EVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY THEME: MANIPURI CUISINE Search for Manipuri on the internet and you’re going to learn about some herbs and vegetables that are not commonly found in the market. The reason being that Manipuri cuisine depends largely on the seasonal ingredients. Have you heard about jelly ears, water spinach, roselle leaves, bitter beans to name a few? I hadn’t known that they existed till I was reading up on Manipuri Cuisine. Use of hot chillis is common as opposed to garam masala in the Manipuri cuisine. Manipur is known as the Jewelled Land because of its natural beauty. The numerous hills and peaks means that one has to consume food that provides strength and agility. Staple diet consists of rice, vegetables and fish.…
-
Continue ReadingEVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY THEME: MAHARASHTRA CUISINE If you’ve ever been to Mumbai then you’ve definitely been to the State of Maharashtra and sampled a bit of the local cuisine, from seafood to street food. Vada Pav, Pav Bhaji, Tawa Pulao, Misal Pav, Ragda Pattis are the more famous street food options but Maharashtra has much more to offer. Many vegetarian dishes are similar to Gujarati dishes but they all have their distinctive differences. Wheat, millet, sorghum, lentils, vegetables, fruits, peanuts, cashew nuts are some of the basic staples in any Maharashtrian dish. A basic diet is usually consists of bhakri made from jowar, millet or wheat flour, a dal and bhaji. Here the reference to bhaji is vegetables. I personally love thalipeeth, sabudana khichdi,…
-
Continue ReadingEVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY THEME: MADHYA PRADESH CUISINE I remember watching the Incredible India advertisement on most of the Indian Channels and also BBC World and the phrase ‘ Hindustan Ka Dil Dekho’ was a very catchy one. The Dil described in the phrase is Madhya Pradesh. This state of rich culture and history literally lies in the middle of India and is rightfully called the heart of India. Its the second largest state surrounded by Rajasthan to the northwest, Gujarat to the west, Maharashtra to the south, Chhattisgarh to the southeast and Uttar Pradesh to the northeast. Before 2000 Chhattisgarh too was a part of Madhya Pradesh. Its the home to the world heritage site Khajuraho monuments, with breathtaking sculptures. Its also the home…
-
Continue ReadingEVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY THEME: KERALA CUISINE It is truly sad that Mother Nature can create so much destruction in a beautiful part of the world. Kerala had its share of disaster when it got flooded due to excessive amount of rainfall. It is believed that it was the worst flooding in over a century in this state that is known as God’s Own Country. Many people died and about a million had to be evacuated. I cannot image what they must have gone through to lose their homes, to leave places they are familiar with and to lose loved ones. It is believed that it will take nearly 2 years for Kerala to recover from all the damage that the floods caused. It will…
-
Continue ReadingEVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY THEME: KARNATAKA CUISINE For the month of August the theme was Karnataka cuisine and I realized that though I lived in Bangalore, what’s now called Bengaluru for 4 years, I didn’t get to experience so many dishes that are famous in Karnataka. As a non South Indian I usually stick to the more comfortable dosas, idlis, vadas, sambhars. My neighbor on occasions would share with me crispy maddur vadas. I’ve tasted bisi bele bath once. Next visit to Bangalore, I’m definitely going to try out more of the local cuisine. For this month my partner was the friendly and humble Aruna who blogs at ãhãram. I love her blog because its got quite a few traditional recipes especially from the Andhra…
-
Continue ReadingEVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY THEME: JHARKHAND CUISINE Jharkhand, a relatively new state in the east part of India which was carved out of southern Bihar in the year 2000 means the land of forests. My son in law comes from that state and whenever his mum shares photos of their outings, it showcases the beauty of Jharkhand. Rich in wildlife, waterfalls and forests, this state is also rich in minerals like iron, coal, mica, graphite, limestone, dolomite, asbestos to name a few. The capital city for Jharkhand is Ranchi, the town where the famous cricketeer Dhoni comes from and of course where my son in law comes from. Did you know that Jamshedpur, the first planned industrial city in India has no municipal corporation as…
-
Continue ReadingEVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY THEME: JAMMU AND KASHMIR CUISINE The first time I ever tasted anything Kashmiri was when my sister in law got married to a Kashmiri Brahmin. It was during one of our visits to India that her mother in law insisted that we enjoy a full Kashmiri meal, all vegetarian and without any onion or garlic. My first introduction to this totally different cuisine was an eye opener for me. Simple, healthy and flavorful. Whenever anyone mentions Kashmiri cuisine the first thing that comes to mind is dum aloo in a thick creamy gravy. While quite a few dishes are made in thick creamy gravy, or Wazwan style, there is another whole style of cooking that was traditionally followed by the Kashmiri…
-
Continue ReadingEVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY THEME: HIMACHAL PRADESH CUISINE Himachal Pradesh is a northern state in the Himalayas with snowy peaks and plunging river valleys. Its neighbors are Jammu and Kashmir to the north, Punjab to the west, Haryana to the southwest and Uttarakhand to the southeast and Tibet to the east. ‘Him’ in Sanskrit means snow and achal means land, therefore the name snow laden land. Famous for scenic hill stations like Shimla, Dalhousie,Manali, Dharamashala, Kullu to name a few, it’s also famous for many pilgrimage places and the Hindus call it “Dev Bhoomi’ abode of the Gods. Coming to the cuisine of Himachal Pradesh, it is influenced by Punjab and Tibet. The state is blessed with a range native fruits, vegetables, herbs, dairy products…
-
Continue ReadingThe Year is moving too fast. The whole of April passed so fast, in fact the year is just moving at a very quick pace. I got busy trying to post every single day(except for 3 Sundays) breakfast dishes for the Blogging Marathon Group. While some of the members are very well organized some like me are not. By end of Feb I knew what dishes I was going to make except for just a couple. However, I was just not getting the time to make them. I usually don’t want to make anything new in the evening as taking photos becomes impossible. When I had started blogging I would take photos in the evening too and they would come out so horrible. Also I…
-
Continue ReadingKemcho? Avo maare gher. ( How are you? Welcome to my home) March was when the Shhh Cooking Secretly group (started by Priya of Priya’s Versatile Recipes) ventured out to cook some Gujju (Gujarati) food. The general misconception is that Gujarati food is sweet. Yes we do use sugar and jaggery but it has to be a balance of both sweet and sour. Modern times with much health awareness, many Gujarati homes do not use sugar or jaggery in their daily cooking. The land of Lions and Legends has countless varieties of dishes. As a Gujarati I can make out from which region the food has originated. For example kadhi made by Patel Community maybe so different in taste and texture from the…
