Anna Parabrahma

Sanjeevanam: Vegetarian Health Restaurant

2011-12-29T11:06:00.001+05:30

As colorful as a painter's palette:

Shot glasses of Khajur drink, Cashew milk, Beetroot soup, Mathaa and Ganji.

The raw foods (Rto L):

Aval puttu, Mix veg salad, Banana pith raita, beetroot salad

The semi-cooked foods (front to back):

Olan, Ashgourd Kichadi, Pumkin pachadi and Banana flower stir fry

Finally the cooked food

Keerai and Bitter gourd stir fry

Red rice and Avial

White rice and Greens sambhar

Pineapple tomato rasam

Moong dal

Aval payasam

Spoonful of honey

Vegetable paan: minced veggies with nut paste

At Sanjeevanam, Kormangala we walk into a glass enclosed courtyard with a tree at the center. Under the tree we sit at a perfectly set table. Soumiya and Me were there to try the Ayurveda based meal.

This restaurant is from the stables of Cholayil the company that follows ayurvedic traditions in their products, of which the Medimix soap that makes them a known name in every household.

This restaurant is good for a try once, the colorful drinks served in shot glasses is the high point of the meal. The staff carefully explains the order of foods to be consumed, beginning with a slice of banana as the appetizer, the juices to tune the stomach, the raw food, the semi-cooked and finally the cooked food. There is lots of buttermilk and curd to round off the meal. The closure of this formal meal is with a spoon of honey to help digest and a vegetable paan to freshen up the mouth.

Here in Blr. it's a buffet but at their other locations in Ernakulam and Chennai they serve on banana leaves.

What do I say about it? It's one place you will call healthy even when you are dinning out. The food it almost like home cooked, contrary to people's belief that healthy food might taste like bad hospital food; this meal was yummy. My favorites were the shot glasses of drinks, the banana pith raita and the aval payasam.

The presence of such a restaurant in Blr. shows everything has a place on the foodscapes here.

Address

Cholayil Sanjeevanam, Kendriya Sadan
Koramangala 2B Block, Koramangala, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560034

Note: Check out the Fab India store housed in the old world bungalow with a courtyard across the road. That should complete your ethic experience. I bought handmade soaps, perfumed oil and lip balm for my Uncle and Aunt.

Awala Supari

2011-12-26T17:45:00.001+05:30

In Blr. We get Awala or gooseberry almost all the year round. Yet the Awala in winter is the best. I bought some to make Nellikayi Chitranna and there were at least 5 more left. I had never made Awala supari ever but had seen my aunt make it. It is as simple as chop in to bits, sprinkle salt and dry it in the sun. This fruit does not release much water even after salting so you can just mix the salt into the bite sized pieces in a plate and keep it out in the sun. To get completely dried Awala supari you will have to leave it out for at least 3 days under the strong sun.

Store the dried Awala supari in a clean dry airtight box.

It is tart and salty when eaten as is but drink water after it and you sense the sweetness on the tongue. For people who do not know what is supari, it is mouth fresher. Like you all know that Awala is a power source of vitamin C but in this form it acts as a digestive too.

Go ahead make your own.

Goodbye Ashwath Narayan

2011-12-22T23:39:00.004+05:30

My eyes are swollen as I type this. I had to post this today for Ashwath Narayan Uncle, who was an ardent follower of my blogs. I know he will be reading this from wherever he is today.

I met him first time at Blr. Railway station when we both were there to see off our common friend Late Dr. Appa Athavale way back in 2005-6. Ever since Ashwath Narayan uncle, Parimala aunty, Manasa and Chetan have been family to me. It is so hard to say a final goodbye to him but we did today.

If he has a way he will take a print out of this and show it to the almighty saying read it, Anjali has written it. He had taken copies of my travel journal and distributed to the group with whom he visited North East of India.

Here is an old post of a trip with his clan, they so gracefully include us. I have wonderful memories like these of Ashwath Narayan uncle.

I mourn the loss with you, Parimala aunty, Manasa, Chetan and Kunal (Son-in-law) yet we know he will be watching you all and to me like always I hear him say, "Will watch your blog".

Shree Brahmachaitanya Gondavalekar Maharaj's family of devotees will miss you. Shree Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram.

Goodbye dear friend ~~ fly away and be free ~~

Divine Connect With Ruhaniyat

2011-12-11T19:48:00.000+05:30

Click the image to visit their site.

It was a beautiful stage set for a promising evening in the courtyard of Jayamahal Palace Hotel. I had been excited about it ever since I got to know about it through the weekly mail from Bookmyshow. I purchased my tickets 15 days in advance. Such is the reputation of Ruhaniyat.

Ruhaniyat is a festival of Sufi & Mystic Music that travels around India. They visit the 7 major cities in India between November and March. This is their 11th year and I was lucky to be able to make it for the Bangalore performance.

Last night was a beautiful night to experience the divine, not just because I was at Ruhaniyat to listen to the Mystical music but also because of a Celestial event. It was a Lunar eclipse, perfectly timed between 7 pm and 10 pm. We sat there under the trees with the sky above us just turning the night blue. As the host opened the festival she rightly mentioned that it was going to be an evening of Ibadat or worship. In Hinduism we do namasmaran or jap during an eclipse. That oriented us for the evening.

The first performance was by Abdul Rashid Hafiz & group from Kashmir. The evening air was filled with lilting music of the Rubab, Kashmiri Sarangi with the sweet rolling of the words from the Mystic songs in Kashmiri. I wrapped myself up with a shawl, I simply had to stay for the entire night out in this open courtyard I knew it right at the start.

Avdhoot Gandhi from Alandi, Maharashtra and his group performed an Abhanga, Bharud and a Gondhal. Compositions of Savata Mali, Bahina Bai and Eknath Maharaj embellished Avdhoot's powerful singing. This was a performance in my mother tongue so could not stop myself from singing along. The Gondhali got the audience swaying in their seat with his prowess on the Sambal (folk drums) and when they sang praises of Goddess Ambabai, I too joint in the Udho! The Shankhnaad (blowing of the conch shell) elevated the pitch. The host mentioned that Avdhoot Gandhi is a descendant from Shree Dyaneshwar Mauli's Maternal family and the Varkari people's first stop is at his family home. He is blessed and talented too.

On the heels came in the singers Indra and Shakur Khan with their team to present the Sufi Kalams of Bulle Shah and others. Unfailingly the Khadtal player, Daevo Khan was the most popular with his enticing movements. He even did a jugalbandi with the tabla player.

After all the celebratory moods from Maharashtra and Rajasthan, it was the turn of the soul of this whole event Parvathy Baul. She enthralls the audience like none, performing alone on the stage dressed in saffron saree wrapped in Bengali style, her knee length hair worn as Jata. When she sings, pure, sincere and full of Bhaav / emotions is a voice that invokes a connect with the divine. She is this tiny women with a voice that emerges from her belly and a face as innocent as a child. You see that Tandri on her face and your focus turns inwards. She sways with Krishna as she strums her Ek tara and plays the Duggi. She jumps in sheer joy as she says the lord belongs to her and is only hers. Inspite of travelling all over the world performing at big and small festivals, she performs as if this is her only performance. In the entire evening she was the one who gave goosebumps and I experienced the meaning of Ruhaniyat!

We saw the stage being dusted with some powder and we knew what to expect next, ofcourse the Whirling Dervishes. They performed the Sema, a prayer service. We were told not to clap after the performance respecting the Turkish culture and traditions laid down for Sema. The Dervishes walked in slowly and stood in one corner of the stage wearing a black cloak. The ceremony is all about symbolism, they remove the cloak and set out on a journey of spirituality through Sema. The Camel hair hat they wear stands for the ego, the white skirt for the ego's shroud. The whirling is the singular movement in the whole ceremony. It represents revolution, of the circulation of blood, of the revolving universe etc. They start off by bowing towards Mecca and cross hands across the chest, signifying there is only one God and that we have to be one with God. Then as they start whirling they slowly open their hands in delicate moves, bringing them down to the hips and then lifting them slowly upwards the right hand pointing upwards to receive the blessings from God and the left pointing down to the Earth to distribute those blessings to the needy. These dervishes therefore are symbolic medium for the common man to receive the gift from God. The mood of the ceremony was further enhanced by the smell of rose water and incense in the air. When one experiences Sema one realizes the irrelevance of religion to spirituality and I am sure people not exposed to Hinduism will say the same when they see some of our rituals.

During the intermission I looked up at the night sky, it was still shrouded with clouds and I suddenly caught a glimpse of the shadow of the earth just moving out from the moon. The eclipse was coming to an end.

After an intermission the night's last performers, the duo Shameem and Nayeem Ajmeri entertained the audience with some spirited Sufi Qawwali. The cake on the icing was Ghungroo ofcourse for which Shameem Ajmeri has earned much applause. He mesmerized the audience with his bols of the Ghungroo which he does vocally, the jugalbandi of ghungroo and payal, the sounds of a single ghungroo and the scattering of the ghungroo. There was a demand for once more as this was the last performance for the night and they concluded it with a composition called Rang.

Ruhaniyat is a musical, spiritual, long lasting experience. I would be looking forward to it every year now on...

Chasing Away Sinusitis With Ukala

2011-12-10T01:16:00.000+05:30

It is that time of the year when you cuddle up in the rocking chair with Ukala and Sweet bread with a blanket on the knee and book in hand. The book has been replaced by the iPAD now but the warm fuzzy feeling is still derived from the Ukala. I think this wonderful drink is magic also due to the aroma therapy of the volatile oils from the spices.

It is the time of the year when your Sinuses play havoc. One nostril is blocked and the other is warm. I don't like sprays, sniffies and other sinus gear. What I like best is twice a day of this Ukala that makes you warm inside out. The blood rushes caused by the spicy heat from the Ukala gives you that fuzzy feeling you desire most in the cold winters. I like to hold my large cup in both my palms and move it across my forehead while it is still hot. Pure therapy, as I sip on my Ukala the slightly thickened milk slides down my tongue and the heat from the spice hits my throat. The brain senses the nice smoothness and brightens the mood. I have never been a milk lover but this Ukala is an excuse to enjoy it once in a while. The Tryptophan is strong enough to make me doze off peacefully when had just before bedtime.

Ingredients

Ukala Masala

3 tablespoons Black Pepper Corns

1 tablespoon Cardamom pods

2 tablespoons Jyeshtha Madh/ Mulathi powder

1 tablespoon Cloves

2 sticks Cinnamon

In a mortar and pestle powder all the ingredients. Store it in a jar in a dry place. Use 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon of this Masala for your Ukala.

Note: If you do not like fresh ginger or cannot avail it you can include 2 tablespoons of dry ginger powder in this masala, mix well and store.

I use fresh ginger most times so add it to the boiling milk.

300 ml Milk (I like to use Goodlife since it is thicker than other brands)

1/4 teaspoon of the Ukala Masala

1/4 teaspoon Dry Ginger powder
OR 1/4 inch Fresh Ginger

2 teaspoons of honey

In a clean pot boil Milk and this Ukala Masala, till your milk gets a little thick or gets a faint pinkish tinge. Boil it down to 200ml. Strain, pour into your favorite cup, add honey and mix well. Enjoy the fragrant warm sip.

Many of my friends have come to Blr. for work from warmer places of their birth and the cold here puts them down. Nimmy, Pinka, Jyoti and Aditya this post is for you. Say Cheers with Ukala!

Tip: This same masala can be used to make a spice tea when boiled with water. To get your strong Masala Chai just add the tea leaves along with this Masala to hot boiling water, brew to your taste and add a splash of milk for the perfect cup.

Paratha Tomato Omelette Roll

2011-12-07T00:10:00.000+05:30

Growing up in Fort with a Masjid in the lane meant watching those months of Ramzan convert our lane into a street food court. There have been many recipes I would have learnt if I had paid attention for my home had strategic view of the happenings below in the lane.

There was one which is very easy to recollect due to its simplicity. Though I loved watching it then I hated the smells. Egg does smell awful. Well did you guess I was talking about Baida roti. It is the simplest yet sinful snack. It is a maida paratha on which eggs are broken, onions are thrown on to it along with green chilies and cilantro. This is fried in oil on the Tava. The sizzling making many a men hungry after their prayers. It was a sight to watch them dig their teeth into a supersized roll.

Flash forward, last Sunday as has been the scene in the last few weeks here, I wanted to make something that was a hearty meal without too much prep or leftovers later. This is a perfect recipe for the criteria. One of these rolls stuffs you to the brim. I took the short cut of pulling out a frozen Kerala paratha for this. The rest was almost fast food style cooking.

Ingredient

1 Kerala paratha

1 cup of Tomato Omelet Batter

On a Tava pour oil, you are frying it so be generous. Pour the tomato omelette batter and put the paratha over it. Fry on both sides till golden and crisp. Remove and wrap it into a roll in either cling film or foil. Hand it out hot to your loved ones and see their faces light up.

I loved stuffing my mouth as I bit into it. The paratha was super crunchy yet flaky and the omelet snug on the paratha with juicy tomatoes. It was a truly heartwarming meal. I had a glass of orange Tang to wash it down. Such a simple lunch became so special.

Those of you who eat egg go ahead and try it with your fave omelet recipe. This veg version is equally delish I tell you.

Chiroti Some Sweet Some Spicy

2011-11-25T23:17:00.000+05:30

I was still studying in college when I first made Chiroti. I followed all the instructions to the T as per the recipe in Mangala Barve's Annapoorna.

Ever since people who have eaten the Chiroti I make have conferred many loving titles on me. The best came from a family friend Mrs. Joshi, she who was born in the family of Bedekars, yes the famous household name. One Diwali she, her son Santosh and daughter were visiting us. I had offered Naivedya of Chiroti immediately after making them. My Uncle MJ offered them the Chiroti to taste. Mrs. Joshi loved them so much that she pulled me close and blessed me. It meant a big deal to me then and even now! for in the Bedekar and Joshi families all the women are sugrani, super cooks I mean besides being gourmands, tells my uncle.

If there is a single Diwali sweet my uncle MJ loves, it is these expressions of love the Gulabache Chiroti as they are called in Annapoorna. They do look like rose flowers if you use food color in the dough. I am against using artificial colors in food so you will almost never find me using it.

You can't imagine the happiness of my family when they get a parcel of Chiroti carefully packed in fragile handling material, reach them whole after traveling 1000 kms through 2 states by road. Every single time, what follows are long calls of appreciation and showering of love. Each time my uncle MJ's share is tampered with, for I am partial to him and its always a bigger pack.Well and now with all the diet restrictions my uncle does not eat sweets, so I gave some of the Chiroti a sprinkle of spice instead of a shower of sugar.

I am sharing this time tested recipe here from the book but I don't pound the dough with mortar and pestle anymore I might have done that only the first two times I made Chiroti. My method is simpler and I use pure ghee instead of Dalda for the shortening.

I am sure you will want to taste these Chiroti now after reading about how crazy my family is about these.Try them out now :D its the start of a weekend and make it some sweet and some spicy...

Ingredients

For the dough
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup molten ghee
60 ml milk
1/4 cup powdered sugar + 4 cardamoms pounded
1 spoon of red chili powder

For the greasing layer
1/4 cup molten ghee
2 tablespoons corn flour

Ghee for Frying

In a kneading bowl, put together all the ingredients all purpose flour, salt, molten but not hot ghee and milk. Knead into a really tight dough and leave it in the bowl. After an hour just beat the dough with the rolling pin till slightly soft and pliable. Divide the dough into 6 parts. Roll out all into chapathis. Now like you see here first make a paste of the ghee and cornflour. Use this paste to slather on one side of all the chapathis. Now tightly roll up one chapathi and overlap the second one a bit like in the picture and continue rolling up. Similarly roll up all six chapathis. Now roll the bundle a bit on the counter to tighten up and slightly increase the length of the roll.

Next cut up the roll into 1 cm thick roundels. I got 18 such.

Then roll out these roundels into puri sized Chiroti. When rolling out ensure you start rolling at a slant. This will keep the layers overlapped and hence make them strong enough for frying and holding the shape.

Now heat the ghee in a small kadhai. Once the ghee is hot reduce the flame to medium and then fry Chiroti about 2-3 at a time. Splash hot oil on the Chiroti to enable the loosening up of the layers to almost look like a blooming rose. Once they have the beautiful gold tan remove them on a kitchen paper lined mesh. Fry all of them.

Then while they are still warm shower some with cardamom and powdered sugar mix

Sprinkle some with red chili powder

Kadlekai Parishe, The Groundnut Fair

2011-11-20T23:45:00.000+05:30

Going back in time in the middle of a growing city

Tonight I was at the Kadlekai Parishe or The Groundnut Fair on Bull Temple road in Basavangudi. This is the first time I went there in all these years here in Bangalore. I live in South Bangalore which is so rich in its heritage and culture. This fair started today and will go on till Tuesday evening. The fair takes place annually and has been a tradition to appease the residing deity, The Big Bull with the first harvest of groundnuts. The farmers from surrounding villages come to sell here.

I walked from Ramakrishna Ashram towards the temple, soaking in the atmosphere. It is so amazing to watch Bangalorians enjoy this fair. In rural India this is the only way of entertainment but Bangalore has it all and still attracts huges numbers to the fair, to enjoy simple things like boiled peanuts, sliced fruits with salt and pepper, cucumbers, fluffy pink sugar candy. The little shops sell all sorts of stuff from fried savories to puffed rice, sugar crafts, halva etc. Other things like toy sellers, cheap artificial flower sellers, pots and pans and other kitchen implements which we get only in rural areas are available here at the fair.

My buys at this fair consisted of a appe patra, Gods posters with glitter and ground nuts for cooking. I ate hot fresh popcorn made in sand, bought some boiled peanuts but did not manage to eat. Then finally I walked toward Kamat at Bugle Rock and had my dinner there.

See the vivid colors of the fair...

Bikhre Bimb: An Eerie Ending

2011-11-17T23:27:00.000+05:30

Bikhre Bimb has an eerie ending. You leave the theater with that feeling. Almost O'Henryish twist at the end only O'Henry writes happy endings.

That said, It is a nice short Hindi play about 1.5hrs run. Girish Karnad deviates from his usual history based story writing to in this day play writing. A fifty something looking author comes to a TV studio for an interview to retaliate to her detractors who are accusing her of ditching her image of a Kannada writer, emerging as a Indian author who writes in English and the maiden novel is a bestseller. The overnight fame and her command over the language is something questionable feels the Kannada writers fraternity.

As she finishes her interview her alter ego comes alive on the TV screen and starts questioning her conscience about her writing in English and the origins of the story. The conversations of the author and the alter ego nudges her conscience and the story literally tumbles out. What starts as a light humorous conversation turns into deep searching questions that dumbfound the writer. Arundhati Nag plays both shades of the real and the virtual TV image with ease and honesty. Its a treat to watch her especially from the second row, every twitch of an eyebrow and shake of a hand that tries to rubbish the assumptions made by the virtual image glows in the spotlight.

I am tempted to sneak this picture I share here and then the hawked eyed Gayathri Krishna (the co-ordinator), comes down to where I am sitting and frisks my iPAD, "Lets go" she says. I let her take away my new prized possession. I am embarrassed to death and trying to duck under the seats, realizing I was in Ranga Shankara and that was not possible. After a while I go up sheepishly to the last row stand next to her and watch the rest of the show from 60ft height.

Girish Karnad is one of my favorite authors and actors too. Love how he spins stories and the dialogues, in this play too he comments on the current scenarios of education, literature and relationships. Don't know if the charachter's husband is a co-incidence that he is from the IT industry. I did find that mentioning the IT companies in Blr. a gimmickry to please the audience in this IT hub that Blr. is or should it be said that art reflects life. That is but a small thing and plus it made this resident of that Industry smile at the mention.

In terms of being upgraded; there now I talk IT jargon, Girish has made leaps and bounds from history to present day technology, the alter ego speaks from an LCD TV. The props lining the wall indicate that it is a TV studio with panel mounted multiple LCD screens. Good to see that modern day theater has embraced technology. Yes I went to the theater after eons, hence my excitement.

Even though I was at a height and could not see the nuances on Arundhati's face, her body language conveyed so much. The bearing of a shallow woman, she a victim of parental discrimination, of the do gooder sister was awesome. She brought out well the denial of disharmony between her and husband, so typically middle class. The torture that she went through being witness to the blooming love between her sister and her own husband was almost palpable even in the last rows of the auditorium. This role is written for Arundhati Nag!

As she had walked in on stage checking out the studio and went on to monologue, my Dad whispered in my ear, "Marathi Hindi". Couldn't tell if that diction was again a bearing for the role or natural. It works to the advantage of the character played.

Easily an entertaining play that just builds on you and ends with an eerie feeling as you laugh with the real and the virtual images. "What was eerie about it?" you might ask. If I tell you everything that's a spoiler, go watch it at Ranga Shankara next when its playing. It's homeground for the actress and it was my first visit to Ranga Shankara in all these years in Blr. Love the ambience, the seating, it felt like I was an amateur natakwali myself.

At the end Arundhati thanked the crew, saying that we see only her on stage but there were so many behind this performance. It was flawless I must say given that technology involved. Ask us the users of VCON and Telepresence what we go through each time we set up conferencing. Kudos for the team for that!

I was so excited when I reached Ranga Shankar last Saturday, was sipping coffee at their rustic cafeteria with Dad; I almost yelped on spotting Girish Karnad chatting away to someone at the entrance. My Dad tried to coax me to request a pose and a click but I was too shy. The graceful versatile personality obliged everyone in the theater by walking down the aisle and on to the stage, making this performance a memorable one for the houseful audience.

Original Kannada Script: Girish Karnad

Hindi Translation: Padmavati Rao

Actor: Arundhati Nag

Directors: Girish Karnad/ KM Chaitanya

Ticket Price: Rs. 100 (They should be applauded for keeping it affordable for everyone)

Venue: Ranga Shankara

Well in the end Gayathri handed back the iPAD to me with a smile, but her words will ring in my ears, "You have no idea what it takes to stand up alone in front of so many people."

I do understand and appreciate. Sorry for not abiding by the rules, Rasik lok aamhi ! :D

White Beans and Scallions Salad

2011-11-15T06:00:00.000+05:30

This is a bean salad made in Indo-Chinese style and can be likened to a sundal. Simple clean flavors. Yet satisfying like any source of protein. The scallions add the Chinese fresh flavor to it. The pepper and a dash of lime gives it a nice spice and tang. The cumin tadka is an Indian twist. It can be eaten on its own or as an accompaniment like we did today. It's so simple you may want to make it now if you have the White beans soaked over night. We had a similar salad at Auroville recently and ever since I wanted to make it at home.

Ingredients

1 cup White beans (soaked over night in water and boiled in the morning)

1/2 cup scallions

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 teaspoons of oil

1/2 teaspoon freshly crushed black pepper

salt to taste

lime juice, a squeeze

Heat oil in a wok. Add the cumin and let is sizzle and release the aroma. Quickly add scallions and stir fry for just a minute. Add the boiled beans. Season with fresh crushed black pepper, a squeeze of lime and salt. Mix well and its ready to serve.

Simply delicious!

Schezuan Sauce

2011-11-13T00:41:00.000+05:30

My Uncle, MJ loves spicy stuff bordering on fiery. There are a few things he likes to be made at home, one of it is this Schezuan Sauce. So my Aunt, Aruna Kaki makes it in large batches. Everyone on both sides of her family love to get their share from her. I never get mine unless I stay with her because I do road trips to Mumbai and nothing stays good in a 15hrs drive between the two cities, the heat on the road is just too much. Once when I was with her she assigned me the task of peeling a 4 inch basket of garlic. Once upon a time I hated doing it but that day I obliged and was keen to learn this recipe from her. This recipe is a small quantity I made to use a couple of times.

Ingredients

2 medium bulbs of garlic

3 teaspoon Kashmiri Chili powder

1/4 cup of vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

3 tablespoons sesame oil or mustard oil

First skin the garlic, collect the cloves in the chutney grinder jar. Add the Kashmiri Chili powder, vinegar, sugar and salt. Grind to a smooth paste.

Heat the oil in a tadka spoon to smokiness. Add the sesame seeds to it and put off the heat. Quickly pour it over the ground paste and mix well.

I got about 5 tablespoons of sauce, of which 3 went into the Schezuan Fried Rice and 2 are frozen for use later. For dips thin it with more oil or vinegar or water.

There you go! Your Schezuan Sauce is ready. Use it for the Schezuan Fried Rice or as a dip with starters.

Schezuan Fried Rice

2011-11-10T22:30:00.000+05:30

Diwali is long over and now the craving has set in for spicy warm flavors as the winter advents in Blr. I'm partial to Schezuan Fried Rice than the tame Veg Fried Rice. I have not found a single place in Blr. that makes a mean Schezuan rice. Here they use tomato ketchup in the Schezuan rice which makes the rice so limp in taste. Mine is a fiery hot and tasty Indian influenced Chinese rice. Its been years since I made my own Schezuan sauce and Fried rice. I am sharing here the Schezuan Fried Rice first and then will follow the recipe for the sauce. This recipe is from my Aunt, Aruna Kaki and my own twist to it. Kaki does not use soya sauce in her Schezuan Fried Rice while I do. Give it a try and let me know what you think of it.

Ingredients

1 cup raw rice

2 tablespoons soya sauce

3 tablespoons Schezuan Sauce

1.5 cup of mix vegetables diced fine (french beans, carrots, etc.)

1 cup chopped spring onions

2 tablespoons sesame oil or mustard oil

3/4 teaspoon salt

First wash clean and soak the rice in water for 1/2 hr. Then cook it in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles. Remove it out on a tray and fluff it up so you get separate grains of rice. Clumpy rice is no good.

Meanwhile steam the mixed veggies, I used just fresh french bean sliced teeny weeny and grated the carrots. Strain them to drain all water if any.

Heat oil to smokiness, add the steamed veggies. Stir quickly then add the Schezuan Sauce and soya sauce. Deftly mix the sauce and veggies. Now add the fine chopped spring onions. Mix in the rice and salt the dish. Be careful with the salt, both the sauces have salt in them. Give one final stir and mix. You will see the beautiful Kashmiri chili lending its intense red color to the rice. Pl. do not use food color, it is cancer causing. The natural red color is bright by it self.

Serve hot is bowls all the way Chinese style and pick up the chopstick if you can do them justice.

That's the Chinese meal we enjoyed last weekend!

Schezuan Veg Fried Rice, White bean salad with scallions, Schezuan sauce and Knorr's Hot and sour soup.

Laxmi Pujan and Tulashi Vivaha

2011-11-08T23:09:00.002+05:30

Laxmi Pujan and the Goddess's foot prints.

Welcome Oh Goddess of wealth!

Please take your seat in our humble home and grant us prosperity!

My ever enthusiastic SIL, Sapna is such a superb combination of modern and traditional. She manages a home of five and works for a Insurance company as a Quality auditor. I have seen her struggle doing the balancing act when I spent two months in Mumbai with my family. I felt like reaching out to her because she is so much younger than me and carries the family responsibilities so well. Mind you we are a family that would just let her be even if she did not do this, typically my father and Uncle would say, let go, Jaoo de. I'm sure her MIL, Devaki Kaki and Aunt Inlaw, my Mom are blessing her from wherever they are and watching her. She is just so precious to us.

This post is for her, to applaud her spirit and dedication to our family. Love you lady and God bless!

Tulashi Vivaha

May the Goddess Tulashi bring in auspiciousness for the unmarried in the family and fertility for the married.

Let our home resonate with purity and devotion.

Oozing Plum Cake

2011-11-06T10:17:00.000+05:30

A long time ago when Plums were in season I made this cake. This one is a beauty not only in appearance but in flavors too. Plus like most of my cakes it is light and how I love to bake with fruit. The plum on baking concentrates in tartness and sweetness and the fragrance is heavenly as you bite into a piece. This is an upside down cake so it is given that the place where the fruit and cake meet is soaked and soft. If you prefer to have your cake dry then using this same recipe make a plum sauce and dress up the sponge. The star anise in this cake lends the spice notes that make anyone happy, its unusual in a cake!

When I baked this cake I did not have a single whole star anise, it was all broken in my spice box and was waiting to be used for a longish time. I don't use star anise much in my curries but preserves are another thing. I wanted to bake it again when I had plums and a whole star anise to stud the cake and make a glamorous picture for the blog but then I waited long and the plums went out of season and I did not get to buying star anise again. So here I am posting with the only picture I have of the cake.

This is a very simple recipe so follow me...

Ingredients

1 cup Plums cored and sliced

2 tablespoons of sugar

2 star anise

Cake sponge
1.5 cups All purpose flour
1/2 tin sweet condensed milk
1/4 cup oil
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon star anise powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup of sugar or more
some milk to adjust the thickness of the batter

Grease a 3 inch baking tin, I used my hexagon. Grease it and dust it only on the sides, prepare it for the baking. Now layer the slices of ripe plum at the bottom of the tin. Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of sugar and star anise powder. Keep aside.

Preheat the oven at 185 deg Celsius. I like to use my convection oven for this so it take 10 mins of preheating.

Now in a mixing bowl beat up the sweet condensed milk, oil and sugar together till it is dissolved.

Sieve together the flour, star anise powder, baking powder and salt. Now fold in this aerated dry mix little by little into the liquid mix. Incase the batter is thick use a little bit of milk.

Then pour the batter over the plum slices. Put the baking tin into the preheated oven and bake till the knife when inserted in the sponge comes of dry. You will see the plum sauce bubbling on the sides, that is how it should be. It takes about 25 to 30 mins for a golden bake.

Let it cool for 10 mins then turn over in a plate or cake holding dish. Be careful and the sauce may still be hot. Make sure the fruit is now topping the cake. Let the sauces flow over the cake that's what will give it the oozing look.

This cake tastes besk when fresh and warm. The aroma of the baked plum and star anise is absolutely divine. Bake it! Experience it!!

My Diwali

2011-10-30T10:01:00.002+05:30

My platter of Faral, Karanji, Chivda, Steamed Rava Ladu, Mast Ladoo and Shankarpali

Those are my fairy lights, my Kandeel and Deep

Hello Friends! How was your Diwali?

Mine was special, am still soaking in it. It all began on Dhanatrayodashi and this entire week has been lovely and memorable.

The little terracotta lamp is a gift from my friend Deepa for attending her housewarming ceremony. The Kandeel and ceramic platter are from Auroville.

I had an off from work on Thu, which was Balipratipada or Diwali Padva so on that day I was able to make the ladoos, Chivda and Shankarpali with help from Dad. I made Karanji yesterday :P technically after Diwali.

On Bhau bij which was a Fri I spoke to my bros, Vijay, Hrushi and Sumeet. It was a remote ovaLni / aarti. Of receiving blessings from Vijay Bhau and me in turn blessing the younger ones.

On Thu we were invited to Vidya aunty's home for a high tea. We shared our sweets while she returned the favor with these treats.

Vidya Shenoy aunty's Faral, Wheat halwa, Karanji with Cocoa and coconut and Mande

The Latern Is Hung, The Diya Is Lit!

2011-10-26T09:26:00.005+05:30

Wishing everyone a very Happy Deepavali!

Pineapple Rasam

2011-10-23T07:30:00.003+05:30

My favorite fruit for cooking is pineapple. Only after living in the south I have learnt to use it in cooking. This is a very flavorful rasam that can lift your spirits in minutes and those chunky pineapple pieces taste awesome and juicy. I love rasam and rice when one consciously wants a light tummy. On my bros birthday we ate so much in the day that this was the obvious choice for a dinner.

Here is how it is made.

Ingredients

1 cup pineapple chunks

1 tablespoon rasam powder

1 green chili slit

handful of curry leaves

handful of cilantro

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/4 teaspoon asafoetida

1 teaspoon oil

1/4 cup tamarind pulp
500 ml water

salt to taste

Heat oil. Splutter Mustard. Add the asafoetida, green chili, curry leaves. Let it crispen a bit. Then add the pineapple chunks. Cover and cook for 5 mins. Once pineapple is cooked add the rasam powder and tamarind extract. Add all the water. Boil vigorously for 5-7 mins till the masala gets cook. Sprinkle the chopped cilantro and put of the heat.

Serve hot with piping hot steamed rice or sip it in a cup. Life's simple pleasures will come to you.

Click on the label for Pineapple you will find some sooper delicious recipes on this blog.

Mocha Cake Layered With Ice Cream

2011-10-19T23:43:00.001+05:30

After much pondering finally I zeroed in on a Mocha cake layered with ice cream for Hrushi's birthday. I mentioned before that this was our celebration together after 6yrs. When we all lived together I tried my best to make my little bros happy and why not this one is my fan. So when he landed here in Blr. he was fed to the brim. His birthday especially was packed with eats right from a breakfast of Dhokla and elaborate lunch out and a high tea with this cake cutting and the day wound up with a simple Pineapple Rasam and rice followed by Ganga Jamuna Ice Cream.

Ingredients

For Chocolate Sponge Layer

3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup Sugar free
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup Amul Mithai mate/ condensed milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil

For Coffee Sponge Layer

3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup Sugar free
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup Milk

1/4 Filter coffee decoction
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Ice cream for fill layers

Make your own or buy

Fresh cream

1 cup fresh cream

1 tablespoon of sugar

Walnuts for the studs

Keep two mixing bowls ready. Grease and dust the baking tray with flour, keep aside.

Boil water and pour it over 3-4 teaspoons of coffee powder in the traditional filter. Let the decoction collect.

Now for the Chocolate sponge, sieve the flour and cocoa powder along with the baking powder. This will make the cake light and airy. In a mug beat up the oil, condensed milk and sugar together till completely dissolved. Then fold this wet mix and flour together gently. Pour it into the prepared baking tin. Keep aside.

Next for the Coffee sponge, sieve the flour and baking powder in the mixing bowl. In a mug beat together milk, oil, sugar and coffee decoction till sugar is dissolved and the liquid froths. Then fold the flour and liquid together. Pour the mix above the chocolate layer in the baking tin.

Preheat Convection Oven with both elements on for 10 mins. Then bake the cake for 20 mins or till it is a golden bake. Insert a knife to check if it comes out dry. Let is cool for 10 mins then unmould on the grill. Keep this sponge ready atleast couple of hours before assembling the cake.

I baked this in a 9X11 tray. This makes it easier to cut into strips of 3 inch width. Now on a plate keep one strip. Layer it with Ganga Jamuna Ice Cream. Then put the next strip of cake over it. Add one more layer of ice cream same or different for variation. The third layer and finally slash it with Fresh cream.

Whip up the fresh cream with sugar till fluffy. Use this for the top layer.

Now stud this beauty with chopped walnuts.

We were supposed to travel the next day so divided the cake into 3 giant portions for the 3 of us, Hrushi, Dad and me.

The ice cream melted so fast when I was clicking so it looked like a puddle in the pics but still tasted good. Next time larger slices of ice cream should go between the cake layers. But the puddle of ice cream does act like a sauce. Thanks to Hrushi and Dad they didn't complain with the blog obsessed cook who takes pics of everything she bakes and cooks and then this is what you get :P

Ganga Jamuna Ice Cream

2011-10-16T00:41:00.000+05:30

There is something about zest that I love so much. If I had a choice I would have used it to flavor almost everything. I love the thick skinned oranges and always harvest the zest for various uses like the Candied Orange Peel I made sometime ago which are ubiquitous in my baking. Here however the zest is in all its splendor fresh and full of life burst. This is the easiest ice cream you can make. It's texture is like ice candy crushed in ice cream. It coulld be creamed to smoothness but that is not what I wanted because I like orange duets and I like scoops too. So here you have a fun flavor and texture. Now it is candy and now it is creamy.

It gets its name from a childhood favorite juice we'd have at Kandeel's juice center while walking back from school. Hrushi would walk down from Scholar at Electric House along with V bhau and pick me up at my school, St.Annes Fort and then the long walk home. Both Hrushi and me loved Ganga Jamuna the name given to a combo of equal parts of orange and sweet lime juiced together. It draws inspiration from the confluence of the two revered rivers in the Indian sub-continent.

We were celebrating Hrushi's birthday together after 6yrs so I wanted to make all the things associated with our childhood. So this was the chosen flavor for the ice cream. I even fed him a spoon of this ice cream when he left for Mumbai in lieu of curd which we feed to family when leaving home.

The recipe is too simple and you will love it.

Ingredients

Zest of 1 orange

Juice of 1 orange + 1 sweet lime

2 cups Amul cream

0.5 cup sugar (more if you like)

In a blender fix the whipping blade. Add the cream and sugar and whip till frothy. Now fold in the zest and juice. Pour out the mixture into a freezer safe box. I kept the height of the liquid to 1 inch to get quicker setting.

Once frozen, a min of 4 hrs scoop out and serve. This ice cream melts fast due to the juice content. So serve just before eating. My bro loved it hope you do too.

We enjoyed it on it's own and was also paired with something else. Won't you come back to see what else I did with it.

Tender Peanuts In White Curry

2011-10-09T08:48:00.000+05:30

Tender peanuts in white curry with steamed rice and Talleli Vangi

Exactly after two weeks I am here on the blog, this time round with new flavors to woo you. Yesterday evening I did not want to make some thing elaborate but did want something lip smacking. I had boiled fresh peanuts to snack on at tea time but had forgotten to add salt when boiling them so they got shelved for later. The peanuts were tender and tempting and assured to be great in a curry so here is a recipe I rustled up just like that. My Dad wanted the large brinjal to be sliced up and fried. I did just that to add color to the platter and heighten the spice for the evening as this curry is a mild one in every way. Plus you've heard this before how Dad is almost obsessed with red curries and this curry is white.

So here you go...

Ingredients

1.5 cups boiled, shelled fresh peanuts
1 medium onion
4 cloves garlic
0.5 inch ginger
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
1 teaspoon fennel
1 teaspoon cumin
0.5 cup fresh grated coconut
1 green chili
1 bay leaf

a handful of cilantro to garnish
2 teaspoon oil

In a vessel heat oil. Fry the garlic in it till soft. Add the sesame seeds, fennel and cumin in that order as they emanate essential oils. Add the onions and fry till translucent. Then let it cool off a bit.

Now in a blender add the fresh grated coconut, all the fried stuff mentioned above. Dice up the ginger and add. Slit the green chili and let it go into the blender. Now give it a whiz and grind to smooth paste adding water to allow grinding well. Keep aside.

Now in a vessel combine the ground masala, tender peanuts and bay leaf and bring to boil. In about 7-8 mins your curry it ready to be served over steamed rice but not before garnishing with chopped cilantro.

Its a very tasty curry. Though I made it mild may be if you like more heat you can use more green chilies. Here the peanuts have to be really tender or boil them to super softness if you do not have really tender peanuts.

This is an original from my kitchen lab.

Breaking Dibba Roti with Kiran

2011-09-23T22:54:00.000+05:30

Dibba Roti with Gongura Pickle

Kiran and me had been planning an outing together for a long time. Finally we did make it one sunday. I reached her home on the IIMB campus early morning at 7 am. We were supposed to have breakfast and then proceed to A Fortress & A Temple for a little trek and and lots of fresh air just on the edge of Bangalore city.

This is what I love about Blr.,1/2 to 1 hrs drive and we are in rural Blr and with nature. This was never possible in Mumbai. We, that's Kiran and me are both Mumbai born and bred and both have started loving the country side more after we left behind Mumbai and our families, she for marriage and me for the job.

But like anyone from South India we love our idli, many know only the flying saucer shaped ones but there are many types with different shapes and subtle flavors. It was a new learning for me to know that in Andhra the fresh first day fermented batter was used for idli, second day for dosa and third day for Dibba roti. Dibba means thick. Almost like the Gujarati Handvo, its cooked in a deep wok or pan on slow fire. She served it with Tomato chutney.

With her permission I am posting the traditional-use up your idli batter trick here.

To make Dibba roti you need Idli batter. Grease a deep wok or pan generously with ghee/ oil/ butter. Ladle into the pan about 1 inch to 2 inch batter. Cover and slow cook on gas. It may take a total of 20-30 mins depending on the thickness. If you are not confident if the center is cooked insert a knife and check if it comes out clean and dry. Roast on one side till browned or 10 mins flip over and brown on the other side and roast another 10 mins.This cooks the thick roti thru and thru.

Remove and cut up into pieces with a cutting wheel, quarters look neat. I served this with Gongura pickle for the authentic taste of Andhra.

Well Kiran is married to Dr. Bhagvatula who is from Andhra and she tells me that this is made really thick in her inlaw's home and a single Dibba roti can feed 10 people.

After a leisurely breakfast we went to the fortress temple where R. K Narayan's Swami and Friends from the TV serial Malgudi days was shot. We walked around and spent couple of hour breathing in the fresh morning air. Then returned to IIMB campus to enjoy a piping hot lunch made by Kiran's cook.

I was supposed to return home for lunch but Kiran and me were so chilled out that day that I stayed on and post lunch was treated to a walk around the beautiful IIMB campus, along the SPINE and PERGOLAS and insights on the architecture and history of the campus by the architect in Kiran.

Sharing here the only two pics I took of our day together. Kiran is camera shy and I was shy to take pics of the IIMB campus.

I'll be gone for a week away from the hustle bustle of the city and smelling the salt laden breeze La Côte d'Azur de l'Est. Until then vous voyez!

Tirupati Balaji by Pramod and Charu

2011-09-20T01:00:00.000+05:30

This was the Ganpati decoration at Charu and Pramod's home in Mumbai this year. While my bro in-law did the carving of the statue on thermacol, my sister did the jewelery. She bought the raw material from the market and made every single piece of jewelry by hand. We are lucky to have such talent at home. God Bless, Pramod Bhauji and Charu!!

Candied Orange Peels

2011-09-18T22:16:00.001+05:30

To add zing to your cakes you can make these and stock up. Any thick rind orange can be used. Peel one orange and chop the rind into bits put them in a non stick pan. Add half cup of sugar and mix. Keep the heat low. I almost charred mine so got the caramelized color. Once sugar melts switch off the heat and let it cool. Once cooled break up the bits to separate so they are easy to use when you need it. These can be stored for almost a year in the fridge. I used the candied orange peel in Ginger Infused Zesty Carrot Cake.

These are chewy if eaten as it is but in a cake they rehydrate a bit. Incase you want to have them like a mouth freshener then they can be boiled in water drained and then candied.

These special touches you add to your cakes separates the homemade ones from the bought out glamorously decked cakes.

Ginger Infused Zesty Carrot Cake

2011-09-15T23:36:00.000+05:30

Experiments are on in full swing to decide on what should be the flavor of the cake for the Birthday boy, ok not a boy, the very eligible bachelor I must say. Bal will be 32 soon and as any other sister I worry about his marriage. It is such a difficult task to find a girl for a boy who has not fallen in love nor been able to choose a girl on his own. Arranged marriage is out of fashion I must say with the internet and men and women mingling freely and more, in places other than just homes. I just pray he should find a girl as soon as possible and setttle down.

Marriage is so important. I am writing this for those of who do not have anyone to tell them this. Everyone needs a partner, if not now a little later. It has to happen at the right time. Most of us are common people and we have to lead a common life. Experimenting with your life can be risky if not dangerous. Plus you have only one life to live, then why forgo all the fun in the name of career, success etc. One can have both going parallel. It does happen that you are just not destined for marriage but in the end if one tries at least one can say we played our part and the effort did not fructify. Even if marriage is a risky game one has to play it, there is always 50% chance of it being successful. For those of who have seen bad marriages around them, remember each life is designed uniquely by GOD and what happened with your parents, uncles, aunts or siblings is not what will necessarily happen with you.

Wishing all the eligible bachelors and bachelorettes ALL THE BEST!

I sound like a Grandma I know, but won't you have a piece of cake with me?

Ingredients

1/2 cup grated carrots

2 tablespoons of crystallized orange peels

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup Amul Mithai Mate

1/2 cup sugar free

2 teaspoons lime juice

50 ml oil

1/4 water infused with ginger (make a paste of ginger, add water and juice it out thru a sieve)

In a big bowl mix all the dry ingredients first, the flour, baking powder, crystallized orange peels and grated carrots. Mix to coat the carrots shreds and orange peels evenly with the flour. Keep aside.

Now take another bowl and measure out the condensed milk from the Amul Mithai Mate tin. To this add the ginger infused water. Mix once this will also thin the condensed milk. Then add the lime juice to curdle the milk.

Then add the oil and mix vigorously to form a light airy emulsion of milk and oil with an electric blender or beat with hand beater. One more time beat up with sugar free. Now fold in the dry mix we saved. Mix gently folding in one direction.

Now grease the glass bowl and pour the batter. Preheat Microwave for 2 mins on highest power. Now place the bowl in it. Bake for 8 mins. Then switch to convection mode and bake for another 4 mins. Let it cool in the microwave itself for 10 mins. Then turn it over on to the plate.

When it is completely cool and when you are ready to serve pour Amul Mithai Mate over it. Cut up pieces and hand out.

On its own it is mildly sweet and drenched in Mithai Mate is sweetness intensified for those who do not have to worry about their sugar intake.

This cake also reminded me of Gauri, my friends Anand and Asawari's daughter who learnt to make a carrot cake in her school in Finland when she was barely five. We, that is Gauri, Asawari and me had made it together once almost a year or more ago and we had so much fun doing it. I was quite surprised that in Finland they taught cooking to kids at such a young age.

Guacamole

2011-09-14T01:00:00.000+05:30

Guacamole with Cream crackers

The Avocado is a fruit that I have not been lucky with. The first time I had bought it was when Uncle Dheer was visiting about 3 years ago. We were all set to make a lovely salad for the burritos that I had eyed on one of the food sites. I cut it open and like a child was thrilled to see the single round seed. I was amused because the Avocado was pear shaped and the seed was round isn't that natures secret! Yeah, I know small things make me happy. Oh I digress, my friend Sulekha snorts at me when I tell her that am sipping my evening tea in my cane rocking chair with a book in hand by the window and I feel like a princess. Really I am that simple.

Ok, so to continue I sliced the still green avocado and gave it to Uncle Dheer at the same time declaring to him that he was going to taste an exotic fruit! As he popped it into his mouth I saw his face contort. I rushed to give him some jaggery and some water to gulp down the bitterness. Then when I googled I found out that I had to wait till the fruit was all dark brown and when pressed the skin forms a depression. The next time again it was too brown and the seed had got fungus when I cut up. The third time the fruit just went bad in the tray in the pantry.

Finally this time I was able to use the Avocado for the reason it is most popular, to make Guacamole ofcourse. Well I still feel the fruit is overrated. However may be its greenness is good for us as it is high on antioxidants.

Well actually though I first tried using Avocado in 2008 but I had seen it only after coming to Blr. Here the fruit is called Butter fruit and you will see a lot of people enjoying their Avocado milkshake. How cool is that? It is grown locally and have some other uses in South India that I am not aware of. So go ahead educate me.

I followed this recipe for the Guacamole which is concocted after doing the rounds of ether.

Ingredients

1 ripe and ready to use Avocado

1 Onion chopped fine

1 tomato chopped fine

1 green chili chopped fine

1 clove of garlic

handful of coriander chopped

1/2 a lime

a large pinch of fresh crushed black pepper

salt to taste

Let me tell you this is as easy as your koshimbir only thing is it is Mexican.

Make sure the Avocado is well browned to ripeness, so you don't get the bitterness. Press the skin and if it stays depressed then it is ready for use. Cut open the Avocado remove the pretty round seed. Now with a spoon scoop out the pulp. Remove the leathery case which holds the seed. Now in a bowl put the Avocado squeeze the lime juice over it. Mash the Avocado, the juice will help prevent oxidization of the fruit pulp. Now mix in the chopped onion, tomato, chili and crushed garlic. Crush afresh black pepper and sprinkle it over the Guacamole. Finally salt it to your taste and use chopped coriander as sprinkles.

Freshly made tastes best. But I ended up eating for almost 2 -3 days with ofcourse cream crackers.

Sprouted Masoor Usal

2011-09-13T01:00:00.000+05:30

This is a Marathi usal/ bhaaji with a little bit of my own touch. I sometimes don't like my coconut masala cooked as is traditional. Instead I like to add it just before removing the curry from the heat to keep the freshness of the coconut. This usal is wonderful as an evening snack or with chapati or rice. It can be glamorized to give you a Sprouts Dahi Misal like this too.

Ingredients

1 cup whole Masoor

1 Onion chopped

1-2 teaspoon Goda Masala

1/2 teaspoon red chili powder

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon oil

salt to

Sprouting Masoor

Wash the masoor thoroughly and soak in water for an hour. Then drain the water and keep in a jar or bowl. it will start sprouting by the next day. Keep it for another day to get longer sprouts.

Coconut Masala

1/4 cup of grated coconut

1 green chili

1 teaspoon oil

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

few curry leaves

1/2 lime juice

Prepare the coconut masala by grinding together coconut and green chili. Then heat oil and splutter mustard seeds and add asafoetida and curry leaves. fry till crisp. Put off heat and keep aside.

Heat oil in a vessel, fry chopped onions in it. Then add the sprouted and washed masoor to it. Top up with water enough to just cover the masoor sprouts. Add the Goda Masala, red chili powder, turmeric powder and cooked with cover on.

Salt the usal to perfection and add the coconut masala at this point. Boil vigorously once. Put off the heat to add the lime juice. Mix well. This gives a distinct flavor to the usal of fresh crisp curry leaves, coconut and lime.

We enjoyed it last night with soft thin chapatis.

Malai To Toop In The Microwave

2011-09-11T09:04:00.000+05:30

I was always intimidated with Toop /ghee making till I found this Microwave method in a cookbook that came with my Samsung Microwave. I salute Karen Anand the writer for making it this easy.

Most books in the past told me I need a heavy bottom large vessel, I required to heat it on the gas and watch it till it boils down to the clear liquid Toop. Then was the cleaning part. I don't have a servant so who will clean the messed vessel? It sounded like a laborious process.

So over the years I just assimilated all the tips about Toop making and only recently, that is to be exact, since a month I have finally started making my own Toop. I was inspired by many of my blogger buddies.You will find many blogs giving steps to make Toop from store bought unsalted butter. You could buy the white butter/ Loni/ Benne from the dairy and use it too. But here it is the age old tradition of Indians of saving whatever you can from being wasted. Till I started making my own Toop, I would skim the milk into a tiny bowl, add sugar to it and hand it out to Dad before the morning tea.

Here is how I do it

I buy 1/2 litre of whole milk everyday, which is enough for 2. I start collecting the skimmed Malai in a 500ml jar on a Monday. This jar goes into to the fridge to which I keep adding the Malai and give a stir in the jar everyday.
At the end of the week by Saturday I have 250 ml Malai, I keep the jar out and let it come to room temperature, about 2 hrs.
Then shake it for 15 mins to make butter like this. I learnt it from Manisha's IFR.
Decant the buttermilk, about 1/4 cup or half cup is what I get. I use it to knead chapati dough.
Then remove the ball of butter/ Loni / Benne into a 1 litre pyrex bowl.
Put the bowl with the Malai into the microwave and set the power at high and microwave in short bursts of 2 mins for a total of 8 mins. Till all the water is evaporated and you have just the Toop/ ghee beginning to separate from the solids. It boils vigorously at this stage, do not worry if it splashes out a bit onto the turntable.
Important: Since Toop/ ghee is inflammable pl. do not go away from the microwave. You have to attend to the entire process, it takes only 10 mins end to end.
Now let the solids go from white to brown in the next 2 mins.
Put off the heat and remove it from the oven and put the bowl on a stand or kitchen napkin. Do not keep it on the stone counter directly. The hot bowl might crack if it touches water or any cold surface.
After the boiling subsides while the Toop/ ghee is still in the liquid stage decant it into a small jar or heat resistant container.
You should get clear golden Toop like below.
Tip: The leftover brown solids can be used in masalas when you grind a paste for curries. It makes the curry khamang! (This is a tip that I remember Va Pu Kale the Katha Kathnakar / Storyteller had mentioned in one of his interviews on Doordarshan when I was a only a child and I still remember it, as I was amazed at this man's talent, he was a fabulous Katha Kathankar, an architect by profession and sounded like a fab cook too.)
Tip: The bowl can be used to reheat leftover curries.
This way you don't waste even a trace of ghee or the by products of the Toop /ghee making.
Since the the quantity of Malai collected at home is very little I use this fragrant pure ghee only for my everyday dal and rice.

This is the perfect traditional married to modern processing recipe.

This completely homemade Toop /Ghee from Malai is extremely fragrant and pure!

Mixed Fruit Trifle

2011-09-10T11:10:00.000+05:30

Gautam and Shyam Mama called up to say they were visiting in the evening. The boy had finished his engineering and just started working for a small IT services company. He is traveling a lot already so when he was in Chennai for work he decided to meet us as he was passing through Blr. I had to make something that would make a Mumbai young man happy. So I served him Onion crackers with tomato salsa and this trifle. He loved both as you don't get those onion crackers in Mumbai and trifle makes anyone happy. Really!

Ingredients

4 Good day biscuits

3 cups Mixed cut fruit bits ( apple, chikoo, banana, pineapple)

1/4 cup Orange juice

2 teaspoon Orange zest

2 cups Free flow Custard

1/2 cup fresh cream
1 tablespoon sugar or substitute

4 orange slices to decorate

For the custard

Use 3 tablespoons of custard powder dissolve in 1/4 cup cold milk. Boil 1/2 litre milk. Mix in the custard paste. Cook for 2-3 mins till thick. Cool completely at room temp and then use for the trifle.

To assemble the trifle. Take 4 glass tumblers or European wine glasses, these make perfect sized servings of this treat. Put 1 Good day biscuit in each. Fill up half of the tumbler with diced mixed fruits. Sprinkle a large pinch of orange zest on it. Use up the 2 teaspoons of zest. Pour the orange juice over the fruits to avoid oxidizing and add the citrusy kick. Pour 1/2 cup of custard into each tumbler. Lastly mix the sugar in the cream and beat it till light. Dollop out the cream into 4 servings. Decorate with sliced orange. Chill for couple of hours and serve.

This dessert is decadent.

Archana's Ale Limbacha Varan

2011-09-07T20:28:00.001+05:30

Archana is a new friend yet a very caring one. I met her a year ago at work, we worked together for a quarter and then she went off on maternity leave. When she came back both of us were quite happy to be back together working on our shared assignments. When I was in Mumbai she called me numerous times to check on my health. Many times at work we share our food. She is Punekar and me Mumbaikar so we have many common favorites.

It is difficult to find a Maharashtrian adult who does not like varan. Actually Varan goes thru many phase in a Maharashtrian's life, as a baby you are fed varan-bhat every single day right into toddlerhood. Then you start hating it till you are a full grown adult and then the craving for it sets in all over again. She tells me when she craves for soul food this is the type of varan she makes. It is the kind that makes one want to sit quietly mix it with your fingers meditatively and lap it up.Once she got it in the lunch box and I got to taste it, I had to make it at home.

This is Archana's recipe, a very fragrant mildly spicy from the ginger and a dash of citrusy freshness from the lime. Thus the name Ale/ Ginger and limba/ lime varan. Don't go by the picture. All types of varan look the same but some win your heart like this one. It's so easy and satisfying. You must make it, believe me it's very good.

Ingredients

1 cup cooked Tur dal / split pigeon peas

1/ 2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 green chili finely chopped.

few curry leaves

1 teaspoon ghee

1 inch fresh ginger

1/2 lime

salt to taste

sugar to taste

Heat Ghee till it melts. Splutter mustard seeds. Follow in with the chopped green chili and curry leaves. Add the turmeric powder. Transfer the cooked tur dal. Add water to make a varan of the consistency you enjoy. Boil it vigorously with salt and sugar. Now just before you remove it from the stove. Crush the ginger to a fine paste, add a tablespoon of water to it and strain it thru a sieve directly into the boiling dal. Squeeze out the juice. Now squeeze the lime juice into the dal. Put off the heat and stir well.

Serve hot over steamed rice with a generous spoon of ghee if you like it and are permitted to have it. Enjoy the freshness of ginger and lime.

Manchurian of the Bangalore Kind

2011-09-06T06:58:00.000+05:30

The aftermath of festivals is that you crave for spicy strong smelling food after the overdose of sweets. Actually we did not make many sweets just the 21 modaks for naivedhya on Ganesh Chaturthi but we were eating them for lunch and dinner for 3 days after it and that too after sharing 5 modaks with our neighbors. I expected some friends to visit but no one came so there we were having a modak a meal for 3 days. I hope my scale does not show sign of weight gain. I have been controlled about any kind of gorging on food inspite of it my calorie intake shot up by almost 300-400 cals/day.

Yes but I finally caved in to this craving. We visited the Dodda Ganesha in Basavangudi, he was so heavily decked up in flowers that if it was not for his belly we would not have known which diety it is ;):P While we walked by BMS college and reached Kamat, Bugle Rock where we got our dose of filter kaapi we had inhaled enough of machurian being fried. I had a pack of baby corn in the fridge that suited well for this temptation.

I was first introduced to Manchurian when I came to Blr for my SAP training at the Sapient College by our friend Govindan Uncle. He took us for lunch to a little restaurant in Unity Building compound and I was amazed at its taste and at how cheap food was in Blr back then in 2001. Once my bro Hrushi was travelling from Chennai to Mumbai and on my recommendation he broke his journey at Blr to just the taste Manchurian, Gobi Manchurian I remember.

Well later I found out that depending on the batter fried vegetable nuggets the manchurian got its name of Gobi, Mushroom and this Baby corn. Each has a distinct taste and yet the sauce is the overwhelming flavor of ginger garlic and soya sauce. Bangalorians are crazy about their manchurian and I think this Gobi manchurian is their creation. It is to Bangalorian what vada pav is to Mumbaikars. There are carts at the end of every street selling fiery red colored manchurian. The color dangerous from artificial sources yet the smells enticing.

For such a treat it is a fairly easy recipe to follow though a little lengthy. Do try it when the weather is cold or you simpbly need to perk up your mood.

Ingredients

For the nuggets

1.5 cups diced baby corn/ gobi/ mushroom

(any one vegetable or for a mixed version all three)

1/4 cup maida/ all purpose flour

1 teaspoon ginger garlic crushed

1 tablespoon chili soya sauce

(or soya sauce + 1/2 teaspoon chili powder)

salt to taste

Oil to deep fry

In a bowl measure out the maida. Add the chili soya sauce and the crushed ginger garlic. Adjust the salt as soya sauce will already have some salt. Add water about 250 ml and make a batter. The batter should just coat the vegetable nuggets.

Heat oil in a wok to smoking point and then reduce it to medium. Drop the nuggets coated in the batter into the hot oil and fry till crisp and golden. Remove the fried nuggets onto a mesh and let them drain. Fry all the remaining nuggets. Save the extra batter for the sauce.

For the sauce

1 cup of shredded cabbage + carrot

a handful of sliced Capsicum (I did not have it so skipped it)

1/2 spring onions (I did not have it so skipped it)

1 teaspoon ginger garlic crushed

2 tablespoon batter

1 tablespoon dark soya sauce

3-4 tablespoons tomato ketchup

2 teaspoon oil

2 slit green chilies

salt to taste

Remove the excess oil from the wok used for frying the nuggets. Use it for making the sauce. Measure out 2 teaspoons oil. Stir fry the slit green chilies, follow in with ginger garlic crush. Keep the heat high. Add the shredded vegetables and sliced capsicum. Stir fry for 2-3 mins. As the cabbage gets crisp and the carrot just turns a shade darker add the spring onions. Now add the batter from above step that we had saved, about 2 tablespoons, top up with a glass of water and stir, let the sauce thicken. While it bubbles add the dark soya sauce and ketchup and mix thoroughly with a whisking action. Adjust the salt. I do not add sugar as the ketchup has a sweetness that balances the flavors in this recipe.

While this boils for 2 mins quickly separate out the fried nuggets if they are stuck together before you add to the sauce. This recipe is of a dry manchurian and separating the nuggets allows it to be picked up by a toothpick easily when served.

Once it gets a glaze put of the heat. Mix in the fried nuggets. Plate it and prick toothpicks into the manchurian. Serve it hot. It tastes best when fresh and hot. Enjoy the very Indian with a dash of Chinese fusion food!

Sabudana Thalipith

2011-09-04T09:19:00.000+05:30

Since the 31st was a holiday I stayed up reading on the net late into the night, waking up at 10.30 am. It is a feat for me because I am early riser. As soon as I woke up I noticed on the Kalanirnay panchang that it was Hartalika on the day. I thought any ways half the day I have slept through so the rest of the day I might as well fast. I had soaked sabudana/ sago the previous night thinking that it is Chaturthi on the 31st, I completely forgot that it was Eid on the day and so we had holiday. Thus I decided to fast for Hartalika. I made Microwave Sabudana Khichadi as shown by Nupur. It turned out great and was done in just 2 teaspoons of oil and have concluded that this is the only way sabudana khichadi should be made! No worries about it becoming a gooey inedible mess.

Later on the 1st I ran out of sabudana and I was supposed to fast for Ganesh Chaturthi. Early in the morning as we were preparing for the pooja, I requested Dad to go down to Reliance fresh and get sabudana as soon as they open up. Else we would have to eat just Potato bhaaji for the half day fast. My Dad at the stroke of 8 ran down and got the sabudana. I immediately soaked it in luke warm water knowing that I could let it rest for a cool 4 hrs before I made it into anything. I noticed the luke warm water had kind of cooked tha sabudana a bit and I had to drain the extra water to avoid getting sticky sabudana. I decided to make Sabudana Thalipith. I think this thalipith came into being when the sabudana decided to take revenge on the khichadi maker. The recipe is forgiving, unlike the sabudana khichadi recipe that needs perfectly soaked pearls. The thalipith satisfies the craving for Sabudana Vadas with its crispness without giving you the guilt of deep frying.

Ingredients

1 cup sabudana/ sago

4 medium potatoes bolied

2 green chilies finely chopped

1/2 cup crushed peanuts

Ghee to shallow fry

2 teaspoon cumin seeds

salt to taste

In a large bowl put all the ingredients together and knead into a dough. Keep aside.

Take 2 non stick pans and grease them with ghee. Now divide the dough into 4 large parts. Each will yield a chapati sized thalipith. Take one part and roll into a ball. Now press the ball onto the greased frying pan. Wet your hand with water and spread the dough thin without creating cracks and holes. Cover and cook on medium heat till the sabudana looks translucent. Check if it has turned golden on the lower side by lifting it slightly with a spatula. If it is golden then it should turn over easily. If you do not want it crisp and want to keep it soft cover with a plate and overturn the pan then slide it back into the pan to toast up the otherside. Use up the remaining dough.When cooked from both sides serve hot with coconut chutney or curd. I like mine toasted crisp and Dad his semi soft.

Serves: 3-4 people

Ganpati Kavach at Dive Agar

2011-09-03T09:06:00.001+05:30

This is a mask of Ganpati idol or as in Sanskrit, it is a kavach that must have decorated a stone idol. It is made of 24 Karat gold and weighs1.325 kgs. It was excavated from a bettlenut orchard in Dive Agar by Shrimati Draupadi Dharma Patil. The copper casket that contained it has a inscription of Friday,10th Nov 1060. This mask therefore dates to an earlier date is what is common sense. Just this reference makes it atleast 950 yrs today. It must have been buried for safe keeping during the downfall of the Peshwas. Note the simha or lion on the crown which indicates it could have been crafted in the south. The Son-Chapha flower on the forehead and the ears is so distinctive. Also the mango bugdi (ear accessory) and the shoulder is worth the note. This picture is a souvenir from the trip to Hari Hareshwar and Diveagar with family. Some things you share at the right time so here it is for your darshan in this season of the Ganpati festival.

As promised here is Deesha sharing the naivedya of Chakli her MIL made for Ganpati. This shot of Chakli with the brass Pali/ spoon used for tirtha makes it look divine.

Chakli for Lord Ganesha

Krishna Baba's Hrushichi Bhaaji

2011-09-02T16:48:00.000+05:30

There are some people who touch your life in a very special spiritual way. It takes time for you to talk about it in public but I do feel like sharing it here now.

Krishna Baba, was an ascetic who lived in the jungles of Siddeshwar on the Alibag-Mumbai route. For my father and many of his friends who grew up in Thal, visiting Siddeshwar temple was a picnic they loved. My father does not recollect when Krishna Baba came to Siddeshwar and established a math near the spring that flows below the temple on the hillside. However what he does remember is that Krishna baba encouraged him to read about J. Krihnamurthy and other spiritual leaders. Baba used to tell he was in Chaul Datta Mandir before he came to Siddeshwar.

He was very old, tall and thin, he sported a withered beard. He said Satya Sai baba was his guru, however I remember in the picture Satya Sai was very young, a man in the late twenties or early thirties may be. Satya Sai was a godman of the masses where as Krishna Baba was a recluse ascetic. I have sweet memories of Krishna Baba that I will never forget.

One of the incidents I remember is of the visit to Siddeshwar with my father and uncle during Ganpati festival. I was only a child then. We started from Thal home by the 5.30 am bus and alighted at the Khandale bus stop. No confusing this Khandale with the hill station Khandala on Pune highway. This is a tiny village in Alibag Taluka. We walked through a small path thru paddy fields and Ivy gourd vines till the foothills of the Siddeshwar jungle. There are some old steps that you can climb and then the path is a really narrow. It is part of the Trek path to Sagargad. Since childhood till date it is one of the treks that not just my family but Thalkars and many villagers in the surrounding area enjoy. In the monsoons the single person paths are slippery and one has to watch out for insects and reptiles. We reached up to the Shankar temple in 45 mins washed our hands and feet and took darshan of the Linga in the dark sanct sanctorium. Then my father and uncle gave out a jungle call, "Siddeshwar Maharaj ki Jai, Bum bum Bhole nath" to which Krishna Baba responded. The silence of the jungle reverberated with the Jai ghosh.

Narayan! Madhav! aao beta~~ said Baba as we walked into his thatched hut. I removed my footwear and sat next to the Dhumi, a furnace pit, that most ascetic light up to keep themselves warm. Siddeshwar in monsoons has very high humidity and can make one really cold. After glasses of chai made by Maai, Baba's only companion in the jungle, my father and uncle sat around to discuss spiritual things with Baba. I stepped out and wanted to explore the well and the spring nearby. In one corner were some fresh Kokum skins strewn, I glanced towards the direction and gave out a cry! There was a cobra with a perfect hood ready to hiss at me. I had trespassed I knew. Baba came out and told the cobra, "Chale jaa, bacchi hai" and it went away. Krishna baba had other friends too I got to know later. After this everyone came out and decided to sit on the wall of the well which was located in front of the hut. There was an iron bucket filled with water. Baba told us that they filled the bucket of water for the tiger that visited them at night! They had to be careful about the cows. He had to bring them into the shed else the tiger would feast on them at night. Inspite of these stories I still enjoyed my treks to Siddeshwar, once or twice a year as a child.

While we were climbing the hill, my father expressed the wish of eating idlis. Now how in the world would you get idlis in a jungle. It must have been a sunday as in my family we had started making idlis for sunday breakfast and my Dad was missing it. It was considered fancy food then, in Maharashtrian families. Even in Alibag it was not possible to get idlis in a restaraunt, not that there were many around. Lo! we were served idlis for breakfast by Krishna baba, hot steaming ones with chutney and sambar on a large leaf, picked from a nearby kitchen garden patch. It was not a banana leaf but a large round leaf something like a lotus leaf. It was such a frivilous wish my Dad had and we believe that this was a divine act. In the middle of the jungle, an ascetic who does not have grocery supplies serving us perfectly soft idlis with so much love. What can one say!

At noon Krishna Baba insisted we have lunch too. He was talking to us all the while and in a jiffy he rushed insides and came out with a huge mound of Hrushichi bhaaji served on the leaves. He laid each leaf in front of us and coaxed us, Khao beta, Khao~ I was so young and told Dad that I will not be able to finish the heap, so Dad tried to tell Baba to reduce the serving. He simply said, "she will finish it". I did! This was followed by glasses of fresh Kokum sarbat. The Hrushichi Bhaaji was a divine taste, I still recollect, it was reminiscent of slow cooking on the embers of mixed leafy vegetables, it also had colocasia leaves. It was tart and mixed with freshly grated coconut. Light yet delectable, the taste still lingers in my memory. I know I will never be able to recreate it, because it was touched and blessed by Krishna Baba and I do not have embers in my kitchen.

I am an adult, I have a terrible analytical mind. I do not accept miracles, I try to reason and do not get answers. In the end loosing my mind. I was better off as a child, I accepted the grace of pious men in my life easily then.

It is Hrushi Panchami today and every Hrushi Panchami I remember Krishna Baba who is now in samadhi.

Sharing here the recipe of Krishna Baba's Hrushichi bhaaji. You must read this post on the Hrushichi Bhaaji that is made in my Thal home to understand why it has this peculiar name. The bhaaji I make here today is in the name of that memory of Krishna Baba, in his style but adapted to the ingredients available here in Blr at this time and cooking on the gas stove.

Ingredients

1 bunch each of any 5 leafy greens, cleaned and chopped fine.

( I used Spinach/ Palak, Chauli , Maath/Amaranth, Dill/ Shepu, Fenugreek/Methi)

1/2 cup grated coconut

1 teaspoon oil

1 large pinch amchur/ dry mango powder

salt to taste

Heat oil preferably in an iron kadhai. Add the chopped green leaves and salt, stir till wilted and cooked. Leave them slightly crunchy. It should not take more than 7-8 mins to cook. Put off the gas and mix in the amchur and grated coconut.

Serve hot on a banana leaf real or steel :D

Yields: 3 cups after cooking.

Tip: Iron Kadhai is best from cooking green leafy vegetables. You won't need iron supplements if this is done in regular cooking.

Ganpati Bappa Morya! Mangal Murti Morya!!

2011-09-01T12:14:00.001+05:30

Deepa Jyoti

Durva, Paan, Supari, Phule, Halad, Kunku, Akshata

Phala

Panchamrut

@ 12.00 noon

Just finished the pooja and aarti. Chauri is ready, Ukad is made, Bappa's favorite Modak in the making. This year's modak are special as am using Nolen Gur ie Khajur Gul. I am fasting and feasting, Sabudana Thalipith is on the menu. Peace and Happiness.

@3.00 pm: Today's naivedya: 21 modaks, Sabudana Thalipith and curd

Event : Come Celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi With Me

2011-08-30T21:57:00.003+05:30

Yesterday at work it was announced that 2nd Sep will be compensatory off for which we will work on the 17th. At first I was completely lost, what do I do for 5 days? The 31st and 1st were known holidays. My friends started suggesting options, some were sweet to offer an invite to their home. My elder bro Vijay called up to ask if I was coming home. I did not want to do any of it, I mean I might visit friends here if I feel like but I was not going home, 5 days is just not enough and with this short notice it is impossible to travel. All modes of transport are already full. I don't have a permanent driver now, so no more travels on a whim. I thought it would be a better idea to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi with you, my blogger buddies.

No rules for this event, all you have to do is just link to this post. I shall collate all your posts and flash them all through the Ganapati festival till Gauri visarjan. I am looking at atleast 21 darshans so include a picture of the Ganapati in your Pooja or home.

Entries will be accepted till : 8pm on 6th Sep.

Come lets celebrate and spread the cheer of Ganapati Bappa Morya!! I am very excited. Hope you are too!

Broccoli Aloo Wadi Rassa

2011-08-27T07:29:00.002+05:30

This curry is going to be on my special curry list as it is very easy to make and has the potential of winning everyone's heart. Kids too will love it. When I have kids over for a meal I always make a potato curry as most kids love potatoes plus it is easy to incorporate other veggies in this curry like Broccoli, cauliflower, brinjal etc. plus the protein from the wadi. This curry has a gravy that is not too thick nor too thin hence we call it rassa and that is how I like it.

Ingredients

1 small head Broccoli

8-10 baby potatoes boiled

1 aloo wadi

1 green chili

1/4 teaspoon amchur

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

a large pinch asafoetida

2 teaspoon oil

chopped cilantro a handful

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon red chili powder

salt to taste

juice of 1/2 a lime

Heat oil, sprinkle in the asafoetida. Sizzle up the broccoli in it with the green chili. While its cooking. Peel the boiled baby potatoes. Crush the aloo wadi with a rolling pin by putting it into a plastic bag, smaller pieces are better, they don't loose identity in the curry so don't worry about a mush after cooking. In a separate pan add another teaspoon of oil and saute the wadi to dark brown. Add them in along with broccoli. Now add all the masalas and the chopped cilantro. Stir and let it cook on sim for 5 mins. Then add a glass and a half of water to get a consistency of your choice. Boil till the curry thickens with the starchiness of the potatoes. You could even crush couple of potatoes to give it more body. Add the amchur, sugar and salt. Boil to a rolling boil for another 5 mins. Put off the gas. Let it rest for sometime. Potato curries get better as they rest and thicken up a bit. Before serving squeeze half a lime into the curry and mix well.

This curry was served with Ajwain paratha and bought out mango pickle, though I was dreaming of the chunky mango pickle that's made the Punjabi way. I loved the curry and I did crumble the wadi into my curry along with the baby potatoes meditatively before scooping up with the paratha. It is a very satisfying meal. I didn't know why I expected it to taste like non veg curry but it did not. This taste is different as the texture of even the crumbled wadi is noticeable, quite grainy. It gives you the experience of an aromatic mouthful as you relish the Punjabi wadi.

Punjabi Wadi

2011-08-26T23:34:00.002+05:30

When you are in the south unlike Mumbai you will rarely chance upon regional specialties, especially in South Bangalore. So I first saw the mention of these wadis on Manisha's IFR and the whole world seem to be talking about it. I sulked, here I am in India itself and I did not have access to Punjabi wadi. No not even in the fancy super markets. But years after the Wadi movement I chanced upon these at Total Mall. Remember I mentioned it on the Nolen gur post.

Here is the recipe to make your own wadi.

I made Broccoli Aloo wadi curry inspired by Anita' curry and a greens stir fry with sauteed wadi in it. I loved the rasa curry more than the stir fry. The wadi is quite stiff even when cooked. While eating unless you really crumble it in the curry you will not enjoy it thoroughly. The post on the Broccoli Aloo wadi curry to follow...

Osaman

2011-08-21T00:15:00.001+05:30

In the thali clockwise: Osaman, leafy vegetable stir fry, Rice with osaman, tomato basil salsa, coconut coriander chutney and curd

Osaman or Gujarathi Dal or Ramesh Bhai's Dal. Well the third name is by which it was known for many years in my home. You know that I grew up in the Gujarathi heartland of Mumbai, Fort and that my neighbors were a big influence on my eating habits. Kaki my neighbor made this every single day yet when Ramesh bhai her son made it, was always special. The smells of the chauk/ tadka made for the dal made me drool as a child. Recreating memories thru this dal. Soon it will be Ganapati time when the entire Rajput family visited us in Tata Colony after we moved to Chembur. Missing everyone, Preeti, Ramesh bhai, Bhabhi, Indu tai, Ansu tai, Mayuri, Vijay Jijaji, and ones who are no more with us Kaki, Ji Aaji and Japan Baba.

Ingredients

1 cup cooked tuvar dal/ split pigeon peas

2-3 pieces of kokum/ 1 tablespoon tamarind pulp

1 small piece jaggery

1/8 cup peanuts

1 inch piece of cinnamon

2-3 cloves

1 split chopped green chili

1/4 teaspoon asafoetida

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

4-5 curry leaves

1 teaspoon ghee
salt to taste

handful of cilantro for garnish

Heat a pateli. Add ghee, heat to smoking point. Splutter mustard and cumin seeds. Followed by cloves and cinnamon. Now add the asafoetida. The green chili and curry leaves go after this. Then add the kokum or tamarind pulp. Quickly add a glass of water. Throw in the peanuts and the jaggery. Bring to a boil. With a ravi/ beater blend the cooked dal to smoothness. Transfer it to the pateli. Salt it and boil vigorously for 10 mins.

Once off the gas serve immediately with a sprinkle of chopped cilantro. Ladle it onto a mound of rice, basmati, kolam or ambe mohor! Love it, you bet it is lip smacking!!

Sour and Sweet Leafy Lettuce

2011-08-19T21:48:00.002+05:30

This bowl was so colorful when I made it that it had to be put on the blog. We loved the taste too of crunchy leafy lettuce and pear and the sweetness of the bananas. The cherry tomatoes were the sour dimension to balance the sweet.

Here is how I made it.

Ingredients

2-3 clusters of leafy lettuce

5-6 cherry tomatoes

1/2 pear

2 Elaichi bananas

1/2 cucumber

salt and sugar

squeeze of lime

Take a large salad bowl. Tear out or snip up the leafy lettuce. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Cut cucumber into chunky pieces. Dice the pear. Slice the Elaichi banana. Sprinkle a pinch of sugar and a large pinch salt. Toss around the vegetable and fruits. Squeeze a lime and toss once again.

On this day our lunch was cup noodles and this salad. Just when I was feeling lazy to cook and guilty to eat processed food I was happy I made this salad with its balanced taste and utter freshness lending the meal at home a completeness.

NaraLi Bhat

2011-08-13T14:35:00.002+05:30

It's NaraLi Pournima and Raksha bandhan today as I post this my lucky cousin Charu will reach our Mumbai home to tie rakhi for my cousin brothers. I am in Blr so have to bless them from here itself.

I made Narali bhat today. My supply of Naral or coconut is store bought and not from the game of coconut cracking as described here. I am missing home and Mumbai today, as I was speaking to my cousin brother, Hrushi he promised to visit me soon.

In their name this sweet coconut rice is enjoyed today!

Ingredients

1/2 Basmati rice

1/2 cup powdered jaggery
1/2 cup fresh grated coconut

1 table spoon ghee

2 cloves

1 cardamom

a handful of raisins

a handful of peanuts

At first wash Basmati rice. Dry it on a towel for 15 mins. Heat ghee in a wok. Now crackle up the cloves in it. Then add the peanuts and fry them up in the ghee. Add the washed and semi wet Basmati rice into the ghee. Stir to coat the grains of rice evenly. Add a glass of water and cook with a lid on. Pay attention that the rice grains should not clump. Then lower the heat and mix in the coconut, jaggery and raisins. Mix well to melt jaggery completely. Once the jaggery is molten completely it will impart a lovely pale golden color to the rice and it will glisten. Put off the heat and mix in the crushed cardamon powder. Let it cool completely before serving.

This is a traditional sweet in Maharashtra made on this day. I will make the Chauri chi Karanji too in the evening.

This sweet coconut rice or NaraLi Bhat in Marathi brings back memories of my father's Rakhi sister, Sunita Aatya, who would get it for us all the way from Goregaon to Fort. You must be wondering who is a Rakhi sister if you are not Indian. Well, on this day any woman who adopts a brother and ties a Rakhi (sacred thread) to him is called a Rakhi sister. The Indian tradition allows a woman to adopt a bro if she does not have a brother of her own. These bonds have sometimes been stronger than that of real siblings.

Going Up South?

2011-08-10T04:00:00.006+05:30

"Going Up South?" No one ever says that, not even a southner. South is always supposed to be down. Right? No wrong! If you meant the new restaurant at Ragigudda, then you are going to Up South.

Now If I am taking visitors to see that lovely Ragigudda temple complex I also have a food destination where they can sample authentic South Indian snacks and meals in a clean environment. The combo platters are really like tasting platters, every item is in small portions. The medu vada is small, the idlis are cocktail sized, the dosa is shruken. There are 3 chutneys so enjoy, the peanutty, garlic and plain cilantro in a single plate. A ladle of sambar, sagu and some onions for sprinkles. This plate is for one large eater or can be shared by two people with an additional snack order. Like we did you could order one of the other dosas or rotis of choice, like ragi roti, akki roti etc. Our addition was set dosa. With the combo platter you could choose to have a glass of Buttermilk or filter coffee included in the price of the platter and an extra coffee for Dad. We obviously chose the later to complete our proper South Indian meal. We had this at lunch but in the South this is actually a breakfast platter. Oh I forgot to add there was a big puffed Puri too in that platter but it got passed on to Dad so you don't see it in the picture.

There are other North Indian platters too but as always avoid those in a restaurant that calls it self Up South. South is their specialty and that is what I recommend.

The colors of the decor are bright citrusy and clean. This is a self service place so you bill at the counter at the entrance. Pick your order and choose a table that gives you the view of the side road and far view of the ring road or if your focus in going to be conversation while eating then climb up to the mezzanine.

It's a good place to snack when you are in Jayanagar, J.P. Nagar shopping around or on one of the unhurried days when you are heading to work. So now you won't frown if some one asks you, "Going Up South?"

Nolen Gur Payesh

2011-08-06T16:15:00.000+05:30

You know how these bloggers are! They tease you with their creations and you stay haunted for days, months and years. When I visited Kolkata some years ago, it was March and Nolen Gur was not yet made. It is a winter speciality. Acually I did not know much about Nolen gur till then. I just thought it was yet another obsessions the Mishti loving Bongs had. Then one day I got to taste Nolen gur Rosgullas a colleague had flown in a huge box for the team. I simply loved it.

You can only imagine my excitement when I spotted it in our next door mall. I was super thrilled! I even found a packet of premixed panch phoran. I used to make my own and at times when I did not have kalo jeero I'd sulk that my phoran was not a complete panch. On this day I got lucky and will display yet another find in the upcoming post. Now getting back to the recipe of the payesh I made today... Well Payesh is a festive preparation and that too the one with Nolen gur is almost sacred I understand from Bong Mom. While Sayantani has all these ideas for using Nolen Gur in her spectacular post on Sandesh with this magic ingredient.

While there are lots of recipes here is mine a fast track one.

Ingredients

1 cup cooked rice

1/2 litre whole milk

75 gms Nolen Gur

1 teaspoon Ghee

crushed nuts like almond, chashew, pista etc.

Bring the milk to a boil in a large vessel. Now measure out 1 cup soft cooked rice. Add it to the boiling milk. Keep stirring so that the milk does not foam and boil over. Let the rice crumble into the milk a bit and allow it to thicken just slightly. Put off the heat after simmering it for about 15-20 mins. Now it is time to add Nolen Gur, to help it dissolve easily crush the gur. Keep stirring till dissolved completely. As the gur dissolves it will lend the payesh a custard like consistency and color. Like Sayantani I too am a succor for delicate flavors so avoid using any other aromatics but am sure Sandeepa's addition of bayleaf is a good variation. Lastly top the payesh with a spoonful of pure ghee. Stir in the crushed nuts and raisin to add a crunch to your gooey treat.

Dad loves sweets and so he had seconds of this Bengali speciality. I am going to save this star ingredient in the fridge and try it out it in all possible mishti! Next would be Doi, its planned already.

Patole for Nagpanchami

2011-08-05T06:37:00.005+05:30

Yesterday was Nagpanchami in the morning itself Vidya Shenoy aunty called up to tempt me. She was making Patole and if possible would bring them over for me in the evening once I'm back home from work. I never really feel excited about Patole but I knew that Vidya aunty would add her special touch to any dish.

So there she was in the evening waiting for me at home with hot steaming Patole emitting that characteristic delicate flavor of fresh turmeric leaves. I carefully peeled the steamed leaf from the rice flour wrapped around the coconut jaggery filling and bit into it. The slender packet of heavenly aromas filled my mouth. Not too sweet and perfectly steamed with the right thickness of the rice flour wrapper is what makes this a treat fit for a special festival. Loved it!

I had one last night and one for breakfast. I was craving for more but I have started practicing discretion now, believe it or not! All smiles.

Here is a recipe and pictorial by Sanika of Delectable-Delicious. Go try it out.

Calories: 225 per piece

MyPlate Is A Good Plate

2011-08-03T22:47:00.003+05:30

Does your plate look like this?
If not click on the logo to visit the site, there are lots of helpful tools.

The Maharashtrian Taat was a perfect balanced meal. When I started cooking snacks became breakfast and dinner too. I never bothered about planning a well balanced meal. That balanced meal was a privilege when Mom and Aunts cooked for the family. Last 15 odd years my week day cooking has never been a Taat with that much variety of food groups.

The USDA or the United States department of Agriculture has come up with message for the public which is a simple plate with colorful representation of a balanced meal and its portions. The brilliance of this logo is its simplicity and absence of a language for the message. Anyone who can see can understand what it conveys.

I am happy to say my plate is exactly like this. I follow a intake of 1400 calories diet plan that is helping me move towards my ideal weight.

Pumpkin Halwa

2011-07-31T21:21:00.001+05:30

In an attempt to eat lot of vegetables Dad has piled up the fridge. One can't be eating all types of gourds in a single week. A little pumpkin looks lovely on the shelves of the green grocer but I find it tasteless to make a subzi. Now that I am off sugar I thought of trying pumpkin halwa expecting that the vegetable has an inherent sweetness and a substitute for sugar should give a dessert that Dad and I both can enjoy. My Dad loves his sugar quotient in food even today at 69yrs though I have to put a check on myself.

Here is what I did.

Ingredients

2 cups peeled and shredded pumpkin

1/4 cup of Sugar free Natura

1 teaspoon of ghee

7-8 cloves

1/2 cup milk

Roasted pumpkin seeds for garnish

Heat the ghee for till molten. Add the cloves. Let them pop. Stir in the shredded pumpkin. Cook till translucent. Now add the sugar free natura and top up with milk. Let it simmer till the ghee separates and pumpkin looks glazed. Stir intermittently to avoid sticking to the vessel.

Enjoy warm sprinkled with roasted pumpkin seeds. Its cold in Bangalore so warm is good for us.

Roasted Potato Rolls

2011-07-27T23:30:00.000+05:30

Today was the lightest birthday celebration in my entire life. Birthdays in the family always meant calorie rich food. I made lot of stuff today but have never been so conscious about what to cook for a Birthday. I am a foodie at heart and a some one who loves to cook for people. I enjoy my food and so I share. However having gone thru the health alerts in the last couple of months I am aware about even the smallest morsel of food that I consume. I need to know how many calories it will give me. I am not blind to what I eat now.

In the morning I made idli and chutney for breakfast. The tea was without sugar but with a sugar replacement. For the team I roasted kothimbir vadi with a wee bit of oil and took it to office. My lunch made up of carrot cucumber salad, Maa di dal, stuffed chilies, phulka and a shared cup of cold coffee with sugar, on a normal day I would have had a full glass without thinking twice. I was tempting my friend for a brownie but she resisted, may be I have scared everyone enough around me that they have become wise eaters :P :)

I ate the most in the evening, dinner was Tomato rice, Roasted Potato rolls and fruit salad with Lichee ice cream. The sum was a good 2000 cals almost 600 cals more than prescribed! Ok. I'll make up for it. 100 cals less for next 6 days.

These rolls I am sharing here would have been generously shallow fried Aloo tikis but I prefered to roast and I loved them. I think if I bake them they will be more delectable. It was a small batch so did not use the oven instead roasted them in a greased non stick pan. You may like to try.

Ingredients

3-4 boiled potatoes
1/4 teaspoon amchur powder
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
salt to taste
handful of chopped cilantro

3 slices of bread

Mash everything together in a bowl. Roll them up. Grease the non stick pan. Lay them in it so they don't touch each other. Cook for 7-8 mins till they firm up. Then keep rolling them in the pan by flipping the pan. Cook till nice golden and crisp on the outside.

Serve hot with ketchup or chutney. Aloo in its basic form is really harmless and this is a nice lean recipe. Make it and enjoy your party.

Appeal: Construction of Annexure to Sri Brahma Chaitanya Mandira Trust

2011-07-24T14:25:00.005+05:30

|| Sri Rama Samartha ||

Sri Rama Jayarama Jaya Jaya Rama

This is an appeal made by the Trust:

With the blessings of Sri Pampapathi Narayanappa Maharaj, Sri Brahma Chaitanya Mandir, came into being in a small rented house at Gavipuram Guttahalli on 11-02-1959. Later on, with the blessings of Sri. R. C. Ketkar Maharaj and Sri. Narayanappa Maharaj, the holy paduka were installed on 25-05-1972, at its own building at no.1692, Banashankari 1st stage, Bangalore. Further, a marble idol of Sri. Lord Gopalakrishna was installled on 18-05-1983, by Pujya Prof. K.V. Belsare, over the Samadhi to make it similar to Gondavale. Since the inception of the Mandir, daily upasana and other activities of this tradition, are being performed regularly.

However, as the present accommodation is inadequate for devotees coming from outside places and the present building it too old, the neccessity for having a spacious hall, a kitchen and a few rooms is felt.

It is therefore, decided to build a new annexure for the Mandir, with better amenities. We request all the devotees of Sri Sri Maharaj to participate in the holy cause.

Sri Brahma Chaitanya Mandira Trust, Bengaluru.
Registration no. 3503 dtd. 9-9-1960

No.1692, Banashankari 1st stage,

2nd Block, 5th Cross, 16th Main,

Bengaluru - 560 050

Contact Persons:

B.L. Satyanarayan : 080 26699611

K.L. Srinivasa Murthy : +91 9741038109

Nagesh : +91 9241296013

Send in your donations through online fund transfer to:

CORPORATION BANK

SRINAGAR BRANCH

S.B. ACCOUNT NO. SB01016110

IFSC: CORP 0000215

I will be updating this blog with photos of the site once in a month.

View Bramha Chaitanya Mandir in a larger map

Thanking My Doctors

2011-07-03T23:58:00.000+05:30

I had a blast with my friend Sangita today! Shopping at our favorite brand BIBA at the Inorbit Mall in Vashi. We returned tired and a dinner of Veg Pulao with mixed veg pickle and roasted papad was awaiting us made by my Dad! I made some fruit chat for desert. It was the first time this week the entire family sat down for dinner together. It feels so great to feel normal after 2 months of bad health. To feel like cooking, to feel like feeding, to feeling like going out and above all enjoy simple things in life.

Just before I started writing this post I filled up my calorie tracking sheet and I realized I had consumed almost 2000 calories today! Way beyond my prescribed 1400 intake. While filling the activity line I filled in 4hrs of walking which means 1200 calories burnt! Now will some one answer if mall walking can be considered as exercise? My legs are aching so I safely presumed I must have exerted myself enough to label it as some calorie burning activity which can be filled in my tracking sheet.

Well those who follow this blog know that I had a scare. Since 10th May I have been falling ill with small ailments. Was on antibiotics for first 2 weeks. It made me so weak and I felt very low. I am in Mumbai for last 2 months had gone back to Blr for a short while in between but had to come back.

In the first month I was struggling with family pressures and bad health. I was working from home, that is what kept my mind occupied. I made an attempt to get back to office in Blr but in vain. Then on returning to Mumbai I just lost immunity completely. An infection came back stronger. My family doctor was thrilled to see me, I was meeting him after 4-5 yrs. Dr. Akali suggested I undergo some investigations. I was depressed and that was unusual he said. He has been our doctor for 13years and he knows our medical histories. So off I was sent for urine tests, sonography, blood tests and after that sent straight to the hospital for treatment and further investigation. I am now able to write this lightheartedly that I have been overhauled in the last 2 months.

While this low immunity and health complexities I underwent Dental treatment, 1 root canal and some cavities. I am ashamed to mention the number. If I open my mouth now you can spot 3 metal islands! credit to Dr. Asif.

After I returned from Blr and went to the hospital and came back met other 2 new Docs a Gyanac and an Endocrinologist! Got the bombing of my life from Dr. P. S. Lamba!! I was shaken and threatened. If I wanted to live I had to loose a lot of the weight I had acquired over the years. The sonography revealed every organ was yelping for attention and had to be attended to! Dr. Lamba in his characteristic sarcasm said "You have someone in your life who loves you a lot so you are in hospital today! I said weakly but doc I'm not married. You don't cook a lot do you? Eating out or ordering a take out it easier, isn't it? I stayed mum, almost like a sheep of sacrifice. There is history in the family of cancer and stroke and I see money when I see people like YOU!"

You are going to get better and healthier! You will do it! I was laughing along with the doctor as he took a dig at me but inside I was ashamed that I had neglected my health and I had no choice now but to LOOSE A LOT OF MY WEIGHT.

Dr. Lamba does not know my medical history but the one person Dr. Akali knows it. He is such a sweet doc. He was more sympathetic towards me. He was on the phone with me all through the ordeal I went thru. It brought back memories of 8yrs ago when he suspected I might have spondilitis initiating and I went to him with a stiff neck and a frozen shoulder, he gave a medicated rub. The relief was from the medicine as much as the care and nursing!

In the last six years I have rarely gone to a doctor and I am so loyal to my doctors in Mumbai that I choose not to go for cough or fever to a local doc in Blr. My medicine for these has always been home remedies and over the counter medicine if I use, that too rarely.

My Dentist Dr. Asif is a friend and neighbor, only he has the privileged to pry open my oral cavity. LOL!!! He is now one of the well doing Dentists in Navi Mumbai but never forgets that we were his first few patients when he started out practice as a fresher just out of college. On other days we share high teas, Diwali sweets at ours and atleast once Iftar with him and Seema, his wife. When a party is to be organized he is generous to help with finalizing venues, menus and other things.

Then there is one Doctor the eye specialist Dr. K.L. Rao who we fear. He is the authority on eye treatment, a gold medalist of his times in medical college. When everyone else suggested eye surgery to correct my vision he strongly opposed it, that was way back in 1986. It was the time when eye surgeries were not without risk. I have been doing well with specs since then. He said no contact lenses for you, get used to wearing specs and I did and survived all thru my growing years and working years! Just yesterday I went for check up. There was no power and doc asked me and Dad to sit and chat while we waited for the electricians to fix the transformer down the lane. Chatting with Doc was unheard of! We did and we went down memory lane together. He remembered every detail of not only my case history but family too. We inquired about each others family. When the power was restored and as the check up was in progress I got a little too comfortable with the doc and just then I was asked to shut up and answer only to the point. That is old Dr. Rao! He did a thorough check up and wrote a couple of drug prescriptions for me and explained why I needed them. The prescription for specs was for 2 sets, one near and one distance. No variance glasses for me, says doc. Even the optician shook a bit or so I thought when he saw a prescription by Dr. K.L. Rao. Here is a Doc who has done a lot of charity, now only sees his old patients and you will not find a board outside his Clinic. His regret, only if one of his daughters had taken up his field he would have trained them with his rich experience. As I thanked him he warmly wished me goodnight and said I must visit him next when I am back in Mumbai. Yes doc I will.

Would like to hear from my readers the stories of their relationships with their doctors. Do such relationships exist with the new generation doctors?

Thanking all my Doctors old and new!

Chana Sprouts N Cabbage Salad

2011-06-22T12:24:00.001+05:30

Not much of a recipe. Just putting together something I thought I will enjoy. Just had it for lunch and a glass of Amul's Masti Chaas for a downer.

Ingredients

1 Baby cabbage

1 cup sprouted Green chickpeas/ Hara Chana/ any other beans

2 teaspoons Maggi chili sauce

Shred the baby cabbage. Boil the sprouts. Put it in a salad bowl. Put a dash of Maggi chili sauce about 2 teaspoons. Mix together with a salad fork. Enjoy the crunchy and protein packed salad!

Red Alert!

2011-06-20T11:16:00.002+05:30

Just back from the hospital. A whole bunch of tests done on my health and they indicate risks. Risks that I need to attend to immediately. Hence this blog space will see a change. It will still be about food yet food that helps weight loss. I plan to maintain a log of this effort.

I have signed up for a tracking of intake calories for 7 days. Post this will take an appointment with the nutritionist to plan for a weight loss diet.

Hope this inspires more people to have a healthy life and not wait like me till the RED ALERT.

Cheer me on.

Macroni N Cheese

2011-05-29T20:52:00.000+05:30

Uncle Dheer spent one Saturday with us. He is fond of simple fresh food. Both Uncle Dheer and my Dad are very meager eaters. One cannot make an elaborate meal for these two so the menu was Thatte idli, chutney and sambhar for lunch. Dinner was going to be Gazpacho with Cream crackers and Fresh pasta.

Macaroni and Cheese is what I made, simple fresh and hearty. Uncle Dheer enjoyed it.

Ingredients

2 cups macaroni

Bring water to boil. Add the Macaroni into it and cook till al dente. Drain the cooked pasta on a mesh. Sprinkle some olive oil to avoid sticking. 2 cups raw macaroni gives 4 cups of cooked pasta.

For the sauce

4 large tomatoes

5-6 pods of garlic

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 onions

1 tablespoon oil

1/2 teaspoon red chili powder

salt and sugar to taste

Cheese for garnish

Chop onions lengthwise. Fry in oil. Cook the onions on slow meanwhile in a mixer grind together tomatoes, oregano and garlic along with salt and sugar as per taste. Pour the puree onto the onions. Cook till color changes to dark red of the tomatoes. Add the red chili powder for a bit of spice. Then finally add the pasta and cook till it absorbs some flavors and comes together as a dish. Plate out servings for 4 and grate your favorite cheese over it, as much as you like.

Enjoy!

Shirtless Men and Mango Peach Cobbler on Mumbai's Summer Day

2011-05-25T17:37:00.000+05:30

Shirtless Somu trying to hide behind the swing as he poses for me making faces as if I am not going to let him eat it. Showing of his wife's artwork, yes Sapna painted the plate.

Mumbai has blazing heat. It is showing every where. Not that in our family Men need reason to drop the shirt. Yes even before Salman Khan made the sculpted body a fashion the original Mumbai Men never shied from showing their big 'O' or '8', forget the six packs no one even knew anything about them. If at all it sounded like a takeaway order of may be medu vada chutney!

So now when it is this Mumbai Summer the Men do what the Women cannot. Drop the shirts and show off the bodies. Inspite of the problems heat creates on health this is the time for Mangoes and here it is only Hapoos. I decided to treat my very busy family to a Mango cobbler and the two Peaches too went into it. The cobbler recipe went for a change in type of sugar and believe it or not the taste changes completely.

Here is the other cobbler I made in the past Apple N Grape Cobbler

I think since then I have made it so many times and now the slight change let me record it here on my own blog instead of rushing to ET's everytime.

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup Demerera sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup milk

1 large pinch salt

1/2 cup butter

2 small peaches

1 Hapoos mango

Preparing the fruit:

Heat water to boiling. Blanch the peaches for a min in the boiling water. Remove and keep aside. While they cool. Dice the Mango into cubes.

In a large bowl mix together all purpose, sugar, milk, salt and baking powder to smoothness. The mixing should not be for more than 5 mins.

In the baking dish melt the butter in the oven. Remove from oven and pour the batter over the molten butter. Now layer the fruits over it peaches at the edge. Slice out the flesh and throw away the seed. Then layer the diced mango in the center. Put the baking dish in the oven on the middle rack and bake at 180 deg Celsius for 40 mins. Test by inserting a knife to ensure it is baked completely and the knife comes out dry.

Cool a bit and serve while still warm along with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Balgandharva : The Crowning Glory Of Marathi Musicals

2011-05-14T23:16:00.000+05:30

The epitome of feminine grace, Balgandharva

The Naandi, the beginning with the Ganesh avahan

When Manjiri and Me met up for lunch at the Royal Orchid we gossiped for hours. I gave her company for shopping all the stuff she wanted to take along with her back to Singapore. Then she mentioned she was going to buy tickets for Balgandharva. It sounded really interesting so I tagged along and booked tickets for Dad and me.

I was trying to make it a family outing but my sudden appearance in Mumbai is not making anyone change their weekend plans. There are Kande pohe programs for Bal, Sumeet and Sapna are getting ready for their Himalayan Trek. Pranav has gone back to his home as school results will be announced soon. So Dad making a big fuss about going for a movie finally gave me company. Yeah he does these favors for me once in a while. He prefers to ignore that I do this for him. Uff!

The entry of Balgandharva!

I expected this movie to be well made in the visuals. Produced by the Art director, Nitin Chandrakant Desai all I was expecting is spectacular sets, as his work is known. This movie is a piece of art which is not flawless but then what is imperfect is also attractive. I won't say that about Subodh Bhave's performance as Balgandharva. His finesse in acting is worth a standing ovation. He slips in and out of the onstage and offstage character of Balgandharva with ease. His personality carries the women characterization with equal savvy as the male character.

The direction is patchy and adds to the tragedy of the biography of Balgandharva. As a child I have read a no.of articles in Marathi newspapers about him. I was in awe of how a Man could play a women's role with such ease and grace that even men fell for his characters. There were a few patrons who loved the women characters and Balgandhrva knew it. He also knew he was a trendsetter for women and was extravagant with his sarees, jewelry, perfumes etc.

Balgandharva took the Marathi Musical scene to its pinnacle in the 1900s. His singing mesmerized the audience as much as this opulence on stage through costume and sets. The life story of Balgandharva is as dramatic as his performances. There are many a learning in his life and this movie brings it out very well. An artiste in those days without a formal education was vulnerable. He never took interest in the finances. The extravagance of presenting a play with the best costumes, jewelry and even making the experience romantic by spraying expensive perfumes on the audience as they are welcomed into the theater. The patrons were treated to lavish meals. Balgandharva's passion to please the connoisseur of art as well as the common man equally was the cause of his financial downfall.

The living of separate lives of a bill board king and his family's struggle to make both ends meet is heart wrenching. Finally his escaping into the arms of a younger women, Goharbai who extracts the life's juices out of him by making him perform with a deteriorated throat made me swear aloud. The greedy woman was the final reason for his downfall.

The death of his daughter was personal tragedy and The inaugural show went on the happen...

That was an entertainer's commitment to his audience!!

The highlight in his life is when he inaugurates the show of Manapaman as Bhamini, he says the loss of his daughter is a personal tragedy but the show must go on. Yet for me the scene where his patrons offer to pay off his debts but he refuses it saying he will not accept alms from his audience was awesome. The mild mannered Balgandhrva coming out as a resolute human is played to perfection by Subodh Bhave.

This is not what you are thinking, It is fulfilling a spouse's wish.

The scene where his new bride wishes to see him decked up as the glamorous woman followed by the romance dressed in all his stage finery in today's context may create a confusion in the mind. However look at the subtlety of a man who displays anger at such a wish being expressed by his bride but fulfills it nevertheless. It shows how sure he was of himself as a man! A man who cared for his spouse and her wish.

Another scene is where Shahu Maharaj gifts him a shawl and a bag of coins, he accepts it though hesitant and then as he is passing by a dargah he is drawn to the singing and offers the shawl and money there; is the spiritual height of the man called Balgandharva. Tainted by financial scandals, live in relationship at a withering age. His inability to adjust to the new era of cinema and its works. The pure soul whom Lokmanya Tilak conferred the title Balgandharva is what we would like to remember, the one who served the "Rasik mai baap" from a tender age untouched by the greed and unscrupulous people around him.

It was a great pleasure to see the theater full and with a lot of youngsters on a Sunday evening. It was a complete cultural experience. The movie ended with original pictures of Balgandharva and in my entire life it is the first time I saw the audience standing up and clapping and watching all the credits till THE END!

Phodnichi PoLi / Chapati Upma

2011-05-11T05:39:00.002+05:30

I am in Mumbai, working from home for a while. It's great to be able to handle all the personal pressures and yet be able to work in the comfort of ones home. This is the first time ever in the 8 yrs of my association with my org that I have used a facility like this. Feels great that company provides support.

I begin my work day at 6.30 am and work right upto noon. Then take a lunch break upto 2pm and resume work till 6pm. Go for a walk in the evening and work for another couple of hours at night.What is great is while I am working longer hours I am connected with friends in the outside world as well as surrounded by family and in my home clothes at my relaxed best. Downside is making calls is not as easy as when you are on the backbone. You have to schedule them. However this is only a minor thing.

On the personal front I am waiting for some things to work out and that is very stressful. I am just counting the months, hours, minutes, seconds and wishing this investment of time and more will result in a bumper. I am hanging onto the words "Patience is the PRIZE".

The bright side is being with family, Pranav, my nephew was here with us. He went back on Sunday and we realized that we have a batch of PoLi/ Chapati that was leftover. He is a big eater being a growing boy in his voracious tweens. Me and Sapna laughed at the mound of chapatis leftover after he went back. She was wondering what to do with it. I made this Phodnichi PoLi / Chapati Upma, which is very common in Maharashtrian homes when we are faced with PoLi that no one would otherwise touch. You see everyone wants a hot PoLi just off the girdle if given a choice!

This makes a nice breakfast though. Phodnichi PoLi in English is seasoned flat bread. Get going...

Ingredients

5-6 chapatis/ PoLi

1 large onion chopped long

2 green chilies

a handful of chopped cilantro

1/4 teaspoon asafoetida

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

salt to taste.

sugar to taste

Lime to squeeze over

In a grinder put the chapatis and grind them to coarse flakes. Heat oil and fry chopped onion in it. Add the chopped green chilies and the spices. Now add the chapati flakes. Sprinkle the salt and the sugar. Mix well. Cook for 5 mins till all the flakes are evenly coated with spices. Garnish with the chopped cilantro and give a stir. Serve while still warm. This upma might dry out if served cold so serve warm if you like it soft. Don't forget to squeeze lime juice over it for the zing!

Urundai Sambar

2011-05-04T09:43:00.001+05:30

It's been a long time since I made this sambhar. Way back in May 2007 we were doing a roadshow in Chennai and my friend Nimmy suggested that I must try this specialty. Yeah she is the philosopher, thinker, creative, outspoken friend of mine. We were at Day's Inn and those days are remembered fondly for many more reasons. So on recommendation for someone who knows her Tamil roots well but when it comes to food becomes a bumbler and she was recommending this. So it must be something. I did take a spoonful and then went back for more.

Now while making this at home I googled for this sambhar but the version I ate at Day's Inn was different from the result I checked out. So this version is the Day's Inn version and not what you see on so many blogs.

Ingredients

For the Urundai/ Dal balls

1/2 cup Chana dal / split chick peas

1/2 cup Tur dal/ yellow lentils

1 fine chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon red chili powder

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

salt to taste

Soak the dals separately after washing clean for 2 hrs. Grind to paste. Leave it crumbly coarse. Mine got too fine. Mix in all the spices and salt and roll up into balls. Keep aside.

For the gravy

1 cup Tur dal/ yellow lentils

2 onions chopped

1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste

1 green chili

2 tablespoon grated fresh coconut

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

2 teaspoon coriander seeds

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon red chili powder

1 tomato fine chopped

1 tablespoon thick tamarind extract

1 small piece of jaggery (optional)

few curry leaves

mustard seeds

oil

salt to taste

Pressure cook the dal for 3-4 whistles. While the pressure cooker is cooling down make the masala. Grind together all the spices with coconut.

Heat oil in a deep vessel. Make the tadka with mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add the tamarind extract, tomatoes and cooked dal. Beat it with a beater to get smooth consistency. Add the masala paste and bring to a rolling boil. Add the shaped dal balls. OK mine fell flat as the dals got ground to fineness. Leave them untouched and allow simmering for 15 mins or till cooked completely. Balance the taste with salt and jaggery.

I served with hot steamed rice. Sprinkles of fried Vathal Sundakai makes a nice crunchy garnish besides the standard splash of green in the form of cilantro. Dal balls or balls gone flat still tasted awesome.

Congratulations to Gowrish!

2011-04-29T22:36:00.004+05:30

CONGRATULATIONS GOWRISH FOR TOPPING GATE AT 4TH RANK!

We are proud of you, always remain the unassuming neighbor boy you are. All the best where ever you go!!

______________________________________________________________________________

Congratulations Aditya for graduating from Play school!

These are my friends kids Aditya and Gauri.

Gauri is Aditya's cousin and she is so proud of him.

An Invite That Is Class Apart

2011-04-26T05:50:00.001+05:30

Sharing with you this invite we received from a friend for his grandson's Brahmopadesham. I came home and saw this carefully plastic wrapped courier. The see-through plastic got me excited just laying my eyes on it. I opened the vivid red velvet pouch with a brocade band across it. The contents smelled divine, it was a sandalwood patrika! Yes Patrika because that it what it is an invite fashioned from thick sandalwood strips at both ends with thin strips of sandal wood bark in the center on which are engraved the details, just like in the mythological days.

This is the same family that invited us for Sita Kalyana.

This marks the beginning of a new label Somethings Beautiful.

Raw Mango Thokku

2011-04-25T04:24:00.000+05:30

When you have raw mango you must make this Thokku and Kairi Panha!

This is Kairi Panha! notched up into Slurp~~

I am only human to succumb to the charms of the mango at the advent of the summer. They were expensive but I anyways bought two. I had to make Raw Mango Thokku to be enjoyed with curd rice, fried rice papads and sandage. That is South Indian summer! But I also had to make Panha to tell my self I am a true Maharashtrian here is Blr. for work, discount the fact that I will complete 6yrs on 2nd May in this city. Unlike the Maratha warriors who settled in Karnataka a few generations ago and wish I understood Kannada.Well there is nothing more unifying than food and I never said I don't love Raw Mango Thokku.

On another note, I am looking for a recipe to prepare my own sandage. I love them and these are unique to this region. Project Sandage will begin in March, hope so.

Meanwhile here is the Thokku recipe yet again adapted from Annapoorna by Mangala Barve. She calls it Takku in the typical Marathi style. That remind me I must get my copy rebound or resurrected before it disintegrates completely. I have loved it and it has been the only real cook book I owned, it was a first too gifted to me at 14yrs by my Dad's dear friend who passed away last year.

Moving on more cheerful things and the recipe for which you have come here.

Ingredients

1 raw mango

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon red chili powder

1/2 teaspoon asafoetida

1 teaspoon roasted Fenugreek powder

1 tablespoon jaggery or more

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sesame oil or other

First wash the raw mango. Pat dry it. Shred it and keep aside.

Then heat oil in a wok. Splutter the mustard seeds. Reduce the flame to low. Follow in with the roasted fenugreek powder, asafoetida, turmeric, red chili powder and salt in that order. Add quickly the shredded raw mango. Stir and cook for 5 mins. It will look gooey. At this point now add jaggery and let it melt into the Thokku. Mix well and cook for another 5 mins. Switch of heat.

Let it cool completely in the wok and then store it in a pretty pickle bowl with a lid. Keep it fresh in the fridge. Serve with your favorites like curd rice, idli, dosa or anything that need a special sweet sour accompaniment. I could lick it up just like that but I make it last 7 days I resolve.

Allam Pachadi

2011-04-24T00:20:00.003+05:30

Recreating the taste of Andhra from fellow blogger's recipe is always such a lovely experience.

Sailu's Kitchen is one blog that has fascinated me many times. It is such a pleasure to try out her recipe of this Allam pachadi that I loved when I tasted it on my travel in Andhra last month. I think I ate it atleast 4-5 times in the 10 days. I always chose it if it were on the table. Now where else does one go to find an authentic recipe from Andhra but Sailu's!

This day I made it at home and simply loved it the way it turned out. The freshness of ginger and the tanginess of tamarind balanced by the jaggery when blended in this chutney can provide the much required jump start to a dull morning.

You however see that my chutney is thinner than Sailu's creamy version because this was our brunch and I got a little worried about scalding my system with the famed heat of Andhra Chutneys, even though I am a huge fan. Plus I forgot that we were going to have Allam pachadi and not our regular coconut sauce with our rice cakes and crepe's. I made our regular ginger chai! We love our tea immediately following our breakfast you see. I think this will be a great chutney to take revenge on the people who are sending me orders and switching me on and off at their will. I promise full revenge. Every civilian has her day. :P

Go over to Saliu's for a look if you haven't already been there yet.

Besan Paratha

2011-04-17T21:52:00.001+05:30

Anita's Besan Paratha

Manisha recreated Anita's Parathas in her kitchen and looks like it has spinned off some following. Posting the pictures to give Anitha a thumbs up for accepting the gift of a recipe handed down by her MIL and sharing it with friends very generously. Manisha for her awesome pictures that tempted blogger buddies to give a try.

I served mine with my Aaji's Tomatochi Bhaaji and curd. This now on goes into my Combo meal section as that's what I go to for quick lunches.

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and a Thank you note!

These pretty wall mounting pegs are a gift from Kiran, our families have started enjoying each others company and of course there is always food shared. I was inspired by conversations with Kiran and Suresh to do a Andhra Pradesh tour that you will see coming up soon on Swachchanda.

Thank you Kiran for this sweet gift and its stashed away for a special place.

Gazpacho, Cheese toast and Shaved Carrots

2011-04-16T10:41:00.001+05:30

Another one for the summer lunch series. On a hot Saturday afternoon all you want is a cold cooling lunch. The spanish Gazpacho is an ideal candidate paired with Cheese toast and Shaved carrots. Bless the person who invented this new way of serving carrots too.

Here is a tasty Gazpacho you would want to try instantly. It is quite a flexible recipe and adjust the sourness as you like.

Ingredients

2 tomatoes
4 inch piece of capsicum
1 cucumber
1/2 lime juice
2 teaspoon vinegar
2 cloves garlic
salt and sugar to taste
1 piece of dry bread (optional)

Puree all the ingredients together, pass thru a juice sieve and serve chilled.

I made simple cheese toasts with green chili bits to go with the Gazpacho for this summery lunch and added color to the platter with shaved carrots sprinkled with just sea salt.

If you enjoy pure natural flavors it can't get better than this.

Musk Melon Panak

2011-04-14T00:16:00.000+05:30

Celebrating Ram Navami

My home owner is a lady who believes in feeding anyone who enters her door. I have been subjected to her overwhelming hospitality many a times. Her home delivered parcels of food never find a way to my mouth. The masalas are strong and impossible for me to consume. On Ram Navami I was subjected to one such moment. She offered me a huge glass of Musk Melon Panak. I sipped slowly on it and finished it in time that felt like infinity while her son tried telling me that Panak must be drunk like a shot! Gosh and what get choked I thought. Yet I found this Panak interesting and so sharing it here. I think if I make it myself I might enjoy it more. I will ofcourse customize it to my taste and so should you.

Here is what will work for me. My home owner's version was an overdose of jaggery but Musk Melon stood out even in that one.

Ingredients

1 cup of ripe Musk Melon

2 tablespoons of crushed Jaggery

water for dilution

In a jug add the musk melon and jaggery mash it with a Masher. Top up with chilled water to desired consistency. Enjoy this summer cooler.

I came back home assaulted by the jaggery high and plonked on my bed. The next day when I narrated it to my colleagues at work I became the butt of jokes for being a teetotaler who cannot even handle a jaggery high. The Musk Melon I think has an intoxicating smell, I say. As a kid I would have never touched this fruit and would have run away from the room it would be cut in and see the change I am recommending this Panak to you today.

I love the Kairi Panha a lot and guzzle it in jug fulls. Must make some soon, the Kairi in the fridge beckons me.

Sweet and Salty Shankarpali

2011-04-09T16:21:00.002+05:30

This was in the drafts for a long time. Dad was traveling down to Mumbai and from there to Gondavale. I had to pack some snacks for him so had made this Shankarpali. My Dad simply loves shankarpali that is khuskhushit that is melt in the mouth. This one passed the test perfectly.

Yesterday made it again, a travel snack for someone leaving the country and will be gone for couple of months. I also made Tikhat Shev. That's life some sweet and some spice.

There are several versions of shankarpali which use sugar in the dough. This results in using higher quantity of sugar. This version of dusting powdered sugar is a smart way of using less sugar and enjoying the sweet too.

The pictures here are of when I made for Dad with cardamom powder for the aromatics. This time I used fennel which turned out a good change.

Ingredients

1 cup maida/ all purpose flour
1 heaped teaspoon fennel or 1/2 teaspoon crdamom powder (optional)
salt to taste
1/4 cup molten ghee
3/4 cup milk
Ghee to fry

1/4 cup powder sugar for dusting

In a large mixing bowl. Measure out the flour. Add the spice, fennel or cardamom. Rub in the 1/4 cup of ghee. Add milk and knead into a smooth dough. Keep aside for 30 mins. Cover with wet cloth to avoid drying out.

Knead again after 30 mins then roll out into 1/8 inch thick flat dough. Cut out into diamonds.

Now heat the ghee. Deep fry the cut diamonds to a golden cripsness. Drain on a paper napkin spread on a mesh. After all the diamonds are fried. Put them in a box. Dust the fried cuts with powder sugar. Close the cover of the box and shake to dust it evenly.

Enjoy this great tea time accompaniment!

Food for the soul: Ugadi / Padva Special

2011-04-04T22:24:00.004+05:30

Presenting Sumana Khan (swallow the "n", I say and no bollywood connections here, she says). I got to know her at work and became her fan on reading Scent of a Man on our organization's intranet. Since then Sumana has been fun to interact with she is someone very opinionated in her writings yet have also seen her as a quite observant person at the dinner table celebrating an annual event we both worked together on. I also remember the day when I had organized a Tarot reading event at work and Sumana wanted my advice on when she would be able to make the first sale of her innovation! I had to tell her it was just a game!! Since then lot has happened so here's presenting this multi-faceted creative author who has published her first mystery novel Kaivalya.

Alur Dum

As a Southie, marrying into a Bong family required a complete mental make-over. I was at first overwhelmed, shocked, surprised, gobsmacked at a Bong’s unconditional devotion to food – but then, slowly I started to understand and appreciate the sacred place ‘food’ holds in a Bengali’s life.

I think the biggest difficulty I brought in as a new bou was my vegetarianism. My new family was perplexed – what to feed me? No fish. No chicken. Not even dim (egg). What’s left to eat?

On my first visit to Kolkata after the wedding hoopla, we stayed in The Husband’s grandmom’s home. Deedun is 70 + years, the most open-minded, open-hearted woman I’ve come across. With her smattering of English, and my (then) smattering of Bengali, and my MIL’s smattering of Hindi, we formed a special bond; women across three generations in synchronous cacophony, trying to overcome the language barrier. My veggie situation, it was established, was not a catastrophe after all. I could be fed many things. Many, many things. I could have luchi with alu torkari, bhaath (rice), daal and seddhu alu (boiled potato). And then, my MIL said triumphantly – Doi bhaath (curd rice). My heart leapt with joy. That’s all I wanted after the two-day train journey. To just have some curd rice with pickle and curl up somewhere. But I was afraid of conforming to the ‘south-indian cliché’; many books and many movies have impressed upon me that several roti/daal eaters look down upon curd rice eaters.

Then, Deedun came to me and asked if I wanted the luchis fried in ghee or oil. My eyes bulged. Oil! Oil! Oil! She patted me affectionately and went back to the kitchen. Finally, the plates were set. Hot, piping luchis were piled up on my plate. Alu torkari looked and smelt delicious. I ate swiftly. Then, the rice was brought. By the time I found the right word and gesture to say stop, Deedun had piled up a mini Mt. Everest on my plate. In a spoon which was really a small ladle, she scooped some fresh butter and slapped it on the rice. And then the thick daal was poured on this. Mishti achaar (sweet pickle) was dropped on the mountain peak. Boiled alu was mashed, mixed with finely chopped onion and chilly and, yes, butter. A ball of this was a ‘side’ to the rice and daal.

For a stomach that was used to decades of light rasam (with some tomatoes floating around), a spoon of dry playa, and curd rice; this was nothing but a nuclear assault. I sat there, like a cow chewing the cud. The taste was simply impeccable; but I figured I’ll take five hours to finish the lunch. Thankfully, The Husband returned from some errand, and understood the catastrophe. He took away more than half of the Mt.Everest. Finally, I was done, after forty-five minutes. But MIL had not forgotten the doi baath. I refused politely. She thought I was shy. She convinced me that I must not feel shy to eat. I was now a Bengali, and I have to take pride in eating. We finally reached a compromise. I will just have the doi without the rice. The doi was brought out. I fell off my chair. It was quite a large matka. I was told this was specially bought for me. I said I will have a few spoons. The dreaded ladle came out and now, I stared at a glacier on my plate. Besides, it was not the good old thick curd that I was used to. This was mishti doi. Sweet yoghurt. I took another 45 minutes to finish it.

It’s been almost eight years, and now we laugh about that first meal – served with the right intention of welcoming a new bride. But the quantity, it seemed, was for several brides! Since then, I’ve always been fascinated with the Bengali approach to food. It’s not just ‘prepare, cook, eat’. There is a ritualistic devotion that goes behind every meal and snack that is served in a Bengali home. My MIL’s generation - what can I say, except that they are walking, talking wikis of Bengali cuisine. In every visit to Kolkata, I’ve tasted something new and exotic, and immensely complicated to prepare. Yet, MIL laughs it off – she can do it blind-folded with her right hand tied behind her back.

I’ll share with you the simplest, easiest dish - and it’s my absolute favourite. It is the Bengali ‘Alur Dum’ with my own modifications.

Preparation time – 15 min

Cooking time – 15 min.

What you need:

8-10 baby potatoes.
2-3 large, ripe tomatoes
A cup of shelled green peas
1 inch ginger
2-3 green chillies
1 pod of garlic (optional)
2-3 tsps of mustard oil for seasoning
A pinch of turmeric
1 tsp cumin (for seasoning)
A dollop of cream (optional)
2-3 tsps of grated paneer (optional)

For the panch phoran masala –

1 tsp each -

Fennel
Cummin
Mustard
Nigela (onion seeds)
Fenugreek

Note: The key to panch phoran preparation is that all ingredients have to be used in equal measure. I usually take a 3-4 tsp measure of each, and store the ground masala in an airtight container. It tastes great with any gravy, adding a rush of flavours.

Method of preparation:

Panch Phoran preparation:

First, let’s get the masala done. Take the panch phoran ingredients and dry roast them for a couple of minutes, till a lovely aroma wafts out. Allow to cool, then dry grind this into a powder. Some prefer a coarse powder, some prefer it fine. I powder it to a fine consistency because it blends well into the gravy.

Gravy preparation:

Puree the tomatoes along with the green chillies, ginger and garlic. The resulting liquid should be thick and smooth.

Wash, peel and boil the baby potatoes in slightly salted water. Keep aside.

In a kadai, heat mustard oil till it is smoking hot. Turn off the stove, and wait for the oil to cool a bit. Now, heat it again. This takes out the pungency of the oil.

Add cumin seeds. Wait till they sputter.

Add the tomato gravy. If you need to, you can add a bit of water depending on the thickness you prefer. Close the kadai for 2-3 minutes, allowing the gravy to simmer. The oil separates from the gravy, and you are now ready for the next step!

Add 2 tsp of the panch phoran. Add a pinch of turmeric, a pinch of chilli powder (if you need additional spice) and salt to taste. A dash of sugar brings an interesting balance.

Now, add the green peas, and allow the peas to cook in the gravy. You can also use boiled peas to save time.

Prick the boiled potatoes with a fork, and add them to the gravy. Gently stir them around, allowing them to soak in the flavours of the gravy. Add the scoop of cream, and take it off the stove.

Your Alur Dum is done. You can transfer this into a serving bowl, and then garnish it with the grated paneer. Serve it hot with rotis/chapathis/luchis!

TIP: If you need a thicker body for the gravy, you can try this – after you season the oil with cumin, add 2 tsps of besan. Stir it, allowing it to cook in the oil. In about 3-4 minutes, the besan turns golden brown, and the oil leaves the sides. The besan now gives out a rich aroma. Add the tomato puree on this and proceed as described above.

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We celebrated Padva/ Ugadi today with friends. There was Alok, Varsha and Chulbul Aditya and Anand and little Gauri, Gurunath Uncle and a visitor from Nagpur, Mr. Sant. The food was well planned out and quite a mix not a typical Maharashtrian Thali but an enjoyable one said everyone. Cdr. wish you were there.

Started out with drinks of Pepsi/ Sprite. Then handed out plates served with Sumana's Alur Dum, Lucchi, Tamarind rice, Vangi stir fry and Amul's Kesari Shrikhand. There was varan bhat too but not a single person asked for it not even the kids.

This evening was fun. I played "Farmer's in the den" after years; with Aditya and Gauri on the terrace.

I tripled the quantities and skipped the cream. Sumana everyone one that is 8 adults and 2 kids loved your recipe! Thanks buddy for sharing this recipe and writting this post for me!!

Ugadi ShubhashayagaLu!! Gudi Padvyachya Shubhecha!

Bondas and Dahi Vadas

2011-04-03T07:54:00.002+05:30

It is peak summer in Blr. The afternoon drains all energy. Dahi Vada can make a superb meal. At times when my Dad is not around. I make a whole batch of Dahi vadas and freeze them to be enjoyed on a whim. I pack them for lunch or just grab a bite once am back home from work and have no mood to cook. Well as I write this I change the title to Bondas and Dahi Vadas. If you can make Bondas then you can make Dahi Vadas too. I had made Bondas on a different day in a different mood but combining this post to increase your snacky options.

In this post you also see a splash proof contrainer that I bought months ago. It is such an ideal one for all the beating, churning and mixing. The lid is a tight fit with a flap opening in the center thru which we can insert the beater or mixer. At times I use it like a multipurpose mixing bowl or a jug too. Plus you can store in it.

Humm getting back to the Dahi Vada recipe that you are here for. There are several versions of Dahi Vadas, this is our own family version and the garnishings can get as complex as possible. Here you see a simlpe drizzle of red chili powder butlet your imagination loose to decide the dressing of your choice, khati meeti chutney, shev, grated carrots and what not.

Ingredients

For the Vada/ Bonda

1 cup udid dal/ deskinned and split black gram.

Soak for atleast 4 hours in water after washing throughly. Drain out the extra water when you need to grind the dal. Put it in a wet grinder and grind to fine paste. The paste should be thick and you should be able to drop blobs in hot oil to fry.

Now when we made bondas or call it free from medu vadas you can incorporate chopped chillies, whole peppercorns or bits of fresh coconut in the batter and fry to perfect crispiness. These can be served with the choiciest of chutneys. In my platter you see a peanut cilantro chutney.

When you don't want just bondas and are in a mood for Dahi Vadas all the way.

Then immerse the fried bondas in water for couple of minutes and give them a squeeze. Remove the softened Vadas in a container that you want to store or serve. Then get the Dahi together.

For the Dahi

1 litre of thick curd
salt to taste for savory version

1/2 cup sugar for sweet

Beat the curd in a splash proof vessel.

For the savory version use just salt with the curd.

For the sweet version use the curd and sugar and beat

Dressing it up

You can start with a simple sprinkling of red chili powder as you see in my picture or go all the way with the green chutney and tamarind chutneys that are used for chaats.

Stock up the fridge with Dahi Vadas for a quick serve for yourself or an unexpected visitor.

Doodhi Kofta Rice

2011-04-02T09:09:00.004+05:30

Doodhi Kofta Rice and Fruit chaat our Sunday Sunny Day lunch

Steamed Doodhi Ke Kofte had to be used up before we left for the tour. On that Sunday fried the kofte and made this finger licking rice. This accompanied with a salt and chili sprinkled fruit salad is one of the best summery lunches believe me.

Its a simple rice cooked in the pressure cooker except the frying of the koftas. I used the sona masuri rice but basmati would notch it up to a level higher.

Ingredients

1 cup rice

1 onion

2 tomatoes

3-4 garlic pods

1 green chili

handful of chopped cilantro

1/2 teaspoon red chili powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 tablespoon of oil

Begin with deep frying the Doodhi Kofte. Keep aside.

Then in the pressure cooker heat oil. Fry the onions to red. Add the tomatoes and bring them down to a paste on high heat. Add the chopped garlic, green chili and the turmeric and red chili powder. Mix add the rice. Fry in masala for 2 mins. This should give the rice a glaze. Add the fried koftas at this point and top up with water twice the quantity of rice.

Close the lid and pressure cook for 2 whistles. Put off the heat and cool. Open cooker and give a mix to the rice. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve.

The rice is tangy from the tomato and smell delicious of the complex garam masala. Enjoy it with curd, raita and a papad roasted to perfection will do the no harm as a crackler on the side.

Bagh

2011-03-30T20:48:00.002+05:30

Bagh Prints are a type of hand block printing. This printing technology was brought to Madhya Pradesh by immigrants from Sindh. The hand block printing process requires a lot of water for treatment this made Bagh an ideal place. These print are charachterised by geometric and floral patterns. Traditionally they were done on cotton now they lavish on silk too. The colors are mostly black and red on white or neutral silk.

Mriganayanee's label says :

"Bagh prints derive their name from the small town of Bagh in Dhar district of Western Madhya Pradesh. The Bagh printers migrated from Sindh (now Pakistan) over 1000 years ago due to unconducive environment and atrocities of the rulers. Their art is deeply influenced by Sufi Saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti Aulia.

The process of 'Bagh' printing is painstakingly tedious process; a single piece of cloth undergoes various transformations over 25-30 days before it is finally ready for sale. Only natural material is used in the process. The fabric is treated by 'Khara' method where it is soaked in Sanchora (raw sea salt) non refined cstor oil (Arandi ka tel) and Bakri ki mangi (goat dung) and dried three times in succession. After the final drying, it is dipped into a solution of Baheda or Harada powder. The red color for priting is made using chiya (seed) of Imli (Tamarind) mixed with phitkari (Alum). The black color is prepared using Loha (Iron fillings) and Gud (Jaggery) left together for 15-20 days. printing is done with wood blocks (Kor, Saaj, Bod, Kalam, Burra, Adiyas etc.) on cloth spread on addas (tables). The cloth is dried for 15 days then washed in flowing river water and finally boiled in water mixed with Dhawadi flowers and Alizarin (roots of Aal tree) 9n a Kadhav (Copper vessel)

Next time you wear a Bagh, spare a thought for the artisan whose infinite labor of love has caressed the fabric to perfection."

Here is a lovely article on the one man who revived Bagh printing, Ismail Sulemanji Khatri.Salutes to the Master Craftsmen!

Doodhatli Poli with Banana

2011-03-29T19:30:00.002+05:30

4th standard kid

As a child I visited Ganagapur with family once a year. I remember clearly I was in the fourth standard when I met Anusaya Mata, a sadhavi who lived on the road to the sangam in Ganagapur. She recommended to my parents that I should observe austerity on Thursdays. This was an attempt to calm this hyperactive child. She also recommended a diet for me to follow. I was then a delicate child. Her recipe for a Chapati made with milk and eaten with banana was also a reason for me to gain weight later I realize as I look back ;)

Well anyone needing a prescription for fortifying a child's food intake can use this recipe. Plus banana is a fruit any class can afford to include in the regular diet.

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup milk

salt to taste

oil

In a large bowl, put the flour, milk, salt and a teaspoon of oil. Then knead together to get a smooth ball. Keep aside for the gluten to form for about 10-15 mins.

Now pinch of small ball and roll out the chapatis. Roast them on a girdle and puff them up on the direct gas just like a phulka. Apply more oil if you want to soften it. If you like the fresh roasted chapati without oil, go ahead and enjoy it just that way.

Place the whole peeled banana in the center, make rolls and bite in! The presentation bug demands some so you see the roll slice up and plated here.

Farsan: Sangam Sweets

2011-03-26T10:39:00.002+05:30

Found a new outlet selling the freshest and crispiest farsan. I bought small kachori and papdi. The kachori had a incredibly flaky covering and the papdi was a great accompaniment with tea brittle as it should be. The best part is at Sangam the farsans are not over salted as is the case in many shops and packaged farsans. Recommending this shop to all farsan lovers.

Address:

Sangam Sweets

Koramangala BDA complex (on the ground floor)

Bangalore.

Guava Nectar

2011-03-11T00:38:00.000+05:30

Just 1 guava yeilds thick creamy cooler for 2. All you need to do is wash and clean the guava fruit. Peel the skin. Cut up into pieces. Place in a blender. Add 1 glass of water and a pinch of salt or chat masala. Give a good long whirrrr~~ Strain the seeds out or have it as it is. It will clean the bowels well the next morning that is a promise!

This is a good glass for dieting, keeps you full for hours together.

Tacos

2011-03-09T23:51:00.000+05:30

It's not sausage in there. Just rolled up Rajma paste.

Yet another one of the summer lunches I am enjoying is Taco. Mine is with Rajma and Salsa. Simply delicious!

I had made Rajma for a Rajma chawal night on a week day so saved up some boiled Rajma beans for this Taco. It proved really handy for last Saturday's lunch. These summer lunches are proving to be express and no sweat ones and I'm loving it.

Ingredients

For the shell

1 cup all purpose flour

salt

For the filling

1 cup boiled Rajma beans

2 tomatoes

1 onion

1 green chili

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

lime juice

First get the shell ready. Mix the all purpose flour and salt and knead it into a pliable dough. 1 cup will give 4 big shells. Roll out the tortila. Roast it with a little bit of oil to crispness on a gridle and fold over.

Next dice the tomatoes, onions, green chili and cilantro. Put it all in a bowl and squirt a lemon over it. Salt it and give it a mix. Keep aside.

Now put the boiled Rajma into a chutney grinded and make a paste along with salt.

The final step is to put together all the things. Hold the crisp tortila in your hand and fill with a little bit of bean paste. Top it with the salsa and serve.

Our lunch consisted of Tacos and Gauva nectar. Next post will be on how to make Gauva nectar. Come back to check it out. You will come back won't you?

Hawaiian Salad

2011-03-08T03:49:00.000+05:30

Every where I have had Hawaiian salad it has been with sour cream. In this attempt I have made it with hung curd. It is one of those salads that I almost always love when on a menu. You cannot go wrong with this creamy, fruity and fresh salad.

Ingredients

500 ml of curd
cubes of all types of fruits
1/2 apple
1/2 orange
1/2 Sweet lime
1 banana
1/2 cup boiled potatoes
1/2 cup grapes
salt to taste

Start by tying up the curd in a muslin cloth and hang it for 1 hr. This will yield about 1.25 cups of thick curd.

Now mix all the cubed fruits and curd with a spoon and add salt as per taste. Chill in the fridge for 1/2 hour or more till you want to pull it out for serving.

Sprinkle some nice fresh pepper powder over it. There is no one young and old who can say no to this salad. The flavors are tropical and the curd creamy. Perfect for a Sunday lunch.

We had Cheese parathas with ketchup and Hawaiian salad yesterday.

Fresh Veggies Paneer Salad and Corn

2011-03-07T03:54:00.000+05:30

There is a change in my diet as the Summer is here. I feel good to be eating crunchy fresh vegetables and simple clean flavors. This is a new series of Summer Lunches. I am deliberately bringing in half raw component in to my food hoping to loose some weight.

Last Sunday had a heavy breakfast of Kanda bhajji so to adjust our calorie intake for lunch it was this salad and boiled corn.

Ingredients

1/2 Capsicum

1 onion

4 tomatoes

4 carrots

1/2 slab of paneer

salt

pinch of sugar

Coriander chutney

1 green chili

10-15 cilantro stems

Grind to make a paste along with some salt. Save.

Dice all the veggies except carrot. The carrot needs to be grated fine. Put it all into a bowl and mix nicely. Add a spoon of the chutney and give it a mix again. Serve.

We boiled corn along with the salad. The same chutney can be rubbed onto the boiled corn and enjoyed. The flavors are fresh and very summery. Try it.

Dabu

2011-03-06T17:13:00.001+05:30

As part of the summer break planned I went on a shopping spree and bought lots of ethic fabrics to get my travel wardrobe ready. Some weaves and prints that I picked up fascinated me enough to start a new section on this blog for Textiles and Prints

This first post is on Dabu Print. Dabu is a style of printing in which a mud resist block is made with a special mixture of mud, natural gum and wheat chaff and vegetable dyes are used for printing. Here is a beautiful post by PRIYANK GOYAL on the step by step printing process of Dabu.

When my eyes fell on this punjabi suit set I was completely in love with it. Rosy pink base with crimson flowers. The ends of the dupatta and the central panel on the dress have white printed flowers and a border. The cotton is soft and feels beautiful on the skin.

I purchased it from Mriganayanee the Madhya Pradesh Govt. Emporium in Kormangala BDA complex.

Maha Shivaratri Procession

2011-03-04T10:03:00.000+05:30

127 hours and the moments I loved.

2011-02-28T00:14:00.004+05:30

I am a documentaries person and specially biographies. So when friends suggested this movie I sure wanted to check it out.

We took our place and settled in our seats as Dad commented "This place is empty". Yes this movie is for us not the love story watchers. That is another reason for me to love such movies you get the whole theater for yourself, almost!

The movie starts with James Franco heading out to to the trailhead Canyonlands National Park in Utah. I loved the racing pace. He is a mountain climber and knows this Park like a second home. The camera pans around the orange landscape as he crashes through the terrain. The free spirited guy hardly informs anyone where he is going like most youngsters his age.

He sets a target for himself to go off track and cut down on the time mentioned in the guide book. Bumps into girls who seem to have lost their way. Shows them the way and the blue pool. This scene is a creative addition by the screenplay writers to the Biography of the real hero Aron Ralston. Makes good visuals. So do the shots of the insides of a hydration pack and bottle. Not natural shots but creative nevertheless.

I almost experienced the love the character feels for the rocks as he caresses them while gliding across. A true explorer hates doing things straight and risks it through a crevice. He knows well and in the previous scenes tells the lost girls, "Things are always moving here". As he is descending, a small boulder does move just behind him. As he almost touches ground he realizes his right hand is jammed by the boulder.

Here begins the 127 hours of survival... He shouts for help form the crevice. The camera zooms out to shows how impossible it is for anyone to hear him or locate him. At first he copes with it trying to push the boulder with all his might. Makes pulleys to get it inching just a bit. He has a swiss knife that he uses to chisel the rock but as the rock loosens the jammed hand gets further stuck. As he notes that the hand is already dead he tries to cut it with the blunt knife unsuccessfully making him swear "Never buy made in China". Follows the interval.

I ponder on Danny Boyle's storytelling and technique. He shows signs of Bollywood influence this I say not because he made Slumdog millionaire. You note how he uses the flash back technique to weave the story further. The music by A R Rehman is anything but Bollywood.

Well the flashbacks are the best technique to show how life flashes in all it's brilliance when you are on the edge of life and death. The guy carves his own tombstone writing on the sides of the mountain. Memories of the intimate moments with his girlfriend, cherished ones of parents. The Dad who introduces and nurtures his passion of the rocks. The loving mother, sister and friends everything comes to him in a flash as he is loosing it but he hangs in there. Gets inspiration to live and go back to them. He sees his future in front of him premonition like. While all this is happening he is recording everything on camera.

Finally those moments of survival are all there, living on his urine, not being able to poop as he has not eaten for days. The realization that the blunt knife that cannot cut the skin is useless when he has to cut the bone. So he decides to break the bones, stabs his hand and cuts through the flesh. The emotions portrayed by James Franco are raw, watching him is a treat. His moving through the character from the charming guy to the basest emotions that show when he almost reaches down to stroke himself as he replays the videos of the playfulness at the blue pool with the girls. The extreme pain when the blunt knife is not able to slash the nerves and he tugs at them to break the rest of his arm free from the rock that is jamming it. Superb James Franco!

The realization of a survivor that he has chosen all this rather he was destined for this ordeal as he races through his life's events, is a learning for a spiritual person in me. Even when he has resigned to death he manages to free his hand finally. Takes a picture of the forearm still jammed in the rock for memories sake! and walks out till he gets rescued by a family and emergency help is brought in.

One time the director manages to take us through a ride high on emotions as we see a dramatic sky and landscape, a storm and floods and see him freed only to realize it was a flashback. You almost gasp at the sights, sound and situation!

The movie ends with an update on the real hero and telling us that his premonition came true. What a movie!

Sabudana Khichadi, It's easy!

2011-02-27T11:33:00.004+05:30

Sabudana Khichadi is this nightmare recipe for a new bride in Maharashtrian families. It is a recipe that makes even experienced cooks slightly jittery. When it goes wrong either you have to feed it to the cow or toss it into the bin depending on where you live. Sabudana khichadi scares everyone, it becomes too hard if not soaked correctly or becomes rubbery after cooking if it retains water. The really skilled ensure sabudana is soaked to perfection and you can do it too.

In her first, post marriage interview with Gautam Rajadhyaksha, Madhuri Dixit had mentioned that Dr. Nene had requested her to make Sabudana Khichadi. Yes that same interview in Marathi when all Maharashtrians indulged in their laadki/ pet Madhuri. She dished out hard pearls and poor Dr. Nene being a gentleman ate it quitely. Imagine the gurgling, blushing new bride and the mesmerizing Madhuri in a pinkish saree. Every bride does not have her looks to be forgiven the disaster. Not that Dr. Nene must have done it. I am very sure this must have become a legend in the family told to everyone who cared to hear.

Most brides will call their MIL's, "Sasubai (err now they call her Mumma) jara ikade yaa", calling her into the kitchen to supervise the Sabudana Khichadi being made or may be on a long distance call asking her to hang on.

Well you don't need to do it no more if you follow this tutorial to the T.

Ingredients

1/4 kg Sabudana/ sabakki/ sago

3/4 cup roasted, deskinned and crushed peanuts

2 small potatoes cubed

2 green chillies chopped

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

2 tablespoons oil

salt and sugar to taste

Rule 1: Sabudana Khichadi needs preparation. You cannot make it instantly!

Wash Sabudana in water lightly. Decant the loose powder that comes out in the water. Now soak it in water. The water should be just about the same level as the sabudana. Leave it overnight.

In the early morning next day, drain it on a mesh. Leave it for couple of hours. If the globules feel wet they cannot be used for cooking. It will make the Khichadi rubbery. So for 1/2 hr spread it on a kitchen cloth napkin/ newspaper/ thick absorbent paper. Let the sabudana dry up a bit. The perfectly soaked sabudana should feel plump and soft when squeezed between the thumb and fingers.

Once that is done. Feel confident that you will make a Sabudana Khichadi like a pro. Now when you decide to cook get all the other ingredients together. Mix the crushed peanuts with the sabudana. This will remove the final traces of extra moisture if any.

Heat the kadhai. Add oil and let the cumin brown in it. Follow in with the green chilies and potato. Toss around a bit to give it an oil coat. Now add the perfectly plump Sabudana coated with crushed peanuts. Mix well. Cover and cook on slow for 5-7 mins. Remove the lid. Now the globules would have started turning translucent from the original milky white. This is the sign it is cooking. Next add the salt and sugar as per taste. We like sugar to give it a balance, you can skip it if you don't like it. Mix well again and cover. Let it cook for another 5-7 mins. Once all the globules looks translucent you can switch of the heat and leave the cover on for 5 more mins letting the flavors absorb in.

Remove the lid and serve it while still warm. Since this tutorial was planned I made Mishti Doi to go with it but you can serve it with plain curd. Dad likes chutney too so made a coconut-cilantro-chili one.

Remember fresh and warm is the best way to have Sabudana khichadi, it keeps drying out as the hours pass by. As kids who cared! Whether we were at home or not if it was made for the ladies who are fasting we had to have our share. It would be made with more than a kilo of sabudana and atleast 1/4 kg peanuts and 1/2 kg potatoes in it. Eight Vati/ steel bowls would be rationed and slid into the fridge for us to enjoy when we would return from school or college. That did not mean we had to fast. I still don't fast instead now I breakfast on it!

This post is for Moonbeam for encouraging me to write and am slipping in a request here :) "Will you do a guest post for me?"

The Rains are here! Yay!

2011-02-21T22:54:00.000+05:30

The Rains are here! Yay! though unseasonal, the smell of earth is intoxicating me!!!

Design a Sharara for a Little Woman

2011-02-19T11:20:00.004+05:30

Madhavi is my niece. The grand daughter of my favorite aunt Gopi Atya, who pampered me with food and toys and during festivals I was always stolen away from my parents especially my Dad so that I got to experience the culture in Colaba Koliwada.

Now it is Madhavi's turn to get pampered. When she was about 5 or 6 she came for a week's vacation to my home in Mumbai. That was a time I was on a break from work and could really spend a fun time with her. I took her shopping and indulged. I told her to pick whatever she liked and the little girl collected everything in Pink and white! A flurry sling purse, clips, hair bands, slippers and what not and a Barbie ofcourse. I would do her little girl make up and style her hair differently everyday. She had long silky hair and she looked like a doll with a fairy pink hair band with loose tresses on the back. I was so happy to see her gleaming and wondered if I had a daughter ever...

Then some 2-3 years ago we went shopping again. While talking to her I got to know she loved traditional parkar-polka and like all Indian parents obsessed with passing on the culture bit she was also gifted one as a child but now she liked the glitzy Sharara!

If you go to buy a Sharara in Colaba you would not get anything less than 3000 Rs. at the time; plus the sizes for a Little woman are not right fits, the alteration spoil the whole look. So what I did was picked up a nice Hakoba chickankari punjabi suit set. It consisted of a full body of satin embroidery on chiffon meant for the kurta, a lizzy bizzy plain material for the pajama and a broad 2.5 meters of dupatta with a lovely thin lace and trimmings matching the kurta cloth. We chose a lavendar-pink color as Madhavi still in her tweens was gushing over it.

Then I spent some time with my SIL, Kalpana and explained to her the design that was playing in my head. Kalpana is an indulgent Mum and she too was excited about this project. We decided on a flower design for the choli styled like a short kurti with a flower border. The neckline to have a delicate outline with a flower motif at the center of the broad V neck. The kurti to have small butti all over. The sleeves we selected for this ensemble was maggie, to flaunt her long arms. Madhavi wanted one thing in this Sharara and that was tassels! We decided to make them beaded ones. So you see the jeweled tassels made of small pearl strings with a large rani pink teardrops hanging from it. These jeweled tassles made this whole ensemble grand. You see them on the dupatta as well as on the sleeves.

She sent me this picture which I love so much. I know she cherishes this whole thing of designing her own Sharara and Kalpana Vahini tells me she wore it to all her parties and events that year for she feared she'd grow out of it!

The Little woman has since grown into a college going young woman.

Along Came The Yummy Mommies @ Kobe, Koramangala

2011-02-13T23:40:00.009+05:30

The yummy mommies @ Kobe, Koramangala

freaked out on Baked beans veg sizzler, Veg Shashlick,

Sizzling brownie, Caramel custard and Blueberry cheesecake!

"Even if it's just 2 of us we are going out to eat" I told Preeti. A plan is a plan. One such week-to-end afternoon we decided it will be a visit to Kobe @ Koramangala. Preeti invited our buddy Deepa to join and I was thrilled about this impromptu inclusion.

Kobe is quite close to the workplace exactly 7-8 mins drive. I had raved about Kobe in my post on my homemade sizzler and my seeking the Kobe sizzler everywhere else and not hitting the nail. How could I not go to Kobe @ Koramangala once I found out they were in town and so accessible from work.

Once reaching there and warning Deepa that the portions are good for 2, my order was my regular Veg Shashlick confirmed I told the ladies. So the other one was Deepa's choice of Baked beans veg sizzler. The server took the orders and asked "just 2 sizzler." We assured him there would be orders for desserts later.

They take the usual 15 mins to get the really sizzling plates loaded with a mish mash of many things. We had requested for both mashed potatoes as well as finger chips.

The Baked beans veg sizzler had roasted veggies, tomato, peas, cauliflower, baby corn, carrots and rice topped with sweet sour baked beans straight from the can. Yes and there was a small cutlet in there. We let it sit while he got the Veg Shashlick.

Meanwhile Preeti was narrating her experience there when she had visited with her husband. She had loved the noodle sizzler and the fun she had with the stringy things. So she was keenly waiting to sample the choices we had placed orders for. Still too worried about being able to eat a whole sizzler and felt reassured of having company of good eaters like me!

The Veg Shashlick is served in style. The server comes to the table and like a magician presents it on the table almost with a bow or did I imagine that! Then he goes on to remove the skewers from the bed of veggies and rice. That's when the unfamiliar realize there is some tandoor goodies hidden underneath the pile. The sauce here is light soya. The standard finger chips, mashed potatoes and rice and specific to this sizzler are spinach, tandoori paneer tikka and a nice thick piece of grilled pineapple that not only wins your heart on sight but elevates the sizzler to a class of it's own. As in Bambaiya one would say, "It's the baap of veg sizzlers."

The plates were bubbling furiously and for the fear of scalding our tongues we preferred to wag them instead of subjecting them to the taste of sizzler nirvana. It would have been an amazing sight for onlookers of three women attacking it and scrapping the bottoms to get the burnt to crispness mashed potatoes.

After cleaning up the plates I was teasing Preeti if she wanted another sizzler. All three of us agreed to go for desserts, 3 desserts Deepa corrected! Well desserts were on our mind even before we placed the order for the sizzlers, the reason being the table mats have a menu for desserts printed on it. Smart people Kobe has. They occupy your mind with desserts when you actually came to eat a sizzler. I like it!

So, Preeti went for the sizzling brownie and she sniffed in the air, someone else was also enjoying it. Me swooned at the thought of a Blueberry cheesecake. Deepa after much pondering settled for the safe bet caramel custard. The sizzling brownie as the name suggests was a walnut brownie on a hot plate mounted with a large vanilla ice cream scoop with chocolate sauce generously poured over it. The sauce flowed down and caramelized on the sizzler plate creating an all pervasive chocolate aroma. The Blueberry cheesecake was slightly firmer than I like yet I enjoyed it as the blueberry compote on top gave it the juicy sweetness. The caramel custard was delicate and the portion was smaller compared to the other 2 desserts.

Now that I am done with raving about the food let me atleast mention the ambience. It is a formal seating, we sat near the glass facade as I love bright sunny views while eating in an air conditioned restaurant especially if they are off the main road. A peek of nature while lunching is good for the appetite, it only flares ;). This is a sizzler place and it has a smoky atmosphere as expected but just to titillate our taste buds and not so bad as to choke us. When you come to a sizzler place expect that.

Thanks to Kobe for opening up in Bangalore and bringing the familiar tastes of Mumbai to this city where I reside currently. I kinda swelled with pride as my friends enjoyed the eat out that I have been recommending for so long. Cheers!