LOVE4COOKING

EATS AT MAHABALESHWAR....

2012-02-07T13:26:00.001+05:30

We started our new year by visiting a popular hill station "MAHABALESHWAR" which is a holiday spot and also a important pilgrimage site…

It’s about 5-6 hour drive from Mumbai..

It’s the highest hill station in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra, which is a state in India.

Mahabaleshwar is situated at 1372 meters around Lake Venna.

The Venna lake is one of the major tourist attractions of Mahabaleshwar. The lake is surrounded by trees on all sides.

Tourists can enjoy a boat ride over the lake or a horse ride next to the lake. A number of small eateries line the banks of the lake.

Mahabaleshwar is also known for the honey and strawberries produced here. One can visit strawberry farms to enjoy the real flavour of the fruit. It is said that the climate of Mahabaleshwar is ideal for Strawberries and Mulberries.

This is not the first time that I have visited Mahabaleshwar but every time I go ,I love to see the fresh fruits that line the streets especially the strawberries (In Mumbai where I live you do not find such fresh strawberries and so it’s a special attraction…)

Tourism is the main source of income for the locals of this place and hence you see that they bring out the best they have for people who visit the place.

You find so many types of fresh eats , and thats the added attraction for me to visit this place...

Its also famous for its Strawberry and cream which is so famous that you see almost everyone having one of it...

You will also see lots of red radish, corn (roasted and boiled), guavas and much more....

Its so good to visit such places and eat this which are locally grown right out of their farms.. It also helps the locals plus we get the taste of fresh and scrumptious food stuff...

With another popular and scenic hill resort Panchgani in close vicinity (about 20KM), most tourists often visit both places together.

The 'Table-Land' phenomenon of nature at Panchgani is breath-taking.Where you find people enjoying horse-riding or just roaming around the small village which houses many residential schools..where kids from all over India study and stay.

You can also visit the Mapro farm which sells there produce like jams, squashes , sweets etc and they have a very nice canteen where people come to have the delicacies made with their products...

That sums up my 2 day stay at Mahabaleshwar with lots of eating , eating and eating...

BREAD PUDDING....

2012-01-10T18:20:00.000+05:30

PUDDING is something that only I make in the family and so its always something that others look forward to when we have a family get-together or a party...

I normally bake a CARAMEL CUSTARD or BREAD PUDDING...

Today I am sharing with you my simple bread pudding which you all must be making at home.. But I would love it if my friends and fellow bloggers would come up with some nice puddings to share and which I could make in India with the available ingredients...

BREAKFAST BARS...

2011-11-02T00:14:00.002+05:30

I made this recipe in September ...

I have been seeing so many breakfast bars and granola bar recipes floating around the net and so wanted to try something that will be good for my son to carry in his lunch-box ..

Granola bars would be a little difficult to prepare due to lack of all the ingredients but I thought I would try these breakfast bars which seemed to be a cross between a cake and breakfast bar...

and it being a healthy option was a plus point...

I have this taken this recipe from the Rachael Ray site....I have done a few modifications to suit my taste...

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups oatmeal (instant or rolled oats both work well)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large ripe banana, mashed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
Choco-chips for topping
1 tsp vanilla essence.

Preparation

Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF.

Grease an 8-inch x 8-inch cake pan.

Mix all of the ingredients into a large bowl and stir until well combined.

Pour the mixture into a prepared cake pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting into squares.

The squares can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Makes 6-8 squares.

LUNCH BOX ....

2011-10-26T12:21:00.025+05:30

Its been a long time since I have posted about the Lunch boxes that I pack for my son... I still do pack 2 lunch boxes at 7.00 am in the morning but it just do not get myself to take the camera and click it.. This one was taken some time back but its one of my favorite thing to make and my sons favorite thing to eat....

This is a stir-fry made with as many vegetables that I can find and also noodles and hence this dish can also be a noodle dish but as the quantity of noodles is very less compared to the vege's I call it a stir-fry.

I love to pack hot dishes in a steel container..

INTERNATIONAL WITH AN INDIAN TWIST......

2011-09-12T18:43:00.002+05:30

I read a lot of cooking magazines which are from the US, presented to me by my sister who stays there..
My sis who knows my love for these gorgeous magazines makes sure I get my quota whenever she visits India
The pleasure I get when I browse through these magazines is beyond words , I am transported into another world of food and cooking .
Whenever I read the recipes I want to try them out here, but the problem is that the ingredients are not all available and if they are , they are found only in super specialty stores and are very expensive to buy just for trying out a particular dish... but that does not stop me from trying out my own versions with a twist and with the available ingredients which do turn out yummy many a times...

so a couple of days back I tried this recipe with zucchini ( available only in a few supermarkets at an exorbitant prize..)I gave it a complete Indian twist and it turned out real yummy tasted so much like a bottle gourd...

I would request my readers to try your zucchini in the way you would prepare a bottle gourd and tell me what you feel or how you like the taste (not my version by yours ...)

The recipe is the same as my recipe for a bottle gourd vegetable which you will find here...
please try this and let me know if you like it and you feel the difference between both these vegetables...

RAINY DAY.....

2011-08-04T20:22:00.000+05:30

Its been raining quite heavily for the whole of last week here in Mumbai...
If you ask any Indian who has enjoyed this weather what is your favorite dish at home or outside when have this wonderful atmosphere which is chilly and cool .

And I am sure the answer would be a hot cup of tea or coffee mostly tea and a plate of bhajia or vegetable fritters...

And I had just that yesterday evening when it was pouring outside , my son who had just come home drenched from college demanded that I make these deep fried delights (I hate making deep fried stuff on a regular basis , off course one in a while is not a problem.. and knowing that he made this demand as he knew that on a day like this I would never refuse but readily oblige.... clever child )

Here above you see the closeup of the onion fritters that I made with a cup of frothy milky tea....
can you tell me what is your rainy day favorite ?

PURE VEG MEAL .....

2011-07-25T16:09:00.000+05:30

One more of my daily meal sharing.....

I love to share with you my daily meals and this is what we had over the weekend...
french beans vegetable
vermicelli kheer
tomato dal
chapati
and rice (not in the pic)

TOMATO DAL
This meal is very simple, and quick to make . I cooked the vegetable and the dal in a pressure cooker .
I love using a pressure cooker for my day to day cooking as it not only saves gas but also helps in storing the nutrients in the vegetables.

SHEVYACHI KHEER (vermicelli kheer)

DAILY MEAL SHARING....

2011-07-18T15:22:00.000+05:30

Its been long since I have shared my daily meal thali with you.. I love to share this little part of my day with all my dear blogger friends who appreciate the efforts that one puts in to bring something out to others....

So here is my meal a couple of days back...

EGG CURRY, DOSA AND PEAS USAL

A nice and tasty meal which has all the necessary components for an complete meal

DINNER TONIGHT****

2011-07-02T00:28:00.000+05:30

This is what I had for dinner tonight

MASOOR MASALA OR TONAK as we call it in Goa and dosas

I love this combination...

PRAWN-EGG SUKHA....

2011-05-27T23:24:00.002+05:30

I tried this combination just at the spur of the moment , I had opened my freezer to get some spices out and my eyes fell upon the prawns which I had in my freezer for a pretty long time waiting for me to cook them..

I was planning on making the usual egg sukha which i make when I have less time and want to do something yummy and simple .

another advantage of making this dish is that the family feels that I have done something exotic when this is a real easy and quick dish...

so here is the recipe...

INGREDIENTS

5 Eggs boiled

3 medium sized onions sliced but thickly

2 tomatoes thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic finely sliced too

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp dhania-jeera powder

finely chopped coriander for garnish

I use a little about, 7-8 medium sized prawns but it entirely depends on you...

METHOD:

Take oil in a pan

Add the onions and garlic together..

Fry till they turn soft and translucent

Add the tomatoes stir , add salt and cook covered till they cook and leave oil on the sides

Add the powdered masalas

Add prawns and stir

let them cook...

Add sliced boiled eggs to the mixture

garnish with finely chopped coriander.

Your dish is done serve with roti or bread

If you want to eat it with rice add a little water to the mixture or increase the no of tomatoes and onions...

INDIA WINS WORLD CUP

2011-04-05T16:11:00.000+05:30

India finally wins the WORLD CUP 2011 after 28 yrs...

Source television

MS DHONI our captain got the man of the match awarded for his superb innings...

ON THE BEACH

2011-03-31T09:47:00.000+05:30

This picture was taken by my nephew on the Dhapoli beach , which is a small place in Maharashtra.We were visiting my hubbies cousin over the weekend ...

SUCH A SERENE AND CALMING EFFECT THIS PICTURE HAS, I WOULD LOVE TO JUST SIT ON THE ROCKS AND ENJOY THE COOL EVENING BREEZE ...

A REAL GREAT MEAL

2011-03-26T17:25:00.001+05:30

This meal was cooked so long ago but I don't know how but i forgot to share the photos with you...

I made this for a small get together at our house , where our very near relatives were invited...

This meal was cooked so long ago but I don't know how but i forgot to share the photos with you...

I made this for a small get together at our house , where our very near relatives were invited...
The menu was
stir-fried french beans
roasted corn salad
clams sukha
ambat varan of sour dal
sol kadi or coconut milk kadi
potato vatana masala i.e made by grinding roasted onion and coconut

GLIMPSE OF MY KITCHEN*****

2011-03-26T17:03:00.001+05:30

I have been working really very hard lately... more so because of the absence of my regular maid and the new one is not sincere enough to help me with the kitchen work the way my old maid used to

But I am enjoying the experience with inspirations from blogs like

www.homeliving.blogspot.com

www.down---to---earth.blogspot.com

Whenever I feel bored or don't feel like doing the endless task of homemaking I read these blogs and get rejuvenated and inspired to do a good job of what I am doing...

filter water filled in clean bottles...

These are a very small small part of the total vessels that are hand washed everyday.

...

PANEER METHI RICE***

2011-01-31T15:52:00.001+05:30

There are various ways and reasons for a new recipe to be tried in one's home....now this wonderful pulao was invented or cooked for the first time in our home as a compromise...

A few days back, I purchased paneer which is a favorite with me and my son and not liked much by my hubby,,, Methi leaves which I and my hubby loves but hated by my dear son... and rice we all love (DID YOU NOTICE ? There is nothing which I don't like....Hehe... ( I am a real foodie....)

So in order to incorporate all the ingredients I made this

PANEER METHI RICE....

INGREDIENTS:.

1 cup rice

100 or 150 gms paneer

one small bunch methi or fenugreek leaves washed and finely chopped....

2 small onions finely chopped

one tsp ginger garlic finely chopped...

2 cloves, one bay leaf, 2 pods cardamom and 1 inch cinnamon...

1 tbsp garam-masala...

1 tsp green chilli paste

salt to taste..a little lemon juice

finely chopped coriander for garnish

METHOD:

Wash a cup of basmati or long grain rice...

In a pan take oil and temper with cloves,cardamom, bay leaf and cinnamon.

When fragrant add the onions , stir till soft add ginger garlic paste and stir

add the finely chopped methi leaves

cook covered for sometime till it looses its raw taste.

Add rice and stir

Add the garam masala powder and lemon juice...

Add double amount of HOT water to this mixture i.e 1 cup rice = 2 cups water

add salt to taste

Add the paneer cubes, some like to fry paneer before eating it.. but I prefer to eat it the way we get it at the market...

Cover and cook ... cook for 15mins in low flame

Your simple and fragrant rice is ready to eat with papad , salad or a bowl of dahi...or yoghurt

Eat


METHI PANEER RICE

INSTANT 10 MINS POHA""""

2011-01-12T01:08:00.001+05:30

There are some dishes that can be done instantly when your kids are hungry and you have nothing nutritious to put before them..
This poha recipe is really very nutritious and this can be increased by increasing the no of things that you put into it...

Here is the recipe

2 cups beaten rice or as we call it poha
2 green chilies
½ tsp turmeric powder
½ cup green peas,carrots , or finely chopped cashew pieces or all
1 tbsp sugar
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
½ cup grated coconut
little coriander for garnish
1 pinch asafoetida ,curry leaves
salt to taste,

little lemon juice too

METHOD
Wash and drain beaten rice
Grate carrots finely
Take oil in a pan add mustard seeds,jeera,asoefotida, chilly and curry leaves
Then add the chopped vegetables , add a little water and let them cook
When the vegetables are cooked add the beaten rice, sugar, salt, lemon juice
Add grated coconut, and finely chopped coriander leaves.
Stir for two minutes and serve.

11.1.11

2011-01-12T00:32:00.003+05:30

SUCH A GREAT DATE TODAY NICE TO LOOK AT 11.1.11 and so was my today's mid-morning snack....

Here I am using my new camera presented to me by my little sister , please comment on the pictures I will love to hear from you and also improve if you feel so...

A PAPAYA......

PAPAYA...Is one of my favorite fruits and I must say even more than a mango...

I love to have fruits as my mid-morning snack , I feel so virtuous to be saying that Hahah....because I love snacking and its not necessary that they are fruits , they can be anything sweets, cucumber, biscuits anything but munching on something is my favorite pass time while I am cooking my morning meal....I think I have diverted from my topic so back to it.....

So eating and looking at a papaya feels my heart with great joy , I love the way a healthy and robust papaya looks when you slice it the way I have and I always slice it this way and then cut it into small pieces with a fork and gobble it up.....or should I say munch on it??? does it sound more feminine???
These lovely plates that you see are gifted by my sister who is in the US , so all those staying there go for the spring colors it brings a little spot of brightness to your daily routine...(which I could get them here in India)

Jokes apart done you agree that a papaya is a good looking fruit more so on the inside than the outer coating...

There is one more thing I love to do and that is I love to eat it on a equally colorful plate....

Try it once only because I say so and I guarantee you that the experience of eating in a bright colored plate is much more interesting or should I say yummlicious than eating from a drab (not always....some food stuff look and taste good only on a white pristine plate ... more about that later in some other post dedicated to the beauty of white dinnerware....) white plate.
A papaya has lots of health benefits too you can read about it here

LOTS OF COOKING DONE.....

2010-12-31T18:42:00.002+05:30

Hi, Friends

I have had a really busy month of December , had lots of friends and family over , my sons semester exams are on (so no tiffin boxes....) and hence lots of work and no time to sit and write at the computer . Here is an glimpse of a few...

This are only some of the things that I have cooked , I have been so busy that I could not click some photos in the rush to serve my guests with hot food.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU BLOGGERS !!!!!!!!!

INSTANT ONION UTTAPAM****

2010-11-30T00:16:00.000+05:30

I made Instant ONION UTTAPAM for breakfast...in August as I did not share my recipe with you then (there are many such....)Here I am sharing it with you...

This is a nice and tasty dish which can be made in a jiffy without prior preparation and by having only a few ingredients at home ...

I will write the method and the Ingredients together as they are very simple and straightforward .

METHOD: Take a cup of yoghurt or curd as we call it , churn it a little to make buttermilk...

To this add about 11/2 cup semolina or Rava or Suji as it is commonly called in India.

add about 1/2 cup rice flour...

Let this mixture stand for sometime for about 30-45mins

Finely chopp some onions..and some fresh green coriander.

You can add a pinch of baking soda or eno fruit salt to this mixture but I do not do so.

Heat a griddle till nice and hot...

Pour 2 spoons of batter and move it to make a nice and thick round dosa

Sprinkle a spoon of the finely chopped onion and coriander mixture

turn when cooked and let it cook on the onion side.

serve hot with sambar, and chutney

METHOD: Take a cup of yoghurt or curd as we call it , churn it a little to make buttermilk...

To this add about 11/2 cup semolina or Rava or Suji as it is commonly called in India.

add about 1/2 cup rice flour...

Let this mixture stand for sometime for about 30-45mins

Finely chop some onions..and some fresh green coriander.

You can add a pinch of baking soda or eno fruit salt to this mixture but I do not do so.

Heat a griddle till nice and hot...

Pour 2 spoons of batter and move it to make a nice and thick round dosa

Sprinkle a spoon of the finely chopped onion and coriander mixture

turn when cooked and let it cook on the onion side.

serve hot with sambhar and chutney.

I even packed a couple for my sons lunch box too ...
It makes a good lunch box food as it remains very moist even if its eaten after about 3 hours...

LUNCH BOX 4****

2010-10-13T13:15:00.002+05:30

Two of my son's favorite dishes ...

On the right side you can see what we call as BHAKRI and on the left is POTATO PHODI....

BHAKRI CAN BE MADE WITH ANY TYPE OF FLOUR BY ADDING ONION, COCONUT ,AND CHILLIES... For the recipe you can click here and do a search on my other blog to get rest of the bhakri recipes..

Potato phodi is something that my son loves to have with variety of things as a side dish and the most favorite is varan or dal rice , you can have them just on their own , or sandwiched between two slices of bread , or make thin strips out of them and roll them in a roti the variations are endless , only one has to use ones imagination at the right time....

I normally make these for his birthday or as a special treat for him ....

The day I made this for his lunch box, I did not tell him what was in the lunch box just packed it saying I had given him Upma (he does not like to have upma cold -- but has to as there is no microwave available in the college) .And my baby made a face while keeping it in the bag...(shhhh... doesn't like me to call him my baby you know.......).

I could imagine his expression when he opened the box and had it for lunch.Such bliss!!!!! Knowing that what you have made will be relished and eaten with a contented heart...

RECIPE OF POTATO PHODI.....

Peel and slice potatoes into thick pieces , If you take two medium size potatoes add 1 tsp chilli powder , 1/2 tsp haldi powder, 1/2 tsp dhania-jeera powder ,salt...smear it with these spices and then dip them in coarsely ground rice flour powder and shallow fry in oil on a griddle....you can cover them when cooking on the griddle remove when ready and crispy on both the sides...

you can find the recipe of BRINJAL PHODI which I made earlier here

I am sending this recipe to this event here An event for LUNCH BOXES....

AN IMPROMPTU TEA PARTY…..

2010-10-05T21:16:00.002+05:30

I love such parties where you plan on the spur of the moment and it turns out to be a real success, and I had two such parties in a span of 15 days YEY!!

Why doesn’t it happen often??? .

I know its true that one likes to have our parties well organized and planned , we like to be ready for the people we invite to our homes , we want to be all geared up and ready , radiant , smiling …. And that’s how it normally is …. I know that this is a recipe of a stress free, welcoming and cheerful feel.

BUT, BUT let me tell you, you can feel all this and a little more when you plan something impromptu and when you see the happy and contented faces of your guests as they take leave Hummm…. You wait to plan something like this again and that’s what happened with me not once but twice…

I have a close friend and her close friend who is also my friend… confused??? Don’t be….. It been ages since we had seen or visited each other as each one of us

Was busy with their own busy schedules especially with each having kids who need us while stepping into a new threshold of life i.e. from school days to college life or from college life to higher studies or professional studies … so this gave us very little time for each other and so the sudden urge or longing to meet and what?????

Talk, chat, gossip, praise, .etc etc….. (I have to admit I am the one who goes chatter chatter the most….).

So this is what transpired between the both of us….

Call from my friend “A” … Hey!!! Long time no see…

Me: Yap, It’s been too long ….

A: Are you free today? I have nothing lined up Kids in college, in-laws out, hubby at work... So what now…

Me: Great I am free too although not like you … I have hubby coming for lunch and sunny coming in a little late in the evening from college...

A: Great, “L” is free too… (L is a professor and as college has just started has half day today she would be free before time….)

Me: I am going to make soya-potato toast sandwiches for my family and I can make the potato filling a little extra for you both…

A: Wow!!! Not eaten a Soya-Potato toasted sandwich for a long long time… (Family does not enjoy eating and she does….)

Me: I will also make nice hot Nescafe for all of us … so come along….

A: I will be making some sweet modak for lunch today will get a few for us (one for each of us…)

Me: Yey!!! My Favorite….

A: will get in touch with “L” and let you know….

After 15 mins….

A: “ L” says she will come only if she can bring something along….she says she has some Bhel chutneys already made in the fridge and so she can get them along ..

Me : That’s perfectly fine… I have the ingredients for Bhel with me (I always have the ingredients as it’s an easy snack to be had with tea)

A: see you at 4.00pm

SOYA- POTATO FILLING

SO PARTY PLANNED… A POTLUCK IMPROMPTU SNACK PARTY…..

I felt so happy to be able to invite my friends over with no much effort and as they too got something with them they were also happy to be a part of it….

Now this party was a party with others contributing but one can invite someone spontaneously and plan to make something like this a TOASTED SANDWICH, A SIDE DISH CAN BE GOT FROM A TAKEAWAY AND MAKE A NICE COLD COFFEE OR MILK SHAKE .

You can give a great party with minimum efforts…

About the second party I gave it a week after this one but sorry I did not take any pictures and the menu was...

Noodles (restaurant ...)

Dahi wada (made by me...)

Chutney sandwich...(chutney made by me...)

LUNCH BOX NO 3

2010-09-20T12:16:00.000+05:30

First thing first please please excuse me for the photographs taken , When I took the photos they would not come right I did not realize why? but now i know that it was because the battery was low and so some one of the photo is not very clear...

So here is LUNCH BOX NO 3

CABBAGE PARATHA

MANGO JAM AND BREAD

SWEET SHEERA...

Lunch box , for which, the maximum efforts were put in for making the parathas the other two were made in a Jiffy.

If you roast the Rava or semolina the night before or even if you roast and keep it in the fridge with measured portion enough to make sheera for 3-4 times Its only putting in the milk ,water , sugar and cardamom powder in the morning which will take not more than 10 mins all together.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LUNCH BOX NO 2

2010-09-16T12:03:00.001+05:30

I made Idlis yesterday with sambhar for dinner and wanted to pack some for my sons lunch box...

Its not possible for him to carry sambhar to college and so I decided that I would cut them into small pieces and just give baghar or tempering of mustard seeds , a little asoefotida , curry leaves and finely chopped green chillies.

You can garnish this with finely chopped coriander leaves , freshly grated coconut and a little lemon juice which is optional.I also sprinkled some Idli chutney powder which is store bought in the oil at the end before adding the Idli pieces... Its hot and tangy and gives the simple Idli a dress up and makes it interesting to eat...

So, Lunch box no 1 contains tangy spicy Idli fry....

For Lunch box no 2, I gave him mango jam-butter sandwiches (spicy-sweet) combination....

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MONDAY LUNCH BOX...No 1

2010-09-14T11:21:00.001+05:30

I try to plan my lunch boxes in such a way that I have to work for one and the other one is quick and easy .

I will be making a post on my lunch box planning and how I put it on paper and try to match the taste and the efforts put in making it...

The above lunch box has:

ONION PARATHAS (recipe in my earlier post)

SEMOLINA OR RAVA UPMA (quick and easy to make)

I added some besan shev in the third cute tiffin box for garnishing on the upma when he eats...

Here ONION PARATHAS took some time to make but if you make the stuffing and the cover the night before they can be made in a jiffy without any efforts and they are very healthy and filling for your child.

This upma takes exactly 10mins to make if you roast the semolina in ghee a night before (pre-preparation is very essential, I normally roast about 1/2 kg of semolina and keep it in the refrigerator and it lasts for a very long time.)

I am sending this entry or post to this site which I think is wonderful

for the event on LUNCH BOXES

SWEET SHEERA OR PRASAD SHEERA....

2010-09-12T21:21:00.001+05:30

Its ganesh chaturti time and you will find that this is one dish that is made at least once during the ganpati celebrations in homes and served as prasad or offering to lord ganesha.

I make this in a large quantity and distribute it among all devotees who come for arti (prayers) at our society annual ganesh chaturti celebration.

I get a lot of pleasure when I do this it makes me feel happy to be able to connect with others through my food and that's a blessing.

When someone comes out of the way to tell you that it was very tasty and to wants to know how it was made,makes you feel out of this world .....

I also make this for my sons lunch box to eat just as it or stuffing it in wheat flour atta , and rolling it like a paratha .You can say it tastes like a sweet paratha.(remember not to put the dry-fruits when you are making a paratha as it will make it difficult for the paratha to be rolled and will tear in places where the nuts are coarse).

I got lots of requests ,after reading my earlier post to put in the recipes of the dishes shown in my photos.

so here is the recipe of SWEET SHEERA.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups rava or semolina
13/4 cups sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup water
cardamom powder
cashew nuts, raisins , almonds (all are optional ).
Ghee for roasting the semolina and also for pouring on top after the whole thing is done.
Saffron strands (optional)

METHOD.

1.Take a thick bottom pan and put ghee into it
2.Roast the rava or semolina till it changes colour and becomes light brown.
3.Take it out on a plate
4. In the same pan add water, milk,cardamom powder and your dry fruits
5. you can pour in the sugar at this stage or after the semolina is added.
6. add the roasted semolina and stir till thick.
7. drizzle lots of ghee on top before serving.
You can also pour saffron strands soaked in warm milk just the way I have.

THANK YOU!!!!

ONION PARATHA

2010-09-09T14:57:00.002+05:30

My son loves fried onions He has this with curd rice or with Dal rice i.e I normally cut onions fine add chili powder, haldi powder and a little salt to taste and then coat it with a little coarsely ground rice flour .

This I fry on the griddle in a little oil till nice and crispy .A very simple recipe but yummy!!! ( I will make a separate post of this recipe sometime and give a tutorial) .

Now , I wanted to make this into something nutritious and filling for my sons lunch box , so I added a little besan or chick pea flour to this mixture while it was still on the griddle and let it cook for sometime and finished it off with a little sugar,lemon and finely chopped coriander.

Just add enough besan or chick pea flour for the onion mixture to come together and form a soft ball like consistency which makes it easier to stuff it in wheat flour dough that you knead for the covering of the paratha.

So out of this idea was born my onion paratha which turned out to be very tasty ... Give it a try.....

INGREDIENTS

Cover: You have to take about 2 cups of wheat flour (will make about 4-5 large sized parathas)

Make a well in the center and add about 1 tbsp warm oil

salt to taste .

Knead this into a dough.

Stuffing; 3 Large onions finely chopped

One tsp chilli powder, one tsp haldi powder

1 tsp Dhania-Jeera powder optional

a little lemon juice about 1/2 Tsp

1/4 Tsp sugar to balance taste.

1 Tbsp besan or chick pea flour.

finely chopped coriander leaves added at the end.

Procedure for making the stuffing is as mentioned above, add the besan when you see that the onions are nice and crispy and soft and cooked .

Stuff this mixture into a ball of wheat flour roll and fry on both sides till brown and ready

You can serve it with a bowl of fresh curds, mango pickle , ketchup ,or coconut chutney

You can pack it in your kids tiffin box its healthy and nutritious and also stays for a long time.
I am linking this to this site eat at home cooks
Where she is having an "Ingredient spot-light " event.
check it out and add some of your recipes too...

LUNCH BOX TIME.....

2010-09-08T18:28:00.002+05:30

I am back again into the lunch box phase of my life...

I need to make 2 lunch boxes which are substantial enough to keep hunger pangs at bay. i do that for 5 days a week Saturday and Sunday being a holiday . and i am really very excited about it...

RED GARLIC COCONUT CHUTNEY ROLLED IN THE ROTI

Why is it that I love packing lunch boxes ?? Hummmmmm....

FRIED RICE WITH SCRAMBLED EGGS AND BANANA

I know why, I feel good when I can pack a nutritious tiffin box or boxes for my son, I know that I am fulfilling his nutritional requirements .I put in lots of effort in planning a proper meal for him . I never pack a box just because I have to give it to him but because I want and He wants to have it in his tiffin.

CHOCOLATE CAKE

CHUTNEY AND CHEESE SANDWICH

Here is a link for the GREEN COCONUT CHUTNEY

While planning I also have to take into account if the food will last that long and whether it does not taste yucky!!! when cold...(although hot food is always what a person loves to have) , but here in India colleges don't provide a microwave to their students.

IDLI

His timing are quite hectic he leaves home at 7.15 am and is back by 7.00 pm and so misses out on breakfast and lunch too.

VEGETABLE PULAO

So I have to pack lunch boxes which will give him enough calories and that they should not be too cumbersome to carry , as he travels by bus , than train and then again a bus to reach college (If you know Indian traffic and Indian crowd) you will know that its a tough ride jostling and pushing through a crowded train or bus to reach your destination.

SWEET SHEERA
find this recipe in my next post.....

And so, I have made a list of all the things that he prefers for his tiffin and then I have made two columns

one for lunch box No 1, and Lunch box No 2.

EGG MAYONNAISE

I try to balance the preparation in such a way that I have to put in the most efforts for only 1 lunch box while the second can be made within 10-15 mins with a little bit of pre preparation.

Then I have made days like how people have ironing day, laundry day etc for homemaking I have a dosa day, a paratha day, pulao day.Not that i stick to what list I have made but it helps me when I run out of ideas for the next days lunch box.

That's what happened today , yesterday I had some guests at home for dinner and so by the time i finished everything it was 1.00 at night and so I did not have the patience to plan anything. But when the time came in the morning for me to make his tiffin box I took the easiest option of it all and it turned out to be good he enjoyed eating it .

all the above boxes have been featured in my earlier posts.

MORE ON LUNCH BOXES WHICH I WILL BE PREPARING IN TIME TO COME....

I am linking this to this wonderful site which is so helpful for moms like me who have to and offcourse love to pack healthy , nutritious lunch boxes for their kids.

You can go here to see the other lunch box updates...

TADKA DHOKLA

2010-07-29T18:10:00.001+05:30

I had a lot of buttermilk in the fridge yesterday and i was thinking of ways to use it and the idea of making dhokla from scratch cropped in my head .I never make dhokla with chana flour i always get ready packets which give me really good dhokla .

I am sharing this recipe with you because I am proud of it as i tried it totally on my own and by using my own quantity of ingredients and it turned out really very good.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup besan or chana dal flour

1/2 or a little more of butter milk (actually i poured it in till the batter got the right consistency)

A little grated ginger.

salt to taste

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp baking soda or ENO

for the TADKA or TEMPERING.

1 tsp rai or mustard seeds

a little asoefotida

green chillies cut into big pieces

curry leaves

finely chopped coriander and fresh grated coconut for garnish

METHOD:

Take the besan or chana atta in a bowl

add the buttermilk to it till you get a runny consistency

add the salt , sugar ,ginger and mix thoroughly ,then finely add the baking soda

apply oil to a pan and pour this mixture into it, let it steam on medium till done it takes about 15 mins.

once out of the pan cool and cut into small pieces.

Take a kadai

Add oil and give tadka i.e tempering of rai,hing,chillies and curry leaves.

Immediately put in the dhokla pieces.

Stir so that the whole tempered mixture coats the dhoklas

finally add finely chopped coriander and grated coconut.

THANK YOU!!!!

BUTTERMILK......

2010-07-29T17:40:00.001+05:30

Normally we make buttermilk from scratch .We do not buy tetra packs for milk (off course some do...) but I have always bought milk in polythene packs (will take a photograph and add it later) and have to boil it every morning. When it cools its kept in the fridge and that's the normal practice in most homes here in Mumbai.

Some families like their milk to come directly from the dairy and you can either go to a dairy shop which gets these cans full of milk (buffalo -- full fat milk ) or you have someone delivering it to you right at your door step.

So, this cream which is formed over the boiled milk is collected in a separate vessel with a yoghurt starter used (a starter is a spoonful of curd which is put in the vessel to start adding the cream over it ) , leave it out for about 2-3 hours and then keep it in the fridge or you get very sour buttermilk after churning.

Go on adding your cream everyday I store it depending on my need , if I feel the need for buttermilk in two days I churn this mixture in 2 days but that gives me very little butter milk so I prefer to keep mine for around a week .

. If i have extra milk at the end of the day instead of heating and using it the next day i prefer to pour it in this vessel with the yogurt.

Then on the day I want to make the buttermilk I remove it from the fridge and leave it out for about 4-5 hours before I churn the mixture, this helps me to churn and get a fresh bowl of butter and buttermilk within a matter of minutes about 10 mins.

I churn the mixer with a wooden churner with my hands you can use a blender too but i prefer this old method which makes me feel back to my roots .

The end product of this churning is a soft , melting ball of homemade white butter and a glass full of yummy and fresh buttermilk.

I use this buttermilk for

Drinking..Haha..

Eating rice with buttermilk (plain) its yummy with a little hot mango pickle.

Eating rice with spiced buttermilk

Making buttermilk dosa's

I normally give my maids a glass full of buttermilk to drink when i have it fresh .

BANANA CHOCO-CHIP CAKE....

2010-06-23T19:55:00.003+05:30

I love this fruit BANANA, and its not now but it goes back a long time when i was little...

I remember that i was a picky and fussy eater and must have been a pain for my mom , when she watches me enjoying almost everything thats on my plate and being a real foodie..she always comments on how much trouble she used to have in order to make me eat a full fledged meal , and that there was always something on the plate which i did not like or did not want to eat.

But one thing i always ate with great gusto and that a banana , for me banana was a comfort food , a food which would fill me up when did not feel like eating, something thats good and nutritious and delicious too....

There was something else which i love eating no no!!!!! drinking and thats milk i love milk in any form and am always ready to gulp down a glass at any time of the day ( I will reserve a special post for my love for milk and tell you more about it).

Coming back to my love for bananas , I always have a few in my house and so they do tend to become overripe as i cannot finish them all by myself ( other members of the family are not as much of a banana fan ).

Normally i would just chuck them out but since i have been baking my easy and reliable blender or mixer cake i have never thrown a banana out , so for all those who face similar problems like me should give this cake a try...

This cake ,which i made a couple of days back had choco-chips in them .I don't know why they all settled down at the bottom , if any of you reading this have any idea please let me know...

Recipe follows...

BANANA CHOCO- CHIP CAKE
In a blender or a mixer take 1/2 cup of sugar grind to a fine powder, add 1/2 cup vegetable oil ---blend,

add 2 eggs one at a time with simultaneous blending, add 2 bananas and mix, add 1 or 2 tbsps milk, add 1tsp vanilla essence or cardamom powder In the above cake i used cardamom powder ( which is normally used

in Indian sweets) .

In another bowl take 11/4 cup of wheat flour add 1 tsp of baking powder and 1/4 tsp baking soda and put it through a sieve (better if you do it twice).

Take the mixer from the blender into another bowl and add the dry ingredient to it little by little .Mix them together, don't beat it in, just fold the wheat flour into the wet mixer.

Grease a medium sized pan and bake the above batter.

Eat this cake warm out of the oven, its heavenly to smell a freshly baked cake so full of bananas .

This is my own recipe which i have tried to make a bit healthier by using whole wheat flour and oil instead of butter , the results are great and most important you dont miss the butter and white flour..
I am linking this recipe to this wonderful site www.eatathomecooks.com
http://eatathomecooks.com/2010/09/ingredient-spotlight-whole-wheat-flour.html/comment-page-1
Please go to the site to check out some more wonderful recipes

NUTRITIOUS OATS DOSA****

2010-05-18T20:26:00.001+05:30

I always look for ways to make my daily food more nutritious , off course the changes that you make in your food or your dish should not be so much that you don't feel like enjoying it any longer , so the change should be slow and gradual .

Make one or two additions to your dish so that the change is not felt and you enjoy it nevertheless .

Normally when i make my food nutritious the choices are limited as certain dishes have to be cooked the way the always are and there is not much scope for change , especially the traditional dishes of any state , they have their own fixed recipe and their own charm so please don't try to change them to make them more nutritious.

But, but things like dosa's, paratha's, pulao's and dal's according to me are very very versatile and can be changed to suite our family's taste and nutritional requirement .

Hence is born a new dosa , i love trying out new combinations and some do taste odd which i do not post here but some come out really well and tasty...

here is one such dosa , the original recipe you can read here which i had posted a while back....

In the above recipe i have added finely chopped methi leaves and also added some jowar atta

The procedure is the same .

I like it when the dosa is nice and fluffy as they fill you up easily especially for kids who count what they eat and who wont eat more than two or one at a time.

NUTRITIOUS OATMEAL DOSA

THANKS TO ALL.....

2010-04-28T09:52:00.000+05:30

MY HEARTFELT THANKS TO ALL MY BLOGGER FRIENDS WHO ARE VERY REGULAR IN READING MY BLOGS WRITING IN THEIR GENUINE COMMENTS AND WHO ARE A GREAT SOURCE OF INSPIRATION TO ME....

I was facing some problems with the moderation of the comments which i think is sorted out today. I will have to wait and see....

THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND NOT GIVING UP ON ME FOR NOT HAVING YOUR COMMENTS PUBLISHED...*** blogger problem***

HOPING YOUR SUPPORT CONTINUES....

UNIQUE DINNER****

2010-04-21T21:01:00.000+05:30

I call this dinner unique because its rarely that i make something like this for dinner , probably the first time that i have made the following things for dinner....

i made

STIR FRY BROCCOLI IN GARLIC BREAD

ROASTED CORN SALAD WITH LETTUCE AND CABBAGE

AND SOME JUICY GRAPES...

I have mentioned my love for stir fries especially broccoli and i make various combinations to make it interesting , while at my local general store which sells the regular crunchy munchy stuff i saw that he keeps fresh bread on his counter so i being a bread lover had to try his garlic bread ( i always try out the garlic bread from any new bakery or place which sells bread and cakes).

so was born my broccoli stirfry sandwich in toasted garlic bread which i toasted on a griddle with a little butter.{can you see a grape peeping out from the salad}

Roasted corn salad i normally have with my lunch and never for dinner and almost always with rice , dal and vegetable , but today i was in a mood to eat it with the sandwich and it was good...

RAW MANGO DAL

2010-04-06T23:02:00.001+05:30

My neighbor is from Kerala and her cooking style is so much similar to our goan cooking .

The reason probably being that they too use a lot of coconut and rice in their day to day food .

Now this dal recipe is my neighbor Smita's favorite recipe .

INGREDIENTS

1 cup toovar dal

1/2 cup coconut grated

1 raw mango (small) chopped into large chunks.

1/2 tsp jeera whole

1 green chili (optional)

for tempering....mustard seeds, asoefotida , curry leaves and red chillies (2 small)

METHOD

cook the toovar dal in a pressure cooker

Take a vessel in which you will make the dal and cook the raw mango pieces in it till soft

add the cooked dal

grind together coconut, jeera and the green chili

add it to the cooked and boiling dal

temper with the above given ingredients add more red chillies if you don't use the green chili

you can add a spoonful of lemon juice and thats optional too..

SIMPLE TOASTED BREAD

2010-03-29T11:58:00.000+05:30

Exam time is going on and so also munching time. I see to it that i feed my son wholesome nutritious food all the time , food which is less on oil and not many sweet dishes .

My son does get irritated to see nutri-food and he calls it at the table all the time , so he wants something to munch on in between meals ( I dont blame him because you need to distract yourself from your studies once in a while and what better than some munchies).

That reminds me, i will have to take some pictures of the munching stuff that i have for him which i choose with precaution as they are ready made and i do not like them to be too unhealthy.

The sandwich above is not something that i like to give him because i am not too fond of jams which are nothing but sugary water and preservatives but , i feel its a better eat compared to the other deep fried items that the kids prefer.

He likes his bread to be brown toasted with lots of butter and jam and i do indulge him .

BUTTERMILK DOSA....

2010-03-03T00:37:00.003+05:30

I make buttermilk at home either from the curd which too is homemade or with the cream that is collected over a period of 8 days (for the collected cream the starter or the initiator is a spoonful of curd to which is added the cream skimmed from over the boiled milk and this is kept in the fridge for as much time as you like, for me it takes about 8 days to get a substantial amount of buttermilk and butter, this is then churned after leaving it outside the fridge for about 5 hours or after adding about1/2 cup of warm water ).

Normally i make buttermilk kadhi or these dosas with the buttermilk that i get. These dosas are very versatile and you can use whatever you have with you the buttermilk helps in fermenting the batter and it does not have to be kept standing for a long time so you get instant dosas in no time.

In the above dosas i have used rice flour and semolina , the proportion varies as it does not matter what or how much of each you use . Take the flours in a vessel and add enough buttermilk to give the batter a dosa consistency .

Make dosas on a NON-STICK PAN just the way you do the other dosas

QUESADILLA......

2010-02-16T22:46:00.000+05:30

This is absolutely my version of quesadilla

you can find out about the quesadilla HERE

Frankly telling you i have never eaten a quesadilla before, i have always seen it in pictures or read about it on blogs and cook books but never really had the opportunity to eat the real stuff . but offcourse i would love to get a chance to eat it (waiting for it.......).

The other day i had gone to one of my favorite markets i.e at Vile Parle , i just love being there i love to see the vegetable laden roads and loads and loads of fresh fruits and vegetables around.A trip to this market inspires me to cook something different ,something which i have not cooked before .

I must carry my camera to this market one day and click pictures of this wonderful place. So, back to what i was saying ..... that this market inspires me to cook something different..so while i was going about admiring the fresh vegetables i saw that one vendor had all these exotic vegetables like brocolli, red cabbage, red and yellow peppers, baby corn etc...(they are exotic in India because the prices for such vegetables which have recently entered the local markets are quite high and not something one would eat on a regular basis , Its something that one buys once in a while and makes something which is appreciated and relished by all .

Normally when i buy brocolli i just stir fry it in butter with salt and pepper to taste garnished with cheese for my son. So when i saw that this vendor had some lovely fresh and green brocolli florets i could not stop myself from buying them although they were very expensive and much above the price that i normally pay for a brocolli. Now stir frying this brocolli would give me only a little and not enough for all to enjoy and eat as brocolli shrinks on cooking .

so i started thinking of ways to increase the total mass of my vegetable and also retain the taste .

On reaching home i remembered that i had some leftover rotis in the fridge which gave me an idea of making rolls of the stirfried vegetables with roti..but then as i said that the visit to the market inspires me to make something different and so i thought why not make my version of quesadilla .I shredded one carrot, one green capsicum and the brocolli, stirfried it in butter with salt and pepper.

I took a roti placed it on a hot griddle smeared it with some oil and fried it for some time then i spread the stir-fried mixture on top grated some cheese on top and place another roti to cover it, fried it again on the opposite side till nice and crisp .

My quesadilla tasted really yummy and was good for the first try.

BROCOLLI- POTATO PASTA.....

2010-02-04T18:41:00.002+05:30

Pasta is a dish which my son loves , even the name of a baked dish makes him drool and a "baked dish" brings out an equal and opposite reaction from my dear hubby.Hahaha.... As for me i am with my son..Hummm....

So it always happens that we plan on making a baked dish when my hubby has gone out for a conference and we really enjoy it together a great change from out daily meal of rice , roti , dal , and vegetable..

So a nice Pasta is a bonding dish for me and my son.

You will find the recipe here ,where i had made it baked but here i did not put it in the oven i just mixed the cooked pasta with blanched brocolli and white sauce .I garnished it with cheese when it was hot so that it melted right in.

It was so yummy and cheesilicious ...Yumm.....

All the above photos where clicked by my son..

BOOK I AM READING......

2010-02-04T18:29:00.000+05:30

Whenever you read a book which is from a particular era you automatically get transported to that era, and thats what i love to experience , I love books which tell us about a certain time a certain period and the lifestyle of people..

I am reading a book called " The MAHARAJAS of INDIA " by Ann Morrow , It shows the way Indian Maharajas or kings lived during and post Independence... Its a great read for a person like me who loves to know about the day to day and the lifestyles of a certain section of society..

I also love to see the black and white photos i am always fascinated with black and white photography .

SCRAMBLED EGGS......

2010-02-04T18:21:00.000+05:30

I love eggs as i feel that they are the most versatile food item that we have, if ever we have a kitchen catastrophe an egg comes to ones rescue . Scrambled eggs is my favorite breakfast and not only breakfast but i can have it for any meal of the day

Scrambled egg which i make is simple just beat an egg with salt , Heat a pan with a little butter and pour the yellow mass of egg . let it fluff up while moving your spoon continuously in it.

Have your scrambled egg with butter toasted bread .

What is your easiest and most favorite breakfast?

SOME MORE BOOKS.......

2010-01-08T23:28:00.000+05:30

I have been reading a lot off-late and here is one of the CUP OF COMFORT book that i read....

This is the book which celebrates the special bond between a son and his mother

HAPPY NEW YEAR......

2010-01-01T23:26:00.002+05:30

AS THE NEW YEAR DAWNS IN OUR LIVES,

THIS MESSAGE HAS PRAYERS AND BLESSINGS FOR YOU

YOUR FAMILY, YOUR LOVED ONES,

FOR A TRULY WONDERFUL YEAR 2010,

FILLED WITH HAPPINESS, PEACE OF MIND

AND REALIZATION OF YOUR DREAMS.

A YEAR FULL OF TRUE LOVE, TRUST,

CARING AND GENUINENESS.

THIS MESSAGE IS SENT WITH LOTS AND LOTS OF LOVE TO ALL.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU...

BOOKS I AM READING .....

2009-12-18T13:00:00.000+05:30

I have been reading quite a lot nowadays and these are the books that i loved reading

This is one book that i think is a must read for tea lovers like me .. It has simple stories revolving around tea and the memories that are difficult to forget.

These are stories which are suitable for the description above

GANAPATI PULE TEMPLE....

2009-09-27T00:56:00.002+05:30

This photo is taken by my father at GANAPATI PULE temple ....
I love the look of this temple its sooo nice

BOILED POTATO CURRY...

2009-08-07T00:20:00.002+05:30

The fastest and simplest dish of all times . I am sure each one has their own version of cooking a potato vegetable , i am yet to see a house which does not cook or like a potato . Patoto is probably the only vegetable which is loved my the rich and the poor , It is something that gives us energy instantly.

The above vegetable is very very simple to make.
I usually boil some extra pototoes whenever i get time and keep them in the fridge so that i can make this almost instant potato gravy .

INGREDIENTS AND METHOD:
chopped boiled potatoes to the size you desire.
take a kadai and put oil in it. add mustard seeds , cumin seeds, hing, green chillies and curryleaves , when the whole thing splutters add finely chopped onions stir add the chopped potatoes, and let the whole thing cook for some more time till the masala incorporates with the potatoes.
add a little chilli powder, haldi powder, and dhania jeera powder .
stir and smash some potatoes in the gravy to get a thicker and tasty gravy.
add salt and a pinch of sugar , garnish with lots of coriander leaves finely chopped.

BANANA NUT CAKE......

2009-07-29T18:27:00.002+05:30

If you have read my earlier post you will know my love for baking, and how i am experimenting with baking, This cake which you see in the picture is a BANANA AND CASHEW NUT CAKE

You will find the recipe of cake at this link . I just added some cashew nuts to this previous recipes ,

This cake came out better than the cake which i made earlier, so i am improving "Yeeee.."

How do you find the look of this cake? Please all my friends and fellow bloggers comment on this please...

INSPIRATIONAL TWO PASTA GRILLED BRINJAL RECIPE

2009-07-05T00:12:00.005+05:30

FETTUCCINE AND SPAGHETTI MIXED PASTA WITH BRINJAL

GRILLED BRINJAL PASTA

Blogs are such a great thing to enter ones life it is just like "that someone special" being their in your life, I receive so much inspiration everyday when i read blogs of like- minded bloggerS s who love food and cooking and eating as much as i do , that sometimes you tend to do some thing that you wont imagine yourself doing or cooking.
It normally so happens that we tend to do the same types of food which we are used to and thats what happens in my home too i usually cook the same type of food which i really don't enjoy i love to cook new things and try them but my dear hubby is not too fond of experimenting and loves his home style goan food. so we have that every day.
yesterday this is what happened i cooked my daily morning meal of fish curry, vegetable rice, chapati and salad . After finishing my cooking i thought of browsing the net which i usually do for some recipes and reading what other bloggers around the world are cooking right now.
And as i was browsing I found a site which had these beautiful,lovely breathtaking food photos of pasta dishes.I just could not stop myself from rushing to the kitchen and cooking myself a pasta dish which i had never cooked before and which had no recipe but just an inspiration and idea which silently creeps into your mind when least expected.
so here is the inspiration pasta dish for you (please friends if you want me to make some changes which would enhance its taste please tell me so i will try to make the changes when i make it for the second time)

I finely sliced the small brinjals and grilled them on a pan after applying a little salt and pepper.
i cooked 2 types of pastas fettuccine and regular spaghetti
Then in a pan i took oil and put finely chopped garlic (lots) and added finely chopped tomatoes to them , stirred them till the tomatoes turn soft added salt , a pinch of sugar and pepper powder. then i added some tomato ketchup, for the final touch i added some Italian seasoning.finally i added some boiled which was lying in the fridge.
had the pasta with some grated mozzarella cheese. I loved the pasta and was happy i could do something quick and easy.

2009-07-04T23:59:00.002+05:30

CARROT CAKE

Those who read my blog will know of my love for baking, I just love to bake I get very excited even if I think about it.

I don’t bake that often (although I would love to) because as I have always said I feel they are very high in calories and contain the ingredients which are not too healthy and good for us. So I try my best to change the recipes and incorporate some change so as to make the baked goody a little bit healthier than what it would have been. But whatever said and done baking is something that gives me the most pleasure.

Whenever I bake something it’s my son who eats the most but for the rest I have to be after them to eat a slice each day , my dear hubby will have one slice a day ,not that he does not likes cakes he loves them and also eats them with relish but he says he cannot have more than one slice at a time , and as he is of the kind who don’t believe in eating between meals or who believe in having 3 full meals a day it’s very difficult to put in a extra slice into his daily food schedule. As for me, I have to keep a check on my weight as I tend to put on really very fast (but I do eat a little bit more than permitted when the cake is just out of the oven, I just can’t resist the aroma and the taste of hot freshly baked cake).

So now for the best part, my sister is come on a vacation from the US she has a little boy who is born and bought up in the US and who is not too fond of our spicy Indian food, and this gave me inspiration to bake something nice and sweet and which will also have the goodness of vegetables which I would have to sneak in.

So I decided to try my hand at cakes which could be innovative and not like the one which I normally make and so was born my very own carrot cake, I call this a blender or mixer cake because I made this completely in my blender as I wanted to make it fast and without fuss so that I could make it often for him after managing the day to day cooking.

NUTRITIOUS CARROT CAKE

INGREDIENTS.

50 gms plain flour

50 gms wheat flour

1 cup finely grated carrots.

½ cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

100 gms caster sugar

11/2 tsp baking powder

A little milk if you find the mixture to be too thick

1 tsp vanilla essence

METHOD:

Sieve together plain flour, wheat flour and the baking powder keep it aside.

In a mixer or a blender churn the oil and caster sugar mixture. It’s done when it comes light and creamy.

Add the eggs and churn again on medium speed

Add the vanilla essence to it.

Take this mixture in a bowl add the cup of grated carrot to it, now add a spoon of milk into the blender and churn this will remove all the remaining mixture from the sides of the blender . Add it to the bowl.

Add the dry ingredients which where sieved to the above bowl

Mix with the cut and fold method usually used for cakes.

Grease a loaf tin and pour the mixture in.

Bake in a preheated oven for about 30 mins or till ready.

You have a nutritious and tasty cake for you

This cake was really very Yum!!!!

My little nephew enjoyed eating it along with my son , the both of them polished off the whole cake in no time (my sister and I had one slice each when it came just out of the oven--- you can see it in the second pic)

AMRAS PURI(MANGO PUREE)

2009-05-27T16:30:00.001+05:30

There are mangoes mangoes everywhere . It is the most loved fruit of Indian especially as you can eat it only once a year....

Here you see that i have made mango puree which is made by churning together pieces of mango in a blender add a spoon of cardamom powder and serve.

Puris serve as bread , they are made with wheat flour and deep fried in hot oil.

You will find amras{am=mango and ras= pulp or juice(thick)} being served in almost all houses and that to almost everyday with their daily meal.

LUNCH AT MY BROTHERS PLACE......

2009-03-23T23:30:00.002+05:30

last week end i had been to my brothers house to see his new car and get a ride in it.
The menu for the day was veg , i love veg food .
The menu was
chole
shrikhand
bhendi bhaji
dal , rice, chapati
and some salad or koshambir too

OATMEAL DOSA......

2009-01-16T22:28:00.004+05:30

HI
Friends,
Recipe after a very very long time , as all of you know that i have taken up teaching and now this takes most of my day which also includes cooking and packing tiffin boxes with an additional box
which is offcourse for me.
By the time i am home in the evening i feel very exhausted to cook something elaborate, the way i used to earlier so i have to give my brain some extra exercise and think of dishes which are nutritious , filling and which takes less time and energy to prepare.
so here is one such dish which i am sure all moms will love to prepare.
If there are any moms out there who like this dosa please dont forget to comment here and tell you your opinion on this dosa...

INGREDIENTS
1 cup ground ready to eat oatmeal.
1/2 Cup rice flour or plain flour as per availability (i prefer rice for being more nutritious)
1 cup yoghurt which is a little sour (the rest of the ingredients balance the taste)
1/2 cup semolina or rava
1 tsp ground green chillies and jeera or cumin seeds (grind them together )
1/2 tsp sugar
lots of chopped fresh coriander
salt to taste
{you can add finely grated carrots,palak , or beetroot to it this batter}

METHOD

Soak oatmeal , rice flour, semolina and yoghurt together.
keep it soaked for atleast an hour,
add the rest of the ingredients to the above mixture and make a semi thick batter.
heat a hot tava or griddle
pour the above batter , these dosas should be made thick or they break while they are turned to cook on the other side.
pour a spoon of ghee on the sides for extra yummy taste.
serve hot with chutney or pickle
ENJOY EATING THIS DOSA PIPING HOT!!!!!!!

YUMMY YUMMY DOSA READY TO BE SERVED

TIFFIN BOXES I MAKE......

2008-12-17T23:21:00.005+05:30

I HAVE TO PACK TWO TIFFINS EVERY DAY , I PROMISE TO TRY AND CLICK PICTURES SO THAT YOU CAN KNOW WHAT I MAKE FOR MY TIFFIN. CHRISTMAS VACATIONS HAVE BEGAN SO THERE WONT BE ONE TIFFIN TILL THE NEXT YEAR.

HELLO FROM ME....

2008-12-17T22:50:00.005+05:30

GHEE BEING PREPARED AT HOME FOR THIS SHEERA

SWEET SHEERA MOULDS

HI FRIENDS...

I know i have been very very irregular posting on my blog , but as i have said before that i have started teaching at a school and making tiffin boxes is in full swing। I love packing tiffin boxes ,but now the difference being i dont get enough time to click photos and make a good presentation , i am almost always running out of time and have to rush out of the house by just picking up my tiffin and a bottle of water , but i have taken some snaps which i will share with you and try to write about it as and when i get time.

sheera means rava halwa which a favorite with kids everywhere , this dish is sweet , delicious and most importantly very easy to make. Here too each house their own version of making this delicious dish. I make this dish very often because my husband and my son are very fond of this dish. I used a plastic mould to get the shape and make this simple dish look interesting.

recipe will follow later.

I will be blogging about the tiffins that i make as and when i get time so bear with me.

NEW STEP......

2008-11-16T23:19:00.003+05:30

Hi
Friends
This post is to inform you about the new development in my life, I have taken up teaching in a school. I have at all times been involved with my son’s studies and hence always been in touch with the latest in the field of education, especially the school education. Now that my son is capable of taking care of his studies and does not require my help I considered the option of joining a school as a teacher and getting to know how the kids are taught in school

READY TO TEACH

LESSON I WILL BE TEACHING THIS WEEK

Such an opportunity came to me where by I had to give a written test and a demo lecture before I was given my appointment letter. This is a very novel experience for me. Teaching your child sitting next to you and standing up in front of 50 students and teaching them is quite a unique experience. And it really proved to be that, I was a bit apprehensive when I gave my first demo lecture ever, but I did just fine and got the following remark from the principal who was present for the lecture, she said “you were excellent”. This remark gave me the required confidence to take upon this job of teaching.

Teaching is something that has been in my family as well as my husbands. My sister was a teacher before she got married. My father-in-law had been a professor in college while my sister in law is teaching at a school.
I feel that teaching is a very noble profession and those who teach can share a small but important part of a child’s life. We can teach them certain values which will be beneficial for their future growth we can also learn many things from them and also notice how time and generations brings about changes in the mind set of individuals .

LUNCH BOX 2..chutney and cheese sandwich

2008-09-27T15:45:00.008+05:30

Although getting up early to prepare the lunch box is quite a bother, the planning , the preparation and the presentation is something that i look forward to...
I have been making lunch boxes everyday for 6 days a week as there have been no public holidays in the last few days.

There is lot of rush at the time the lunch box is packed and you will see me being on the edge all the time, till my son finally is out and on his way to college...
I try to take pictures of my lunch boxes but sometimes its difficult to arrange everything and take so nice pictures and that depends on the menu of that day if its something that’s easy, something that I can complete packing, arranging and putting it in his bag (This is important- as the day I don’t put it in the bag it remains on the table).

.But whatever said and done i love doing these little things for him as this is the time he needs me and there will be a time when he no longer needs my help and will be independent and thats the time we miss what we do for our kids so i believe that you should do as much as you can for them, when its possible for us and acceptable to them.

Chutney sandwiches are real life savers, and so last week when i had very less time to cook a good meal for tiffin,and so i gave him chutney sandwiches and added cheese slices to it

you will have the chutney recipe here.

For those who would like to have the green chutney right here.

GREEN COCONUT CHUTNEY

INGREDIENTS:

One cup coconut grated

2 green chilies

½ cup coriander leaves

3 cloves garlic,1 inch ginger

marble size ball of tamarind

½ tsp sugar.

salt to taste

METHOD:

Very easy, just grind all the above ingredients with minimum amount of water .Your chutney is ready . its is a very delicious spread for bread sandwiches.

LUNCH BOX 1

2008-09-11T20:33:00.007+05:30

Finally, its time for me to prepare some nutritious tiffin boxes for my son

My son will have to carry his lunch box with him every morning, off course after I feed him a good and healthy breakfast.
Breakfast has been an important part of our morning ritual so as per habit I prepare a proper nutritious breakfast every morning too.
Today I made kanda , batata poha recipe you will find here which is a very typical maharashtrian breakfast which is very nutritious and filling you will find the recipe here.
This is just the beginning for me and I will go on trying new things and new combinations and share them with you. I would love it if my blogger friends come up with some suggestions as to what I can prepare a day earlier so that it becomes easier to cook the next morning.
I will try to give my son something that will keep him going till the evening as he will return only after 6.00 in the evening i.e. if the Mumbai traffic permits him, or it’s even later.

Kids usually tend to eat junk when they are on their own and out of the shell and that’s what I don’t want to encourage and hence something filling made by mom will always make him eat it, as he knows that lots of effort and thinking has gone into preparing his tiffin box .

I personally feel that if you always put ready made things in his box he will not care for what is given to him as he will feel that he might as well eat from out, but the love and affection with which a tiffin box is made goes a long way when it comes to his health as well as his food habits.
A combination of homemade and ready made can be done to make the tiffin box interesting, or should I say you can make it semi-homemade by using some ingredients from out mixed with home made stuff. Here in India one cannot avail of the facility of using a microwave at school or college and so he has to eat his food cold and so certain dishes like pasta or fried stuff won’t taste good after 5 hours of preparation. I know that everything tastes great when it’s hot but the kids have no option.
I usually plan his tiffin the night before as I have to make breakfast and lunch quite early.
This is just the beginning it will be an interesting journey as I think up of new stuff which will help me and other moms like me too.

This is what I gave him today
Fried rice with scrambled eggs to be mixed when he has his food .In this recipe mentioned i have used noodles with rice you can add or omit its optional.
3 small bananas for his small break at 12.10
His lunch break is at 3.10

I prefer not to give him sweets, but will definitely give him one or two occasionally

THESE ARE THE FEW THINGS I PLAN TO MAKE

Various parathas
Dosas
Sandwiches
Pulaos
Noodles

Can my friends suggest some more…

FUSION CHOLE......

2008-08-31T15:38:00.002+05:30

For those reading my blog regularly, will know that I love changing or your can say fusing one recipe into another to suite our preferences.
I am sure every Indian household prepares chole the traditional way, i.e. with the base of tomatoes and onions with ginger and garlic. In Goa all our gravies are made with coconut as the base off course with lots of onions, so I decided to make my chole by fusing the two, use onions, no tomatoes and use ground grated coconut for the gravy.
The chole turned out to be very tasty; my mother in law who loves the goan type of cooking also had words of praise for this dish.

So here is the recipe…

INGREDIENTS
11/2 Cup chickpeas or chole (I got these very tiny chickpeas from a shop near my mom’s house; they looked very unusual as the regular ones are quite plump).
One potato cut into big sized cubes.
2 medium sized onions finely chopped
1 onion finely sliced.
Whole spices: 2 whole cardamoms, ½ sp cloves, one stick cinnamon
1 tsp garam masala powder
½ tsp haldi powder
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp dhania jeera powder
½ cup grated coconut.
Oil and salt to taste

METHOD
Soak chickpeas for 8 hours before cooking.
Cook the chick peas and one medium sized potato cubes in a pressure cooker,
In a pan take some oil and fry the sliced onions till soft add the grated coconut and fry till the whole mixture became brown.
In another pan take oil, add the whole spices
Add the finely chopped onion stir and let them turn soft
Add all the spice powders, chili, haldi, dhania jeera and garam masala, stir for sometime .now add the cooked chickpeas and potato mixture
Add salt and let it cook for sometime.
Grind the roasted onion and coconut mixture with a small ball of tamarind.
Add the above ground paste to the chickpeas.
Add salt and it is ready to be served.

Serve with rotis or even rice.

FOOD ON JANMASHTAMI DAY......

2008-08-31T15:01:00.005+05:30

our Indian culture is very rich and varied .There are many types of festivals celebrated around India the whole year , each festival has its own beauty.

AMBAT VARAN (Sweet and sour dal)

RICE AND CHAPATI

THE WHOLE THALI

BOONDI RAITA(not a traditional maharashtrian dish)

VATANA BATATA PATAL BHAJI

Food plays a very important part in the celebration of festivals and each family and each state have there own specialities which are cooked at home.

Such occasions calls for only vegetarian food to be cooked. as all festivals are not celebrated by everyone , those who are enthusiastic about cooking different type of food do try to make there wont combinations according to the liking of the family members.
On janmashtami day i cooked a complete vegetarian menu, i enjoy cooking and eating that you make for some occasion and with enthusiasm

BAL KRISHNA.....

2008-08-28T23:48:00.006+05:30

HI,
I had purchased the above picture in the year 2006 on Janmashtami day , i did all the ornamental work on the picture myself.

Its very easy i have shown you the close up of the picture, to see what i had done.

Isnt the picture cute!!!!!

DINNER ****

2008-08-20T00:34:00.005+05:30

While in the US we were invited by my mothers cousin who stays in Chicago, we had a great time there, lots of eating ,relaxing and roaming that was our daily schedule.

The above meal was made for us a night before we were to fly back and you can see all the delicacies that she served us.

She had a barbeque on her deck ( which i havent clicked) ,she made roasted vegetables, chicken , corn and many more things. we had great great fun.

DRY POTATO DISH.....

2008-08-16T23:50:00.003+05:30

This is a dry potato dish which can be eaten as a starter and also with chapati's or Roti's.
I made this for my son's tiffin and he really enjoyed it , I gave it to him just by its own and not with Roti or bread but he enjoyed it never the less.
Here i will give you the method and the ingredients together as its a extremely simple vegetable to make and so you dont have to be exact with the proportions used and can change the quantity to suit your taste and requirement.

METHOD:

Boil some baby potatoes (do not remove the skin)

Take oil in a pan when hot add 1 tsp mustard seeds and 1/2 tsp jeera add a little hing, 1/2 tsp garam masala powder,red chilli powder and haldi powder .Stir till the masalas stick to the aloo or potatoes .I usually add the onions at this moment as i do not want them to be too soft i want them to remain a bit crispy which gives this vegetable an unique flavour.finally add salt.

when the whole thing is ready add lots of coriander finely chopped and 1 tsp lemon juice.

serve hot.

FARMERS MARKET....

2008-08-15T16:46:00.008+05:30

After reading blogs and reading about the various farmers markets that bloggers visit i always wanted to visit one , I always liked the way they arrange their goods and the way they are pretty organized.
I got such an opportunity when i was in Newyork , it was my husbands cousin who was taking us around Newyork , when i noticed this small farmers market along the pavement , i got very excited and requested him to stop our car at a convenient spot and rushed to see the market.

It was a lovely experience speaking to the people who bought came in with their produce .we purchased some fresh homemade choco chip cookies and they were excellent.

FRUITS
HOMEMADE JAMS AND PRESERVES
HERBS AND GREENS
FLOWERS

FRESH BREAD

It was such a pleasure for me to visit small but well organized market on the Newyork street.

check out this local farmers market at Panchagani.

such farmers markets are seen in villages where they have one day of the week for all people staying around that village to come together and sell their produce

you can check out this market in Mapusa Goa

I love to go to such markets in villages, and see to it that whenever i visit a new place the local market is the first place i visit even before i visit the site of attraction for tourists.

But the farmers being very poor their produce are in heaps and are not in an organized manner.

but everything said and done I LOVE FARMERS MARKETS AND WILL ALWAYS VISIT THEM ,OFFCOURSE, THOSE IN INDIA .

I feel they have their own identity , when you see the colours , the flavours , the innocent faces of the villagers and their sincerity it touches your heart.

I have sent this to this blog here where there is an event on FARMERS MARKET

BANANA CAKE

2008-08-15T16:15:00.006+05:30

My son loves banana cake and i love to make it but i am not too much of a plain flour fan, i dont think that it is nutritious enough to be eaten by kids, so i tried my banana cake with whole wheat flour .

you will find the recipe here ( WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR CAKE)

The BANANA MUFFIN recipe you will find here

But i mixed the two and made a wonderful cake without using plain flour this cake makes only one loaf which was polished off within 15 minute in my house(we are not big cake eaters each one has just one piece at a time,.. but this time it was different).

i had taken some nice photos but as the camera battery was not fully charged the quality of the photos were pretty bad so i could share only one with you.

LET ME GIVE YOU THE INGREDIENTS...

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 very ripe and sweet big banana

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 cup oil

cashew pieces for garnishing.

1/2 tsp each of baking soda and baking powder.

METHOD

I made this whole cake in a mixer by just adding the ingredients one after the other

first put it the oil and sugar blend

then the eggs,add the mashed banana

finally add the flour which has been sieved twice with baking powder and soda.

add the essence

pour in a well greased loaf tin

This quantity makes only one small loaf

But its yummy and healthy too.

RESTAURANT FOOD....

2008-08-15T15:51:00.005+05:30

I visited my sister who stays in Washington D C USA this May. what i enjoyed the most was the variety of food that was available there. I tried different types of food while i stayed there . here is a glimpse of what i ate.
PASTA

BRUSCETTA

FRIED RICE

CHICKEN IN HOT GARLIC SAUCE

PIZZAWhen i travel what facinates me most is the food and the super markets, i love to go around food malls and see the things available and to see what is available there which is not in India.
I enjoyed myself and would spend hours in the various food malls .

2008-08-15T15:50:00.001+05:30

ALOO-SOYA TIKKI......

2008-08-15T14:48:00.003+05:30

There are days when you just dont feel like cooking for dinner, after the whole week of planning and cooking for all three meals you sometimes feel off ...
But having a boiled potato in the fridge during such times is a great great relief and thats what happened to me yesterday i was not in a mood to cook but my son wanted something filling as he was very hungry . Now, what ***think think *** .

I have a shop in my society that sells burger bread and so came the idea of making a veg potato soya cutlet or tikki , i have prepared this before and you will find it here.
I just made it a bit different by adding finely chopped onions to it

This photograph is better than the one which was taken for the earlier soya aloo tikki . so i have improved ***yey*** do you all agree?

my son loves soya granules and they are so healthy and full of proteins so good for him and me too ( whisper....did not have to cook and something great was done)

To make it more nutritious you can add finely chopped and boiled carrot, cauliflower, beans etc.

BREAKFAST ON THE WEEKEND.....

2008-07-30T00:24:00.004+05:30

Last Saturday we went to a place called MANOR to spend a lazy weekend. It was pouring and so we had to spend our time indoors, at a hotel which we had booked for the weekend. There were 15 of us and so we were not at all bored and had many things that all could do together like play indoor games, enjoy at the pool, eat great food (important part of our day) , read and generally spend a relaxed time with no everyday routine.
Usually in all our restaurants the food ordered is served to us , and so I could not take photos of the lunch or dinners that we had but I did take the photos of the individual breakfast items that we ate , and here they are.

DOSA SAMBHAR

MASALA DOSA
PAPER DOSA

SABUDHANA WADA

POHA

I had taken the above poha

SALAD TIME....

2008-06-04T09:39:00.004+05:30

I love salads also try to have one with every meal , i also try to bring in many veges so as to enhance the nutrition value. so far i have been making the traditional Indian salads like the Raita or the Koshambir (as we call it in marathi) which have a garnish of lemon juice and coriander or with yogurt.

But i have been desperatly waiting to try out some new types of salads which use salad dressings ,which are readily available in the market .
This is my first try at a salad of this kind , i hope you like it ...

RED CABBAGE AND CARROT SALAD.
so simple...
Shred cabbage and carrot in juliennes (you can add finely sliced onions and peppers too but, I haven’t).
mix in salt and garlic and herb dressing.
That’s it the salad is ready to eat.

I AM BACK....................

2008-06-01T22:11:00.002+05:30

Hi
Friends....
I am back after enjoying a long vacation...
Thanks to all my friends who sent me mails to know about my well being as i have not been posting for a long time , but now i will be very very soon.
waiting to share and to be a part the wonderful blogging world....
waiting to hear from you all there, who really care....

SPRING-EGG-NOODLE.....

2008-03-31T14:19:00.004+05:30

For me EGGS are always FRIENDS IN NEED, This is one food item that’s sooooo versatile as you can make just about anything with it.

The other day I had purchased some spring onions, planning to make some fried rice,

(I don’t have many recipes for spring onions or should I say I have only one dish i.e. fried rice where I use spring onions).

It would be great if my friends reading this post know something more that can be done with spring onions can pass it on to me.

So back to the spring onions, it was already a day that they were in my vegetable compartment in the fridge and I wanted to cook something before they were stale and unappetizing.

So I decided to cook these spring onions with eggs and then mixing it with some noodles , I used my own recipe i.e. whatever I thought was right for the recipe so here is how I cooked my spring-egg-noodle.

METHOD

Take a pan or wok add oil, add finely chopped onions and one clove garlic (less garlic as the smell should not overpower you) here I used the white of the onions first. Stir and let it cook for some time then add the spring onion greens and finely chopped green chilies. Let them cook for about 1 min. beat eggs (as per requirement) in a bowl with salt. Pour this beaten egg mixture into the wok and mix in the egg to form lumps let the whole thing get cooked.

You can eat it as it is or sandwiched between two slices of bread or you can have it with noodles just the way I did.

SPRING-EGG-NOODLES

MORE PHOTOS.....

2008-03-31T13:08:00.003+05:30

VIEW FROM MOUNT TITLIS

IN ENGELBERG

RHINE FALLS

WORLDS LARGEST CUCKOO CLOCK

SOME PHOTO'S..........

2008-03-14T22:10:00.003+05:30

.
EIFFEL TOWER

FOOTBALL STADIUM

CRICKETERS CLUB

My brother has gone to UK on official work, and he like me, loves to click good photos,
He had sent these photographs for my perusal , but i thought of sharing them all my blogger friendswould love to share them with you....

BRAHMIN FOOD....

2008-01-21T23:34:00.000+05:30

Talking of traditional food ***did you read my earlier post....****
last week my sister in law came over for an overnight stay, she is a Deshasta brahmin from maharashtra so i decided to make something that she will love and which is made traditionally in her home i.e vegetarian food.

It was my opportunity to do something purely for her, as my brother was not accompanying her.
My brother is a pure goan brahmin (so am I) who are fish eating brahmins and so, when he comes over for a visit i love to make chicken or fish for him . ( you will find many thali's which i have made only for him) as he loves fried surmai (seer fish) and also goan style chicken in coconut gravy.

So the above menu was for her, The veg thali consisted of ukadlelya batatyachi bhaji, puri, varan bhat,shrikhand, tomatochi koshambir ,papad anee lonche.
I have purposely used the Marathi words that are used for these food preparations , i would love it if those reading it would ask me what they meant or even tell me that, they have understood what i meant *** soooo.... confusing ******

I KNOW ITS NOT THAT DIFFICULT .......

TRADITIONAL MEAL....

2008-01-21T23:20:00.001+05:30

I love traditional meals , meals that are traditional to a particular place or even family or sometimes if i have some memories attached to certain dishes that i try to recreate them .
The meal that you see in the pictures is a typical Konkan style meal which can be found in Maharashtra (state in India where i stay) , but such a meal is very typical and traditional in villages where food is healthy and robust and where too elaborate preparations are avoided.

Here i have made pithale bhakri and chicken sukha
pithale is made out of chickpea flour or besan and the bhakri is made of jowar atta.

JOWAR BHAKRI

BESAN PITHALE

CHICKEN SUKHA

chicken sukha is made with lots of onions and dry coconut for the gravy

MOONGDAL DOSA.........

2008-01-20T22:50:00.000+05:30

This is a very light and nutritious dosa which can be had for any meal.

This recipe was given to me by my sister who prepares this dosa, quite often for her little son.
The soaking time is only about 4 hours so it is quite a instant dosa.

METHOD.
soak seperatly, 1 cup udal dal and 2 cups moong dal for 4 hours
grind the dals seperatly and then mix together add salt to taste
you can add finely chopped coriander, green chillies,cumin seeds and ground ginger to the batter if you plan to eat it plain without any chutney.
I made a green chutney with coconut to go along with the dosa so i did not add the above ingredients to the dosa.

heat a non-stick tava or griddle and pour the batter in a circular motion dont make them too crisp they taste better when they are a bit soft as shown in the picture.
Eat them hot and thats compulsory haha...
I usually make my family wait at the kitchen platform with their plate and each dosa is served directly on the plate and eaten hot with a little smear of home-made ghee.

LEMON RICE....

2007-10-26T15:37:00.001+05:30

I love to take part in regional events as it helps us to know so much more about our indian food culture and habits. India has such a diverse culture and variety and such events give us an opportunity to get to know it better.

This great event is hosted by vcuisine

LEMON RICE

I have never come in contact with anyone who cooks Tamilian food i.e I have never tasted traditional tamilian food . so this event gave me an opportunity to read about their cuisine and enjoy it....

This event is hosted by vcuisine.
I ENJOYED MAKING THE RICE .

Here is the recipe for LEMON RICE.

Raw rice 1 cup
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Red chillies-2
Oil
Cut ginger-1 tsp
Asafoetida-1tsp
Finely cut curry leaves-1 tbsp

Seasoning
½ tsp mustard seeds, 1tsp black gram dal
2 tbsp Bengal gram dal, {soak for sometime-this is my variation)
2 tsps -Broken cashew nuts.

Cook rice and allow it to cool in an open thalli or plate.
Heat oil and fry the seasonings add cut red chilies and fry for a minute
Add the Bengal gram dal and cook for sometime then add the ginger and asafoetida stir.
Add the cooled rice and turmeric and stir till properly incorporated.
Squeeze lemon juice on top and garnish with curry leaves and freshly chopped coriander leaves (again optional).
Your yummy lemon rice is ready to eat..
I KNOW THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON RECIPE , BUT MY CONNECTION WITH TAMIL FOOD HAD BEEN THIS DISH WHICH I ATE AS A PRASAD AT A GANESH CHATURTI CELEBRATION IN MY BUILDING LAST YEAR , WHICH I TRIED TO UNSUCCESSFULLY REPLICATE, BUT WAS SUCCESSFUL THIS TIME BY GODS GRACE!!!!!
FOR ME FOOD EATEN ON FESTIVAL DAYS IS FESTIVE FOOD, SO THIS ENTRY FOR TAMIL FESTIVALS..

GARLIC CHUTNEY......

2007-10-11T23:01:00.001+05:30

GARLIC CHUTNEY

garlic chutney is very easy to prepare

let me give you this recipe with the the ingredients and method
take a cup of grated fresh coconut, add 2 big or 3 small cloves garlic , marble size ball of tamarind, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 5 peppercorns, 1/4 tsp sugar, salt to taste.
Grind all the ingredients together , you get this lovely orange colour.
goes well with dosas and even by spreading on slices of bread to make a sandwich.

BAKED DISH....

2007-10-04T00:55:00.000+05:30

I love baked dishes; I have not done any variations in the basic white sauce of the dish and prefer it to be simple and very down to earth… I love the simplicity of this dish but don’t like it to be full of cheese. Although the more cheesy it is, the more tasty it becomes. I will give you my version which is not so cheesy but tasty nevertheless, you can add your required quantity of cheese, and I don’t make it with plain flour as I am not in favour of using refined flour so, I use equal quantity of corn flour and wheat flour and the taste is just about the same without compensating on the nutrition.

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbsp corn flour
1 tbsp wheat flour
1 tbsp butter or more
11/2 cup milk
2 cubes cheese.
½ tsp salt
1 tsp pepper powder
I use boiled carrots, potatoes, French beans, boiled corn and pasta (you can use any vegetable you fancy)

TIFFIN FOR MY SON

METHOD

Take a heavy bottom pan add the butter and the flours
Fry till you get a mild aroma
Add milk stir continuously so that you do not get lumps
Stir till the mix starts to thicken
Add 1 grated cheese cube and pepper powder
Stir and add all the boiled vegetables and boiled pasta
You can transfer the whole mix into a baking dish, garnish with the remaining grated cheese.
Bake in the oven for about 15 mins or till the surface is brown or the cheese has sufficiently melted.
Eat with toasted garlic bread.
You can decorate the final mixture with cheese strips to make it more interesting for the kids.
I usually omit the last step and eat it directly from the pan without putting it in the oven.

BANANA MUFFINS.....

2007-09-30T21:42:00.001+05:30

BANANA MUFFINS OR CUPCAKES

Banana is my favorite fruit; I can eat it at any time of the day and if it’s sweet enough even 3 at a time.
I experimented with the regular cake and added some mashed bananas into the cake batter and made these muffins but they came out to be really very very tasty…

INGREDIENTS

125gms plain flour
100gms unsalted butter
100gms caster sugar
3 medium sized bananas mashed (bananas should be very ripe and mushy)
11/2 tsp baking powder
3 large eggs
½ sp baking soda
Vanilla essence (some prefer cinnamon, nutmeg combination)
You can add finely chopped almonds or cashew nuts in the batter this is optional.

METHOD

In a bowl mix together butter and sugar with a whisk or electric blender
Then add one egg at a time and whip, let each egg get well incorporated in the mixture
Add the baking powder and soda
Then add the mashed bananas and mix
Add the plain flour to the mix and mix with the cut and mix method.
If you find the mixture is a bit dry you can add a little milk
Add the vanilla essence and the cashew and almond mix
Preheat oven to 180 C
Fill small muffin cups which are greased beforehand
Let them bake for about 15-20 mins
Remove and eat hot.

THIS IS MY ENTRY FOR JFI - BANANAS THE DETAILS YOU WILL FIND HERE

INDIA WINS.....

2007-09-25T00:45:00.000+05:30

FINALLYOURYOUNGINDIANPLAYERSWINTHECUP

PICTURES TAKEN FROM THE LIVE TELEVISION TELECAST on ESPN

WOW...

India has won the " TWENTY 20 " world cup yehh.....

I am so excited about the match that i could not stop myself from sharing my happiness with all you indian bloggers....

GANESH UTSAV IN PUNE.....

2007-09-17T15:42:00.000+05:30

My brother was in Pune over the weekend for ganesh utsav and to visit my cousin who stays in Pune. Pune is the hub of ganesh chaturti celebrations and there is so much fun,frolic and the whole atmosphere is of gaiety and celebrations

my brother has just sent me these photographs which he clicked in Pune over the weekend he wants me to share them with you , so all you punekars who are not in pune ENJOY!!!

I was in pune last year , but could not go this year so if you want to know what i did last year

you can check that out here

regarding what i ate there which is also very important check out here
how i wish i could be in Pune, its really so alive and fun in pune during ganesh chaturti.

CHAWLI UTTHAPPA.......

2007-09-16T14:48:00.001+05:30

Chawli Utthappa (I think the name Utthappa is influenced by the great game our indian cricketer Utthappa is playing .I used to called a Utthappa , Uttappa earlier)

This is a new type of Utthappa recipe given to me by my friend Minal , it was my first try at making it and it came out really good . This is a very nutritious Utthappa which does not have too much soaking time and is quite nutritious.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup chawli or black eyed beans soaked for 3-4 hours or overnight
½ cup fine rava or semolina
1 finely chopped green chili
1 small onion finely chopped
Coriander finely chopped
I always add 1 tsp jeera powder or whole jeera to the batter but its optional.

METHOD

Grind the soaked chawli beans to a fine paste
Add rava and keep it aside for half hour
Add the onions, chilies, jeera and coriander leaves
Mix with salt and water to form a thick batter enough to pour on a griddle or tava
Heat tava, when hot pour a ladle full of batter on the tava.
Cook till brown on both the sides
Serve with a dollop of butter or dahi or chutney.

THIS IS MY ENTRY FOR " RCI:KARNATAKA"

DADPEE POHE...

2007-09-16T14:40:00.000+05:30

Poha or beaten rice is a breakfast item very commonly prepared in India, especially in the state of MAHARASHTRA where I live. Usually it’s done with onions potatoes and the flaked rice or poha which is washed and allowed to stay for sometime, so that it becomes soft by absorbing the moisture used to wash the poha.
Each family has their special way of preparing a poha dish. I am going to post the recipe which is a favorite of both me and my son.
In goa, on diwali morning the lady of the house gets up early and makes 5 types of poha and I feel it’s so unique and always enjoy such an experience. I have mentioned goa as it’s a tradition in goa but we follow the same practice here in Mumbai too.

DADPE POHE

I am writing the whole procedure with the ingredients.

METHOD

Take a thick bottom pan or kadai, dry roast 2 cups of thin poha, when they start to curl on the sides take them out on a plate and keep aside.
In the same pan , take 2 tbsp oil (oil required is a bit more as this what gives this poha the required moisture) add 1tsp mustard seeds,1/2 tsp jeera , 1 tsp hing, 2 green chilies chopped, some curry leaves (this is like the normal tempering for vegetables) and 1 tsp haldi powder..
Put in finely chopped onions in the tempered oil and stir till the onions turn soft add the required amount of salt and 1 tsp sugar.
Pour this onion mixture on the poha which is kept aside on a plate
Now put in 1 tsp lemon juice, ½ cups grated coconut (you can use more as this too helps to moisten the poha) and lots of finely chopped coriander.
Let the mixture cool a bit and mix with your hands till it is incorporated.
The dadpe pohe are ready to be enjoyed , its better to eat as soon as you mix them.
TRY THESE POHA RECIPE ITS QUICK, FILLING AND TAKES AROUND 10 MINS TO MAKE YOU CAN ADD FRIED PEANUTS FOR ADDED TASTE.

MINI VEG BURGERS..............

2007-08-31T00:39:00.001+05:30

Isn't the burger cute???
i found these mini burgers in the shop the other day and did not know what to do with them
so i made a burger pattice with boiled and mashed potatoes, boiled peas, jeera powder, chilli powder ,haldi powder , and if you like a little garam masala and crushed garlic
knead or mix them together form a cutlet or patti and shallow fry on a non-stick tawa.

DAHI PAPDI CHAAT.....

2007-08-31T00:07:00.000+05:30

I love chaat, and i think almost all mumbaikars love chaat too, if you visit MUMBAI the city where i live you will find chaat shops almost at every nook and corner . If you find a group of youngsters standing near a shop be sure its a chaat shop which serve delicious papdi chaat, dahi wadas, bhel,ragda pattice , shev puri , dahi batata puri and many more concoctions considered to be specialities of that place . I have yet to find a person who does not enjoy eating a chaat.

I forgot to mention the very important chaat item which people are seen gobbling up...
I love dahi wadas the most, for which the recipe you will find here . i decided to combine the recipe of dahi wada and make it a little bit more nutritious by adding the following things sprouted moong, soaked and cooked kabuli chana, and some mashed spiced potato.

The recipe remains the same as for the dahi wada , here you will see that i have added the sweet and sour dates chutney made using dates, tamarind,jeera,chillipowder and jaggery .And garnished it with finely chopped coriander.

ROASTED CORN.....

2007-08-19T11:21:00.001+05:30

Corn, I feel epitomizes a rainy day for me,
I feel there is no greater feeling or the experience of having a hot “butta” or roasted corn on such a day.

CORN SELLER ROASTING FRESH CORN(check out the matching dress of the little girl)

I have pleasant memories of the early days of our married life when we used to take short weekend trips to nearby places like lonavala , khandala . we used to go out when it rained heavily ,stood under one umbrella and used to devour these hot coal roasted corn which were roasted in front of you on a cart and garnished with chaatmasala , red chili powder and salt.

CORN ARE OF MANY VARIETIES ,BUT HERE IN INDIA WE CAN FIND ONLY THE WHITE AND THE YELLOW SWEET CORN.

Both the types are so different from each other in taste and looks, i love the sweet corn for its juicy and sweet taste and it can blend well with any curry, soup and even as a garnish or snack.

The roasted corn you see in the above pictures are roasted at home on my gas stove and not purchased from the vendor you see in the picture above.

HUMBLE EGG OMELETTE.....

2007-08-19T10:34:00.000+05:30

OMELETTE BREAD this is always a breakfast which takes me out of the morning blues, the monotony of having to cook something different everyday. So it’s like a 12th man for me who always comes to my rescue in times of critical situations like oversleeping and general lethargy to wake up and do something. Not to forget, I also prepare an omelette for dinner when we have had a heavy lunch or when we have some urgent appointment and have reached home late.
I would love to know how a omelette is prepared in your house I am sure it differs from home to home.
In my house my hubby and son, don’t like to have whole cumin seeds or jeera in their omelette while I love the flavour, so to balance, I put a pinch of ground jeera powder per egg in my omelette.

METHOD

In a bowl mix together finely chopped onions, a pinch of jeera powder (per egg), freshly chopped coriander leaves, salt, green chilies finely chopped and eggs.
Heat a non-stick omelette pan with a little oil. Pour the above mix and let it cook till its light brown, turn and cook it light brown on the other side too.
Serve with bread and ketchup or plain.

I have mentioned only the method as the ingredients and the proportion changes according to individual tastes.

ALOO-EGGS .......

2007-08-09T15:07:00.000+05:30

I love to cook breakfast; it should be filling, interesting and nutritious.
I am always on a lookout for good breakfast recipes which can be swapped in place of dinner if the need arises.
I found such a recipe on a Marathi program on television which was good and I tried it out the very next morning.

ALOO- EGGS

INGREDIENTS

3 medium sized potatoes cut into cubes.
2 medium sized onions finely chopped
1 small tomato finely chopped
4-5 eggs as per requirement
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp haldi powder
½ tsp jeera powder.
Salt as per taste
Coriander for garnish.

METHOD

Take oil in a pan and add the onions and fry

when the onions turn translucent add the tomatoes and stir.

The mixture will leave oil after sometime.

Now add the cubed potatoes, cover and cook till the potatoes are ready.

Add the powdered masalas. Add salt, the Aloo mixture is now ready.

Take the eggs and break them on the potato mixture taking care that you spread the egg white evenly. Leave the yolks intact on the potato mixture.

You can garnish the egg yolks with finely chopped coriander. Serve hot with toasted bread

SOYA-ALOO TIKKI

2007-08-09T15:01:00.001+05:30

My son loves everything made with soya granules , so here is the recipe of soya aloo tikki which is so much like the corn tikki which i did here.

This is a simple recipe and can be eaten in various ways you can have it with ketchup , or like a soyaburger or roll it in a roti or chapati or eat it with toasted pita bread and some cabbage mayonaise sandwich.

you can add the soya granules to the recipe of the cutlet given above . treat the soya granules as per the instructions on the packet.

Sorry about the photo its not very clear....

RAJMA SEVPURI.......

2007-08-05T22:12:00.000+05:30

A couple of months back I had made RAJMA TACOS a fusion dish which had the Mexican tacos and Indian style rajma masala

Today to satisfy my thirst for innovation I made a fusion which has chat item with a main course item. Believe me it tasted great!!!
You will find the recipe of Rajma in my earlier RAJMA TACOS post which you can find here.

Rest of the procedure is simple
Take sevpuri top it with rajma masala and garnish with sev and chat masala.
You can add tomato ketchup or cheese on top which is optional.