Recipe: Kansar – Patel Style Kansar – Patel Style is a traditional, simple and yet very delicious sweet dish that is prepared during important ceremonies and festivals. It just needs five basic ingredients, semolina or coarse wheat flour, ghee, jaggery, cardamom powder and powdered sugar. These days chopped nuts, desiccated coconut, rose petals, poppy seeds, etc are added. I am sharing with you the traditional one, without all the nuts and coconut. Feel free to add whatever you like. Importance Of Kansar Any religious or happy occasion like Diwali, weddings, birth of babies, etc begins with kansar in a typical Gujarati home. This dish preparation varies from region to region in Gujarat. As we begin Diwali celebrations kansar is made and offered to the…
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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: #197 GET IN SHAPE The #197th theme for FoodieMonday/Bloghop group, Get in Shape is nothing to do about us getting into shape with some healthy diet or workout. However, as Kalyani suggested, its all about presenting food in a geometrical fashion. Kalyani blogs at Sizzling Buds. Her blog is full of vegetarian recipes and many are vegan. Her endeavor to present world cuisine in a more healthier manner for her family is commendable. When the theme was suggested, I got excited. I would have loved to bake a bread or tart to really give due credit to this theme (you know the type where slices are arranged in concentric circle or even or semi circles on a square pie), but limited resources meant…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #196 IT’S PICKLE TIME My mum use to make huge quantities of lemon pickle and other pickles and store it in those old fashioned ceramic brown and cream jars. The pickle would be served every Sunday along with khichdi and kadhi. As for the lemon pickle which I love so much,she would leave the lemon pieces in a container, covered with muslin cloth for days in the sun till the lemon peel would become soft. I never learnt how to make the pickle from her. A few years back Vibha bhabhi made the pickle and shared the recipe with me. Tips like leaving the lemon pieces to marinate in the fridge was my kaki’s valuable tip. I have tasted lemon pickle that…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #195 THIRD LETTER MAGIC My first taste of an absolutely tasty red Thai curry was in Bali when I visited it for the first time in 2017. The curry was served in a coconut shell. As I had complained that I was not able to taste a veggie version of the Thai cuisine, my hubby’s best friend and his wife who live in Bangkok made sure that I would not leave Thailand without tasting some good Thai curries. Just the night before we were to leave Bangkok, they treated us to a vegan restaurant called Veganerie at the Silom Complex. While they didn’t want to eat Thai food, hubby and I ordered Thai curries. I ordered green Thai curry with aubergine and…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOPTHEME: #194 SUMMER FRUIT FEST This week’s theme was suggested by Swaty who blogs at Food – Trails. Swaty’s blog is full of fun recipes from appetizers to desserts. I love her photography. Check out her blog for some exciting delicious recipes. When Swaty suggested using summer fruits to create a recipe, I was happy as I was in the right place to enjoy really colorful summer fruits – Thailand. You’ll find many fruit vendors on the streets selling cut ripe mangoes, cut raw mangoes, water melons, dragon fruits, other melons, pineapples, peeled pomelo, durian, rambutan, rose apple slices, papaya, guava, coconut and longan. A really colorful smoothie bowl would have been the ideal recipe for this theme, but I couldn’t make the smoothie as…
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Continue ReadingRECIPE: THANDAI MUFFINS Thandai Muffins baked with thandai spice mixture makes 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 for mini cakes…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: Carrot Oatmeal Cookies Carrot Oatmeal Cookies are healthy as no refined sugar is used, tastes like carrot cake but a bit chewy. Ideal as a snack for both adults and kids as it is loaded with oatmeal, carrots, nuts and dried fruit. A versatile recipe as you can add nuts and dry fruit of your choice. I have used wheat flour to make them more wholesome. These cookies go a bit soft after a day. I would recommend baking a small batch as they stay fresh only for a few days. Memories Packing 2019 was an exciting year as we travelled almost the whole year. Hubby closed up his clinic on 31st December 2018 and retired from active practice as a dermatologist. Packing…
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Continue ReadingEVENT:FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME:#188 IDLY MEDLEY RECIPE: BUCKWHEAT IDLI/ KUTTU IDLI Buckwheat Idli is a soft, fluffy, nutritious ,steamed and healthy breakfast or snack to enjoy. Enjoy it with some sambar and chutney, or on its own with some chutney and ghee drizzled over it. Or, you can stir fry them with some podi masala or spice powder. I simply love podi idli. What is Idli? Idli or Idly is a popular South Indian savory steamed cake which is usually made from rice and black lentils(urad dal). The batter is allowed to ferment overnight without yeast or other raising agents. Next day its steamed in a idli stand or in small bowls. Its a popular breakfast dish and is served with usually with a coconut chutney and…
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Continue ReadingEVENT:FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOPTHEME:#186 PLANT BASED MILK RECIPES What is all this hype about consuming non dairy products? Nowadays vegan cheese, yogurt, milk, spreads, cream cheese, etc are readily available in the supermarkets in the western countries. These all have been developed for people who follow the vegan diet. People who follow vegan diets do not consume anything that is made or comes out of an animal. So that means they do not consume normal or dairy milk and its products. While I personally still need a lot of convincing to become a vegan, I don’t frown or look down on those who follow the diet. Follow what your heart and mind says. What I find nigglingly irritating is that most airlines now presume that if your meal…
