Bourbon Shankarpali

I had tasted sandwich shankarpali in Mumbai many years ago but have never tried it at home yet. Somewhere in my mind the taste and the innovative idea stayed. I was off to the North East of India on a holiday and till the last minute I had many things to wind up at work. I did not have enough time to get more munchies made and neither had I done shopping for the ingredients.

The idea of sandwich shankarpali was playing in my head as the verdict was cake and shankarpali for the Khaoo chi bag - marathi for bag of eatables. In the pantry there was wheat flour but no maida/all purpose flour, a tin of cocoa powder beckoning to be opened but no chocolate cake yet as I had made it just sometime ago. Finally the sandwich shankarpali and bourbon biscuits merged in my kitchen and this new creation was born.

Ingredients

1/8 cup crushed jaggery
3/4 cup water
1 heaped cup whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Ghee to fry

for the chocolate filling

1/2 cup Cadbury's cocoa powder
1 tablespoon Hershey's chocolate syrup
2 tablespoon granular sugar
1 teaspoon milk (or more)

In a saucepan add the crushed jaggery and water a bring to boil. It will give a slightly sticky syrup. Put off the heat and add whole wheat flour to it. Mix well and turn out the boiled dough onto a counter. Knead the dough well. Divide dough into 4 balls. Roll out four chapatis of 6 inch daimeter. Keep aside.

Next in a bowl mix together the cocoa powder, chocolate syrup, granular sugar and milk to get a paste. Spread this paste on two of the chapatis. Cover with the other two chapatis. Now you will have 2 chocolate filled chapatis. Roll out further each one to increase the daimeter to get 8 to 9 inch.

Now cut into shape of choice using a pizza cutter. I cut it into rectangles. They looked really pretty. Fry in Ghee on medium heat. They brown easily so reduce to sim if the ghee becomes too hot. Do not stir too much in fact turn over only once and remove else the layers separate.

Drain on a slotted spoon and remove on a paper napkin lined mesh. Allow to cool complete and then store in an airtight container. Resist the temptation to eat hot, jaggery can scald the tongue.

This is one more recipe with my comparatively newfound love for jaggery. The smell does not bother me any more.

A WOW Quarter!

The Eco-bag is a canvas tote with a green floral design and the simple choices for better life and environmental conservation. Also you see brand Darjeeling, a picture of the toy train that I rode during the holidays.

I wanted to write about this for a long time but since it was very personal and emotional I took time to put it up here.

Beginning of this quarter I completed 5 yrs in my Organization. I reflect that I have been lucky when it comes to the roles I played and that I was able to build my circle of influence. There have been people who believed in me, people who saw in me more than I told them. People who stood behind me. If you guys are reading this. A Big Thank You! from the bottom of my heart.

It all began a month before the 5Th anniversary, the first mail saying my data is being cleaned up:). As if I would not guess! Then asking for a new photograph for a new work id. My Group Manager started his goofy calls asking me for the names of people still in the organization and who have worked with me. I knew why he wanted it ;). I have moved between companies in my org so I gave him a big list of the relationships and names. The excitement just built on.

On the day of my anniversary I got my new id card with a new picture that I had submitted and a bright new red tag that denoted 5 yrs of association. As a traveller the thrilling part was a mail allowing me to choose a holiday destination of my choice anywhere in India for 2 nights paid by the Company. I took time and chose Darjeeling. (I added few more destinations on my own and extended the holidays to a 10 day enchanting journey that I am just back from). I said WOW!

Shrinidhi took great efforts to collect sound bytes from my colleagues and friends and read it out during the celebrations, while he handed out the tokens for long service from the org. My throat ached and I could barely thank him. I want to thank through this post all of you who sent in the sweet words. Madhulika, Keith you guys made me cry and brought back Mumbai memories of passion for work and fun too. My senoirs had some things to say and I promise to live up to it. I made a tiny acceptance speech to close the celebrations.

Then on 7th March came International Women's Day and my organization said WOW! to all the women employees. We got Eco-bags as take aways. The org. sees us as ambassadors of change and they WOWed us one more time!

Announcing Swachchanda

Swachchanda in Sanskrit means a free spirit. Actions controlled by the soul. This defines me therefore my travel dairy gets the name. Check it out here.

To begin with I will be publishing my travel notes from the recent trip to the North East of India every weekend. I wrote everyday after returning to the hotel and during travel, on the train and in the waiting rooms at railway stations documenting my experiences.

Madivala Lake

As the bus passed Madivala Lake everyday this bright morning sun and the wilderness made this wanderer's heart dream of places yet to visit. Being a person that follows the heart I'm off to the mountains. Bags packed, munchies tucked in. So see you after 10 days.

Fresh Corn Chowder

Sumptuous Bowl

The Saturday Spread -

Fresh Corn Chowder, Methi Bread Sticks, Griddle roasted potatoes and Cut fruits

I think I like her, the sensuous lady and she is not the skinny type ooohhhing and ahhhing with mouthfuls of baby food in the name of good food. That is Nigella.

Well this recipe is adapted from the Nigella Express. Adapted is when you don't have all ingredients at hand but you venture all out and end up doing something of your own.

Ingredients

1 cup corn kernels
1/4 Red onion (She used 2 scallions/spring onion)
2 tablespoon semolina
1 cup cubed mixed vegetable (carrot, beans, capsicum etc)
2 teaspoons oil.
salt to taste
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon vinegar
water as you like

Grind the corn, semolina and piece of onion together with little bit of water. Heat a saucepan, add oil. Stir fry the mixed vegetables. Remove and divide into 2 serving bowls. Now add the ground paste and stir fry for 5 mins. Then top up with water as you like. Chowders are thick soups so 2 cups is good. Add the salt, sugar and vinegar and bring to boil and it is nice and creamy. Put off heat and divide into the bowls with the veggies.

This Chowder has a texture so it has a repeat value with us and that's an exception we make to thick soups.

Don't you think eating light on a Saturday afternoon is fun?

Apple Sheera

Apple Sheera decorated with apple flowers and accompanied with Gol Kachori for a savory bite.

My family is a special Sheera lover family, you have heard that before on this blog haven't you? We don't like the ordinary Sheera but we are nuts about Sheera with fruits, dry fruits different spicings and presentations.

Its always a challenge to make Sheera appealing all the time. Last Saturday I made Apple Sheera and decorated it to please.

The Ketchup kid behaved indiscreetly on Friday evening while we were at a friend's and that called for a scolding. It was going to be followed by a sulking for a few days I knew. Hence I went all out on a cooking frenzy over the weekend as that is what cheers him. It also helped that we had visitors all day on Sunday to change the mood that I expected to follow the Friday nights events.

So here is a recipe to mend hearts.


Ingredients
1 cup semolina
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup apple cubes with skin
2 cup hot milk
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2.5 + 0.5 tablespoon ghee
1/4 cup chopped mix nuts and raisins

Before you cube the apple refer the steps to decorate given below.

In a wok heat 2 tablespoons of the ghee and roast the semolina till grains looks well coated with the ghee and separated. Now in goes the sugar, mix well and pour in the hot milk. Keep stirring. Cover with a lid and cook for 5 mins. Stir in the apple cubes and let the semolina absorb the juices and flavors. Cover again and cook till the semolina looks fluffy. Add the nuts, raisins, cinnamon powder and mix well. When done let in the 1/2 tablespoon ghee and allow it to melt in by spreading evenly on the top. Mix well.

To decorate:

Spread the sheera evenly in a plate. Cut out with a heart shaped cookie cutter. Place the heart shaped Sheera in a serving plate.

Now take a whole apple press into it a flower shaped cookie cutter all the way till the center. Cut up the apple daigonally to get a flower shaped cylinder. Hold the flower shaped cylinder between your thumb and first finger and cut horizontally to get about 1/2 inch thick flowers. The flower with the apple skin is put on the Sheera heart while white flowers are to used on the sides.

I served the Apple Sheera with Gol Kachori as an accompaniment.

The Gol Kachori is from Haldiram. The pack is attractive, with a plastic tray that holds about 10 pieces with a foil seal that keeps the freshness. Yet again Haldiram has succeeded to deliver the familiar and authentic tastes to people in unfamiliar lands through packaging and distribution. Cheers to them!

Also see the box of Kaju Katli that Anand and Asawari had brought from Nagpur when they last visited.

Other Sheera varieties:

Mango Sheera

Pineapple sheera

Banana Sheera

Carrot Paratha

In my lunch box, Carrot Paratha and Vangyacha bharit

Carrot Paratha makes you a kid again with all that color and yum factors. One night we made too much carrot Koshimbir, the regular grated carrots with a squeeze of lemon, fine chopped chilies and cilantro. I never have the heart to throw food, its a weakness that added to my weight problem. Many times there would be just a small protion left and no takers. They'd declare throw it away. We don't freeze leftovers and no one likes it the next day even if properly warmed. So I would finish of the food to avoid wastage. I have now however overcome that habbit and eat only as much as I need. If I have leftovers I now transform them completely and the no taker category then turn 'dil mange more'. This Carrot Paratha is one such creation. We make it only with leftover Koshimbir and now it is being demanded as a specially made one.

Ingredients

1 cup Carrot Koshimbir as explained above or a similar one
2 table spoon curd
1 cup wheat flour
salt to taste
1 table spoon oil

Remove all the ingredients on the counter and knead well. You mostly would not need water as the koshimbir will release enough water and the curd used is enough to get a smooth dough. It should be slightly tighter than chapati dough as it will soften further when we leave it still for 10 mins.

Pinch off small portions of dough and shape a ball. Roll out into a desired shape for the paratha. I made small round ones thicker than normal chapatis so that the carrot shreds stay embedded well in the dough else you get a sieve of a paratha.

Roast it on a hot gridle and polish of with curd when still hot OR if packing of a meal apply some ghee and put it into a box. Roll it in foil to keep really soft untill meal time.

Batata Vada Odyssey

Batata Vada is the ball of potato dipped in chickpea batter and fried in hot peanut oil. What's not to like in it?

Batata Vada has a special place in the heart of a Mumbaikar. It is not only the signature dish of The Great M, sandwiched in a soft fresh bun, the ubiquitous pao but also is the consumed most at railway stations. The mention of batata vada conjours up memories of journeys and also of commutes to work day in and day out for many Mumbaikar. Join me on an odyssey of the best batata vadas paired with the paos.

Starting with VT or CST as it is now known. Begin with Capital theatre building, the corner outlet next to the restaraunt sells a nice batata vada but the bhaaji inside is not the maharashtrian yellow but a fainter color as is the south indian yellow. Go little further a few furlongs in the same line as Cannon. The Dandekar's of Cannon were famed for their pav bhaaji don't remember if they made batata vada. Next to it the Kalakatta stall that was a must after the savory treats, wonder if their menu has changed now. Drool.

Jump on to the local train get off at Dadar, eat at Mama Kane's. Take a Thane local. Go straight to Kunja Vihar opp the dilapidated ST Bus stop. Their's is the best Batata Vada and soft buttery pav with the thikhi-meethi chutneys. You have to stand in que to get service. Every Vada pav is warmed in the microwave before serving. Take a harbour to Chembur, walk towards Joy Hospital, a woman has a push cart that even doctors swarm. It was many times our snack when a family member was hospitalized in Joy Hospital.

On the western railway side Khaoo galli (Food Street) is loved by many people to me it brings back memories of food poisoning after chomping on a vada pav after the school annual functions at the nearby Patkar hall. Another train route to Dadar and closer to Mama Kane's on this side of the city. At Parle East it has to be Champion, Goregaon West has some busy stalls and the Malad's famous M M Mithaiwala's.

Infact every station has its batata vada stall famed for crawling roaches as well as others that Mumbaikars swear by. In most conversation between family members over the phone you will hear a hungry one telling that they had Vada pav to survive till they reach home. Yes Vada pav is indispensible in Mumbai.

What is a good vada all about? Mashed potatoes spiced right and dipped in chickpea flour that coats the ball of potates in a thin coat. If you are eating one with a thick cover, I bet it is hotel style, they use soda bicarb in the batter. That makes you thirsty after eating. A home style one is without the soda bicarb.

If I had to acknowledge copyrights for Batata vada, I have to do it this way.

For My family's sake my tuppence worth recipe:

Ingredients

1/4 kg raw potatoes
1 handful cilantro
1/4 teaspoon mustard
a pinch of asafoetida
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
2-3 cloves garlic
1/4 inch ginger.
2-3 green chilies
salt to taste
2 teaspoon oil

Boil the potatoes in a pressure cooker.

In a mortar and pestle pound the green chilies, garlic and ginger together with salt. Save.

In a wok heat oil add the mustard, let it crackle. Then add the asafoetida and the pounded masala of ginger etc. Put off the heat add the boiled potatoes, cilantro, turmeric and salt mix well.

Now shape either as balls or flat vadas.

Prepare batter for dip.

1 cup chickpea flour
salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 to 3/4 cup water

Oil for frying. Dip the balls in the chickpea flour batter and fry till you get a reddish ting to make sure they are fried well and crisp.

You will see a no entry board on heaven's door if you haven't tasted Batata Vada, such is the cult following.

Merlion Relish Forks

Merlion Relish Forks, my entry for Click March 08

As I read this month's announcement for the Click - the photo event my choice immediately was the Merlion relish forks. It was ideal choice for this blog event and for another personal event, read below about it.

My brother, Hrushi is leaving for the Land of the Merlion to pursue a Master's in Business, tonight. His specialization, Enterprise Resource Planning so this post is to first wish him luck for an exciting future.

Bal, Wish you success and a prosperous future!

Well, back to Merlion relish forks, my Dad had brought these back from Singapore. When I decided to participate in Click I decide to do a bit of research. I have been calling them salad forks all the time as thats what we call forks used to eat fruit salads. However, our guru the internet threw up so much information on searching for types of forks that now I know these are called Relish forks. If not anything else it sounds snobbish. Read here why they are called by the name.

The relish forks are slimmer and may be 2 or three pronged. They are used to not eat but just to pick up food from a container without contaminating the rest of the food. Ain't it interesting.

Mine have a lovely Merlion at one end that functions as a knob to give a grip. The forks are held inside the hollow Merlion shaped case, that plays the Singapore song and flashes lights too.

I had never bothered to find out what metal it was made from. It wasn't steel or silver I knew but knowing Bee and Jai and their line.....

Metal surfaces, cutlery, crockery, utensils, cookware, appliances, foil, bakeware, cast iron, steel, tin, aluminum, gold, silver, copper, brass, pewter …. we’d like to see them all.

How could I not try to find out what metal they are made of. I fortunately had a booklet that came with it and Lo I found out it was pewter!

Once I had a guest who stayed with us for 2 months, while she was with us she explored every niche of my poorly furnished home in Blr. One evening she asked me to show her the Merlion. I pushed the clip to play the music and gosh it went all the way in. The Merlion went on singing and I had no way of stopping it. I tried dismantling the piece but in vain. It played on and on and it gave me a headache, the battery was so good it refused to drain. Finally I got frustrated and shut it up in my Dad's wardrobe. Dad was not around and he was going to return home late. A couple of hours had passed off and both of us, the guest and me forgot about it as we got busy with the cooking and gossiping. When Dad came home and opened his wardrobe he jumped out of his skin when he heard a moaning, almost yelling out loud as if there was something evil in there. I managed to calm him down and sheepishly owned up of dumping the Merlion there. All three of us burst out laughing after that. This is one of the funniest moments in my life.

Uliche Thalipeeth

Thalipeeth made with guess what?

This time roasted on a frying pan Follow the recipe exactly as given here Thalipeeth Just Zakas !

Hold on why am I posting it again?

This time its the spring onions that replaced the red onions in this traditional recipe. It imparts a heightened fresh taste. I used 2 tender spring onion or shallots as they are called. In Marathi is it called patticha kanda and in Koli it is called Ul.

Since I made the Thalipeeth in a wok last time some had asked if it could be made on a gridle or frying pan. So this time I made it in a frying pan and since it was flat allowed to be roasted on both sides unlike the wok version which gets roasted only on one side.

Yes and yet another combination to serve thalipeeth with curd.

Update:

Bee tells us that spring onions are called scallion and the small red, Madras onions are called shallots. Wiki too elaborates on this confusion. Colloquially though the term scallions and shallots are used interchangeably. Infact not just Madras onion any red onion is called shallot. After this enlightenment I guess I won't mind one of my fave cooks, Kylie Kwong call red onions, shallots.

Going Organic

A new kiosk in the cafeteria @ work. They promise organic food. Anyone tried The City Deli yet?

Post your feedback here while I might need time to check it out.

Hittu, Idli In A Jackfruit Leaf Basket

Yesterday a typical Sunday morning I was barely out of bed and the phone rang. Irrespective of the day we wake up early so a call at this time of the day makes both of us jump a little bit. It was Vidya Auntie at the other end, though she lives about 10 mins walking distance from our home she visits us just once in a while and she had just come over recently so I was surprised to hear her voice at the other end. She announced don't make breakfast today, I'm getting something for you. I was thrilled, I am not used to such pampering. Not to make breakfast on a Sunday morning and this showering of affection is something I have completely forgotten about. All those married ladies and those who have lost their Mom will understand this.

In a few mins. She almost ran up the stairs with a box filled with these beauties. WOW! I had only seen pictures of these idlis over here and followed the pictorial for making these baskets with Jackfruit leaves. At work I had eaten banana leaf wrapped ones but not these. Hittu in kannada/ konkani literally means batter. Only loving mothers can take so much trouble to make the baskets and steam these special idlis. It is to differentiate between the regular idlis and these it is called Hittu.

I am truly touched by Vidya Auntie's gesture and even more thankful to Uncle who drove her to our home so it would reach us hot straight out of the steamer. Currently her daughter is visiting her with the kids, so this speciality was churned out. It means a lot to me to know that they came home to deliver the first batch for me even though they had grandkids around. Fortunately I had baked a second batch of Choco Walnut Cake - II just the previous night for all those friends who did not get from my Valentines Day one, so thats what went back for the kids.

She now understands me so well and the crazy food blogger that I am, she got along a pretty chutney bowl to make lovely pictures. She knew I would take pictures of course! :). What she didn't know is I would ask her and Uncle to pose for a picture.

Thank you Uncle and Auntie for this surprise and all your love! Its been 14 years since I enjoyed this kind of pampering.

For all you guys out there the recipe is simple. Just your regular idli batter steamed in those dron/ baskets.

The leaves keep the idlis incredibly soft for two days. Yes We had those for 2 breakfasts :) as we could never eat so much in one go even though we wake up hungry these days.

God Appe

You see only half of the Appe here :)

Mrs. Vidya Shenoy is one of the many friends we made in Blr. She has an amazing home, an antique and artifact collection so huge that it keeps her busy all day long. She is one of those people that do every thing perfectly. Home, hearth or hobbies, she gives her best. She even packs her gifts carefully which is really rare here.

She likes to visit us once in a while and is always armed with goodies. Last time she had got figs in a lovely recycled paper bag. Remember the Fig Sauce. It is one of my most searched recipes . This time she got a bag of God Appe.

She loves to discuss about spiritualism with Dad and food, culture and art with me. Her sister introduced this blog to her when she was in Mangalore recently. So this time she has recommended that Dad see and read my blog. I don't know when that will happen.

As soon as Vidya Auntie handed the bag to me, I felt the warmth of the freshly made God Appe. I was not going to leave this opportunity to learn a recipe from a senior lady like her. She is a sugran, once she had served us dahi vada and moog dal payasa at her home and both tasted heavenly. The taste that I miss, of Mom's and Devaki Kaki's cooking, I find it in her cooking.

This is a sweet with old world charm and does not get made much in Mumbai homes. So I sat at her feet to learn the recipe and she eagerly shared it. Like all women her age she has to be prodded about the ingredients, gently asking how much of this or that did she use. They tend to assume that we would know and most measures are andaze, so I tried to measure out.

Ingredients
2 glasses raw rice
1/2 coconut
2 ripe big bananas
2 handfuls beaten rice/ pohe
1/8 kg jaggery
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup bits of cashew nut
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
ghee for roasting
Wash and Soak the raw rice for 2-3 hrs in water.

Drain and grind together the soaked plump rice, coconut, banana and pohe with minimum amount of water. It should be a thick batter.

Now this is a real tip from the sugran, jaggery has to be molten in a vessel with 2 tablespoons of water to get rid of the raw smell. Then cooled and added to the rest of the batter. Now add the baking powder, mix well and let the batter rest for an hour.

Just before you start cooking the Appe in the mould add the cardamom powder and cashew bits in the batter and mix well. About 1 tablespoon batter sits well in each cell of the appe pan. Roast it with ghee. Cook on one side then flip with a fork and cook on the other side.
Let them cool a bit and then enjoy.
This recipe is for 50 Appe. One can halve the recipe or quarter it to get 25 or 12 Appe. They freeze well and can be made in advance. Just zap up in the microwave before serving to get back succulent Appe.
GAS 2008 (God Appe standards patented by gourmet yours lovingly) say they should be spongy, sweet, and cooked well right to the center. The aroma of cooked ripe banana and cardamom brings the old world charm right back to you.

I am speechless

My classmate. She was a delicate girl when in school. We have not been in touch since then. On a fluke I searched for her. Maria another classmate had mentioned about her. Read here.

Smita we are proud of you.
Love.

Cauliflower N Olive Bake

Sometimes we create something which is not quite what you set out to. This dish is just how I made it. This is a kid friendly recipe to make and eat too.

I wanted to create a spicy cauliflower bake but it turned out a fragrant one. This is a completely oil free dish. I think 1 tablespoon of oil to coat the cauliflower florets would have done a lot of good to the taste. It is a very bland kind of a bake so you see the sprinkle of red chilli powder. May be a sizzler sauce would have been a good addition to.

Though I did not enjoy it much Dad did and many who like bland food may like it.

Ingredients

1 head Cauliflower head

1 cup pitted olives

1/2 cup grated cheese

1 teaspoon oregano

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder

Break up the cauliflower florets and keep them immersed in water with 2 teaspoons of turmeric for 1/2 hr. The turmeric with make the cauliflower aseptic as well as a little tender.

In a bread pan put in the florets, olives, oregano and 1 tablespoon of Oil. (I did not use any but have included in this recipe to enhance the flavors, you can skip it if thats how you want to try it out. Toss them around a bit.) Top up with grated cheese, any type will do I used the regular Amul processed cheese. Preheat oven for 10 mins. Bake the dish for 40 mins. Serve hot with a sprinkle of red chilli powder. If you like to have it with a dip use schezwan sauce or just ketchup.

Orange Cup Yogurt

served with Sunday Lunch

The weekend treat for being good during the week and following the diet plan I mentioned in the last post. Last weekend I made Aloo Parathas with ghee, ketchup and pickle, Tomato N Corn Rice and Orange Cup Yogurt for desert.

This is a very easy to make desert and is ready in a jiffy. It can be prepared before hand for visitors and served chilled on a sunny day.

Ingredients

1/2 liter curd

1 orange

Sugar as per taste

Hang the curd in a muslin cloth for 15-30 mins until it is thick and reduced to 1/4 liter. Remove the curd to a jar and blend with a hand blender or whip it up in the mixie. Use sugar if you like it. I skipped it but added 2 teaspoon for Dad's cup.

Cut the orange at the equator to get two cups. Loosen the wedges, remove the threads and save the empty orange cups. I used one Valencia orange. Squeeze out the juice of half the orange and loosen the segments of the other. Mix in the curd both the juice and segments. Keep some segments to sprinkle on the top. Since Valencia orange is a sweet orange it blended well with curd.

Serve the orange flavored yogurt in the empty orange cups that we saved. This is a very refreshing desert and low cal too.

Corn Bhel and a Lifestyle Change

Corn Bhel, Tomato saar, Cut veggies with salt and red chilli powder

Most people struggle with weight all their life. If you’re born thin and a fussy eater, parents spend years stuffing you to convert you into a chubby baby they wish you would be. That dream stays then you reach puberbity and all at once the skinny thing grows into a healthy woman. Healthy as is "Khate Pite Ghar Ki".

There is a turn around and parents now worry about who will marry their pretty daughter if she stays healthy. Now their dream is to make their daughter the model that would sashay down the street giving the guys hearts a skip. Now the same parent who built the habit of stuffing even when not hungry put tabs on what the young girl needs to eat thus causing eating disorders. Plus once she turns into a butterfly all sports are a no no as her coaching to become a good bride starts. Until the smart young lady decides for herself what is best for her and asks Mom and Dad to leave her alone.

The above is a slight exaggeration of what goes on in Indian homes. Yet parts of it are true in the life of different girls who become fine young women ofcourse because of their parents. The parent’s indulgence is to be forgiven.

Well my struggle with weight is still on. I have tried many diets. I am not much of a sports lover, not even a TV sports lover. So for me its long brisk walks and change in lifestyle that helps me. Diets went on and off. Finally I have chosen something that is working for me and looks like I may be able to keep my pace with this.

I have started following a routine that our grandmothers followed:

Breakfast:

Before leaving for work, small portions have a charm accompanied by a cup of tea.
Upma/ Poha/ 4 biscuits/ a vegetable sandwich/ tomato omelet/ thalipith

At 11 am:

A glass of buttermilk made with a table spoon of curd and salt diluted with water.

Lunch at work between 12.30 to 1.00pm:

2 chapatis or 4 phulkas and a bowl of vegetables made with just 2 teaspoons of oil per person.

4.00 pm:

Tea with just one teaspoon sugar.

6.30 pm in the bus while returning home:

A fruit OR a glass of buttermilk (mentioned above)

Dinner at 8.30 pm:

A big bowl of vegetable salad /fruit salad / vegetable bhel with corn/ sprouts of different kinds with non starchy soup/fresh fruit juice

Before retiring for the day:

2 glasses of water

Results:

• I am able to pack more into my work week.
• Waking up fresh in the morning.
• Feel little lighter but have a long way to go ;).
• My habit of napping in the bus on the way to work has changed. I am putting the time to good use.
• Cooking just once in the morning, feels good to have time for other hobbies.
• No more obsessive thoughts of what to cook for dinner.
  

Weekends:

Treat time. One sweet on Saturday and Sunday. One exciting breakfast or brunch. Occasional visit to a restaurant.

This is a plan that will last for sure.

One such dinner we enjoy is what you see in the plate above:

Ingredients
2 cups boiled sweet corn
1 onion chopped fine
1 tomato chopped fine
1 handful cilantro chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon roasted coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
salt and red chili powder to taste

In a vessel you can mix all items together and serve on a decorative plate. I like to mix my corn bhel while eating so I assemble it like this, corn, onions, tomatoes, chopped cilantro, salt sprinkle and all powders sprinkled. Enjoy every spoon while you meditate over your plate of corn bhel. It is very satisfying and calms the nerves as you mix it and chat up with your loved ones.

I have a sedentary lifestyle and a bad metabolic system so this intake in enough for me. I was not allowed to play right from a young age so lost interest in sports. Hope I get a chance to play with my kids, if I ever have some, err at least two.

Disclaimer:
My formula is not patented so anyone can use it yet no way is it prescriptive. Infact it’s stolen from my grandmothers from both sides and my many grand aunts who were very beautiful charming, intelligent women and who took good care of their health.

Choco Walnut Cake - II

Happy Valentines Day !!!

I revisited my Walnut Choclate Cake recipe for this Valentine's Day. It is this time of the year when I actually want to celebrate though I am not much of the crazy trend follower.

No expensive gifts. Just something I will be able to give every year, every day of the year. No and it is not this cake either. He knows it but this post is to show it.

I just changed the recipe a bit and it has turned out better.

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup fine semolina
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup crushed walnuts
2 cups milk
70 gms ghee/ butter
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon soda bicarbonate
1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/4 teaspoon salt

Beat the sugar and ghee/ butter together in the food processor until fluffy.

Sieve together all purpose flour, semolina baking powder, soda bicarbonate, salt and cocoa powder.

Add the sieved mix into the processor little at a time. Add the milk a little at a time. Alternate this till all flour and milk is in the processor. Add the vanilla. Whip it up.

Grease a 9X11 baking tray with ghee/ butter. Sprinkle the crushed walnuts in a layer. Add the cake batter over it. Thump the tray lightly on the counter. This will spread the batter evenly. If it is not even spread it with a spatula.

Preheat oven for 10 mins. Bake the cake for 20 mins.

Cool the cake in the baking tray itself. Cut into squares like I did or different shapes with a cookie cutter. Invert the baking tray onto a decorative tray or remove each piece onto a fancy dish. Serve with icecream, milk or orange juice else nibble on it just like that.

My word: Since I make eggless cakes, they always are denser than the ones that have egg. Its the first time ever I had such a light crumbly cake.

Lots .....

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Spice Burst Loaf

Spice burst Loaf is a bread that tastes very Indian. Most times when I make bread I make either sandwiches or use some spread to lather it. This time I wanted a bread that could be eaten without the paraphernalia. This loaf as the name suggest is bursting with spice and is loaded with flavorful sweet corn, black olives and the tart flavor of sundried tomatoes. It is a mouthful of flavors one will enjoy with every bite. It is non messy and just right for kids. The senior people who try to find Indian flavors in continental cuisine will be absolutely happy with this loaf.

Ingredients

2.5 cups all purpose flour + 1/2 cup
1.5 cups warm water
2.5 teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
4-5 cloves garlic crushed
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup sweet corn
1/2 cup crushed paneer
1 handful sundried tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped black olives
2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon olive oil

Lets prepare the Spice burst first. Heat olive oil in a wok. Fry the crushed garlic till soft. Add the chilli powder and turmeric. Put off the heat and let it cool for 5 mins then add lemon juice. Add to this the chopped black olives, paneer and sweet corn. Keep it aside.

Soak the sundried tomatoes in water and let it stand while you get the dough ready.

In half cup warm water and 1 teaspoon sugar and sprinkle the yeast over it. Let it foam for 10 mins.

Meanwhile in a large bowl measure out 2.5 cups of all purpose flour. After the yeast has foamed well mix into the dry flour with a wooden spatula. Add 1 cup warm and knead well. On a counter sprinkle some flour and turn out the dough and knead. Now add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and knead. Leave the dough to proof for an hour or till it doubles.

After an hour flour the counter well and turn out the dough on the counter and knead lightly. Then drain the rehydrated sundried tomatoes and add to the dough. Now get the loaf pan ready by oiling it with the spice burst that we made. Add the rest of the spice burst into the dough and mix well. Roll up the dough like a mat and pinch the loose ends.

Put the loaf in th pan for another hour of proofing. Dust the loaf with some dry flour. It rises beautifully over the lip of the pan.

Preheat the oven for 10 mins at 180 deg celcius. Bake the bread for 25 mins.

Once the top is nice and golden remove from the oven and let the loaf cool on the grill. Slice it after it is completely cooled.

The slice can be buttered and enjoyed with a hot cuppa.

Cheese-Gobi-Matar Paratha

I Love Parathas, there can be so many types of them. Yet the ingredients in it wins a victory over the wheat flour. I think whats wonderful about the Parathas is the pure tastes of the veggies that it brings out. Also they can be easily presented in a wonderful way. Hot paratha with pickle and curd takes you to heaven straight away. I used to love one of my juniors at university and later my colleague, Ritu's lunchbox. It was almost always paratha with pickle.

I make many many types of paratha too but Aloo paratha remains the favorite at home. My nephew Sujal, now a college kid was a big fan of the cheese parathas from my repertoir. It did a lot of good for my ego when he came back from a certain fashionable roti place and said it was a waste and that I made the best parathas in the world :D. Sujal you are the best nephew an Aatya can ask for! Hope you still feel the same.

Here is a paratha I just tried out:

Ingredients

For the stuffing

1 cup cauliflower broken into tiny florets
1 cup fresh green peas
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 handful cilantro
2 green chilies
2 cloves garlic
salt to taste

For the dough

1 cup of whole wheat flour
3/4 cup water
salt to taste
1 tablespoon oil for kneading

ghee to fry

First knead the dough for the parathas. Remove wheat flour, salt about 1/2 teaspoon or more and knead well with water. Add oil and knead again for 5 mins. Let it stand for 10 mins so that it becomes smooth.

In a chutney grinder put green peas, cilantro, garlic and green chilies. Just give it quick grhh.. leave it coarse ground.

Now remove the coarse ground peas masala, cauliflower florets and grated cheese. Mix well and divide into 4 parts. This is used to stuff the parathas

Divide the kneaded smooth dough into eight balls. Roll out poori sized chapatis. Now put the stuffing on 4 chapatis and cover with the other 4 chapatis. Seal the edges and flatten with the hand.

Dust the counter with flour and roll out into larger size. The parathas are then roasted on both sides with ghee on a hot girdle.

Serve hot with tamarind chutney or a dip of your choice.