Egg Curry Version II and Eggless Sheermal Made In Tandoor; Step Wise

Hi all!

I cook various cuisines at home and really try to feed the family a variety of food. Home made food is always so healthy and nutritional too. When it comes to home cooked food, there are certain preparations which we call as comfort foods. They are easy to make and always a pleasure to stir up.

I am still on my sabbatical as kid writes his X board exam at the end of this session and I’m trying to be available for him in his crucial year. I might like to take up learning culinary skills if anything comes my way but all that are speculations, I have nothing concrete to speak about as of now.

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Easiest Method Of Making Goda Shankarpaali; Shakkarpaare; Diwali Sweets; Step Wise

Hi All!

Navaratri are over and in a few days we would celebrate Deepawali, the festival of lights. It is now that time of the year when we clean up the house, buy new clothes and jewellery for the family and prep up for the festival.

Any celebration or festival is incomplete without sweets, savouries and good food. And Deepawali is the biggest festival for Hindus, so obviously, it is that time of the year when I gear up to make a lot of sweets and savouries for the family.

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Seemebadnekaayi Gojju ; Chayote Squash Curry Made In a Kannadiga Style ; Karnataka Cuisine

 

 

Hi all!!

Gojju is a very popular preparation in Karnataka. It is slightly sweet, quite sour and also quite a spicy curry which is very popular in a Kannadiga household. A variety of vegetables are used to cook this popular curry, one of the most popular being Bendekayi Gojju but I have never heard any one trying the Chayote Squash or Seemebadnekayi for making the Gojju.

I experimented with the Chayote Squash and to my surprise it tasted really good. Also, the Chayote absorbed all the flavours very well. Hubby was extremely surprised and loved the preparation. A gojju preparation, steamed rice and some curds and one is sorted. Simple wholesome meal which is far better than any five star hotel’s meal.

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Lunch Menu-1: Karnataka Thali

 

Hi!

My regular readers would know that I’m married into a Kannadiga family. Though my husband loves trying new cuisines and all the kinds of food that I experiment with, his soul lies in the home style Karnataka food. I ensure to provide him his favourite food once in a while.

It was one of such days that I cooked most of his favourite food and served it on his platter. They are very simple preparations but very high on taste and flavour and the best part is that they complement each other well and also make a wholesome meal that has all the components for a balanced diet.

Served on the plate are Aloo Gadde Hurda Uperi which is a recipe very popular in my in laws family made using finely sliced potatoes. Then there is Maatvaadi Palya which is a North Karnataka preparation made using Fresh fenugreek/Methi leaves. There’s Jeerige Kattu as the lentil preparation which goes well with both the curries.

 

Rice, which is staple food for South Indians goes well with all the three and to add more crunch their are deep fried papads to complete the Thali. A little ghee on top of the rice and this combination is so delectable. My husband loved the Thali and was beaming with joy. When I shared the pic with my BIL, he was absolutely J.

This Thali is gluten free as there are no wheat products used in any preparation. If ghee is not put on the rice, it’s a completely dairy free, vegan preparation too.

Try the combination and treat your family with Karnataka delicacies.

Halsinkayi Rassa ..A Heirloom Recipe For 6th Blog Anniversary | Vegan | Step Wise

Hello all!

21st May marks the anniversary day of my blog and today happens to be the 6th blog anniversary. Time does fly..looking back, there are so many memories associated with my blog..right from the day I started with my first post Maavinkaayi Chutney, to my recent last post on Vegan Galauti Kebab.

Yeah, I know that the kebab post was almost 2months back. Past two months were frantically busy during which I packed, moved into a new city and got settled. But today being a special day, I decided to post without any procrastination.

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Galauti/Galawati Kabab- Vegetarian Version | Vegan Preparation

 

Hi all!!

I love making Kebabs, which is quite evident from the number of kebabs I have posted earlier. Just to name a few here, there are two versions of vegetarian Shami kababs, one made using elephant foot yam and the other using soya. Then there are a few versions of vegetarian seekh kabab, to name a few, there’s one made using yellow lentils and then there’s another unique one made using green peas and walnut.

Recently, S got an entire raw Jackfruit from his office tree. And when we cut into it, we realised how tender and fresh the fruit was. Since, there was an entire jackfruit cut into pieces, we made many preparations using it, which I would gradually share here but I’m starting off with a kebab. I have posted a Jackfruit biryani for my 100th post and have also posted a unique Jackfruit and raw banana cutlet earlier using this wonderful, fibrous fruit which yields a meaty texture on cooking, enabling it to be used as meat replacer in vegetarian preparations.

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Heralekai Chitranna | Citron Flavoured Rice | Narthangai Saadam | Gluten Free Recipe

 

Hi all!!

As much as I want to post here regularly, I’m unable to. It’s not that I do not cook regularly but some how it’s just not happening. And with exams round the corner, my head is focussing more on the kid who still needs to mature up and show responsibility towards his scores, leaving me a worried Mom. Please do pray for him, a sincere prayer has the strength to move a mountain too.

Last month was Pongal, which is one of the biggest festivals in TamilNadu. Four days of celebrations and most of the people and workers travel back to their native to celebrate the festival with their family. Many new buses and trains are run during this period, keeping the travel rush in mind. It’s believed that 35% population travels back to their native. My maid was no different, she had told me a month in advance that she would be taking leave for 5days.

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Crispy Coriander Stem Chutney | Easy Side Dish | Step Wise

 

Hi all!!

I am extremely happy with the response I received for the first post of the year Panko Crusted Mushroom and Buttermilk Croquettes. When a recipe I liked to make is liked by others too,  It gives me an immense sense of satisfaction, makes me smile within.

It’s winter time and the greens are abundantly available here but the variety I used to get in Delhi was huge and that I do miss here. I’m happy to see big and green bunches of fresh coriander in the market and I happily buy and use them in my cooking. I separate the leaves, stems and roots and use all of them.

The maximum flavour is there in stems and roots. Roots, I wash them thoroughly and add in my curries and lentils while they boil so that the roots release flavour. Later, I remove and discard the roots. The stems I use in my dry curries or in tempering. The green leaves gets used in making chutneys and as garnishes.

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Recipe Of Heeng Vaale Kaale Chane Ki Chaat | Asafoetida Flavoured Black Chickpeas Chaat | Step Wise

Hi All!

Today I’m sharing a recipe that’s a family favourite. I’ve been cooking the Kala Chana/ Black Chickpeas for ages now in several ways and whenever I made them, there  was never a hard and fast set procedure that I would follow. Whatever ingredient, spice fancied that day or came into my mind was added and the Chana cooked.

A few years back, on one such occasion I made the Chana a bit differently. I had taken the extra precaution to over cook the Chana so that it was cooked more softer and almost on the verge of getting mushy and then again I cooked it like the other times, whatever came into my head I just added and made the Chana. To my surprise and delight it turned out finger licking tasty. Every one in the family loved it to the core and DH decided to call it ‘Heeng Vala Chana’. He also demanded that I should make them  again the same way, very soon.

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Khasta Namkeen Paare | खस्ता नमकपारे | Step Wise | Diwali Treats

 

 

Hi all!!

Today I’m sharing one of my most favourite snacks which goes well with a cup of tea or coffee. No Diwali celebration is complete for me unless I make these namakpaare or salted deep fried biscuits. Over the years I have mastered the art of making these and now know very well the nuances in it’s making.

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Kid’s Lunch Box Ideas| Thin Red Beaten Rice/Poha With Veggies | Step Wise | Vegan

 

Hi!

I had taken an opinion poll on Facebook fan page, on what all of you would like to read next on the blog and I got an overwhelming response and most of them asked for a healthy kid’s lunch box recipe, it goes to show that the prime concern for all mothers is how to feed healthy food to their children.

As a mother of a teenager, I thrive to feed veggies to my son in every possible way. I find his lunch box most crucial as it’s the meal he has at school in the afternoon. I have to keep coming up with ideas which sound interesting to him and he can proudly share with his friends. As I’ve mentioned earlier that his friends look out for his lunch box and a boring lunch box is not what he would like to show to his friends. I can’t give him junk food or a deep fried items regularly too, which he would most happily eat to increase my discomfort.

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Kid's Lunch Box Ideas| Stuffed Cream and Fenugreek Flatbread | भरवाँ मेथी मलाई पराठा | Step Wise

Hi all!!

Fenugreek greens is a family favourite but unfortunately I get to see these greens rarely here. Last week when I visited my vegetable mart, I saw that fresh greens had just arrived and I was tempted to buy all the varieties. But knowing that the greens perish very fast, I controlled my temptations and narrowed my purchase to the fenugreek greens, coriander and mint.

When I returned home and asked S what he wants me to cook with the fenugreek, he gave me his favourite options of Methi Bhaath and Maatvadi Palya. Both I and the kid were in no mood to eat South Indian food, so I asked S to suggest more options, to which he replied conveniently ‘then you decide’. I was a bit annoyed initially that again I had to sit, then I thought of making mushroom methi matar but I didn’t want to go elaborate and make rice, daal, roti  too. I was about to give up and make a simple methi daal but then the grey cells decided to work …

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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..

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Holy Mocktail or Betel Leaf - Indian Holy Basil- Tukmaria seeds-Coconut Water Mocktail | पान के पत्त्ते–तुलसी- नारियल पानी और सब्जा का शरबत | Drinks Recipe

 

Hi all!!

Today I’m posting a very simple to make drink which has the Indian flavours and benefits coming from the native ingredients Betel leaf/paan and Indian Holy Basil/tulsi . To add a more soothing and cooling touch to the drink, there’s coconut water and tukmaria seeds/subza or Indian Holy Basil seeds as well.

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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!!

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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.

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Mixed Sprouts Salad in Cabbage Cups | Food Presentation Ideas | Gluten Free | Dairy Free

 

 

Hi all!!

This is my first post on food presentation ideas and I’m hoping to post many more. I strongly believe we first eat with our eyes. A food that is not overly cooked, has fresh colours and served in clean and neat dishes always looks more appealing. I’m always looking out for ideas to present food whenever I visit restaurants or watch food shows. I always get bowled over by the food presentation shown on various food channels. When I watch Master Chef Australia, I observe how much stress is given on the food presentation. The chefs take out time to design the look of their food on the paper before serving it. Food presentation is an art and it does need a thought process to do it rightly.

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Smoked Cottage Cheese & Peas Curry Flavoured With Unroasted Garam Masala | बिन भुने गरम मसाले वाले मटर पनीर | My perception of the first IFBMeet

Hi all!!

Living in my current city I’ve come to know a few bloggers very closely at personal level and there are many bloggers whom I have met in person and there are a lot many bloggers with whom I’ve connected virtually, who are from India and across the globe. But a chance to meet many at the same time, I guess any blogger would jump to grab such an opportunity. To meet the faces behind the creative world of food blogging under one roof would definitely be a dream come true.

I came to know about the first of it’s kind, an all India food bloggers meet about two months back when Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen had called to up to check out if I could be of any help in getting some one I know, to be a part of the  the event. She told me that four bloggers, Arunadati, Revathi, Nandita and herself, had come up with idea of having a bloggers meet and have been putting in all the efforts to organise the event. I was all excited to be a part of that and I told S to keep himself in the city to be with the kid while I was away attending the meet.

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Okra Curry With Yogurt and Roasted Peanuts | दही और मूंगफ़ली वाली भिंडी | Step Wise

 

 

Hi All!!

I’m sharing yet another simple curry with one of my favourite vegetable Okra/भिंडी/Bhindi. My penchant for this vegetable can be seen with the number of curries I’ve posted using it. And today I’m sharing THE most favourite version of mine.

As a child, I always over ate whenever my Mom made this curry and she kept pampering me by making it quite often. Post marriage it has now become a favourite with my husband and the elder one too. The younger one unlike me despises the Okra and that’s the reason that I’m unable to cook Okra that frequently in my kitchen. But there are days when I do not relent to his choice of not eating this vegetable and though half heartedly, he eats it. For a change he prefers to eat this version of Okra more than the others which is a kind of respite for me as a homemaker who has to keep every one satisfied.

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हरी मिर्च-अदरक के स्वाद वाले राजमा | Light to eat - green chilli and ginger flavoured Kidney beans & Jeera Rice | Lunch Combo-1 | Step Wise | No Onion & Garlic Recipe

Hi all!!

The vacations have got over and the younger kid started his school. Can’t believe that the younger one is in 9th grade. He continues to be the carefree, careless lad and I continue to be the worried mother . My prayers these days are largely for both my children, I hope and pray that they grow up into sincere, sensible human beings. The elder one has taken up photography seriously and wants to make a career in that. It’s his vacation time and he has been spending time with us. So, while he is around I ensure that I cook his favourites too and since he understands photography much better than me, pick up some photography tips as well , while I click.

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