EVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #229 SANKRANTI SPECIALS Happy Makar Sankranti to all my friends, followers and family What is Makar Sankranti? Makar Sankranti, Uttarayan, Lohri, Maghi, Bihu, Thai Pongal, Suggi Habba, Makara Sankramana all fall more or less on the same day. These are all harvest festivals celebrated according to each one’s tradition and culture. Makar Sankranti, is dedicated to the Sun God Surya. It also marks the end of the winter solstice and beginning of longer daylight. While most communities will celebrate Makar Sankranti according to their tradition and culture, it is largely associated with kite flying and delicious food. Importance of Sesame Seeds and Jaggery during Makar Sankranti Most of Makar Sankranti treats will have sesame seeds and jaggery in them. Usually I make…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #227 PARTY STARTERS What are Party Starters? Have you heard of the saying “First Impression is the Last Impression?” Well, no wonder the first course at any party or as they call them starters or appetizers are usually the best taste wise, presentation wise, appealing to the eyes and taste all at once. Also known as finger food, party starters are usually small, can be eaten without in a couple of bites and some can be eaten with your hand. From simple chips with dips to elaborate and most expensive white truffle and gold mini pizza. When are party starters, appetizers or finger food served? Usually served during a sit down meal or at large parties. Sometimes parties like cocktail parties or…
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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: 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…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #211 NATURALLY COLOURFUL Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to all my friends, family and followers. This year, there is an emphasis on natural and environmentally friendly ways of celebrating this important festival. That led to me think why not extend this to making naturally colored food as the next theme for FoodieModay Bloghop group. The members had to use naturally colorful ingredients to create their dish. Whether for the festival or not it had to be naturally colored. No adding artificial colors. I remember when my kids were young, I’d add naturally colored fruits and vegetables to make their meals more exciting. I’d add carrot puree, spinach puree, beetroot puree, turmeric powder, use strawberries, chocolate or cocoa powder, purple grapes, avocado, red cabbage, mangoes,…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #209 THINDI YENU What an interesting theme name you may be thinking. I too was completed intrigued by these two simple words. In Kannada yenu means what and thindi is snacks or tiffin. So its simply translates as What is for Snacks/Tiffin? Yeah! I now know a few more Kannada words 🙂 besides Namaskara and Thumba Dhanyanvadagalu. On a serious note, if hubby and I ever plan to stay in Bangalore for a longer period, learning Kannada would definitely be on my list. This interesting theme was suggested by Aruna. She wanted us to prepare any breakfast dish which is very much a part of Karnataka. As I was browsing through her blog Vasu’s Veg Kitchen, I came across a very interesting…
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Continue ReadingEVENT:FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME:#188 IDLY MEDLEY What is Idli? Idli or Idly is a popular South Indian savory steamed cake which is usually made from rice and black lentils(urad dal). The batter is allowed to ferment overnight without yeast or other raising agents. Next day its steamed in a idli stand or in small bowls. Its a popular breakfast dish and is served with usually with a coconut chutney and sambhar. Sambhar is a lentil stew or dal, with some vegetables and spices added to it. The idli is soaked in the sambhar, topped with chutney and enjoyed. There are a variety of instant Idlis which requires no fermenting and can be made within 30-40 minutes. The most common one is made using semolina but these days…
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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…
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Continue ReadingEVENT:FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #167 ROOTING FOR ROOTS Mondays come so fast and disappear equally fast. Imagine we’re over and done with Navratri, soon Diwali will be knocking on our doors and we’ll have barely just finished our Diwali celebrations and Christmas will be round the corner. And then the year ends. As fast as it came it will disappear just as fast and will only then be mentioned as history. What will I remember this year for? Well, so far its been an exciting year of meeting up with family and enjoying short holidays with them. In March had a great beach holiday with my side of the family, my dad, kaka, kaki, my fois, my brothers, bhabhis, niece. Then came the amazing albeit short holiday…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: MEGA BLOGGING MARATHON#92 THEME: A-Z FLATBREADS AND MORE – INDIAN FLATBREADS What is Mega Blogging Marathon? Well, its a group of bloggers who get together to post a dish for 26 days according to the chosen theme. For more details check out the initiator Srivalli’s page here. For this theme we had a choice of 3: 1. A-Z Indian Flatbreads that are not made using batter e.g. like rotis 2. A-Z Indian Flatbreads using batters e.g. dosa 3. A-Z International Flatbreads. I decided to opt for option number 1. India has such a huge variety of flatbreads to offer that are made on the stove top, in the tandoor, in the oven, under the grill or fried. Its going to be a challenge to…
