EVENT: 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: #224 DUE SOUTH WHAT IS MAHARAGE YA NAZI/ KIDNEY BEANS IN COCONUT SAUCE Maharage ya nazi/ kidney beans in coconut milk is a popular Swahili dish which is made from kidney beans, simple spices, tomatoes and coconut milk. In the Kiswahili language maharage/maharagwe is kidney beans and nazi is coconut. Its may pleasure to introduce to you the Swahili dish Maharage Ya Nazi or Kidney Beans in Coconut Milk. Well, read on and you’ll find out why that was cooked in my kitchen today. Group Theme For this week the FoodieMonday/Bloghop Group theme was suggested by Kalyani who blogs at Sizzling Tastebuds. The theme was Due South. In other words, Kalyani wanted us to cook a dish from any of the…
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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: 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 ReadingRECIPE: MOONG PANIYARAM & RIDGE GOURD CHUTNEY Moong paniyaram is a version of the classical paniyaram. It makes a healthy, vegan breakfast or snack option. I have replaced the rice with green gram or moong. For added nutritional benefits I have added some sprouted green grams or moong. What is Paniyaram? Paniyaram, Paddu, Guliyappa, Yeriappa, Ponganalu is simply a steamed batter made in a mould. Usually a batter of rice and urad dal is poured into the paniyaram pan or appe pan(aebleskiver), covered with a lid and allowed to steam till done. Made either sweet or savory, paniyaram is usually served as a snack any time of the day. The savory ones are served with some chutney and or sambar. Usually made from…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: Karela Nu Shaak What is Karela Nu Shaak? Karela nu shaak is simply a Gujarati style side dish, sabji or shaak as we call it. Chopped karela or bitter gourd is stir fried till done with spices. One can cook it with potatoes or cashew nuts. I chose to prepare it with cashew nuts and raisins. After the karela are cooked, jaggery is added to make it into a delicious, lip smacking sweet and bitter shaak that is usually enjoyed with hot rotlis or phulkas, any other sabji/shaak and tuvar dal. I’ve used the description of karela nu shaak as delicious and lip smacking. These are the words that hubby uses to describe it. He loves karela or bitter gourd but I’m not a…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #219 WINTER VEGGIE AFFAIR Did you miss a FoodieMonday/Bloghop post last Monday or like me, you were busy enjoying the Diwali festivities? Because of Diwali FoodieMonday/Bloghop members took a holiday, but this week I’m back with Matar Ka Nimona for another exciting theme, Winter Veggie Affair suggested by Sasmita. Keeping winter in mind, fresh and green fenugreek is available in abundance at the moment in India. This gives me the opportunity to use it in almost all the curries I make. What I like to make soon is Sasmita’s Fenugreek/Methi Mushroom Curry as I usually don’t add fresh methi. French Beans also are at their freshest and tender too. Its the right time to try out Sasmita’s French Beans Fry in Mustard…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #218 DIWALI DHAMAKA RECIPE: MAGAS/ CHICKPEA FLOUR FUDGE What is Magas/ Chickpea Flour Fudge? Magas/ Chickpea Flour Fudge is a famous sweet dish or mithai in the Gujarati Cuisine. Its a popular sweet fudge that is enjoyed by both adults and children. Some kids refer to it as ‘bavo’. Any Patel wedding you attend, or go to their homes during Diwali you will definitely find Magas. During weddings, huge quantities are made by the bride’s family and sent to the groom’s family and also shared with all those who attend the wedding. Made from chickpea flour, ghee, sugar and cardamom, its not a difficult mithai or sweet to make at all. After roasting the flour in ghee, sugar is added and then…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #217 KHAALI FRIDGE Does the theme title sound absolutely weird? It does but its one that Renu who blogs at Cook With Renu, decided that we should put on our thinking caps. As for me as soon as the theme was chosen, I knew that Pithlu or besan ka sabji is what I’m going to make. So what is the theme all about? Well, Renu wanted us to presume that we have no vegetables in the fridge or pantry and still are suppose to put a simple and yet filling meal on the table. In reality, getting or ordering take away is a much better option. Before I tell you more about the dish I prepared, my friend Renu has a wonderful…
