.EVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #264 TIME FOR THALI RECIPE: GUJARATI THALI & METHI NA GOTA What is a Thali? Thali in Hindi means plate. It is a round platter on which food is served, commonly in the South Asian and South East Asian Countries. In India thali refers to a variety of food served on one big platter. Usually, thali is served for lunch or dinner. These days with brunch becoming a fad breakfast thalis too are served in many restaurants or eateries. Types of Thali: As a matter of fact there is a huge variety of Thalis available in India. Go to any part of India, any state, any region and you will not miss a thali. A typical thali will contain a flatbread, rice,…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #255 DESI BASE CURRIES GET TO KNOW YOUR INDIAN CURRY This Week’s Theme on FoodieMonday/Bloghop Group: This week’s theme Desi Base Curries has been suggested by Preethi who blogs at Preethi’s Cuisine. Preethi suggested that we make a base curry of our choice which is a part of the Indian cuisine. What is a Curry? Curry is a word coined during the British Rule in India. It originates from the Tamil word kari which means a sauce or relish for usually rice. Curry originates from the Indian Sub Continent. Although curry refers to both a dried or wet version of any dish prepared to enjoy with rice or flatbreads, the world generally knows it as meat, fish, vegetables, etc, cooked in a sauce…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #252 CHANA TIME DISH: KABULI CHANA BIRYANI/CHICKPEA BIRYANI Kabuli Chana Biryani or Chickpea Biryani is a vegetarian biryani that is deliciously spicy, aromatic, flavourful and perfect as a meal on a lazy Sunday. Serve it with a side of raita and a salad. How did I decide to use Kabuli Chana? Finally, the local ISKCON temple (Mombasa) opens up its restaurant for takeaway only, after having been closed for 2 months because of the Covid 19 pandemic. Last Saturday, my neighbor placed an order with the temple restaurant for Sunday Lunch and I jumped for joy as I’m fed up with daily cooking. It was a much-required rest from the kitchen for a while at least.For hubby and me he ordered…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: Kala Chana Pulao/Brown Chickpea Pulao Kala Chana Pulao/Brown Chickpea Pulao is a delicious, aromatic rice dish using two pantry essential ingredients rice and brown chickpeas. With a few spices, onion, ginger, garlic and chillis this pulao is easy to make. You just have to remember to soak the chana overnight. Enjoy the pulao with some kadhi, yogurt, raita and roasted papads. We enjoyed it some plain yogurt. Rice Storage in Olden Days WeLong ago, the time of my great grandparents and grandparents, rice was stored in huge earthen pots (that could easily fit a man in it) for the whole year. Back then rice was a seasonal crop and there were no facilities to vacuum pack them or store them in plastic bags. The…
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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: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #224 DUE SOUTH WHAT IS MAHARAGE YA NAZI/ KIDNEY BEANS IN COCONUT SAUCE Maharage ya nazi/ kidney beans in coconut milk is a popular Swahili dish which is made from kidney beans, simple spices, tomatoes and coconut milk. In the Kiswahili language maharage/maharagwe is kidney beans and nazi is coconut. Its may pleasure to introduce to you 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 the…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #222 MYSTIQUE MEDITERRANEAN What are Vegetarian Chickpea Gyros? Vegetarian Chickpea Gyros, so delicious, healthy and unbelievably easy to make at home from scratch. Usually Gyros have a meat filling. In fact, these Vegetarian Chickpea Gyros are a great alternate for vegetarians, are filling and perfect for picnics, garden parties or as a main meal any time of the day. What Are Gyros? Gyros, pronounced as ‘eeyros’ is a Greek popular street food which is like a sandwich but served on a flat pita bread. The fillings range from chicken, lamb to vegetables. For a vegetarian version, roasted vegetables, chickpeas, pulled jackfruit are used. Actually, let your imagination run riot and use any of your favorite filling. Meat or veggie is usually…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: Kodo Millet Pongal Kodo Millet Pongal is a healthier, delicious way to enjoy pongal. Also known as Varagu Arisi Pongal, it is a great way to include healthy millets in your diet. This pongal is so easy to make. Hubby and I usually enjoy it as an evening light meal. What Is Pongal? Pongal, in this case refers to not the festival but the rice preparation. Pongal literally means to boil over or overflow. During the Pongal festival different varieties of pongal are made in a pot and allowed to overflow. Ven pongal is the savoury lentil rice preparation while sakkarai is the sweet one. These two are the most popular. There are so many other varieties. Add vegetables, a mixture of lentils, replace…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: Baingan Bharta Baingan Bharta is popular Punjabi dish made of mashed eggplant cooked with onion, garlic, ginger, spices and tomatoes. It is generally served as the main course for lunch or dinner with some roti, paratha or naan. Traditionally, the eggplant or baingan as it is called in Hindi is grilled over some hot charcoal to give it the characteristic smoky flavour. However, modern kitchens lack charcoal based jiko or sigri (sigdi). How To Get Smoky Flavoured Baingan Or Eggplant? If you don’t have to a charcoal stove, jiko or sigri then how do you get the smoky flavour for baingan bharta? Well most cooks or chefs use whatever suits them best. The methods are as following: Most popular one is to grill or…
