EVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #237 HOLI ON MY PLATE What is Holi? Like most festivals in India, Holi, the festival of colours too celebrates good over evil like other Indian festivals and also makes the beginning of spring. There are other reasons that Holi is celebrated. To read the traditional story as to why Holi is celebrated, click here. Modern day celebrates are more now as fun festival rather than the religious implication. How did colours become such an intrical part of Holi Celebrations? It is believed that the use of colour was started by Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna and Holi When the mischievous and playful Lord Krishna was young, he was very jealous of Radha’s very fair complexion as he was very dark. Complaining to…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: A- Z RECIPE CHALLENGE THEME : A DISH BEGINNING WITH THE LETTER M My Choice is Mangalore Cucumber The vegetable vendor who comes to our Bangalore apartment complex thrice a week does not fail to bring Mangalore Cucumber. I would look at it, pick it up and then put it back. One day decided to buy and try out a dish with it. Asked the vegetable vendor how to use it and he replied curry. Just as well there are so many recipes on the internet and I chose to follow Cherie’s recipe. Also known as Thouthe Kodel, the curry turned out so delicious that I was wondering why I’d not used this fruit as yet. What is Mangalore Cucumber? Known as Mogem in…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY THEME: WEST BENGAL CUISINE/BENGALI CUISINE Like many other Indian states, West Bengal cuisine is a popular cuisine all over India. Think of Bengali Cuisine and Rasmalai, Rasgulla comes to ones mind. Who can resist those sweet succulent juicy paneer balls? However there is so much more to Bengali Cuisine that those two sweet dishes I’ve mentioned. Patiently waited for the Bengali Cuisine to come as I so wanted to make the popular poppy seed curry or posto/poshto as its called in West Bengal. Thus, the recipe Aloo Posto. First Trip to West Bengal My first visit to this state was years back when hubby and travelled from Nepal to Siliguri and from there to Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Mirik. Memories of our…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY THEME: UTTARAKHAND/PAHADI CUISINE Where is Uttarakhand? Known as the Land of Gods, Uttarakhand is situated in North India. Uttara is northern and khand is region, therefore the northern region. Separated from Uttar Pradesh in 2000, its an amalgamation of 13 hilly districts of Northern India. In fact, this scenic state is has various outdoor activities, many religious shrines, abundant in wildlife and home to the Valley of Flowers. Uttarakhand is divided into two regions Kumoan and Garhwal. Its neighbors are China (Tibet) in the north, Nepal to the East, Himachal Pradesh to the North West and Uttar Pradesh to the south. Some interesting facts about Uttarakhand The ancient language Sanskrit is its official language Known as DeviBhoomi or Land of Gods…
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Continue ReadingMY BEST, MY WORST AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN – 8 YEARS AS A FOOD BLOGGER Since I began my journey as a Food Blogger, my Blogging Anniversaries have come and gone without much celebration or pomp as it usually gets shadowed by new Year Celebrations. As a matter of fact, I started blogging on 2nd January 2012. As some of you may know, there were a couple of reasons I began the blog: A place where family and friends could access recipes world over To create recipes and jot them somewhere, recipes that I learnt from my dear mum, my mother in law who we fondly call Nunu and my aunt, my kaki to me. Having stopped working as a teacher, I had to put…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY THEME: UTTAR PRADESH CUISINE Where is Uttar Pradesh? Formerly known as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, presently Uttar Pradesh is state in North India. One of the most populace states about 200 million, the capital city is Lucknow. Its north neighbors are the state of Uttarakhand and Nepal, Bihar to the east, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh to the south east, Madhya Pradesh to the south and Rajasthan, Haryana and the National Capital territory Delhi to the west. Uttar literally means north so literally means north state. Mention Beneras, Ganges, Taj Mahal and almost everyone knows that these famous tourist places are in Uttar Pradesh also known as UP in short. Allahabad in UP is famous for hosting the most visited…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #224 DUE SOUTH WHAT IS MAHARAGE YA NAZI/ RED KIDNEY BEANS IN COCONUT SAUCE Maharage ya nazi is a popular Swahili dish which is made from red kidney beans, very simple spices, tomatoes and coconut milk. In the Kiswahili language maharage is red kidney beans and nazi is coconut. However, you must be wondering why I’m introducing you to 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…
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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…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #221 MOONG MAGIC 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 paniayaram 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 sambhar. Usually made from leftover idli/dosa batter,however these days a variety of lentils and other grains are used to make this lovely crispy on the outside and soft in the inside snack. My first time to enjoy painiyaram was at Farzi Cafe, Bangalore, where paniyaram was served in…
