TINDORA NU SHAAK/ STIR FRIED IVY GOURD Tindora Nu Shaak/ Stir Fried Ivy Gourd is a simple but very delicious Gujarati side dish that is usually enjoyed as a part of a main meal. Usually, it goes well with tuvar ni dal or moong dal and rotis. This shaak or sabji does not require too many spices, allowing the slight khatta meetha taste of tindora to come out. A Bit About Tindora Tindora goes by the name tondli, tinda, tendli, ivy gourd, kovakai, scarlet gourd, gherkins. It is a tropical plant. Ivy gourd grows on a vine. It is used to prepare side dishes what we normally call sabji/shaak or for curries. Apparently it can be used even for soups. Do you know…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: Bean & Corn Quesadilla Quesadillas! Who doesn’t go mad over crispy tortillas stuffed with cheesy goodness? A versatile dish, one can stuff it with meat, seafood or vegetables. Serve it with guacamole, salsa or any dip or sauce of your choice. The possibilities are endless. Bean & Corn Quesadilla is a vegetarian option, filling and tasty. What Is Quesadilla? It is a Mexican dish where tortilla is filled with cheese and cooked on a griddle or skillet. Fillings like chicken, meat, beans, vegetables, etc are added to the filling to make it more wholesome. Traditionally corn tortilla is used but these days wheat or plain flour tortilla are commonly used. Queso means cheese in Spanish. Quesadilla date back to the 16th Century where corn…
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Continue Readingdifferent hands, different outcome Have you ever noticed how the same recipe prepared by different people appears totally different and yet the basic ingredients used are the same. The way my mum use to make handvo and the way I make it appears different. The way my mother in law makes so many dishes, appears different when I make it. Everyone has a special magic in their hands when it comes to cooking, it acquires your trait. Wanting to make gobi (cauliflower) in a different manner to the usual ways I make it, I had bookmarked Shweta’s recipe for kadhai gobi. The first time I made it, somehow the yogurt just got separated from the cauliflower and the little gravy appeared watery. The second time I…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: Chidambaram Gotsu Chidambaram Gotsu is a delicious side dish prepared with brinjal and roasted ground spices. It is traditionally served with jeeraga samba rice. However, nowadays it is served with idli, dosa, ven pongal. In fact, the recipes calls for smaller young eggplants or brinjals. I guess because it would cook faster and be more flavourful. Instead, I had to be content with the large eggplants or brinjals I get here. What Is Gotsu? Also known as gothsu, ghostu, kothsu and even gojji, it generally is a jammy kind chutney prepared with fruits or vegetables and tamarind and some spices. Usually it is a combination of all six tastes – salty, sweet, bitter, astringent, sour and spice. Certainly, Gotsu can be enjoyed as a…
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Continue Readingdown memory lane Years back, Mombasa Club, famously known as Chini Club, served a rich cheesy baked macaroni as a main dish. The choice for vegetarians back then was limited to vegetable curry and baked macaroni. I would always look forward to having the macaroni, though they did not add any vegetables. Nowadays, the Club had managed to add more choices for vegetarians, they no longer serve cheese macaroni. A few days ago I suddenly remembered the cheese macaroni and a craving began. It ended with me making the cheese macaroni with vegetables. It had been ages since I had had the creamy rich dish. Obviously I made it according to the way hubby dear and I would like it… with a…
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Continue Readingkunde na nazi Besides red kidney beans(maragwe), red cowpeas (kunde) are cooked often by the local people of Kenya. In the coastal region it is usually cooked in coconut milk (nazi). I love the nutty flavour of cow peas or what Gujaratis commonly call it.. chora. I wanted to make a different curry a few days ago. Rachael suggested coconut. However, I did add my own flavours to it as the one made by local people here is not spicy. They use onion, ginger and green chillis only. If they can afford then a bit of garlic is added. However, garlic is pretty pricey! Just a coconut base may make the curry a bit watery so to thicken it up a bit I added…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: Masala Gobhi | Masala Cauliflower Masala Gobhi | Masala Cauliflower is a delicious, slightly spicy, easy to make and flavourful sabji, sabzi or shaak to make. Enjoy it with some hot roti or paratha. I like to make this side dish with some tuvar dal and roti. This sabji has South Indian flavours as I have used curry leaves and urad dal. I’ve not used too many dried red chillis but you can add them according to your taste. Memories Suddenly, the weather has taken a turn. It has become really hot. The sea breeze too, is hot and we really don’t need to switch the water geyser on as the water in the taps is warm enough.I don’t want to spend too much…
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Continue ReadingUpdated: 14/12/2018 – Pasta with Mushroom Sauce Memories…. I have lived in Mombasa for the past 30 years and my hubby since childhood. When my kids were young and didn’t have afternoon school, we would spend every afternoon on the beach. Back then we lived pretty near to the beach, third row but the public pathway to the beach passed near our house. 5 minutes walk and we would be on the beach with buckets, spades, towels, goggles, flippers, milk, sandwiches… the works. It was like a ritual till they started afternoon classes. However, the weekends were still spent on the beach till they left Mombasa to go to Kodaikanal to study. My beach trips became less as by then we had moved back into…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIE’S REDOING OLD POSTS RECIPE: CASSAVA IN COCONUT MILK/MUHOGO WA NAZI Cassava In Coconut Milk/Muhogo Wa Nazi is a very simple but very flavourful dish from the coastal region of East Africa. Also known as muhogo, mogo, tapioca or yucca. In fact, this dish is cooked in thin coconut milk with salt, green chilli and a bit of ginger. That is all it needs. When the cassava is done, thick coconut milk or cream is added. Add a bit of lemon juice or not, this dish is usually enjoyed on its own. Sometimes it is served as a side along with meat dishes. Muhogo is cassava and nazi is coconut. In the Gujarati language tui is coconut milk so it is also called tui…
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Continue Readingladyfingers dressed differently! Recently there was a drastic shortage of vegetables and fruits in the markets in Mombasa. This is the result of devolution where decisions are made at a drop of a hat without discussing the consequences. Trucks, lorries etc bringing in the goods now have to pay their transportation charges before entering Mombasa and not at the wholesale market. On top of that no night transport allowed. Hawkers around the markets were removed which resulted in protests. Esther our building mama mboga (vegetable lady) comes everyday selling fruits and vegetables to regualr customers. She complained that people were fighting over the minimum supply and if she wanted to enter the market with her basket to buy vegetables she would need to…
