Rice & Corn Salad; Light Meal On Monday; Vegan Recipe

Hi all!

Wish you all a very Happy New Year. This happens to be my first post of 2016. I had actually started wondering whether I would be able to post anything in this month or rather the next few months. The younger one appears for his X boards this year and currently he is writing his pre-boards.

2015 was a very tough year for the family but I’m more than glad that we fought and have survived it so far. God willing we would sail through it. Next few months are challenging till we finish the boards, after that I and kid will get some breathing space. I’m so looking forward to visiting my Mum whom I have’nt visited in 2years. I also intend to take a vacation with the family if S gets leave from his office. Our family vacation is equally due.

Read more »

Three Recipes- Arugula/Roquette leaf Pesto Two Ways; Bruschetta With Arugula Pesto, Product Review- Maharaja Whiteline Flora Mixer Grinder

Hi!

After moving to Mumbai, I have explored many more exotic vegetables which were not easily available in Chennai, one of them is the Arugula or Roquette Leaves. I'm in love with this leafy vegetable which has a sharp taste and adds a punch to the food with it’s distinguishing flavour. It has a taste which is a milder combination of radish and mustard leaves put together.

With the winter setting in and loads of winter bounty to cherish, it's soups and salads for us at nights. I'm going to post  more  recipes using the Arugula, as it's a great ingredient for salads, topping for crostini and appetisers.

Read more »

Spicy Soba Noodles & Tofu Salad In Peanut Butter-Basil Dressing;Maharaja Whiteline TurboMix King Hand Blender’s Review; Light Meal On Monday- Post 1; Step Wise

Hi!

I work through the week and also make three meals a day, so when weekend comes, my only requirement is to break the monotony and eat out. And probably like me, many families relax on weekends and eat out, so it becomes important that to balance it, we eat healthy and light food on the Monday, giving due rest to our stomach, which finally keeps our digestive system healthy and improves digestion.

I have been planning to start this series of ‘Light Meal On Mondays’ for quite some time now but somehow it was just getting postponed because of the currently more important commitments at home. I know I’m pushing my boundaries but I am going to really try hard and post a recipe to a light meal once in the week, preferably on a Monday hence forth.

Read more »

‘Tandoori Aloo Sandwich’ Using The Newly Launched Borosil Jumbo Grill: A Product Review

Hello!

Being a food blogger, I am not only trying to create and eat good food but also looking out to try various food related gadgets, appliances which I could use to make my cooking easier and better. Those could range from simple peelers to complicated electrical appliances. I use them all.

Borosil, India,  is a well known name in the glassware industry, it being the pioneer. It is the market leader for laboratory glassware and microwavable kitchenware in India.

Recently, they have ventured into the manufacture of kitchen appliances. They sent me three of their kitchen appliances for product reviews.

To start off with, I am sharing the review of their latest launch into the Indian market, that’s the Borosil-Jumbo Grill. My regular readers know my penchant for the grill and the grill marks on the food I serve, especially the sandwiches and the seekh kebabs.

Read more »

Baked Double Decker Cheese Rings | 500th Post | Easy Starter Recipe | Step Wise

Hi all!

Can’t believe that I finally reached the milestone of 500th post. It has taken me five long years to reach here. Yeah, slow and steady wins the race . I know, I could have been  faster than this but there were months when blogging took a back seat.

I wanted this post to be special, so I cooked and tried so many dishes keeping the 500th post in mind and it took me a month long to decide, which one would make it to the 500th mark. After baking these beauties, all my doubts vanished immediately, as I knew for sure that no one could deny a piece of it.

Read more »

Virgin Peach-Plum-Chilli Mojito For Sparkling Himalayan Mocktail Contest | Mocktail | Summer Drink

 

Hi!

It’s monsoon time in most part of the country but here in my city it is always sultry and hot, so I do not need an occasion or season to make myself a glass of chilled juice or mocktail. The stone fruits have almost disappeared from the market and I was left with just three peaches and a few plums so decided to use them to make a cool drink. I love the peach schnappes and in peak summer the peach schnappes with loads of ice in it is more than welcomed. Unfortunately we do not get that in my city and I’m looking forward to visit Pondycherry to pick one bottle.

Read more »

Schezwan Sauce Flavoured Mini Bread Cigars | Indo-Chinese Preparation

 

 

Hi All!

There’s no major recipe in today’s post but it’s a concept in itself which can generate many more ideas and hence the preparation left me content. The preparation was created completely out of an attempt to finish off a few things lying in the fridge. There were a few slices of bread left from the loaf I had made after baking the Komaj and there was half a bottle of readymade Shezwan sauce giving me constant stare every time I opened the fridge.

Read more »

Baked Savoury Gujiya With Corn Stuffing| भुट्टे के दानों की बेक्ड गुजिया

 
Hi All!!

My city is turning hot and humid and my days are most busy with parents around, son’s upcoming exams and regular chores at home and amidst all this chaos I’m gearing up for the first ever IFBMeet at Bangalore. I’m both nervous and excited. There’s excitement to meet the faces behind the well known food blogs and to stay together with a few blogger friends but there’s equal amount of nervousness which I really can’t understand why, I would call it as the fear for the unknown..

The few of the sponsors of the IFBmeet have encouraged bloggers to participate in contests, challenging to cook and create recipes  based on a core ingredient. Freedom Tree has thrown a challenge to the participants of IFBMeet to bake a savoury dish  which has fresh corn as one of the main ingredient. They are giving out a bake ware hamper to a winner. Browsing through their site I realised, there’s so much I would like to pickup as I’m always on a look out for props..

Read more »

A Two in One Dessert:Vanilla Panna Cotta With Plums-Chilly Sorbet

 

 

Hi All!!

Looks like day and night I’m Plumming, Lol!! Yes, I’m  thinking only of Plums these days. This would be my fifth consecutive post on Plums and this one’s a combination of two desserts with a chocolate jalebi/nest made in an interesting way. I admitted in my previous post of Five Spice Flavoured Cottage Cheese Balls Stuffed With Plums & Chinese Plum Sauce, that I’m getting inclined towards making a  dessert, but I never knew that my craving would land me making two desserts.

Read more »

Five Spice Flavoured Cottage Cheese Balls Stuffed With Plums and Chinese Plum Sauce | Step Wise | Food Presentation Ideas-2

 

Hi all!!

I can’t believe at myself, I’m posting like I’m running a marathon. This is my fourth post in the last four days which  also happens to be my fourth consecutive post on plums and it is yet again a savoury preparation in which  I’ve used plums in two ways; stuffed and prepared a sauce. I’m trying hard to avoid the sugar but I might land up posting something sweet..temptations are bad!! As you must have guessed this post is again for Kitchen Aid Contest for IFBMeet, where I’m trying to win a Kitchen Aid Chopper.

Read more »

Plums & Peri Peri Chillies Salsa | Quick To Make Dip

 

Hi all!!

I’m in love with the salsa of all kinds. Love their piquant flavour. I keep concocting various versions as they are easy and quick to make dips which could be used for snacking. Also, they are low in calorie, light to eat and one of the better ways of using fruits. I had posted a  Raw Mango Salsa earlier in the month, which I had made several times during the mango season, as my son loves it. It was an easy way to make him eat mangoes which he otherwise eats rarely.

Read more »

Virgin Plum Mojito | Mocktail Recipe | Summer Drink

 

Hi All!

Today I’m sharing yet another simple recipe which is a perfect summer drink to beat the heat. Though I have called it a summer drink, personally I could have it any time. It is so refreshing and the flavours are fresh and natural. It’s a Mojito made using the stoned fruits in season-the plums.

Mojito (pronounced Mohito) essentially is a Cuban highball, enjoyed during the summers. A highball is a mixed drink which has less volume of alcohol content and more volume of a non alcoholic mixer. An original Mojito is made of five ingredients; mint, lemon, sugar (sugarcane juice), rum and soda water. The virgin version of the Mojito has become very popular in India and leading  food joints serve and sell Mojito, also the Mojito mix is readily available in retail outlets, making it more easy to make but nothing beats a freshly made Mojito using fresh ingredients.

Read more »

अलुबुखारचे सार | Maharashtrian Style Plum & Coconut Saar/Soup | Vegan | Gluten Free | Dairy Free

 

 

Hi All!

The fruit market is still flooded with stoned fruits like peaches, cherries and plums, giving me ample opportunity to cook with them. Living in the hot and humid zone of the country, my attempt is always at cooking simple dishes with my personal touch. If one checks on the recipes from my archives, would realise that most of them are fuss free and quick to make.

I mostly love eating my cherries or use them for garnishes but with the plums and peaches, I love to cook. Unlike North India, here, the plums we get are not the sweet kind and while creating recipes using the plums, I have to balance the sourness wisely with the sugar and spice, else they are too sour to eat.

As I have mentioned in my Smoked Cottage Cheese and Peas Curry my excitement about going for the IFBmeet in Bangalore and when I got to know recently that Kitchen Aid has thrown a cooking contest only for the participants of the IFBmeet, where we get a chance to win a Kitchen Aid Chopper, I was super excited. Who would not like to win a Kitchen Aid product, I sure do, fingers crossed!!

Read more »

Sabudana vada in a new avatar- low oil and cheese stuffed version | कम तेल में बना,भरा हुआ साबुदाना वडा | Gluten Free | StepWise

 

 

Hi!

Being the foodie that I’m, I love collecting kitchen utensils, appliances and tools and one such utensil that I’m very fond of in my kitchen, is my non stick paniyaram pan. I love it to the core, as by using this I’m able to make low oil kofta, fritters and many snacks which are fried otherwise.

Recently I read a recipe using a paniyaram pan in a  food group on face book, that I follow religiously. The group is very inspiring as I learn something new everyday. The members there are so creative and encouraging. They love to share their food creations and are ready to teach and learn from each other. This recipe that I’ve created is inspired by a recipe posted in the food group.

Read more »

Grilled Chilli Paneer Cubes | Easy Starter Recipe | Bachelor’s Cooking | Gluten Free | Finger Food | Step Wise

Hi All!

As I have mentioned in my Mango & Dark Chocolate Trifle Post, that the kid is 14yrs old now and what I didn’t mention was that he is in the 9th grade and due to which the study pressures are very high. His school hours have got extended by an hour now and post school he rushes for his coaching class, so he is invariably out for 11-1/2hrs and by the time he comes home, he is very tired and hungry. Though, I ensure that he carries two lunch boxes but at a growing age, the children are always hungry and they need to eat food at short intervals.

Read more »

Green Tea Smoked Sprouted Finger Millet Cutlets | हरी चाय की महक वाले अंकुरित रागी कटलेट्स | Step Wise

Hello!!

Last few days went like a gush of wind. With guests around and children having vacation, I never got any ‘Me’ time plus the days passed away cooking, cleaning, talking and site seeing. We also went to the beach and played in the sand, the kid who never wanted to come to the beach wasn’t ready to come back home. Playing with mother nature is always a heartening experience.

At the beach we tried a few street foods or rather beach food, first we had the white peas sundal, then we all tasted a mix platter of fritters, later we had freshly fire roasted spiced sweet corn which was the star preparation for that day. And yes, on our way back we stopped at our favourite chaat corner and had ‘paani poori’ and ‘Aloo chaat’ too. Wish we could have more of such days in our life, it refreshed me internally.

Read more »

Baby Potatoes In Red Bell Pepper Sauce | Curry | Fusion Cooking

Hi All!!

You must have realised that the blog has moved into it’s own domain, it was a gift to myself on the Women’s day. I did not speak about it in my previous post as the new address was not completely activated. I will still have to work on the website to make it more appealing, must confess that’s a massive job and a continuous process too, which has already begun. There are certain features which have got activated now. You can now easily Pin the pictures of the recipes and take the print out of the recipes too. At the end of each post there are various share buttons to use in case you have liked the recipe and also you could give your reactions through reaction boxes and let me know how you have found the recipe. There are 6 interesting reaction options, do check out!

Read more »

Paav Bhaaji…No, No Bhaaji In The Paav | Quick Bite | Step Wise Method

 

Hi All!!

I’m sure many would relate to me when I say that the kid’s exam is your own exam..though my kid is grown up and quite independent in many ways but during his assessments he needs me the most. I do not indulge myself in teaching him word to word but I’m always there to solve his difficulties and also to boost up his morale, so I get tied up at home..last few days saw me doing that only..After finishing morning chores, I would sit and make a test paper for him to solve once he is back from school and then stay with him till he finishes studies. Amongst all this I was also helping a friend to look out for a house. Today is the day when I’m breathing in a relaxed manner, now that the tests are over and the friend also has has got an extension in her lease, phew!!

Read more »

Shahi Dosa, Step By Step Filling & The Winner of March Month’s ‘Only’ Event

 

Hello Friends!!

Firstly apologies for disappearing suddenly, I was just held up with too many things..

Today I’m posting a Dosa recipe very close to my heart. This brings in many childhood memories..Almost once in a month after the Sunday meditation, I and my brother would accompany my parents and visit a vegetarian restaurant called Naivedyam, where I and my dad would religiously order the Shahi dosa and  savor that. While my brother ordered spring rolls and my Mom would order a paav bhaaji or chhole bhature. This happened for several years till the restaurant shut down. My dad also loved their Kashmiri pulao and after the restaurant shut down I tried the preparation

Read more »

Cilantro-Parsley Pesto.. Indian Chutney in an Italian Avatar

Hello everyone!!

I’m back with yet another quick recipe and this time it is not a meal but a dip or in an Indian terminology, a chutney. In India we make chutneys of various kinds dry, wet, with oil, without oil. If we start looking out for various chutneys of different regions in India, thousands of recipes would surface.

Pesto is also a kind of chutney and has an Italian origin. A traditional  pesto has basil, parmesan cheese, olive oil, pine nuts and garlic. The word pesto  has originated from the word ‘Pestare’ which means ‘to pound’. But traditionally the pesto is not pounded but ‘ground’ in the pestle and mortar.  Traditionally a   Pesto is made with basil but today a variety of Pesto using different ingredients are available.

Read more »