Gorgeous Goa in Monsoon!

Gorgeous Goa in Monsoon! Who said Goa sucks in Monsoon. They can take a flying kite. Technology mixed with little bit luck can leave you with a lifetime album of Goa. Technology coz jus check the weather report and choose the weekend which shows less rain, cloudy weather and pray to rain gods for it to be true. Both were in our favour when we made JLT trip to Goa in August ( yeah i m writing this post a  little late). Yeah make sure, you are in north goa than south else you will find yourself the only one wandering

Lovely weather, slight drizzle only when we signalled the clouds, lush greeney all around, no scortching sun and free of aimless crowd. Though you would not find as many shacks and hippies as you would in season but there are enough for you to visit on a three day holiday. We stayed on baga beach in Chalston beach resort.....

Not a great resort in terms of rooms(were clean but small-good value for money though-Rs 1800 per night with bfast) , but yeah they have a decent swimming pool and a lovely beach shack. Good food I reckon. And most of all its on baga beach...a little faraway from main Calangute and Baga beach.....almost looks secluded.

So We started the day as most of the tourists do.....hiring a bike(costs about Rs200 a day) and spirits flowing:-). We went to the pool, shopped for sometime, soaked on the beach and in the night headed to Mambos on baga beach....Rs.500 for the entry with no cover charge. it pay and party. Good music, decent crowd and loads of fun. We kept roving till 2 am with almost a lot of shops open.

The next day was even more fun with a slight drizzle in the morning and thereafter a beautiful day. We started beach hopping with small stopovers to refill our spirits! visited anjuna, vagator and for the first time Arambol ( i have been to goa 3 times before but not visited this one). Can be called a black beach...though arabian sea has black sand, you wouldn't find it that black on Calangute, baga . Arambol is about 20-25 kms from baga and is still a a part of north goa. Use your GPS navigation to reach there or rely on locals and signboards.

Sat by the beach with a glass of tea.A big glass of Tea. Chairs in the open with cool sea breeze and cooler rocks view. Oh! how could i forget to mention my experience in this roadside Mango tree restobar by Vagator beach. loved the ambience...Right on the road with a lot of antique look to it still feeling modern.
Evening was for Mandovi river cruise....have done it before too but this time it was different.....remained on the top of the cruise with lovely breeze....almost feels like you are with yourself (jus wait for all others to go down for that not so amazing dance performances). Some people will try accosting you on the road saying that cruise tickets will be over by 6....don't buy anything from them. Head Straight to the tickets counters and choose the best cruise yourself. We fell prey to one such accoster and ended up on a cheap cruise.

Returned to the room, the night was still young and inviting. So changed in partywear and landed in Anthony's pub. Best experience in Goa. Live Karaoke(check the days though, they don't play it everyday). Candle light dinner on the beach with hookahpot. Not very expensive. Lovely and mesmerizing ambience.....wonderful crowd. And now while returning to the hotel it started pouring....well the rains had some good in store for us. We stuck to that place for some more time and enjoyed more performances

The next morning we checked out our luggage in our swim wear! yeah that's right....it had started pouring as the forecast had mentioned. Went to the pool in rains. loved it. And my hubby dear struck a idea of walking on the beach in rains. I had never done it before and gosh loved every moment of it in the pouring waters. Though didn't explore the dangerous sea, a walk on the beach in rains is carved in my memory. Food was in amazing in the hotel beach shack. Goan prawns vindaloo with some coconut fenny(yeah its something different...try it you may like it) Boarded the bus back to bangalore in the evening. Please don't book any other travels than Paulo (we had booked some seagulls or seabirds), they are pathetic with wet mattresses, rude staff and cramped space. Paulo sleepers are spacious and great. Their punctuality is even better.

So next monsoon, don't curse the rain gods and pack your bags for Goa. U would actually send me roses  for a wonderful experience. Oh yeah don't forget to look into the forecast.

Bengali Kali Mandir/kalibari n Purohits

October - a month of festive spirit and high spirits too! Recently we celebrated Lakshmi puja and during shopping for the puja I realised that many are still unaware of a Kalibari (Bengali kali temple) that exists in bangalore and do not really have contact numbers of various bengali priests. So thought of writing this blog on bengali spiritual culture with addresses and contact numbers to enlighten others!

Temples n pujas are an integral part of Bengali lifestyle. We are quite religious people by nature..oh yeah i m not kidding....you ll know if you  have met one....lots of finger rings to overcome various hazards....given by many so called servants of god. if u have an eye for detail, you might have even observed those little box shaped articles either hanging from our necks or on our arms.

Being hindus and idol worshipppers, we worship many many deities. infact i have a uncle who has house full of deities of different regions...on his fridge, vehicle, kitchen, bedroom, as a showcase article and puja room. Sometimes i find it as his hobby than his spiritual inclination:-)

If you hear of Goddess Kali, you may be quick to recall bengalis. Though we worship other lords too, this particular goddess reigns in our life for the most. Out of the context, someone recently pointed out that Bengalis usually worship a lot of goddesses than gods....and seriously if you gave it a thought...it is somewhat correct. Think of it...Kali, durga, lakshmi, saraswati....all goddesses!

So coming back to Ma Kali, we all long for a Kali Bari (kali temple). Having given Bangalore 18 years of my precious life:-), it was only recent that i came across this place and to my surprise it has existed for over 25 years. So all you waiting to know where it is....

It's in Ramamurthynagar. Nearest Landmark is FCI godown gate (its near the popular landmark Uttam Sagar Restaurant. you can ask people for directions from there or contact the priest directly). Right opposite the gate you will find a lot of dirty small roads cutting through. One of the roads (see a chicken shop at the beginning and a lot of dirt) houses kali bari, which is clean. Gives a feeling of a village temple. Priest resides with his family and is handy if you want to conduct any puja at your home too.
His name is Pradip i guess...coz i refer to him as Thakurmoshai. His contact no is 9972807880.

Also below mentioned are a few contact numbers of other priests if you would like to perform any pujas at home.

          1.              Ratan Chakraborty : 9945082590

2.              Nirmal Shastri : 080-25700962,9901245752

3.              Deepak Chakraborty : 9740579278

4.              Tapas : 9945634504

So now that you have their details, as a courtesy don't forget to send me an invitation for the events you conduct:0) 

 

Pepper Chicken - My style

This is one chicken dish that i looooove. And if made with care and patience (its actually quite simple) turns out to be a great eye catcher and mouth catcher too! Try my style Pepper chicken

Ingredients:
Chicken - 400 gm

Onion Sliced - 1 big
Cardamom - 2 broken
bay leaf - 1 small
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - as per taste
Vinegar - 1 tbsp
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves chopped - 1 tbsp
Milk - 1/2 cup
Water as required

Make a paste of
Green Chillies - 5-6
Kaju - 5-6 (i didn't have kaju last so used some almonds. Phew!)
Yoghurt - 4 tablespoon
Cinnamon - 1/2 inch stick
Peppercorn - 5-6
Garlic - 5-6 flakes
Ginger - 1/2 inch

Method:

1. Wash and marinate the chicken in vinegar (i used wine vinegar), salt( don't put any salt later so measure it once in for all) and chilly powder and put it in the refrigerator for 2 hours
2. Now in a pressure cooker (i use it instead of kadai given today's LPG crisis) add oil and heat it. Add cardamom, bay leaf, onions and fry it for 2-3 minutes till onions turn soft. Do it on a high flame with continuous stirring else it burns.
3. Now on the same flame, add chicken and fry for 3-4 mins.
4. Add the paste and fry for another 2 mins
5. Pour the milk and some crushed peppercorn and close the lid of the pressure cooker. Reduce the flame slightly and make sure it not too low else your chicken would turn watery.
 6. Ensure max 2 whistles depending on the size of the chicken pieces. For medium size - 2 , small size -1
7. Let it cool and the steam escape. Now open the lid and cook on high flame for about 2 mins to make it a thick gravy.
8. Add coriander leaves and you r done!

Serve it with hot Chapathi. my mouth has started watering and feel like making it again today. so here i head to my chicken leaving you guys with some food for thought.

my poem....karte ho tum humse kitna pyaar?

Alhad Dil mera tumse puchhe sawal
aaj is mod par ki karte ho tum humse kitna pyaar?
Aaj keh do mitakar, saari dooriyaan majbooriyan
ki karte ho tum humse kitna pyaar.....

thode se alfazo mein, thode se nazron ke ishaaron mein
thodi si badhti dhadkan ke saath
keh do aaj iss duniya kein  tanashaho se
ki karte ho tum humse kitna pyaar

Na daro aaj, bas karo aaj
bajao nagade, chhed do dil ka har taar
matlabi iss duniyaan mein, kar do seena thok ke elaan
ki karte ho tum humse kitna pyaar

Dekho door se aate hui us beparwah mrityu ki chaal
chheen le jaayegi jo humko tumse is pal ke baad
rok lo iss pal ko, aur bhar ke baahon mein hume
keh do karte ho tum humse kitna pyaar....
keh do karte ho tum humse kitna pyaar....

Chhole Masala

An all time favourite. I am yet to meet a human who dislikes this creation of nature. Chhole (I am referring to kabuli Chana) is purely an all time favourite and goes well with Roti, Chawal and even English bread. Whipped up this recipe in my kitchen this week....Do let me know if you try this.

Ingredients:
Kabuli Chana - 100 gms soaked overnight
Onion paste - 2 tbsp
Ginger paste - 1/2 tbsp
Garlic Paste - 1/2 tbsp
Tomato Puree - 1/2 cup (made of 2 big tomatoes)
kasuri methi - 1 tsp (this adds a lot to the taste especially if you dry roast and make it into a powder)
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Cumin seed - 1 tsp
Black Salt - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder - 1.5 tsp or as per taste
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Dry ginger powder - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Fresh Coriander - 1 tbsp chopped
Ginger finely julienned - 1 tsp
Yoghurt - 1 tbsp (optional)
Salt as per taste

Method:
Boil Chhole with the julienned ginger and a little bit of  onion paste in a pressure cooker. Now add oil in a kadhai. Add the sugar -it helps in getting the color. Add cumin seeds and let it splutter.
Now add onion paste and fry for 2-3 mins. Now add ginger-garlic paste and fry for 2 mins. Add tomato puree,  dry masalas and salt. Fry for good 20 mins by adding a little water in between (you can use the water that you used in boiling Chhole) so that the masala doesn't burn. Also please don't add too much of water as it will take away the taste. To be sure add water with a tablespoon - 2 tablespoon at a break of 10 mins would do.
Now once the masala has got the color and you can see the oil floating on the masala, add the chhole with out the water and fry for another min. If you want yoghurt in it, whip it in a separate bowl first and then pour over. Now add the remaining water. Let is boil till the water has been reduced as per your liking. Switch off the oven and add garam masala and fresh coriander.
Serve hot with Rice, Roti, Naan and don't miss the onion as an accompaniment.

Restaurant review - Chakum Chukum

This time my Bong instinct took me to another adventurous rolls journey and I landed in Chakum Chukum. You can blame Times of India or the owner's connection with them for it. They keep raving about their rolls in their publications every now n then. So I was at their counter to do the authentication check! Its in Indiranagar....well in residential indiranagar and not the main road. You can easily pass by it without even noticing.
My GPS settings helped me to locate them quite comfortably (i love my phone for this feature) and the tech advanced owners have made sure they are listed. So there I was...Chakum Chukum a small kitchenette...yeah that's what you can call it...a small place crowded with almost a staff of 10 people including the lady who runs it and the security guard( have no clue who he guards). Gosh wonder why would you need so many people for making a roll. No I am not talking stupid. Coz I have seen well flourishing roll centres with less staff.
Anyway its owners have found a good way of publicizing their venture to make up for the footfalls of a main road joint. They have contacted every possible media resource and have got reviews, awards, writeups, all hanging on the walls. good one!
The guy who takes orders doesn't have committed place and is almost stuffed in the kitchen. We ordered two rolls and a moghlai. The lady who runs it was upfront to convey the delay of 30 minutes if we wanted a moghlai and we had no issues waiting. That was a honest commitment. Being a weekend, the rush was defining their success story. Lots of parcel orders and take away..(it has to be takeaway, one may not find a place to sit).The staff looked busy and efficient. The aroma was uncontrollable to such an extent that we ordered another roll (the last order was a parcel) and we got it in no time. Double Mutton double egg Shammi roll - a huge one...good enough for a dinner of a normal person...may be I would need two of them! They even have options for health conscious one at an extra charge. They will churn you a roll only egg whites and more with a Atta chapati base
The filling stood for its name of 'double mutton'. But I thought the pricing could go down a little - Rs. 135 for a Roll! gets me rolling.
The options at this place are amazing....right from the conventional egg, chicken and mutton rolls...they had liver roll, kidney roll and a lot of vegetarian options - aloo, paneer, veg, spinach etc etc...so you will have all your desires answered here.
Now comes the taste - ummmmm they are good but could do better in terms of the juicy quotient. The filling was tasty but dry unlike the kolkata joint. Even my friends who have visited this place have complained the same. Hope they do something about this very soon
And lastly not to miss, I took a glance at something humungus and devil like. Unable to control the devil in me, i enquired and got 'Malav' for my next visit. Yeah it is a roll..no.no. ROLLLLL. A big one using two paratha golis, more eggs and more filling. looked Tempting...So that's going to be on my plate on my next visit...my mouth is already watering....yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Hot Garlic Chicken n Noodles in Olive oil

I know the goodness of olive oil but I want to remind myself every now and then by treating by taste-buds. And if you are a connoisseur of food, you will echo my sentiments. Well last night my mind and the eyes couldn't relate to the food I had already cooked and my Chinese soul screamed hard. So instead frying my brain any more, I decided to fry some hot garlic chicken and noodles in my kitchen. And when its the soul which calls you, nothing goes awry....so get ready to churn some delicious mix in your kitchen this weekend. Don't forget to pass on the invitation.

For the Hot Garlic Chicken

Chicken preferable boneless or breast pieces - 400 gm
Garlic - 15-20 flakes finely chopped (the more the merrier, remember its garlic chicken!)
Onion - 1 big finely chopped
Chilly sauce - 2 tbsp
Tomato Sauce - 2 tbsp
Soy sauce - 1 tsp
Butter - 3 tbsp
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
Vinegar - 1 tbsp
Red Chilli Paste - 1 tbsp (made by boiling the dry red chillies n grinding)
Kashmiri chilli powder - to avoid the artificial red color - 1 tbsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Salt - as per taste
Wine - 2 tbsp (optional)
ajinamoto - 1/2 tsp (optional) i don't recommend as I don't use it either
Capsicum - 1 big cut into cubes
Cornflour - 1 tbsp mixed in 1 cup of water

Method: Marinate chicken with half the vinegar, salt, red chilli paste. Now in a pan add 1tbsp butter, 1cup of water and the marinated chicken and cook covered till water evaporates and chicken is boiled completely.
Now in another pan add the remaining butter and olive oil. Add garlic and fry for a minute. Now add the chopped onion and fry for 3-4 mins. Add capsicum, a little salt and fry for another 3-4 min till it becomes soft. Now add the sauces and rest of the vinegar. In this add the boiled chicken and fry for 2-3 mins. Now add the cornflour mixed with water wine and let it cook for till it becomes thick. Remove from fire and serve hot with Noodles. (And when I say serve hot, I mean literally as Chinese food has to be consumed hot, though it is mostly made with stale stuffs!)

For the Noodles

Egg Noodles - 1 packet (try buying the thinnest ones)
Garlic - 10-15 flakes - chopped finely
Onion - 1 sliced finely
Vegetables - 3 tbsp sliced finely (capscicum, carrot and bean)
Olive Oil - lots and lots of it - i mean - 3 tbsp
Salt as per taste
Pepper - as per taste
Chilli flakes - as per taste
Dried herbs as per taste (optional)

Method: Boil the noodles in 2 cups of water and 1 tsp of oil . Once done, run it under cold water, drain and keep aside. Now in a pan, put the olive oil. Remember olive oil has low smoking point. Therefore right after 30 secs, add garlic and onion and fry well for 3-4 mins. Add Veggies and salt and cook till they are done. Now add the noodles and toss them well. Turn off the oven and add pepper, chilli flakes and herbs. For the extra taste drizzle a little olive oil and serve with hot garlic chicken.

Tip for Vegans: You can replace the chicken with paneer and follow the same recipe. You will have your hot garlic paneer ready for the noodles!

Bandal Hills (Nandi Hills)

After a lot of holiday cancellations on this long weekend (coorg, ooty etc), we finally managed to convince ourselves that holiday is not meant for us, atleast for now. But my brimming mind never gave way, I suggested my Husband that we should do a day outing to a nearby place on this 15 Aug.

Having lived in Pune for last 2 years, Ghats and hills were our neighbours, so the thought of a hill in Bangalore excited us. Though I am from Bangalore and have visited Nandi hills in the past (the last when I was a kid) the idea didn't seem too bad. But to my horror everything has changed. Located about 60 kms from BEML gate(where I live), I took the longer and no traffic route - old madras road and ring road from there on towards kammanahalli, nagawara, hebbal, yelahanka, doddaballapur road and nandi hills. It was soothing as we didn't fight the regular traffic and were able to cruise through, so we didn;t mind the fuel too. And with my brand new Etios, the drive was quite good enough.

We had started at 12:00 and it took us about an hour and half to reach. The road to nandi hills was well maintained with villages on both sides, vineyards and rose plantations. You would see a chain of people on both sides of road selling farm fresh grapes. Now comes the hill climb. Was simple and boring. It looked deserted with fewer trees and green blanket was torn apart. On top hill looked chopped with its height creating a confusion in my mind about its hill status. We were charged about 80 bucks to park the car which turned out to be wasteful too.
With Pune boasting of some of the western ghat wonders nearby Nandi hills was a sheer disappointment. It looked like a hill top garden. Man made beauty had replaced the natural essence. Lots of stone bricks structure all around. Perfectly manicured garden and some trees. And this is no summer. Rainy season and no greenery! Alas, Tipu Sultan could just pass this place as just another road if he came back to life. So no Photographs too, didn't capture my interest
With a visit to this place my hopes of finding a nearby outing place was shattered and have decided to forgive the humans like me to destroy the nature. But I am afraid if nature will!

Dum Aloo Recipe

 I know potatoes can help you add those extra kilos and you have every reason to hate them. But you can never deny their taste quotient. They are irrestible! So go potatoes this weekend

Ingredients:

2 Potatoes boiled and cut into cubes
Tomatoes - 2 chopped into cubes
To be ground into a paste
1/2 onion
1" ginger
3-4 flakes garlic
2-3 green chillies

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 2 tsp (its supposed to be spicy..you can adjust it as per your taste)
coriander powder - 1 tsp
cumin powder - 1 tsp
Salt as per taste
Yoghurt/Dahi - 2 tbsp
Fresh Coriander - 1 tbsp chopped finely
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Fresh made garam masala - coarsely powdered - 1/2 tsp (made of cardamom, cinnamon and cloves)
Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:
Heat Oil in a kadhai. Now add cumin seeds and garam masala. Add tomatoes and fry for 2 mins. Now add the ground paste and dry masala. Fry for 5 mins. Add yoghurt and potatoes and cook for 10-12 mins and add chopped coriander Now fry till all the masala is dry and a little brown in color. This step is very important as it enhances the taste and finally makes the dish perfect. serve it pooris, rumali rotis and simply phulkas.

Aloo Methi Recipe

A north indian dish which I made this weekend in the kitchen turned out to be good as usual. For people who want to try their favorite potatoes in a different style.

Ingredients (serves three)

2 medium potatoes cut into small cubes
2 bunch methi leaves/1 cup (now a days the bunches are thinner else one would do)
garlic flakes - 8-9 crushed
jeera - 1 tsp
dry red chilli broken - 2-3
turmeric - 1 tsp
chilly powder - 2 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp (can use a little less too if you are health conscious)
salt as per taste

Method:

Clean the methi leaves and wash at least 3-4 times or till you can see clean water. Chop them finely and keep aside. Heat oil in a kadhai. add jeera, dry red chilly and crushed garlic. let it fry for 1 min and add potatoes and fry them till they are half done. Now add the chopped methi, spice powders, cover and cook till the potatoes are done. Now remove the cover and fry till they start sticking in the kadhai. This dish is supposed to be eaten dry. So wait till all the water is evaporated and methi sticks to the potatoes. Serve it as an accompaniment with dal and roti/rice.

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Restaurant review - Kati Zone n Lazeez

Being a bong, rolls are something that I die for and yes non-veg ones. But this post can be read by the vegans too as they may like to eat their grass root stuff. 

So this weekend my bong instinct shouted hard and I went on exploring rolls in the city. First was 'Kati Zone' for the word Kati in it. Actually thinking about it again doesn't give me the enthusiasm to write about it. Seriously bad. Right from the chapati they use to their portion of the stuffing to the taste and of course value for money- everything can be rated in minus. They charge Rs 80 for a chicken roll (without egg, you have to pay extra for it !) where they put only 60 gms of chicken (their standard measure in a paper cup) however it has more vegetables than chicken. We asked for a spicy one and were served schezwan chicken with tomato sauce. For the long chapati it was, the portion could not match it's counterpart and looked like a curled up snail on a big leaf. The taste shattered my last hope to give it some rating. Even their vegetarian options looked great on the menu but tasted horrible. If you pay extra for cheese, they place those cheese sheets in it and not the grated one.

So all in all a big disappointment for my taste buds. So they kept craving till I satiated them with Rolls from Lazeez in Koramangala. Seriously anyone looking for mouth watering rolls (if you can keep the health factor at home, they use Dalda) its a must visit. Small, tasty, good portion and economical makes it an instant hit. They place the stuffing in a lachcha paratha which is yummy. The portions are big and tasty - try their double chicken double egg roll priced at modest Rs.70. So you are sure to have your mind directing you to this place every time you pass by. They customize it as per your needs and even the vegetarian ones are to die for. For one moment I wouldn't mind trying my enemy out.

So the next weekend if you are looking to eat some heavenly rolls visit lazeez and you are sure to be reminded of esplanade in Kolkata.

Product Review - Sony Vaio Laptop

Sony Vaio laptops are selling like hot cakes but these cakes come with fungus too. Well accepted that Sony is a brand to vouch for. I can call my home a Sony home and shoot an ad like the one for LG. Right from TV to music system to home theatre, DVD, laptops everything sets a perfect ambiance for a Sony Advertisement. Probably if they came up with a toothbrush I may end up buying that too. I even act like their brand ambassador suggesting their products to family and friends.

But Wait! I had my share of lessons too. Don't just go by name - A great father may not have great sons. Their Vaio series is one such example. I bought a Vaio laptop 4 months ago and hardly used it ever. Reason - I have two more old ones. So I was trying to keep the New as new as possible. To my dismay a week ago I thought of running my hands on my handsome buy but it said it's "Battery not detected". The Charge was missing and there is no fun in using a handicapped soul. So I searched for all the papers these guys give us while purchasing which we hardly look at. Thanks to my organised husband (his Charge on these issues is always full;-) I found all the junk neatly kept. Called up the customer care - not suggested if you have read this article - head straight to a nearest service centre. Don't try calling them too...they are too busy to attend a wasteful person like you. So walk in directly. An uber fool security guard would ask you for the problems. Don't ignore coz he is a security guard cum receptionist. That's right! Will take your query and ask you to be seated. Finally a call comes from the front desk which is right in front of you. Checked the product and the warranty card and replaced it over a week's time. Guess What - they even talk like those China markets fellas - there is no guarantee on Electronic Products. Seriously wondering if a Sony would make such comments. Anyways.

Is that a solution? Do we buy a product to find it defective. Well if it is, it is company's responsibility to change it (which they did) and also extend the warranty coz they delivered it with a defective piece. You have no proof coz your excitement while buying it was so much that you ignored such silly Mishtake. Going by my experience I have shifted my loyalty to HP and Dell. What the Hell!

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Lauki Tamatar ki sabji

Anytime I ran short of time in my breakfast chores due to my dreamworld extending for a few more hours I found this recipe a life saver. Beside its health quotioent being at the top, it turns out to be an extremely tasty recipe. Take your pick at this lauki recipe at the earliest to taste the goodness.

Ingredients

lauki/bottlegurad - 1 medium - cut into 1" cubes
Potato - one big cut into 1" cubes
Tomato - 2 big finely chopped
Green Chilli - 4 chopped
jeera/cumin seeds - 2 tsp
sarson/mustard seeds - 2 tsp
Curry leaves - 10-12
Fresh coriander - 2 tbsp chopped finely
salt as per taste
oil - 2 tsp (see i told you its healthy - minimal oil)
water - 1 cup

Method:

Heat oil in a kadai. Add jeera and sarson and let it splutter. Then add curry leaves and green chillies. Now add lauki and aloo and fry for 3-4 mins. Now add tomatoes and fry for another 2-3 min till they are soft. Add water and let it cook till lauki and aloo are done. Usually unseasonal laukis do not tend to boil quickly therefore you may steam them in pressure cooker too instead of boiling in kadai. But not more than 1-2 whistles. Once lauki and aloo are done add fresh coriander and serve hot with chapati.

Tips: Check the lauki while buying. It should not be hard and try pressing it with your nail. If it pierces quickly then it tends to be good.

Car Review - Toyota Etios vs Swift Dezire vs Tata Manza

This is my latest 'Car'nama. We bought a Toyota Etios diesel variant almost after a month of research which led us to a series of enlightenment. So for the ones who are planning to buy a diesel car in a budget of 8-8.5 lacs here are some facts.

Buying a moving beauty is all about excitement to feel it as soon as possible. If you fall in this bracket never buy Maruti. Maruti being the most popular brand for private cars have their own tantrums. Yes their Swift DezireVDI stands apart in terms of fuel efficiency, value for money and features but their waiting period of 6 months almost kills your dezire to buy the dezire. It should actually be renamed 'Sluggish Dezire'. By the time your dezire gets fulfilled you may be in a different world!

Dezire vdi/zdi is great value for money (currently priced at approx 8 lacs and 880000 respectively). Their fuel efficiency is about 18 kmpl in city and 21+ on highways which is commendable. Beige interiors with handrest, wooden panels on the side doors, 2 din music system, electronically controlled mirrors, stylish led integrated mirrors look great but fails in legspace, bootspace and the exterior look. As someone rightly put it, it looks like an old lady with a fat bum in short skirt!

So we had booked Maruti swift dezire with Kalyani Motors (never go with their sweet talk, they are big liars). Said they could deliver in 2 months and at the end of it came up with different issues and asked for another month. We didn't want to wait for another month to hear the same song so we restarted our search for another brand.

The list popped up with two more names who could compete with Maruti - Toyota Etios GD and Tata Manza new abs aura quadrajet.

Well my husband is of the opinion the name 'TATA' in itself sounds more like passenger cars and is troublesome after a few years. Yet we checked out the car and alas! we were in for a surprise. The looks of the car were a killer. Awesome interiors, great shades and irresistible features - it comes with an ABS and even its fuel mileage is about 18 kmpl in city and 22+ on the highway. So we took a test drive and it's looks almost surpassed our expectations but the next moment it was all shattered to see the boot struggling to lock and during the test drive it hit the bumpers twicw due to low ground clearance. So we could imagine it's condition after two to three years.

Now it was Toyota's turn. Being a Japanese brand you can trust their durability.  But very disappointed with its interiors. Could not match up to Toyota standards. Yet the durability, its performance during test drive (it runs on 1st gear even after accelerating and does not stop) and good shape put us in a dual mind. The leg space is amazing even better than Tata Manza and the boot is humongous. The AC has air cleaning filter and blowers are great. Fuel is economy is similar to that of Maruti. But it has no hand rest in the rear seat as available in Manza and Dezire. No music system too (you have to buy one from them).

So after a lot of thoughts and reviews from friends, family and internet we have decided to go ahead with Toyota Etios! About the interiors we emptied our pockets a lil more to put chrome almost in every place possible.

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Palak Chana Daal

Palak Chana Dal!

Probably one of the first dishes that I learnt to make and got quite a few accolades for it.....one for being healthy and tasty and two for readymade food served at their tables:-)

Ingredients:

Chana Dal - 1/2 cup washed and soaked in 2 cups water
Palak - 2 bunch cleaned well in 3-4 wash and chopped
ginger - chopped coarsely - 1 tbsp
garlic - chopped coarsely - `1/2 tbsp
onion - 1 chopped
Tomato - 1 chopped
bayleaf - 2
Whole garam masala - Cardamom-2, cinnamon - 1", cloves-2
Kasoori methi - 2 tsp
Dry Red chilli - 2-3 broken
Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
hing - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Salt - as per taste
Oil/Ghee - 1 tbsp (Ghee makes it even more tastier)

Boil dal by adding half of the chopped ginger, turmeric and water. Let the steam escape and mash it after opening the lid and keep aside
Now heat oil/Ghee, add bay leaf, whole garam masala, dry red chilli and cumin seeds and let it crackle. Add hing, garlic, rest of the ginger and fry for 1 min. Now add onion and fry till it turns brown. Now add tomato and salt let it cook for another min. Add chopped palak, cover and cook for 5 mins. Now add dal, kasoori methi and cook for another 5-6 mins. Serve hot!

Tips:  Add water if necessary while adding the dal however this dish is particularly thick and goes well with phulkas and even rice

Idli Upma/Leftover idlis

Do you have leftover idlis that have hardened enough to seal a crack in one's head. Even dogs give you a rude look when you offer them your hard work (literally!). Oh well i sound like those foreign tv marketers who translate their speech into something nonsensical. Well that's okay coz i m going to spare you from seeing your hard earned money sent into trash in form of those idlis.
Here is what you can make out of them

Ingredients:
Left over idlis - 8
Curry leaves - 12-15 ( i like them a lot)
methi seeds - 1 tsp
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
cumin seed - 1 tsp
hing - 1/2 tsp
chopped onion - 1 big
chopped tomato - 1 big
chopped green chilli - 3-4
turmeric - 1/2 tsp optional
Veggies optional (peas, beans, carrot, capsicum)
White urad dal - 1 tsp
Chana dal - 2 tsp
salt as per taste
oil/ghee - 1 tbsp

Method:
Make a coarse powder of idlis...no you don't have to take out your kitchen weapons...your hands are good enough....just try breaking them (squeezing them literally...mind you it only needs hardened idli else it will not break into powder)

Now heat oil in a kadai. Add urad and chana dal and stir for 2-3 mins. once they turn brown add the dry spices (methi, mustard, cumin, hing). After they splutter, add curry leaves. Now add chopped onion and fry on high flame for 1 min. Lower the flame and add the vegetables, salt and turmeric and cook till they are done (alternatively you can boil the vegetable separately and add to the oil and fry). Now add chopped tomato, chillies and fry for another 2 mins.
Now add the mashed idlis and stir fry for 3-4 mins. Add lemon juice if you like a tangy taste.

Doi Maach - Fish in curd Recipe

I have met quite a few people who cannot eat fish without frying. And in this health conscious age, people are mending their ways. so for the ones who just love fish but spend quite a few hours straining their muscles in the gym, here is a quick and simple recipe that would add to your taste bud without leaving a dent in your heart.

Ingredients

Fish: Rohu/Bhetki - 5-6 ring pieces
Curd Thick - 100 ml (use 150ml if using thin curd)
Jeera powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Salt as per taste
Green Chillies  - 3 slit lengthwise
Onion - 1 fine sliced
Oil/Cholesterol free butter - 2 tbsp
Cardamom - 2
Cinnamon - 1 inch
cloves - 2-3

To be grounded into a paste
A small onion/half onion
1 inch ginger
4-5 green chillies

Method:
Clean the fish with water and marinade with above mentioned ingredients except garam masala, sliced onion, green chillies and oil. Leave it aside for an hour or even more

Now heat oil, add saboot garam masala and onion. Add the marinated fish with the marinade. Now let it cook for 15 mins. Add green chillies 5 mins before removing from the oven. Serve with Chapati or rice. See it's quick and simple

Tips : if you would like the taste to be a little sweet, add 1 tsp sugar to the marinade.

To remove more stink from the fish, rub it with lemon juice and clean it again and pat dry before marinating.

Chicken Fry Masala

For the ones who are waiting to dig into the chicken they shopped this weekend here is a recipe for you.

Spicy Chicken fry - south indian style


Ingredients

Chicken breast cut into 8 medium pieces

for the marinade

1/4 cup refined flour
1/2 cup corn flour
ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
kashmiri chilli powder - 2 tbsp
salt as per taste

for the masala
8-10 green chillies
2 big onions sliced finely
20-30 curry leaves
salt as per taste
turmeric - 1 tsp
Chilly powder - 1tsp
 a little more salt - check the seasoning though


Oil for frying

Method:

Clean the chicken and mix it in the marinade and refrigerate for 1 hour (if you have time marinade for more time).
Now heat oil in a kadai and fry the chicken pieces on a low flame till it turns brown. it should take some time to fry as it needs to cook well. soak excess oil by placing the fried chicken on a tissue paper,

In the remaining oil, add curry leaves, onions and green chillies. fry it for 5-6 mins and add the dry spice powders and salt as per taste. fry it well by sprinkling some water. Cover and cook for 5 mins and serve hot. my mouth has started watering again.....let me go and relish the dish and try making some for yourself too.

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Palak Saag recipe

Its summer..not a very good season for saags/leafy veggies...but managed to find some good palak on this Friday...so cooked today with other vegetables....mouth melting literally! And anyway my vegan friends are complaining that i usually post a lot of non veg recipes....so here for all you health conscious vegans

Ingredient

Palak Saag - 2 bunch washed, cleaned and chopped finely
Pumpkin - 100gm - cut into very small cubes
Brinjal - 100 gm - cut into very small cubes
potato - 1 cut into same size cubes as above
paanch phoron  2 tsp- mix of spices made of equal quantity of jeera, 
                           kala jeera/kalonji, sarson, methi dana, saunf/fennel seed
2 dry red chilly broken
turmeric - 1 tsp
salt as per taste
2 green chillies slit - only if you like it too spicy else avoid it
Oil

Method

Heat oil in a kadai. Add dry red chilli and paanch phoron - let it splutter.
Now add pumpkin, brinjal and potato and fry on a high flame for 2-3 minutes stirring continuously. Now add salt, turmeric and paalak saag and mix it well. Cover and cook for 15 mins or till it dries up....your saag is ready

Tips:

1. Cut vegetables in the same size as it  cooks evenly and looks good
2. Clean and wash any leafy vegetable at least three to four times as they contain a lot of dirt

Gobi Aloo ki sabji/ Cauliflower and Potato Recipe

Last Sunday was spent in house hunting in this place called Thubarahalli....well halli in real terms as it had farms all around. A house there would mean fresh supply of vegetables and would be rather called a farm flat. Anyway we saw a cauliflower farm and picked up two of them.....of course by paying though not much;-)

Used the cauliflower this morning and made some good dish out of it. But I  think it was tasty because of its freshness. well you may try with your hybrid varieties and if you are lucky enough to grab a farm fresh then be ready for goodness of nature

Cauliflower Aloo Sabji

Ingredients:

Cauliflower cut into 1" florets
1 Potato cut into 1" pieces
Garlic  - 6-7 flakes crushed
Tomato - 2 chopped
Saboot Garam Masala - 1 Cardamom, 1 2" cinnamon, 2 cloves
Kasoori methi - 1 tbsp
jeera - 2 tsp
Dry red chilli - 3 broken into pieces
Tej patta - 1 broken
Chilli powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Zeera powder - 1 tsp
salt as per taste
Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:

Wash cauliflower and potato and soak it in the warm salted water. it takes off the germs
Heat oil in a kadai, add saboot garam masala, zeera and tej patta. Then add crushed garlic and stir for one minute. Now add the cauliflower and potato and fry on high flame for 5- 6 minutes stirring continuously. Add turmeric, chilli powder and zeera powder and salt. Stir for another minute by mixing them well. Add tomatoes and cook by covering with the lid for 20 minutes. keep checking in between and stir as it starts getting stuck. But don't worry that's a process of frying and little bit would not matter. Ch and check if it is done, add kasoori methi stir again for a minute. Ready to serve with chapati or paratha.

Dhuli Urad dal recipe/ Beulir Dal

Bangalore weather can trick you better than any magician....one has to be ready for surprises every hour....so when it showed its summery side to me i tried out this extremely tasty, healthy and cooling daal recipe....here for you too.  In Bengali we call it Beulir Daal

Ingredients


Urad Dal - dhuli one/broken one - 100 gm
ginger fennel paste - 1 tbsp
hing/asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
paan phoron - 1 tsp ( a mix of five spices - jeera, kalonji, sarson, methi dana, fennel seeds
Sukhi mirch - 2-3 broken
turmeric - 1 tsp
Salt as per taste
Green chillies - 3-4 slit lengthwise
Oil - 1 tbsp
Water to boil the dal

Method

Wash the dal well and soak it for half hour - you can pressure cook it straight away too but it will take more whistles to accomplish the desired result. Pressure cook the dal with salt and turmeric. Give two-three whistles. This dal need to be overcooked for better results...you can mash it manually too after boiling it.

Heat oil in a kadai/wok. Add the paanch phoron and sukhi mirch. let it splutter. Add ginger fennel paste and hing. let it fry for another 2 minutes. Now add the dal and some more water - remember its a soupy dal and not the thick one. Add green chillies. Boil it for another 5-7 minutes and its ready:-)

Food photography - Tandoori Chicken delight

You must have read my tandoori chicken recipe....i made it this weekend again and this time i captured its deliciousness on the camera too....

Spiderman Clicks again!

This weekend it was time for some spiderman clicks....in our backyard this amazing well designed spider made its abode and attracted our fantasy to click.....i always admire nature's creation - perfect mix and match of colors - he is the best designer.....i am sure u agree....take a look

the perfect blend

Picnic 2011 - Pune

Picnic was a very common word during school days. Now that we have grown up (have we really!!!), we usually go to resorts, house parties and outdoor locations to rejuvenate....so we thought of bringing back the picnic days again. Got together with the interested ones - 4 of them (yeah now a days u need to scout for friends who have time) and planned a picnic in Pune. We chose Mulshi river as our venue
Infact we even threw a pool in party for pre-picnic planning. In which most of the time we were partying and at the end we made our plans. All Bongs....so the menu was bong too. Rice, Mutton curry, Brinjal pakoda, tomato chutney, papad and readymade starters to begin with. And all this to be cooked using firewood and basic utensils. And the venue was b.y the riverside
So the next week went in purchasing the raw material, wood, arranging utensils. We even carried a dustbin!
Early morning as you can say, we woke up around 5 am but could only leave home by 8. We reached there by eleven. Looked for a shaded tree by the river and put up our tent....yeah we took our tent too. Men started to cook..yeah we had a deal..so by 3 they were all done but not without our help. Great food, great location and lots of fun. sharing a few pics...infact not may coz we were so engrossed in picnic that we barely clicked.

Weekend Photography

Had a long weekend and didn't have much to do.....in fact one of the boring weekends... then chanced upon something interesting in the vacant plot beside the house...and the clicks went on....some by me n some by kaushik......sharing a treat with the dog lovers...do let me know if you like them and if you don't, just don't bother:-)

and the gold medal goes to.....

hold me tight!

race for survival

i love u...

hungry souls

food for all

reverse order

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Dhokla idlis - Microwave recipe - Quick n Easy

Have a microwave and want to eat something healthy yet easy.

Here try some quick dhokla idli. All of you who have microwave must have received the idli cooker as a gift while purchasing it. Make good use of it. Your dhokla idli will be ready in 20 mins and satiate your quick hunger

Ingredients:

Suji/Rawa - 1 cup
Yoghurt - 1 cup
Salt - 1 tsp or as per taste
sugar - 1 tsp
lemon juice - 2 tsp
turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Eno fruit salt - 1 sachet or 2 tsp
oil for brushing

For tempering
oil - 1 tbsp (can reduce the oil quantity for the health conscious ones and can use butter or ghee for the other creatures:-)
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 10
Green chilli chopped - 3-4


Method : Mix the above ingredients well except Eno and leave it for 15 mins to ferment. Add little water if required to make it like idli batter

Heat water in the lower level of idli cooker in microwave for 2 mins. Meanwhile once the mixture is fermented mix eno fruit salt with little water and see it rise. Now oil the plastic idli moulds and add the batter in each mould. Microwave for 5 mins and give it 2 mins standing time (Don't take it out from the oven immediately).

After you have scooped out the dhokla idlis, on the gas stove, heat oil, put the tempering and pour it over the dhokla idlis. Serve with sauce, green chutney or have it plain

Tips:

1. You can add coriander leaves, cumin seeds, ginger paste to the above mixture and then ferment.

2. Mix the ingredients for atleast one minute as vigourous mixing helps in better fermenting

3. Do not fill the moulds  more than its capacity and try to pour less than its size as it tends to rise and may overflow

3. You can make this on gas oven  too - follow the steaming method. And if you have questions, comment and let me know

Shukto recipe - A Bengali mixed veg recipe

Some bitter and sweet veggie thought.....made shukto this week. Mom, dad and grandma paid me a visit, so thought of  making some authentic bengali food for them. Wanted to show off my culinary skills to my grandma - and something that she is best at.
For the ones who are wondering what is shukto, its a kind of avial/mixed veg cooked in a bengali way. take a look. It can even be considered a jaini dish minus the potato.

Ingredients:

Vegetables: raw banana, pumpkin, raw papaya, potato, carrot, radish, brinjal, jhinge/ridge gourd, drumsticks,beans - 50 gms each and cut into small cubes, washed and drained

Bitter gourd/karela - 1 medium size cut into ring pieces

Vadi - 10-12 pieces (made of dal and then dried in sunlight)

Fennel seeds - 1 tbsp
Asofoetida - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tbsp
khaskhas /poppy seeds- 2 tbsp
kaju paste - 1 tbsp
radhuni - 2 tsp (optional) ( a bengali spice)
sugar - 1 tsp
salt as per taste
Bay leaves - 2
Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
Green chilli paste - 1tbsp
milk - 150ml
water - 1 small cup
Methi or fenugreek seeds for tempering
Ghee - 2 tbsp (you can choose refined oil too if you are health conscious and omit the kaju paste)

Method:

Heat ghee in a kadai. Fry the vadis first and keep it aside. Fry the karela and keep it aside.

Now in the same oil add methi seeds, tejpata and asafoetida. Add the vegetables and fry for 10 mins with continuous stirring. Add  ginger paster, green chilli paster salt, very little water and milk and let the vegetable cook for another 10 mins or until they are done.
make a paste of fennel seeds, mustard, khaskhas, kaju, radhuni and add to the vegetable.  Add vadis and karela and cook as per your preference - dry or gravy or semi ( i usually prefer the latter). add sugar and serve. Shukto is ready

Tips:

1. One can choose other vegetables too like cauliflower etc and omit a few as per preference. Try not omitting too many as it may cut down the taste

2. You can even choose to omit karela if you do not like bitter taste however for authentic bengali shukto, bittergourd is the prime ingredient

3. To make a paste of mustard and khaskhas, soak the seed in water for 10-15mins and then grind it in a grinder. Grandmoms used the stone which enhanced the flavor altogether! if you have one try it too.

4. Add more milk if you like it gravy based.

Ammi's Biryani - Food review

Ammi's Biryani is Biryani ka baap, at least in Bangalore

Being a foodie, I am great fan of Biryanis and keep tasting it from different places. mind you in this article, i m only talking about take-aways and small restaurant which translate value for money. of course a leela or an Ista would definitely have a better or similar taste.

Being a Bengali, i can bet nothing beats a nawabi biryani, served with eggs, potato, mutton, biryani rice steamed in Desi ghee with a flavor of kewra jal and attar!!!!! yummm... It takes biryani experience to a different level and incomparable height and My mom in law undoubtedly wins the best chef award in this catagory

But if we talk about Hyderabadi biryani, the ones i have tasted in Bangalore, Ammi's biryani is the best. Mutton cooked to perfection and almost perfect biryani rice. Could be better with some flavor of ghee. They even have healthy biryani (talk about healthy and biryani at the same time!!!!)Yeah made with zeera samba rice, less ghee and spices (personally i think eating biryani without ghee and masala should be considered a crime).

Anyway i ordered it this weekend and had a good meal. Its just their online service can be a gamble. The last weekend that I ordered online, i was told after two hours that its sold out and was left looking at other options at 10 in the night! They informed me that their server could have a problem. So this time i avoided the risk and ordered over the phone but the lady on the other side took exactly 11 minutes to take the order. Phew! i was poorer by 11 rupees in my prepaid credit. Finally it arrived. I must say that the biryani was awesome and well packed with other accompaniments. But they should really work on their other varieties and  their quantities. I ordered a tawa fried kebab and i was offered a green chutney marinated tiny chicken pieces. Anyway they are known for biryanis and they should be appreciated for that. I am sure they will take care of other things with time.

NAAN recipe without tandoor!

Pressure Cooker! the most useful asset in the kitchen.Be it boiling, steaming, cooking, it comes very handy and most of all saves fuel. Recently I came across a very TASTY use of this whistling dude and without the whistle!

I made a kind of NAAN last night and I still have the residue of its taste in my tongue and mind. So if you are looking forward to some heavenly naan and don't have a tandoor (i don't have one), don't deprive yourself, head straight to your kitchen station and start the operation!

Naan without Tandoor

Ingredients:
Refined Flour (Maida) - 250 gm
Egg: 1
Yoghurt - 2 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Salt - 2 tsp
Soda - 1/2 tsp
Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp.
Little water if required

Method:

Sieve flour, soda and baking powder together. Now add all the above ingredient and make a firm dough using very little water if required. Cover the dough and let it rest in a warm place for more than an hour.
Take a pressure cooker, turn on the gas flame to its lowest and turn it upside down.
Meanwhile divide the dough into 6 balls, roll one ball using a rolling pin and oil. Now pierce with knife all over and apply some water. turn the pressure cooker in its normal position and stick the roti (water sprinkled side) inside the pressure cooker. Don't worry it wouldn't fall as you have applied water.
Let it be in the same position on the flame for 45 secs and now turn it upside down again for 30 secs. You will see brown spots on the upper surface. Now turn it back in normal position. Apply butter and sprinkle some sesame seeds. Now take it out using a flat spatula and tongs. Repeat the process and more naans
Apply more butter and serve with any semi gravy dish especially chhole or rajma.....yummmmmmm

Tip: Important
1. For making the next naan, once you have removed the previous one sprinkle some water, wipe it and again turn it upside down on flame (it reduces the heat and helps in sticking). Repeat the same for consecutive ones.
2. Don't roll the roti too big  - only to the size of your pressure cooker bottom.
3. Try avoiding water while making a dough and could use more yoghurt.

Microwave Tandoori Chicken Recipe

Had some good microwave tandoori chicken last night. So succulent, so soft and just melted in mouth. Couldn't believe I made it at home and in microwave!

Kept guessing as to what made it this soft and after hammering my brain for some time, discovered the secret!!

Well i had marinated the chicken on Friday as we had some guests coming over but did not grill it on the same day and refrigerated it. Got a chance to do it only yesterday i.e. after 4 days and the result was awesome.

Let me share this with you.

Ingredients:

Four Chicken legs.
Lemon juice - 4 tsp
Yoghurt - 2 tbsp
Tandoori chicken masala (optional) - 1tbsp
Kashmiri mirch powder - 1 tbsp
Freshly grounded garam masala - 2 tsp
Oil - 1tbsp
Kasoori methi - 2 tsp
Salt - as per taste

Miscellaneous:
Butter for brushing
Aluminium foil for wrapping
Chaat masala, lemon and chopped onion and coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:

Wash and clean the chicken. Make slits and rub lemon juice. After ten minutes, mix all the above ingredients in the chicken and marinate it. refrigerate it for 3-4 days.
On the day of grilling, take it out an hour before and let it thaw.

Now in a microwave, place the oiled grill plate. On micro+grill option heat the marinated chicken (with the marination) for 10 mins.

Now take out the chicken. Apply ample butter on an aluminium foil and wrap the chicken pieces one by one and place them back on the grill plate.

Now grill them on "Grill mode only"(else aluminium foil would cause spark and could cause an explosion) for 1 hour. Do turn them in between once or twice

Now take them off the aluminium foil and grill it for another 5 mins. The masala will be dried up.

Your Tandoori chicken is ready soft and melting

Serve with sliced onion, lemon, chopped coriander leaves and chaat masala.

You can even serve with green chutney. goes really well!!!!

Tip:

1. Minimum marination time would be one hour

2. Different ovens have different heating temperatures therefore check your chicken by piercing knife. Or even remove the foil to keep checking. Some practice will make you perfect!

Dahi Baingan / Doi Begun Recipe

Doi Begun/Dahi Baigan Recipe

This weekend shopped a lot of vegetables especially baigan(aubergines). Looked at those black ones staring at me and questioning their role. So i made them useful by making lip smacking dahi baingan. And if you are a yoghurt lover then it will lift your tastebuds a notch higher


Ingredients:

Baingan - 200 gm
                 cut into 2"*3" long  1/2 inch thick pieces (like half a size of a marie biscuit)
Yoghurt: 150 ml
Onion : 2 Big Fine sliced
Cumin seed : 1 tsp
Coriander seed - 1tsp
Dry Red Chilly - 3 nos
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2tbsp
Water - 50ml
Salt as per taste

For the seasoning:

Mustard seed - 2 tsp
Dry red chilli - 2 broken
Curry leaves - 10-12

Method:

Wash and coat the baingan in salt and turmeric. Heat oil in a kadai and fry the baingan. let the color be a little dark brown. fry the onion brown and crispy. Soak excess oil from both in a kitchen tissue paper.

Dry roast cumin, coriander and dry red chilly and make a powder. Now in a different bowl mix yoghurt and water. Add the powder salt, sugar, baingan and onions.

Now heat little oil in a tadka pan (or kadai), add mustard seed, dry red chilly and curry leaves. let it splutter and add this slowly (else the yoghurt mix can splash all around). Serve immediately.

Goes really well with biryani, pulao and even chapati

Tip:

1.Wash and pat dry the baingan to ensure there is no water left. water can make the baingan soggy while frying

2. Keep the fried baingan and onion separately and mix with yoghurt only while serving.

3. One can choose to avoid spices as per taste

Women's day - Gift or Insult?

Women's day is approaching and the number of articles on successful women and their greatness has started to give me nausea.....why would we want to have a separate day to celebrate our being...coz we are the so called minority.....so we created a special day to recognize womanhood. To celebrate our success. But aren't we equally running this world....and as responsible as our counterparts or even more.....Just because we are physically less stronger (yes that's a fact largely) doesn't mean that someone can insult  us by creating a day specially for us and make a mockery out of it. Its even commercialized with a number of gift hanging out of the shops, men buying them and we accepting them showing all our 32 assets.  Hope there would be a day when womanhood would need no special treatment to be recognized and will be loud and clear about her entity. Till then lets twist men's pocket on this day. Cheers!!!!!!

Chilli Fish Recipe

It's a yummy post today...Last evening made some good chilli fish. Turned out to be great and got some extra hugs from husband darling!!!!! So here I am sharing my recipe


Chilli Fish (starter) serves 3  Time 20 mins

Fish - 200 gm (Bhetki or Surmai as per taste) - cut into 2" cubes

Marination:
Cornflour - 2 tablespoon
Salt - as per taste
Pepper - 2 teaspoon
Lemon juice - 2 tsp



1 Egg beaten
Bread Crumbs - 1 small cup

For the Dry Gravy

Capsicum - 1 big fine sliced
Garlic - 15 flakes
Onion - 1 big fine sliced
Tomato sauce - 2 tbsp
Chilli Sauce - 4 tbsp
vinegar - 1 tsp
Soya sauce - 1 tsp
Oil - 4 tablespoon

Process:

Marinate the fish pieces in the above ingredients. Dip it in the beaten egg and roll it in the bread crumb and deep fry. Drain excess oil on a kitchen paper

For the dry gravy heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai. once it is heated not smoking, add garlic and let it spread its flavor in the oil. Add onion and capsicum. Let it fry for 5 - 7mins. Once it changes color add fish and fry for another min.

Now its sauce time
Add all the above sauces and vinegar. Fry for another 3 - 4 mins. Check taste and adjust accordingly.
Your Chilli Fish is Ready

It serves as a great starter and can be made quickly too.


Tips:

1. While you are frying the fish, to save time fry the onion, garlic capsicum in another kadai simultaneously.

2. Try not using the same oil you used to fry the fish as it turns black and is harmful for health

3. You can even serve the fried Fish with sauce.
So Try and Let me know......

Welcome to Vini's Blog

Hey All,

Welcome to my blog. It's gifted by my husband and i promise to make good use of it to connect to you all. Share interesting things with you and improve seeking your comments...so here i m ready for the trip!!!!

Give me some Sunshine, Give me some rain
Give me another chance i wanna grow up once again...

I humm this everytime...These lyrics probably applies to everyone...the one who is happy and the one who is not.....the happy ones would like to re-live their moments and the not so happy ones would like to have their way....so which catagory do you fall.....which catagory do i fall....still introspecting myself...would like to know from you all your interpretation of this.....

My Anniversary's best gift!!!!!!