Recipe: Kalan Kalan is a traditional yogurt or buttermilk based curry from the Kerala Cuisine. Usually plantain, raw banana or yam is used. It is also served as part of Onam Sadhya. A bit different from other yogurt based curries is that pepper powder is added to it. Why I Made Kalan? I must admit though I’ve been blogging for quite a number of years, I’ve yet to try out so many recipes. The list is endless. India itself has so much to offer. Each state or each festival has its own cuisine. My knowledge of South Indian cuisine was limited to idlis and dosas before I started participating in various groups and made some blogger friends. Through the numerous exciting themes that the FoodieMonday…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: RECIPE SWAP CHALLENGE THEME:RECIPE SWAP 2 Increasingly I find that people are not fulfilling their commitments, whether it be at home, at work, with families, friends , causes, groups, clubs, as citizens. People are becoming less mindful of what is expected from them. What is commitment? Commitment is the willingness to give up your time and energy to something that you believe in, or a promise or as a firm decision to do something. Its happening too often that people nowadays feel that’s it alright to not carry out the task, duty or promise. There are some unfulfilled commitments that do not necessarily stop your daily routine for example when the iron man or presswala does not deliver pressed clothes on time, but image…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FANTASTICAL FOOD FIGHT THEME: SALAD RECIPE : BLACK BEAN & CORN SALAD WITH AVOCADO DRESSING Black Bean And Corn Salad With Avocado Dressing is a healthy, tasty, filling salad with a creamy home made dressing. Can enjoy this hearty salad as a meal for lunch or dinner. Different textures and flavours makes this a fun salad. FANTASTICAL FOOD FIGHT Fantastical Food Fight is a Facebook Group of food bloggers. The group initiator is Sarah Ellis. She comes up with monthly themes and we post our recipes on the indicated date and time. It is a fun group which allows me to explore so many different cuisines and ideas. Theme: Salads There was a time when I was sticking to soups and salads only…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #142 THE LEFTOVERS RECIPE: TAWA PULAO Tawa pulao is a flavourful, delicious and easy to make rice dish. I purposely make more of the Pav Bhaji, bhaji so that I can make this tawa pulao. Served with some yogurt, yogurt drink and papad along with chopped onions, it makes a perfect lazy day meal. Mumbai And Juhu Beach Whenever we’re I Mumbai, a walk on Juhu beach is a must nearly everyday. This year the walking session was cut short when I tripped on a brick buried in the sand and fractured my toe! Enjoying meals right from pav bhaji, dabeli, tawa pulao to falooda on the beach is what I love. However, Hubby doesn’t like to eat from the canteens on…
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Continue ReadingBM#85 MAIN COURSE WITH GRAVY OR RICE What constantly baffles me is when people who usually prepare meat and fish dishes cannot think beyond simple potato curry for vegetarian options or a simple pea pulao for rice options. I’m seriously hoping that all die hard non vegetarians will think of vegetarian world beyond potatoes. When you’re a member of a group like Blogging Marathon, there can never be a shortage of new dishes, new ideas or a twist to any dish. For the BM#85 one of the themes that members could choose was MAIN COURSE WITH GRAVY OR RICE. Indian Cuisine definitely does not have a shortage of how many types or styles of gravies or curries one can serve to Vegetarians. Simple…
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Continue ReadingJust too busy Theme: Main Course with Gravy/RiceBM#85 Week 2 Day 3 Its amazing how many caps a woman has to wear. I really thought that once the kids are all grown up, I’ll be free. However, so many daily chores need our attention. Last week I was like up to my head and nearly wanted to stop everything and just sit. When I say everything, it means everything…cooking, housekeeping, blogging, book keeping, social, exercise, you name it… except of course sleep. Would just love to sleep, wake up, eat and go to sleep again. However, we all know that is not possible. Since I’ve started blogging, never have I had to prepare for 3 events on the same day…yes you read right 3 events!…
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Continue ReadingA Himachali Curry Theme: Main Course with Gravy/RiceBM#85 Week 2 Day 2 The whole of India has so many varieties of curries that its really unbelievable. I’m guessing that if we tried out all the curries we’d probably need more than 200 days! Each variety then has a variation from state to state, region to region and home to home. As I keep on visiting other bloggers sites, I come across so many varieties that my bookmarked list is just getting too long. Recently, for another group (Shhh Cooking Secretly) we had Himachali Cuisine as the theme and that’s where I came across this wonderful curry made from two main ingredients, chickpeas and yogurt. I wanted to make this curry but the ingredients I was…
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Continue ReadingThose Tiny Spices Make All The Difference It’s really amazing how addition of small amounts of spices can make a dish taste so different. Every Indian household has it own spice (masala) box or dabba (tin) which we use for our everyday cooking. Some spices like turmeric powder and red chili powder will be standard in any spice box. The variations come with the other spices. Don’t get me wrong, all the spices are used all over India but in some cuisine some spices are used in a larger quantity than others. My spice box has the typical spices that will be found in the masala dabba of most Gujaratis. Mustard seeds(rai), Cumin seeds (jeeru), fenugreek seeds (methi), carom seeds (ajmo), turmeric powder (hardar), red…
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Continue ReadingAssam – The Red River State November is when the Shhh Cooking Secretly Group visited Assam. Assam is a state in the North East of India. Its strategic location makes it the ‘Gateway to the Seven Sister States of North East India’. Assam’s history goes way back to the ancient times, having been mentioned in the Mahabharata, was known as Asham during Aurangzeb’s time and the British developed the tea estates during the British Rule. Assam is well known for its flora and fauna and the famous tea estates. Assam itself has nearly 500 varieties of orchids. Its also known as the state of the Red River due to the presence of the Brahmaputra. Its a state rich in culture and traditions. Coming to the…
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Continue ReadingSuper Healthy Navratri and Dussera are over, all the feasting is over..for now. After all the rich snacks and desserts, Saturday meal was a simple khichdi made using bajri (bajra, pearl millet) and moong dal. The 112th theme for FoodieMonday/Bloghop suggested by Amrita who blogs at The Food Samaritan, was #1Tsp Oil. This theme couldn’t have come at a better time. Saturday meal was definitely light on the stomach and yet full of nutrition. Thanks Amrita for encouraging us to cook with little or no oil. On my ‘to do list’ was this bajra khichdi ever since Sapana of Cooking with Sapana posted the recipe for the protein rich dishes theme. Sapana thank you so much, the khichdi turned out really delicious. …
