in law is married to a Kashmiri Brahmin so her masala tin has Kashmiri…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #236 HUMMUS TIME RECIPE: MANGO SRIRACHA HUMMUS Mango Sriracha Hummus is a slightly sweetish and spicy dip that is best enjoyed with vegetables, pita chips or crackers. What is Hummus? An integral part of the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Cuisine, Hummus is a dip, spread or sauce that traditionally is made from chickpeas, lemon, garlic and tahini. Made into a smooth paste or sauce depending how its going to be used, hummus these days is readily available in the supermarkets. The Main Ingredients For Hummus Are: Boiled Chickpeas, the white variety Garlic Olive oil Tahini Lemon juice seasoning Its that simple to make hummus. So why buy ready made ones which have preservatives and artificial food additives? How to use Hummus? Spread…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #231 CONDIMENTS MAGIC RECIPE: TURMERIC YOGURT SALAD DRESSING Turmeric Yogurt Salad Dressing has flavours of fresh turmeric and ginger infused well into the plain yogurt, making this dressing not only a naturally colourful, but also a very delish one. What are Condiments? A condiment is a spice, sauce or any preparation of several ingredients that is generally served with a dish to enhance or compliment the flavour of the dish or food preparation. For example different sauces or gravies are made to enhance the flavour of vegetables, meat, fish, pasta etc. When we make dips, dressings, chutneys, spice blends, they help to compliment a dish for example when we made podi masala to enjoy with rice, idlis, dosa etc. Condiments can…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: A- Z RECIPE CHALLENGE THEME : A DISH BEGINNING WITH THE LETTER K RECIPE: KIWI CUCUMBER SALSA Kiwi Cucumber Salsa is a perfect accompaniment to any Mexican Dish. Not only does it look bright and refreshing but is also very healthy. Enjoy it on its own as salad during the summer months. A BIT ABOUT KIWI FRUIT We all normally presume that Kiwi fruit or Chinese Gooseberry originates from New Zealand. However, it actually grew in the wild in China. It is believed that a school teacher returning from China in 1904 introduced the fruit to New Zealand and had brought some seeds too. They named the fruit after their national bird kiwi. Kiwi is a rich source of Vitamin C, along with serotonin…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #226 GRANDMA’S REMEDIES RECIPE: KADHA/HERBAL SPICY TEA What is Kadha? Kadha is a mixture of herbs and spices boiled in water for about 7-10 minutes. Lemon juice and honey/jaggery are added, o make it palatable, This mixture of herbs and spices is a wonderful and beneficial remedy for colds, flus and coughs both dry and chesty. Its usually drunk when its hot or warm depending on who is having it. Usually children are given warm kadha. Kadha Ingredients Ingredients for kadha are usually found in the kitchen. If you don’t have the ingredients then they are easily available from and Indian store or online. In case fresh holy basil is not available then use dried one or add more mint. Water Fresh…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #225 CHRISTMAS TREATS FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME With Christmas approaching, I was hoping that my friends from this group would choose Christmas Gifts From Your Kitchen as opposed to the second option which was Curry Leaves. Don’t get me wrong, curry leaves too is a good theme but perhaps for a later time. For now wanted to jump onto the Christmas preparation bandwagon. Nowadays, Christmas is a festival celebrated by almost everyone even if they are not Christians. My family in UK tend to celebrate Christmas with the same fervor as Diwali or perhaps even more. You just cannot help but get into the joyous celebration mood because of the decorations, carol singing, festival deals in the shops etc. CHRISTMAS GIFTS FROM…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #223 What are Ambode/Masala Vada? Ambode are masala vada made from chana dal with a few other ingredients added. Also known as Masala Vada or Dal Vada, Ambode is a famous street snack in Karnataka. Ambode is also served as a tea time snack with filter coffee in many homes. Besides chana dal (chickpea lentil) being the main star of this crunchy, crispy, mouth watering snack, chopped fresh dill, fresh coriander, onion, curry leaves, rice flour, green chillis, ginger and a bit of coconut is added. All these different ingredients makes them taste so different from Vatidar Bhajia which are quite popular with my family as a tea time snack. I took the liberty of adding a tablespoon of urad dal (split…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY THEME: TRIPURA CUISINE A bit about the group: November took Shhh Cooking Secretly group to Tripura, where I got the opportunity to make a mosdeng, Phantok Mosdeng/Brinjal Mosdeng. This group is where members get together to cook a dish on the decided theme. We are paired up and give each other two secret ingredients to cook with. The group started by Priya of Priya’s Versatile Recipes.is an interesting way to know other food bloggers and try out dishes beyond one’s comfort zone.Other members have to then guess the two secret ingredients till we share the recipe link. Its a fun group and along the way have made some good friends. Where is Tripura? Tripura is one of the Seven Sister States…
