Happy Diwali Wishing all my friends and family a very Happy Diwali. Time is just flying by so fast. Its already Diwali but this time round my kitchen is not busy. You all may wonder why? A food blogger and her kitchen is quiet during the festivities. Well, it happens sometimes. I fell sick during my recent visit to Mumbai and its taking me a while to recover and gain enough energy to toil over a stove. Luckily, I had prepared my October shhhh cooking secretly challenge before I left for Delhi and Mumbai. My partner for the October “Diwali theme” was Avin Kohli of The Yellow Daal and she challenged me to make a Diwali treat using condensed milk and gulkand. Do take time to…
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Continue ReadingA different taste The August theme for Shhh Cooking Secretly was exciting. Participating pairs travelled to different parts of the world. We’re going to be able to see dishes that are prepared in Indonesia, Brazil, Morocco, Sri Lanka, France and Mediterranean. I’m eagerly waiting to see what they all prepare. My partner for this month is the talented and friendly Shobha Keshwani. Her blog Shobha’s Food Mazaa has different types of recipes ranging from simple chutneys to complex breads.If you’re ever looking for some authentic Sindhi recipes then be sure to check out her blog. Shobha and I got Moroccan cuisine. She gave me couscous and olives as the ingredients to prepare some Moroccan dish and I gave her lentils and tomatoes.Must admit that though…
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Continue ReadingEvent: Shhh Cooking Secretly Theme: Summer Treat Recipe: Cucumber Orange Salad Cucumber Orange Salad is a refreshing, cooling and easy to make salad. Perfect for the summer, this salad can be enjoyed as a side or as a light meal. Add any cheese of your choice. I prefer either feta or halloumi. If you don’t like either, go for paneer or cottage cheese. The fresh orange salad dressing makes the salad very flavourful. Shhh Cooking Secretly In brief, every month a new theme is chosen by members. Then, the participants are paired up. In turn, they give each other 2 secret ingredients to use in their recipe which is prepared fitting the theme. As soon as their dish is ready, the photo is shared on…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIES_ REDOING OLD POSTS #50 RECIPE: BANANA MANGO SMOOTHIE BOWL Banana Mango Smoothie Bowl A filling, healthy and delicious breakfast is what Banana Mango Smoothie Bowl provides. Easy to make and a versatile recipe as one can replace the ingredients with what one prefers. What is a Smoothie? A smoothie is as the name suggests a smooth thick drink usually made from fresh fruit/ vegetables with milk, water or ice cream. Smoothie is much thicker than a milkshake. One can find flavored milkshakes that may or may not be made with fresh fruits. What is a Smoothie Bowl? While smoothies, though thick can be sipped, smoothies in a smoothie bowl are much thicker and one needs a spoon to enjoy it. Its…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: Farali Uttapam Farali Uttapam is a variation of the popular traditional Southern Indian Snack Uttapam. Traditionally, uttapam is made from a batter of rice and urad dal. However, these two are not allowed during fasting days like Navratri, Ekadashi, Janmashtami, Ram Navmi, etc. Therefore, these Farali Uttapams are made from a batter of sama chawal (barnyard millet), sabudana dana (tapioca pearls) and rajgira flour ( amaranth flour). All these three are allowed during the fasting. I decided to make mini versions but you may make them into the normal big ones. Farali Uttapam are gluten free, healthy and a great alternate to the usual sabudana khichdi we consume during fasting. Can add topping of your choice but remember the veggies that you are…
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Continue ReadingRECIPE: STRAWBERRY MOUSSE (EGGFREE) Strawberry Mousse (eggfree) is a smooth, creamy, fruity and delicious dessert to serve during any occasion. Easy to make, I’ve used agar agar instead of gelatin. Memories The first time I made strawberry mousse was when I was around 18. At that time, with no internet and Google, the only way I could try out new recipes was to follow Tarla Dalal cooking books. Her Strawberry Mousse recipe used strawberry jelly. For some years that’s how I made it. That is till Google came into my life and I started trying out the ‘real’ mousse recipe. What is Mousse? A mousse can be sweet or savory. Its soft food whereby air bubbles gives it a light and airy texture or…
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Continue Readingsalvaged The Shhhh cooking secretly challenge was on break for a few months.The group was revived this month and I am glad. I enjoy cooking with the secret ingredients given by a selected partner. So how does it work? Well every month you are paired with a fellow member. We give each other 2 ingredients to work with. No one else in the group knows the ingredients except the partners. If we are ready with the recipe before the 16th of the month, we post the picture on the group Facebook page. Other members begin guessing what the 2 ingredients are. Its really fun because we can be left scratching our heads or we may guess them easily. Usually it is difficult. The reveal…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY RECIPE: PUNJABI KADHI PAKORA Punjabi Kadhi Pakora or Punjabi Pakora Kadhi is a popular North Indian dish with pakora or fritters in a creamy, flavourful and delicious yogurt curry. In fact, the flavours of the chickpea fritters, the spicy yogurt curry all come together to produce a finger licking, satisfying dish. It usually is enjoyed with plain rice, paratha or naan. What is Punjabi? Punjab is a northwest state in India. In brief, it is considered as the bread basket of India. Specifically, with five rivers passing through this state it is one of the most fertile states in India. Punjabi refers to the people of Punjab, the language spoken there and also their cuisine. Also popularly known as Punjabi food.…
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Continue ReadingI love these secret ingredients Challenges come in our lives for a reason. They teach us, make us stronger and wiser. Some challenges can be pleasant and some very difficult. However we all have to face them and get through them. Our cooking challenges are not scary or difficult to face. They are fun and exciting. Every month I look forward to the shhh cooking secretly challenge. As soon as the participants are paired I eagerly wait not only to get my two secret ingredients but also to give my two ingredients. Unfortunately out of the 6 I have participated in so far, only one partner has cooked with the ingredients I gave to her. Not really complaining… they may have not cooked the dish…
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Continue ReadingLeave the innocent children alone Time and again we are facing with news and reports of cruelty towards innocent children. Forced labour, ill treatment, child trafficking, children soldiers and now the shootout at Peshawar. A few days ago a video went viral online showing a Ugandan maid force feeding a toddler, and when the poor child vomited, the maid kicked the child like a football, stepped on the fragile being and basically just went mad. The child is fine and the maid has got a jail sentence. All this was caught on camera which the maid probably had no idea that the parents had installed in their house. Today the world faces the news of innocent children shot at an army run school in Peshawar.…
